From the balcony… to the casting

Mary was on the phone with her cousin Eleni, who lives in Belgium.
She was explaining how they ended up looking for a real estate agent.
Talking directly to owners hadn’t worked.
Their emotional descriptions of a “garden” you couldn’t see, or a “view” that required favorable weather, weren’t helping.

Eleni laughed.
— Oh, it’s the same in Belgium.
Remember that studio we visited with Tom?
It said “small kitchen and bathroom.”
You walk in… and wonder if you're supposed to fry eggs or flush the toilet.

They both laughed.

— Luckily, continued Eleni, we have seminars here.
They tell you where to start, what to look out for, how mortgages work, what documents you'll need.
They even explain how to assess if a home is worth it — whether it has high communal fees, whether it can be renovated, what to ask about planning rules.
It was quite useful, even if a bit much all at once.
It doesn’t solve everything, but at least it gets you oriented.

Mary sighed.
— Here, we just learn as we go.
As if everyone searching for a home was born experienced.

Mimis had already lined up three appointments with the new agent.
The first one was scheduled for the next day.

Eleni was surprised.
— Wait, it’s just you and the agent for each visit?
Here, it’s different.
You pick the home online — maybe even do a virtual tour — and then see when the viewing is scheduled.
Everything you learned in those two hours, you try to squeeze into the short time you're allowed inside.

There were ten of us once for a tiny studio.
We couldn’t all fit — we waited outside.
Each person could enter only after the previous one had left.
If the agent showed up, great. If not, you took a quick look and left.
It’s all very organized.
Kind of like casting.

Mary smiled.
— We may not have any official guidance, but at least we have the agent nearby.
That’s something.

To be continued…