Post by unanimous on May 16, 2010 11:39:59 GMT 3
Have you done your share to further the positive attitude in real estate this weekend by visiting some of the apartments for rent!?! i saw in the newspapers, someone actually quoted the number of visits they receive now (1,000+something!)...dunno about the number who had actually moved in to rent, but business seems to be showing some sign of life.... So......how many real estate agents have you annoyed this weekend!?
House hunting is quite exciting these days mainly because there are sooooooooo much available and they are now sanely priced. These days, owners are competing with each other by luring you with perks - perks that you would have received side eyes for if you had as much as suggested it before.
Setting up reasonable appointments now to check out apartments no longer feel like having a root canal and yes, agents now will let you see a house after 5 pm. i remember two years ago when we were looking for a place, real estate agents seem to work only on days and hours where potential renters are also working, so unless you cut some time off of your work, seeing them might be tricky.
No longer will you have to consult your horoscope if a certain building has available flats for rent. These days, there are now clear, visible signs of "for rent" outside buildings and compounds. Seems when there's the threat of dire economic straits, common sense and good manners kick in. how nice!
We were actually checking out other apartments the past 5 months, keeping our options open when we have to renew our lease next month. we figured, it might be nice to move in into a new apartment, new couch, and maybe a little cheaper than what we have now - after all, there seems to be a lot and prices have gone down. so search we did.
we recently checked out places with sea views...it was ok, but if i were to consult with my more dramatic self, there was no zzzhaazhaazhooo feeling when you walk in....i mean of course a sea view is neat, but now that i work from home and social contact is limited to the sane...not sure if i can make it through the day if dead calm water is all i can see, not that i think an occasional casualty-free tsunami is required, but any sign of movement, seeing people walking about pissed or smiling, running for their lives as they try to cross a busy street is still a welcome sight.
there was one apartment with angled walls and really squarish room..it was nice but it felt more like an office than a home. you can have the option of furnishing it yourself or be at the mercy of 17th century drapes and giant couches. the living room view is half our bedroom view. once you have the bed in the room, if you wanna pay homage to michael jackson, you can only moonwalk in one direction. it is cheaper though.
The second best we've seen is Beach Tower. it's that little building in westbay next to asas building. Their view is not yet obscured by another building if you get the apartment with the sea view, and most of the buildings near it is almost, if not yet, finished...so hopefully you will not be woken up by giant drilling machines. Nobody lives in the building yet, and seems the price for a flat is still negotiable. we thought it would be ready by January, but apparently maybe in June if not sometime later this month. the furnishing is decent, but if you have kids, you might want to have them wear gloves all day. they have an amazing 3-bdr apartment but we've not seen it furnished. price is about the same as our current flat.
then of course there's the Pearl. but we will not shell out 18-21k for a flat for just the two of us, those were nice, but not for us. we checked out a flat there sometime in November last month, it was furnished, 2 bdr and 14k a month....but our flat still kicks its butt so we stayed put.
fortunately, old as our building may be (by current standards: some 2 yrs old) we still like our apartment better than the ones we've checked out. it is still more reasonably sized than the others for its price, our view is still a bit more interesting. we are still walking distance to good restos or other distractions without aiming for a marathon. Our friends can strike dramatic poses even without trying.
If i imagine Pearl as the 5th Avenue, our place will be the Meatpacking district. HAH! i like it when i stretch my imagination! If i was in Paris, our place will be somewhere in the area of the modern art museum! There is no resemblance at all, it's just the imaginary feel i surround myself before PMS kicks in. And when i open my eyes in the morning to a certain morning light, the city looks real awesome.
There's now a healthy dose of paranoia on both the landlord and the renters side. Enjoy it while it lasts. But keep in mind, we are expats. Sooner or later we will have to leave. Hopefully we will keep our baggage to a minimum, both literally and figuratively.
House hunting is quite exciting these days mainly because there are sooooooooo much available and they are now sanely priced. These days, owners are competing with each other by luring you with perks - perks that you would have received side eyes for if you had as much as suggested it before.
Setting up reasonable appointments now to check out apartments no longer feel like having a root canal and yes, agents now will let you see a house after 5 pm. i remember two years ago when we were looking for a place, real estate agents seem to work only on days and hours where potential renters are also working, so unless you cut some time off of your work, seeing them might be tricky.
No longer will you have to consult your horoscope if a certain building has available flats for rent. These days, there are now clear, visible signs of "for rent" outside buildings and compounds. Seems when there's the threat of dire economic straits, common sense and good manners kick in. how nice!
We were actually checking out other apartments the past 5 months, keeping our options open when we have to renew our lease next month. we figured, it might be nice to move in into a new apartment, new couch, and maybe a little cheaper than what we have now - after all, there seems to be a lot and prices have gone down. so search we did.
we recently checked out places with sea views...it was ok, but if i were to consult with my more dramatic self, there was no zzzhaazhaazhooo feeling when you walk in....i mean of course a sea view is neat, but now that i work from home and social contact is limited to the sane...not sure if i can make it through the day if dead calm water is all i can see, not that i think an occasional casualty-free tsunami is required, but any sign of movement, seeing people walking about pissed or smiling, running for their lives as they try to cross a busy street is still a welcome sight.
there was one apartment with angled walls and really squarish room..it was nice but it felt more like an office than a home. you can have the option of furnishing it yourself or be at the mercy of 17th century drapes and giant couches. the living room view is half our bedroom view. once you have the bed in the room, if you wanna pay homage to michael jackson, you can only moonwalk in one direction. it is cheaper though.
The second best we've seen is Beach Tower. it's that little building in westbay next to asas building. Their view is not yet obscured by another building if you get the apartment with the sea view, and most of the buildings near it is almost, if not yet, finished...so hopefully you will not be woken up by giant drilling machines. Nobody lives in the building yet, and seems the price for a flat is still negotiable. we thought it would be ready by January, but apparently maybe in June if not sometime later this month. the furnishing is decent, but if you have kids, you might want to have them wear gloves all day. they have an amazing 3-bdr apartment but we've not seen it furnished. price is about the same as our current flat.
then of course there's the Pearl. but we will not shell out 18-21k for a flat for just the two of us, those were nice, but not for us. we checked out a flat there sometime in November last month, it was furnished, 2 bdr and 14k a month....but our flat still kicks its butt so we stayed put.
fortunately, old as our building may be (by current standards: some 2 yrs old) we still like our apartment better than the ones we've checked out. it is still more reasonably sized than the others for its price, our view is still a bit more interesting. we are still walking distance to good restos or other distractions without aiming for a marathon. Our friends can strike dramatic poses even without trying.
If i imagine Pearl as the 5th Avenue, our place will be the Meatpacking district. HAH! i like it when i stretch my imagination! If i was in Paris, our place will be somewhere in the area of the modern art museum! There is no resemblance at all, it's just the imaginary feel i surround myself before PMS kicks in. And when i open my eyes in the morning to a certain morning light, the city looks real awesome.
There's now a healthy dose of paranoia on both the landlord and the renters side. Enjoy it while it lasts. But keep in mind, we are expats. Sooner or later we will have to leave. Hopefully we will keep our baggage to a minimum, both literally and figuratively.