How to go apartment hunting in Thailand
Mac, live in Sriracha:
Recent events have made me realize that I need a change of scenery, and so Laura and I have begun a search for an apartment to share. Having lived in Thailand for nearly two years, one would think that I would have learned to ditch my preconceptions for how things work based on my own culture and just expect the unexpected. Well, I'm still learning. Searching for an apartment has proven to be a little more difficult than expected, but I think I've figured out the basic rules:
Rule #1: An apartment actually only refers to a studio. Trying to explain that we want an apartment that has two separate bedrooms and a kitchen and living room has not been received well. First, they think that Laura and I are a couple and want to share one bedroom, then when they realize we just want to share a place, they tell us to get two studios (no kitchen or living room) or to get a house outside of town (and buy a car to get to work every day). Simple, no?
Rule #2: Everything is word-of-mouth. There aren't any listings, and real estate agents for rental properties are hard to come by. House hunting literally means getting in your car and driving around until you notice a for-rent sign posted on the gate of a house or townhouse. Not having our transportation, we are relying on the generosity of colleagues to chauffeur us around town.
Rule # 3: Time frames are not universally understood. We went to one apartment building and explained that we wanted a two-bedroom apartment with kitchen and living room to move in to as soon as possible. The landlord, realizing that the current building did not have our request, lit up upon telling us that she had another building not far that had what we were looking for. Getting our hopes up, we ventured to the new location--a construction site. Having come directly from school, and thus still wearing our uniform and heels, we looked warily at the mud and wet cement. Our guide, undaunted, led us around the maze of equipment, through the groups of ogling workers (pretending not to hear shouts of "Farang! I love farang!") and up the eight flights of stairs to the unfinished room that was locked and not to be opened. She pointed to the door and said, "This is it. You can move in in about two or three months." To be fair, that was as soon as possible, but not quite what we had in mind. Plus, when she told us we could also rent another room and tutor people in English (herself included) warning bells inside our head went off, and we told her we'd keep in touch.
Rule # 4: Stand your ground. We have found that refusing to waver on certain things, like price, number of bedrooms, and internet have opened up so many more possibilities. Everything is negotiable, and you have to fight to keep the prices reasonable. When first you hear that there are only one-bedroom houses, stand your ground. Less than one hour later you will receive a phone call that a two-bedroom place has "just opened up." When you are told that you cannot get internet, stand your ground. "I will call the company today" follows with a phone call that DSL will be installed within ten days. In the end, both parties are satisfied, and you've already established a relationship based on mutual respect.
Armed with these principles, we quickly succeeded and have now moved into a small duplex. It's Thai-style--wooden, sitting over a pond. With an eclectic mix of furniture, tacky cushions, and a refrigerator older than me, we've worked hard to put together a place we can call home.
Recent events have made me realize that I need a change of scenery, and so Laura and I have begun a search for an apartment to share. Having lived in Thailand for nearly two years, one would think that I would have learned to ditch my preconceptions for how things work based on my own culture and just expect the unexpected. Well, I'm still learning. Searching for an apartment has proven to be a little more difficult than expected, but I think I've figured out the basic rules:
Rule #1: An apartment actually only refers to a studio. Trying to explain that we want an apartment that has two separate bedrooms and a kitchen and living room has not been received well. First, they think that Laura and I are a couple and want to share one bedroom, then when they realize we just want to share a place, they tell us to get two studios (no kitchen or living room) or to get a house outside of town (and buy a car to get to work every day). Simple, no?
Rule #2: Everything is word-of-mouth. There aren't any listings, and real estate agents for rental properties are hard to come by. House hunting literally means getting in your car and driving around until you notice a for-rent sign posted on the gate of a house or townhouse. Not having our transportation, we are relying on the generosity of colleagues to chauffeur us around town.
Rule # 3: Time frames are not universally understood. We went to one apartment building and explained that we wanted a two-bedroom apartment with kitchen and living room to move in to as soon as possible. The landlord, realizing that the current building did not have our request, lit up upon telling us that she had another building not far that had what we were looking for. Getting our hopes up, we ventured to the new location--a construction site. Having come directly from school, and thus still wearing our uniform and heels, we looked warily at the mud and wet cement. Our guide, undaunted, led us around the maze of equipment, through the groups of ogling workers (pretending not to hear shouts of "Farang! I love farang!") and up the eight flights of stairs to the unfinished room that was locked and not to be opened. She pointed to the door and said, "This is it. You can move in in about two or three months." To be fair, that was as soon as possible, but not quite what we had in mind. Plus, when she told us we could also rent another room and tutor people in English (herself included) warning bells inside our head went off, and we told her we'd keep in touch.
Rule # 4: Stand your ground. We have found that refusing to waver on certain things, like price, number of bedrooms, and internet have opened up so many more possibilities. Everything is negotiable, and you have to fight to keep the prices reasonable. When first you hear that there are only one-bedroom houses, stand your ground. Less than one hour later you will receive a phone call that a two-bedroom place has "just opened up." When you are told that you cannot get internet, stand your ground. "I will call the company today" follows with a phone call that DSL will be installed within ten days. In the end, both parties are satisfied, and you've already established a relationship based on mutual respect.
Armed with these principles, we quickly succeeded and have now moved into a small duplex. It's Thai-style--wooden, sitting over a pond. With an eclectic mix of furniture, tacky cushions, and a refrigerator older than me, we've worked hard to put together a place we can call home.
posted by keeksandmac at
8:11 PM
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