A Week+ Later...

Last night, I found an apartment. This is a huge weight off my shoulders. With my company-paid nights at the hotel quickly coming to an end, I was beginning to wonder whether I would find anything habitable. Apartment hunting here is not like it is in America. In America, you can stroll a neighborhood you like or drive by a complex, jot down the phone number, or walk into the office, ask if there are any rooms (or perhaps they have a giant "NOW RENTING" sign on display), and walk out that afternoon with keys to a decent, engineer-approved, structurally sound living space.

In China however, this is not the case.

Firstly, you hop online (which you might also do in the States). Most of us have been using SmartShanghai.com which is a great resource for many things when it comes to expats in Shanghai. You paruse the listings, hoping to find one near your school, or on your metro line, or perhaps in a neighborhood you really like. Many listings are way out of our budget (note: nearly all of these listing are way out of the budget of locals. Minimum wage here is 1,820RMB/month. The EF Teacher untaxed housing allowance is 4,000RMB/month. Based on this, you would think we ought to be living like Royalty. And to many, we are. But to our Western Standards, what 4,000RMB might pay for, is not always pretty. I have seen at least 4 apartments where the kitchen is nearly a protruding hole in the wall that they tell me is the sink. A hotplate from WWII would be the stove, and a the toilet and shower are for all intensive purposes the same thing.

Once you find something you like, you will typically contact the agent and make an appointment to view the apartment. An agent is essentially a liaison between you and the landlord, and usually speaks a helpful amount of English. Your agent is your liaison for as long as you live in the apartment. If something breaks, you contact them and they will see it gets fixed or replaced. They are great people to build rapport with, and maybe buy a drink for later. Agents don't come free, usually there is a one-time 35% agent fee (whatever 35% of your monthly rent is).

We have been told that many agents will show you the sketchy apartments first, as they are trying to get rid of them, and are hoping that our naivety will work to their benefit. They often also ask for much more than the apartment is worth, saying things like "Nice area", "won't find anything cheaper" and so on... A rule of thumb, start at half of what they ask, work up the 75%. If they don't take that, walk out. They will probably call you back and say, "okay." Also, don't give anymore than 2 months for a deposit. One agent was asking for 4 months deposit. What a silly man. I was quickly able to negotiate down to 2, but I turned down that apartment anyway, as I was not terribly thrilled with the bathroom/kitchen situation.

Yesterday, I viewed an apartment near Shanghai Indoor Stadium (think sports arena + mall). Upon my arrival I was surprised to find a gate and gatekeeper standing outside the complex. The number of Mercedes, BMW's, and Audi's parked around the apartment also gave me an idea of the affluence in the area. Things were already looking positive. I found the correct building, and with the address kindly written in Mandarin was able to ask a local for help as to where I might find this specific apartment (logic has no place here). The building was undergoing renovations so there were some building materials and old furniture strewn about, but I could see the potential and that there was actually an end goal. Finding my way up to the 12th floor, I turned a corner to find a beautiful dark mahogany (maybe?) door open to a light, airy interior. On closer approach, I saw "12H" next to the door. YES! I knocked on the frame and announced my presence. The Agent, Dixon, came from the back of the apartment. A friendly local, he showed me the 2 rooms that were still available. The apartment went on the market that morning and by the afternoon 2 rooms were already taken by a fellow from Liverpool and one from Poland, and many others hoping to see it later.

While I was looking around another gentleman from Switzerland arrived and snatched up the larger of the 2 available rooms. We sat and talked, getting to know each other and both of us wished the 2 current residents were home so we could meet them. Wish partially granted, the man from Liverpool walked in later on. We all seemed to strike a healthy rapport with each other, intrigued by what brought each of us to Shanghai and our past life experiences. They seemed like good, easy-going people who weren't going to stay up all night partying. Dixon, also assured us that as an agent he doesn't rent to messy or noisy people, and out of respect for his boss, his career and " saving face", will make those people leave. I approved of this.

In the end, I couldn't turn it down. An easy walk to my metro line. A 10 minute walk from the charming French Concession and 15 minutes from Hengshen Road (a popular street to find expats dining, shopping, drinking, whatever), and the cleanest, nicest place I had seen thus far. The room was small in comparison to my past boudoirs, but extremely affordable. I took it. I gave him some of the cash I had on hand to reserve my spot and told him I would pay the rest over the next couple of days. He agreed to this, and we signed the paperwork, myself and the Swiss fellow.

Twelve hours on the market, and the entire apartment is rented out. You have to move quick in this town. Stake your claim, or get out. There are 25 million people here; when in Shanghai, you better learn to push and shove.