"House" hunting in Valencia

Valencia is a huge, gorgeous city with lots of ancient buildings, lots of modern structures... and TONS of people! :)  Or so it feels.  When we first started looking at Valencia, we were given two areas in the city that our leadership wanted to focus on.  When Wes and I visited last May to scope it out for our family, we felt that either one would work well for us as a family to live in.

I am not a big city girl.  I grew up in upstate NY and I like wide open spaces with rolling hills and lots of green.  When we first moved to Spain, this was something that I realized was actually hard for me.  I missed the SPACE.  Everyone lives on top of each other and there's very little green... lots of concrete and cars and people everywhere.  When we walked through these two areas of the city, we found some little neighborhoods that were very quiet and peaceful... and my heart felt at home.  So when we arrived here to find a home, we knew the two areas that we were looking in, which really helped a lot, considering the size of this city.

Now, FINDING our housing was the craziest thing.  In the States, it's something kinda fun... or at least we have always found it that way... so many possibilities in front of you, imagining your life and family in each home that you enter.  There in the States, you find a realtor and tell them what you are looking for; they search their data base and put together some homes for you to look at. They have the combinations to lock boxes... or whatever system they have to get into each house. They plan ahead and you see all the houses in one area at one time, and then you move on to the next area.  You go together in the agent's car or you drive your own and follow the agent to each home. You park both cars in the drive-way or in front of the house... and you make a day of it!  For the most part, the most difficult thing in the States is that you have too many choices, and you are choosing the BEST out of many good options.

It turns out that, in the two areas that we were given, there are very few 4 bedroom anything. :)  One real estate agent called the market "brutal."  Whenever something with 4 bedrooms came open, it was usually gone within days because there were so few.  Not only were we looking for 4 bedrooms, but we also needed something with a garage... well, they call it a "garage" but it really means "parking spot." :)  We have this beautiful new van and it's much safer housed inside rather than on the street over-night, so our supervisors are requiring a garage (which we are thankful for!)  But, obviously, that narrowed it down even more.  We quickly began to realize that we wouldn't have too many options. BUT we have been praying for months and also know that y'all are praying!

This whole process here is completely different than in the States.  We knew this before we started, we just didn't really realize how it would pan out in actuality. :)  Here, you have to go into each different real estate office to see what they have listed.  There doesn't seem to be one big data base that everyone lists on so that every agent can see them all.  Each agency has their own, so you go into the area where you are looking and you walk into several different "inmobiliarias" and explain what you are looking for.  Then you sit at their desk as they look through a book or their computer, and they show you pictures of the different houses that they have.  If you like any of them, they call the owner to see when they can get the keys (or in most cases, meet the owner there) and get in to see the place... this takes a least a day, several days in many cases.

You still have time during the rest of your day, so you stop into another place and see what they have listed... and they do the same... and you set up your appointments for the next couple days. Then you go across town to the another area that you are looking at and you do the same thing all over again.

This seems like it would work just fine, right?  It's not too bad... a little bit crazier than we are used to, but that's expected in a different culture... nothing is "normal" to us, right? :) It's a little more work to have to drive around the streets looking for the different real estate agencies, and then find parking within 10 minutes walking distance of the place, but still... it's doable.

Things got really hectic during the days when we were supposed to be looking at the apartments.  We lined them up with a couple hours in between each appointment, but remember that we went to a million ;) different real estate agencies to find possibilities, so we weren't working with just one person.  Then they had to coordinate the schedule of the owner of the apartment (who also has to be present in most cases), the real estate agent, and us!   It never did work out to see several in one area, all at once.  For the most part, the quickest they could show us, we were taking it... which meant that we were driving to all parts of the city at different times.

We started the day fine, heading to our first appointment.  We usually left half an hour early, knowing it would take 15 minutes to get to whatever part of the city, and then 15 minutes to find parking and walk to the apartment.  The thing we forgot was that not all Spaniards are punctual.  We have mentioned this before... "no pasa nada" is one of their favorite sayings. :)  "No big deal." :)  (One day we waited an entire hour for the owner to show up!!!!!)  Anyway, it seems like our whole day would get pushed back and we would end up being late for every appointment.  You know how that goes then... you are frantic and trying to hurry.  Well, that doesn't work well in traffic, and you cannot find a parking space any faster by driving any faster!

