Housing market in Berlin, Stuttgart and Munich

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At most German Universities the winter term (Wintersemester) will start in October.

This means, thousands of students are moving from their home town to their university town. They all are looking after flats or rooms in shared flats. The situation becomes critical in the housing property market in the main towns of Germany. Thousands of flats are missing in cities like Berlin, Stuttgart and Munich.
It’s a very hard procedure. If you identify a flat online, you have to arrange an appointment for flat viewing. You must have all your paperwork with, otherwise you will not have any chance. Then you stand in line with more 50 interested persons, waiting to get a view on flat.

The housing market in Berlin, Stuttgart and Munich is really becoming worse.

Berlin registration

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Back to business as usual at Berlin’s registration offices

In order to get an appointment at the municipal registration office you have to wait up to two months. The hotline to get an appointment on a short term notice was closed right after the Berlin election. That means you have to wait again for minimum a month. You should keep that in mind when making an appointment with the foreign department to apply for residence permit or work permit.

Our tip: If you know when you will move to Berlin exactly, ask for an appointment. You can make it online.

Berlin Marathon – Integration at it’s best

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This weekend the 43rd Berlin Marathon will take place in the city of Berlin.
More than forty thousand runner and skater will participate in this competition. More than twenty thousand participants come from abroad countries to join the Berlin Marathon.

It’s great: people from all over the world, women, men, young and old people, professional runners and hobby sportsmen and handicapped person. They all will give their best on Sunday and the Berliners will cheer on them.

By the way, if your are new in the city, participating on Berlin Marathon gives you a superb overview of the streets of Berlin.

Munich „Oktoberfest“ has started

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The world biggest beer festival “Oktoberfest” had have it’s grand opening on Saturday. Many visitors will be there drinking beer, riding a roller coaster and walking around the “Wiesn” during the next two weeks.

Some hints for the “Wiesn”

  • The special beer “Wiesn Maß” costs Euro 10.40 to 10.70 this year
  • You can only enter the festival through one of the nine entrances (security reasons)
  • Backpack and bags are forbidden, you must deposit them at the entrance in a box.
  • the 14 large as well as many smaller tents provide for lots of beer, Bavarian food like Schweinshaxe & Co. and brass music.
  • Going to the festival by public transport

Everybody hope that the rain will stop and the weather will be fine again.

The “Berliner” have vote

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Now there will be a governmental change in Berlin.

The election makes clear, Berliner inhabitants want a new government. Berlin is likely to get a fist leftwing triple-coalition.
Angela Merkel’s CDU party and the ruling Social Democrats both plummeted to their lowest result in Berlin. Centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) came out top with 21.6% of the vote, ahead of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on 17.5%. Leftwing Die Linke came third on 15.7%, ahead of the Greens on 15.1%.  The liberal Free Democrats managed to get back into parliament with 6.7%.
The worst thing is, Anti-immigration populists Alternative für Deutschland are set to enter the Berlin parliament for the first time, with 14.1%.

But the good news is, that most of the voters 85,9% support the democratic parties, accepting Germany as a country of immigration.

Berlin gets ready for digital future

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The new ” Einstein centre Digital Future”  in Berlin will create a multi collaboration and interdisciplinary research environment for increasing digitalization. Scientist from all over the wolrd will work about digitalization.
By now are round about 75.000 people employed in digital economy in Berlin.

Berlin gets more than 50 new It – professors. They should help to promote Berlin with the subject of Digitization further about the new “Einstein-Zentrum für digitale Zukunft” (Einstein’s centre for digital future). The scientists should build up networks to other disciplines: from medicine to archeology, in clothes integrated chips up to researches to the digital town. Furthermore, the effects of digitalization i.e. world of work should be investigated. Christian Thomson, president of the University of Technology Berlin said, “such a concentration in It research, as it will be situated in Berlin then, will be unique in Germany and a big chance for Berlin as science location”. The scientists should start to work 2017.

Right now first calls for tendering are puplished.

Munich – the world’s biggest beer festival

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“O’zapft is” in Munich

Soon again Wiesn, Oktoberfest or how you want to call it starts again in Munich. The world’s largest and most popular fair will be held again at the Theresienwiese from September 17th until October 3rd. Being an important part of Bavarian culture Oktoberfest celebrations take place since 1810.
After the opening parade the first beer barrel will be tapped in the Schottenhammel tent by Munich’s lord mayor at 12:00 with the exclamation “O’Zapft is!”. Afterwards the fair is started and the 14 large as well as many smaller tents provide for lots of beer, Bavarian food like Schweinshaxe & Co. and brass music.

Integration into the German labour market

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Suspension of priority review (Vorrangprüfung) facilitates integration into the German labour market.

The German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs decided to suspend the priority review in the majority of the 156 agency districts for asylum seekers and tolerated persons. Until recently it had to be checked whether German employees were available instead of employing asylum seekers and tolerated. The suspension facilitates the integration the integration of these persons into the labour market, as employment of those failed often because of the review. Undertakings as well as the Chamber of Industry and Commerce appreciate the decision as this facilitates filling jobs and raises efficiency. The International Chamber of Commerce mentions however that filling jobs with refugees is not a long-term solution against skills shortage in Germany.

 

A bit of Rio in Berlin?

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Nearly a month after the Olympic games in Rio have ended Berlin-Marathon is coming up again and brings the Rio-feeling to Berlin. In mid-end September on September, 24th and 25th a weekend full of sport events, music, and happiness turns the city upside-down.

Berlin-Marathon is always an adventure for participants as well as for people cheering along the track. Samba drummers and music stations along the track motivate and fire up participants and spectators.
Berlin-Marathon is one of the best-known marathons of the world, part of the World Marathon Majors, and as popular as the races in New York or London. Runners, Inline-skaters or hand-bikers – there is a race for everyone even the smallest (born 2006 and younger) can participate in the Bambini-race. You are not that into sports? Just cheer along the track! Starting in the Tiergarten it runs through Berlin’s diversity in Mitte, Neukölln, Kreuzberg and Schöneberg, through quieter and village-like districts such as Friedenau, Schmargendorf and Wilmersdorf and coming back to the vibrant heart of the Marathon weekend around Brandenburg Gate, where the runners reach the finish line. Along the track various music stations, first aid and refreshing station ensure good mood along and on the track!

Summer break in Germany

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…is finding properties and real estate easier now?

Germany has holidays. Schools are closed, many people are on holiday and even political Berlin is on holiday. While many tourists visit the big German cities, you feel it: summer break has started. Rush hour is not as bad as usual and it is quieter in the office – everything is less hectic.
The same applies to the housing market. People rarely move during the summer months. The demand for properties and real estates is smaller at the moment, even flats are less demanded during the summer months.

However, this means not that flat hunting in Munich, Stuttgart or Berlin is easy now. It might be easier if you search now and go against the current. There might not be more offers, but it is less hectic and there might be fewer competitors in the house hunting and real estate business.

Try your luck – make use of the summer break!