The Apt Hunt

in response to the last post, the pho was just alright. I would give the place a 2 star on yelp. I dont know what it is, maybe they arent employing the thumb in soup trick or what, but the pho doesnt taste like real pho. Then again, I hear that pho in Vietnam doesnt tast like real pho. Pho in vietnam cost less than a buck though, this place cost $5.

Apt hunting is quite a drag. Some people get all excited and thrilled about the thought of choosing their new home, I see it as just a place to sleep. Usually, the first place I look to is craigslist. However, being in a foreign town, with no car, and 2 days to find a place, I had to act fast. I decided to use a real estate agent. Dealing with real estate agents can be a little bit tricky. You know they are adding an additional 5-10% on top of your rent fee, but the upside is they do all the homework. Biggest downside to the agents here is that they require you to commit for at least a year and want a hefty deposit.

After viewing either the 8th or 9th place in my target destination area, we finally landed on a condo that we felt was perfect for our situation. 2 bedrooms, 3 baths, a maids quarters, building security, and it was located 1 block away from the prime greenbelt shopping center. The only downside was that there was construction going on across our balcony, but it was nothing a little young jeezy couldnt block out.

When you deal with an agent, you always want to play it a little cool. You never want to act too interested or over eager, otherwise you will get jacked and end up overpaying. You also have to realize that the price is always negotiable so you want to pay attention to a few factors.

  1. What is keeping this place on the market? Is the place really ugly, is the plumbing not working, is the building really old fashioned? For this building, it was the construction next door.
  2. How long has this place been on the market. Instead of asking the agent, I usually get my inside info from the receptionist down in the lobby. She doesnt have anything to lose or gain and is usally more truthful than the typical “it was just put on the market last week” response. I found out this place was on the market for a month.
  3. Once I realize that I have room to bargain, then I begin to nitpick and act disinterested. The furniture is old school, theres not enough kitchen counterspace (i like to cook), this place doesnt have the propper feng shui.

I usually take all these factors into consideration and leave myself with a good figure that I dont mind paying, which would also make things worthwhile for my agent.

This situation was a little bit different though. After viewing the place and returning the key back to the receptionist, we overheard the agent talking to the her about the price. As it turned out, because of the construction and lack of suitors, the landlord was willing to drop the price on the place from $1100 to $700. The noise from the construction scared off a lot of suitors and he was desperate to rent the place out at a discounted rate. Of course this wasnt our price though. The agent had no clue my brother understood their tagalog conversation and denied that a price was even mentioned. After doing a tiny bit of bargaining, the agent finally agreed to drop the price to $1000.

We would have taken it for that price if we didnt hear the conversation, and felt the agent was being a little bit shady. We told her that we werent interested because of the construction and left. About an hour later, we went back to the condo, had the receptionist call the owner/landlord, and ended up getting the place for $800/month with a month to month contract and no deposit. We found a place in the 2nd day, everything was all going according to plan.

September 13, 2008 · Filed Under Other

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First Day Arrival!!


After a full nights rest in first class, I was energized and ready to go. My luggage took forever to come out.. and of course it was properly handled (remember those dell desktop computers i was shipping over).

I was picked up after I left the airport, had lunch, and did a bunch of other boring stuff. Highlight of the day, I found a pho place a block away from my pad.

September 11, 2008 · Filed Under Other

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Itenirary for the first 2 days in Manila

The main goal for my first 2 days in Manila was to find a condo right away. I was staying at a hotel located right across the street from a Luis Vutton store and the prices definitely were not cheap. I also had interviews, appointments and a few other errons to take care of. Those 2 days were Very Busy.

Day 1
12:05  Arrival at Manila Airport
12:45  Picked up
01:30  Business Lunch
03:30  Checkin @ Hotel
04:00  Condo Hunt w/ Real Estate Agent
06:00  Job Interviews w/ Candidates
07:30  Dinner
09:30  Sleep

Day 2
05:30  Breakfast/Planning
08:30  Setup Bank Accnt
09:00  Condo Hunt
12:00  Business Lunch
02:00  Interviews
06:00  Dinner
08:30  Sleep (hella tired)

September 8, 2008 · Filed Under Other

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