I distinctly remember one afternoon.  We were late for an appointment because the last person had been late, so we were both stressed.  Wes is driving our huge van down these tiny little, unfamiliar streets, looking for the address.  I have the map out and I am trying to help navigate and look for parking, since we know are in the vicinity.  Cars are flying by us, people are stepping out into the street in front of us to cross.  The phone rings and I answer out of habit.  Someone starts babbling off Spanish to me; Wes is trying to figure out if we need to turn onto the upcoming street, so he's talking to me in English.  I've got someone rattling off in Spanish in my ear... I have no idea who I am talking to, and I'm only catching every other word; b/c I'm trying to motion to Wes that it's a one-way street.  When I turn my attention back to the phone, I realize I hadn't heard a word she said and she was waiting for my answer.  I wanted to throw the phone out the window, park the van in the middle of the street, walk into a cafe, order coffee and escape into the fiction world of the current book I am reading.  Good grief!  :) The thing is, this wasn't just one afternoon.  The scene I just described happened over and over and over again!

One time, we had set up an appointment closer to the center of the city.  We left in plenty of time to find parking (or so we thought), since we knew it would be hard near the center of the city.  As we got closer and closer, the streets got smaller and smaller.  We drove around for a while looking for parking, but didn't find anything.  It was past time to meet the guy, so Wes decided he would drive in front of the building and just drop me off and go try to find parking on his own.  So, I got out of the van and introduced myself to the real estate agent waiting out front (this guy was punctual!).

We made small talk for a while, waiting for Wes.  I asked a bunch of questions, confirming some of the details of the apartment and then asking about schools nearby.  About 15 minutes passed and Wes still had not returned.  To be honest, I really don't like making small talk in English, let alone Spanish.  So I was praying Wes would show up ASAP!! :)  5 minutes later, I see him drive by the apartment building AGAIN.  Obviously, he had not found a spot, and we had another appointment within an hour.  So, I told the guy that I would just have go look at the apartment and I'd take a video to show my husband.

We met the owner inside and we all went to the top floor of the building.  We knocked on the door and waited.  No answer.  Obviously this one was not vacant like most of the others.  He rang the doorbell and we waited again.  Nothing.  On the 3rd ring, a younger guy answered the door and when the owner explained why we were there, the young kid said his dad hadn't said anything about us coming and that we could not enter without his Father's permission.  Hmmmm... so the owner called the father on his cell phone and then at work; no answer at either number.  The realtor decided we would try one more time, in case the kid had gotten a hold of his father.  We rang the door-bell and waited... no one came to the door, so we started to get back on the elevator to go back down. (We almost escaped!)  Just before the elevator door closed, the kid opened the door again.  The owner tried again to convince the kid to let us come in and see at least the balcony, living room and kitchen.  Reluctantly, the kid let us in.

It was a very large apartment, but it was obvious to me that they were NOT leaving any time soon.  (They were supposed to be out within a week.)  I was kind of uncomfortable because we had not had a very warm welcome, obviously.  People kept sticking their heads out of doors (how many people lived here, anyway????), trying to catch a glimpse of us.  When we walked through the living room, one of the bedroom doors was open and a woman was there in her nightgown... (this was at 4:30 in the afternoon, by the way!)  She slammed the door when she saw us, and then came back out with a towel wrapped around her.  Now, Spanish is my second language; but I understood everything that lady was saying, and she was NOT happy we were there. At that point, I was just ready to leave.  The door man at the front had just called the realtor to tell him Wes was waiting for us in the lobby, so I was ready to just leave.

For some reason, the owner felt like he had to press to find a time when we could come back.  I won't repeat what the lady was saying... but I'm sure you could imagine.  She couldn't believe we would arrive without letting them know that we were coming.  Apparently, the appointment had been made with the husband, and he and his wife were separated.  It really didn't matter to me.  I just wanted to get out of there.  I was so uncomfortable AND I knew it wasn't an apartment for us!... he'd be lucky to get them out of there in a month!  And we certainly don't have that kind of time. :)

We made it down stairs and the owner was apologizing.  I felt bad for HIM.  Wes had 9 minutes left in his parking spot, so we said a hasty thank you and goodbye... and we were off.  I filled Wes in as we drove away to our next appointment.   It sure has been a crazy experience.