10 Houses in 5 Days

Most people never go look. They research. They compare. They wait for certainty. We booked flights.

Reconnaissance, Not Vacation

September 6, 2025. My wife and I are on a plane to Paphos. No kids. For the first time since — I honestly can't remember when.

This isn't a holiday. This is a scouting mission.

Staying with a Client

I'd gone through my client list: Who's already in Cyprus? Then I asked around: Who knows someone we could stay with?

A former client answered immediately: "Alex, stay with me. The house is big enough. Just come."

That simple. No hotel. No Airbnb. A person I know through my business opens the door to a new life. That's what a network actually means — not LinkedIn connections, but people who offer you their home.

The List

We had a clear list for the week:

• View houses — can we afford this?
• Visit schools — are there international options?
• Check infrastructure — supermarkets, doctors, daily life
• Test the feeling — can we actually picture ourselves living here?

No romance. No "dream life on an island" fantasy. Just: Does this work practically? With two kids, ages 6 and 8?

10 Houses

In 5 days we viewed 10 houses. From small apartments to villas. Different areas. Different prices. Different feelings.

The first 7: No. Too remote. Too expensive. Too old. Too isolated. No feeling.

House number 8.

We walked in and my wife looked at me. I looked at her. Neither of us said a word. But we knew.

The next day we went back. Looked at everything again. Every room. The garden. The neighborhood. The street. Then we signed a 12-month lease on the spot.

Avalon Gardens, Emba

A gated community. Built in 2024. Brand new. Pool. Clubhouse. And the thing that mattered most: Other families with kids.

That was our number one criterion. Not the pool. Not the kitchen. Not the view. But: Will our children have friends from day one?

The kids were at the top of the priority list. We wanted them to walk outside on the first day and meet other children. Not eventually. Not after weeks of settling in. Day one.

Avalon Gardens delivered exactly that. Villa 1. Safe. Kids everywhere. Playground right outside the door.

Back to Germany

5 days in Cyprus. 10 houses. 1 decision. Lease signed.

On the flight back I said to my wife: "It's real."

She nodded. No big words. Just a nod. But that nod held everything: The fear. The excitement. The relief that this was a concrete plan now and not wishful thinking anymore.

Back in Wagenhoff we had 7 weeks. 7 weeks to empty a house we'd lived in for 11 years. 7 weeks to pack a life into 6 suitcases.

What I Learned

The best decisions feel boring. House 8 didn't sparkle. There was no wow moment. It was simply: yes. Obviously. Fits. Done.

The big decisions in business work the same way. You look for the wow moment, the epiphany, the sign. But most of the time the right answer is just: yes. Obviously. Fits. Do it.