Quote: (06-11-2015 12:54 PM)Global Entry Wrote:
Hang in there - there is much, as Suits could relay, that is frustrating about living in China. Anything requiring government authorization seems to take more than visit and a lot of waiting.
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The apartment situation is one of the most arduous things about locating there - every foreigner seems to struggle with it, except those who move in with roommates that already have a place.
Yes and no.
There's a whole lot of data you accumulate in your head over the years in China. When you're in a situation like apartment hunting, this data helps you avoid time wasting experiences.
It's all anecdotal information lumped together in your brain, not something that you can really share with others in a way that would help them much, but in your own head, it makes life so much easier.
That, and, speaking the Hua. You speak Mandarin, somehow everything just gets 2000% easier and more efficient. It isn't always directly because you can speak the language, but I think that confidence of knowing that you can speak the language if you need to gives you the balls to not put yourself through hell, unnecessarily.
When I moved back to China a year ago May, an employee of my employing agent spent a day with me, during which I accept a position at a school AND went apartment hunting.
We went to some housing agencies. A person at the first one said that the person who had access to all the keys (to view apartments) was out, but she'd be back soon. 30 minutes later, she still wasn't there.
The girl that was helping me was content to just sit there mindlessly, but I said, there are 3 other agency offices on this street that I can see from here. Let's go there and see if they don't waste our time.
She agreed and the next place was MUCH more efficient and helpful.
I looked at a bunch of places, most which didn't fit the specifics I had told them I was looking for, but one really did.
When I saw it, I knew it was the place to live.
Signed a lease that day.
When I had to relocate across Beijing for a new job 6 months later, I dedicated several days to looking.
The first two agents I met off the Internet spoke no English, but was helpful, but I only looked at places with roommates already living there and none of the people seemed like a good fit.
Then I decided to find a small place just for me with no roommates.
Met one agent and she kept saying things that seemed fishy. She eventually asked for a full one month deposit for an apartment that I was going to sign a contract for only two hours later.
Despite claiming that she worked for the apartment complex itself, she had no ID, no access card and wouldn't show me her office, so I booked it and didn't look back.
Incidentally, she spoke excellent English, a fact that actually makes me more suspicious. There isn't a lot of money in being a housing agent, which is why a lot of poorly educated people with very few options do this for a living. If someone has excellent English, you gotta ask why they are doing this job. There's a good chance it's a
scam or they are more dishonest than your average agent.
The next guy spoke no English, but was helpful and showed me several places that were all within what I was asking for.
I selected one and signed a contract quickly.
My landlord was a bit of a dick, because he asked me to move out 4 months later to make room for a relative who was returning to Beijing.
I think he was just looking to raise the rent, but my income was much higher at this point and I wanted a better place, so it was reasonably convenient.
I looked at just two places before making a choice. The first was way overpriced and the agent spoke excellent English and was super shady.
The second was equally expensive, but three times as big as the first place I looked at. The agent spoke English, but really preferred to speak Chinese, as she wasn't very comfortable in English.
I made a decision after a few days. I wanted to see other places, but other agents weren't responding, so I decided to just go for it.
In every case, I probably could have wasted a lot more time if I didn't speak Chinese and didn't know what I was doing, but experience was super helpful. And I've gotten more efficient every time I've moved.
For example, most agents will put up ads for apartments, but in fact, the apartment pictured isn't actually available any more. They just want your contact info so that they can show you the places that they do have available.
The last time I moved, I responded to an ad that was for a specific apartment, as stated in the ad itself ("real pictures," it said).
This allowed me to view an apartment that I already knew the price of, the appearance of and had some general information on.
Definitely better than having an agent randomly take you from apartment to apartment, because they usual show you stuff you've already said you don't want.
"You need a one bedroom apartment? How about a three bedroom instead?"
"You want a place with a big kitchen? How about a place with a big bathroom and no kitchen?"
It's definitely tough when you start out, but there is a silver lining, because when you do get good at China, it's a huge rush to be awesome at living and surviving in a place where most people don't have what it takes.
Just stay the course, cultivate some hobbies and a satisfying social life, set realistic goals so that you aren't wasting your time, and learn some fricken Chinese.