Fake marble in the bathroom

How I started to invest in real estate in the former Soviet Union. 

With my eyes almost closed, it should look like expensive marble. I am standing in a bathroom of 2 square meters, surrounded by prefab walls with a creative wallpaper. The old metal water crane is for filling the small tub and the sink. Not at once, but turn after turn. This eclectic bathroom with a greenish sink and lipstick-red details has my full attention, right away. The remaining parts of the flat are less impressive. Original parquetry, musty closets and scratched walls covered the 55 square meters big flat. 

Welcome in 2017, I just bought my first investment flat. Not in my familiar environment, not in my home town nor my country, but a former Soviet Union region. What have I done?

You can call it efficiency, I name it laziness. 

My actions are often a result of my will to achieve as much as possible by doing a less as possible effort. You can call it efficiency, I name it laziness. Let's say I feel the scarcity of my power. The days are counting, working hours are, unfortunately, limited. The importance to invest for the long run became clear. I am buying this flat to rent it out to a local citizen, someone who is familiar with this area, living and working locally. My prediction to receive five times more yield than at my local real-estate market seemed to be correct. This greater return demands a lot. It's a time-consuming and very stressful operation. In particular, in a country where English or German isn't a commonly spoken language. With diverging laws and habits.

Two years later, I decided to renovate my first flat. To change one of the most beautiful bathrooms I have ever owned. To remove the characterful fake marble to anonymous white tiles, to do the tenants a pleasure and make it them as comfortable as possible.