To move or not to move...

I am starting to get bored with where we live. This is one of those quirks that Ben has had to deal with off and on throughout our marriage. I usually will state that I can commit to 3-5 years somewhere before the 'itch' starts however things are a bit different in this situation.

Of course, we have always had our own homes before moving to Prague so I could hold off this issue by painting or moving around the furniture. There is nothing quite like changing the colors of your rooms, setting things up differently, or even hanging up pictures to make your place seem new again.

However, when you are renting a lot of that is taken away from you. Here, it is excruciating for me. I am not allowed to paint the flat and let me tell you right now none of the colors here would be of my choosing. I cannot hang up much...mostly because the walls are cement and we left our good drill and bits in the States, but also because we would have to pay for any excess damage or holes so Alex has her art work taped up in the playroom but the rest of flat is pretty empty. As for moving furniture this is also not much of an option. The rooms barely contain what we brought over and most of the layouts are forced due to slanted roof lines, built-ins, and door/window placement.

Please do not get me wrong, I love this flat for the most part...it is just not the layout of my choice and I am not happy with having to live with someone else's personality and color selections.

On top of all this, we have friends who have moved and friends who will be moving soon to our old neck of the woods. It is really making that itch of mine come out in full.

What is the final icing on this cake is that the stairs have finally gotten to me and my knees. I would blame it on the weather except I now know there is something wrong with my right knee and I will have to make an appointment soon to have it looked at. A house or villa would not have had as many flights of stairs and most flats are in buildings with lifts...the most you have to do is a half flight up or down to the lift, and a half flight when you are entering or exiting the building.

So, I have been giving a lot of thought to moving. I think about it almost daily. It has become a true obsession of mine to find something affordable (ha), the size that we need (ha ha), in a part of the city that I would find more enjoyable. Of course, I have now limited myself from ever finding the dream flat because there really will not be anything affordable, in this size, without being a Villa or House and that will certainly not be found in Vinohrady. To make matters even harder, I am really not thinking about renting the property, but buying it. The monthly mortgage would be cheaper than our rental fee...as long as we did not go overboard and buy a castle or something near Embassy Row...and we would be able to do whatever we wanted inside and out to make it truly our home. If and when we leave Prague, we could even keep it as a rental property and have somewhere to stay when we came back on visits!

Then reality rears its ugly head and I am forced to look at the one major con associated with moving next door or down a few flights, let alone across town. Two words sums it up: TOO EXPENSIVE

Different from our initial move, we would be the ones sporting the bill for having our items brought from one place to the other. We could certainly help keep some of the costs down by moving a few items by ourselves...clothes, toys, toiletries, and some other items in suitcases are all things we could handle. However, the amount of furniture we have, all the electronics, and all the kitchen/dining items would require professionals. Now add in the fact that we live on the 4th (5th in US standards) floor with no lift and that nothing larger than a box truck is allowed on our street and the numbers are not looking too good.

Beside the cost of moving there is the fact that when purchasing or renting you need a good deal of money upfront. When you rent, it is typical to pay fees that include the first month, the security/last month, and the fee to the agency that you would use...which is equal to one monthly rent payment. When you buy, obviously you need a down payment. After shelling out the money for one full year of health insurance for (2) children and (1) adult to VZP, plus the Annual Fee for my Mediconet coverage things are not looking too swell in that department.

Last thing I must consider in these monetary woes is that we signed a 2-year contract on this flat. I am not entirely sure what the repercussions are for breaking said contract. Some owners are very good about giving you an 'out clause' where if you notify them 90 days in advance and have a reason both parties find as valid you are free and clear. Others allow you to leave whenever you like...if you pay out the remaining time on your contract.

So, it appears that we will be staying here for the next year and I will just have to deal with that fact. I cannot argue the fact that we live in a tremendous flat, in a beautiful section of the city, with a great view, allowing Ben a terrific commute, and the 5 minute walk to Alex's school is nothing short of a major plus! Gee - when I look at that list, I almost want to stay here :)