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June 23rd 2007

Published: June 23rd 2007

I got an apartment today! I met up with an agent, named Eric Hong. He only really speaks Chinese, which was somewhat a drag. He was good at speaking to me at a 2nd grade level though. I met up with him near Jiao Da (Jiao Tong University) and he took me around. The first unit I saw was partially remodeled but a bit old and the bathroom was icky. It had very large rooms and good lighting, and the landlord like me because I am from California (her grandkids live there) and she said I looked nice girl to rent to. Then I told her I only wanted to live here 6 months and she didn't seem too pleased. The landlord was 80 years old and wanted a no hassle tentant. She was charging 6500 RMB (more than $800 USD)! Not worth it. So then Hong took me to another place down the street which was nicer, and even bigger (2 bdrm, 1.5 bath). It's a big high rise complex with a guard and a 7 min walk to metro and lots of shopping. It's on the 4th floor (Chinese people don't like "4" b/c it sounds like "die/dead"). There were two Tiawanese girls living there that wanted to break the lease to go back to Taiwan. The girls were paying 5000 RMB. I figured that was a good price compared to what I saw on Shanghai Craigslist and other listings. However, the place was kind of big for me.... so I asked Hong to take me to some 1 bedroom places. He explained to me that vacant 1 bedroom apartments are hard find in Xujiahui. So then I saw another one for 3700 RMB but had a teeny weeny living room (literally 7'x7'). I had to keep in mind that I'm only here for 5 months and I shouldn't be too picky or have to negotiate too hard. Few landlords in SF would agree to month-to-month without charging a premium. I don't plan to be around my apartment that often, but the place was like a studio. I figure, for 1200 RMB more I should just get the 2bdroom. I asked Hong to take me to more places that were a little further away. I thought to myself, "he wants me to walk??!" Keep in mind that it's at least 85 degrees and humid. He says, "hop onto my bike." Oh dear. I was thinking that I could pay for the taxi, and then pay for his ride back to his bike... but then I thought, "ok, what the heck." He had an electric bike/scooter. These kinds of bikes ride in the bike lane, not the regular street. Nonetheless, bike riding here is like real life Mario Kart. People are pretty aggressive and bikes weave through cars when trying to turn and sometimes go onto the sidewalk where there are pedestrians! Totally rude. Anyway, the unit he took me to had an awful couch and chairs covered in this thick plastic stuff. I couldn't handle that...... so I went with the second one he showed me. The landlord was fine that I would only be there 5 months too. However, I agreed to 5 whole months.

So Hong explained that it's very common for landlords to collect 3 months rent at a time (Umm... who can afford that?). He said that there was a one-month deposit and then I had to pay 2 months in advance. Gggrr... so somehow I had to cough up 15,000 RMB!!! That's nearly $2000 USD - IN CASH. Anyway, I explained I didn't have that much money and he agreed to take a $200 USD lease deposit and I then give him the rest of the money when I get the keys. Oh, and there's a 35% agent fee. Yikes. Oh well, there's no way I would have been able to find a place on my own. I was a little worried about the entire process, but it all seems reasonable to me. I got a contract which was in Chinese, and the agent translated for me. I have a copy and I'm bringing it to my friend to make sure the agent was honest. I am a bit at their mercy, but I knew I wanted to act quickly since I'm only here for 5 months! I don't to spend another week searching, staying at a hotel and then take another week trying to buy things to settle in. Anyway, I'll post pictures when I get the keys! 😊 The only thing I don't like is that the trash chute is near the elevator and it has a funky smell. Oh well, I'll live. The place is pretty big... 130 sq meters. Hong, the agent, suggested that I find a roommate in my Mandarin class and charge 2500 RMB. He said that he thinks I'll have classmates in dire need of a place to live. Who knows. I wouldn't mind the extra $$, but I'm not huge on stranger roommates. Anyway, if I get a lot of takers on visitors, I won't get a roommate. Anyone who comes to visit can stay with me - there's even an extra double bed! I just hope I don't get renter's remorse... we'll see!

It's so hot here. I was wearing jeans and I even rolled them up into a capri and was about to die. The collar of my shirt was completely damp when I came back. Eww. I don't want to go outside again! On my way home I bought two light silk skirts for 49 RMB each.

Ok, I'm going to Jing An (a different neighborhood for dinner). One of my college business fraternity friends lives there. Tomorrow I'm going to go out and try to meet some friends through the "shanghai expat organization" (www.shanghaiexpat.com). They meet every Sunday at Xintiandi Coffee Bean! We'll see how it goes. At worst, I get to drink my favorite drink: English Breakfast Latte. Do you know what's weird? I'm always looking around for foreigners, and when I see a white/Caucasian person, I think to myself, "My people!" A bit ironic, no?

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