I spent the day yesterday with a delightful couple considering relocating from the Netherlands to Rochester, NY. We spent the day visiting Fairport and Canandaigua and next week we will be viewing properties in Irondequoit, Rochester and Brighton.
I couldn't resist the urge to ask about how houses in Rochester differ from those in the Netherlands and was quite interested in their answers. They live near the coast and the area is quite densely populated. As a result, much of the housing is row houses. They live in a modern house, built in the 1980's, yet one of the most striking differences is it was built with no closets. Most clothing is stored in armories and other furniture and when new clothing is purchased, old clothing is given away. Basically, Europeans just don't have as much 'stuff' as Americans.
While my clients are looking for an attractive and well maintained home, their interest is all about the view. In the Netherlands, there are miles and miles bicycle and walking paths and lots of parks and gardens. As they looked at houses in the Rochester area, they went from room to room to look out the windows and take in the view. So far, their most favorable reaction was to a condo along the Erie Canal but we'll see what next week brings.
In the Netherlands, the housing market is still suffering from the 2008 global mortgage meltdown and house prices are again dropping after a modest increase in 2010. They were delighted to see how strong the Rochester market is.
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