[popeyearms76]

(11-03-2015 03:14 AM)tatami Wrote:  

Any recommendations for a decent big boy condo in Davao now? Or where to look for one? On AirBnb, it seems hard to get anything decent anywhere for less than about $600/mo and that's just a handful. Most are more than that. Considering I used to pay about $750 in Osaka for a pretty decent 2-bdrm (not very big at 55m but still) that was clean and reasonably modern-looking (nothing fancy but nice enough), it seems like a lot of money for something on par or maybe only slightly nicer. Osaka is supposed to be the 2nd most expensive city in the world so why does it seem that for something similar in the RP it's only 20 or 25% less?

And if pictures can be trusted even a little bit, comparing Manila or Davao to Bangkok, there's a huge difference. For similar looking places, you'll pay under $400 in Thailand and $600+ in Philippines. I'm looking at AirBnb for Bangkok right now and there's a whack of places for less than $450 or even under $400 that are as nice as any place I've ever lived in.

Is sulit.com.ph the only alternative for finding something a little bit cheaper?

Tatami:

With airbnb, note that you can negotiate the price of your stay, and this is especially likely to work if you are going to be staying put for a while. Just use the airbnb site to contact the owner and make an offer. Check the availability calendar though, because they may be booked solid. There is another post on the forum somewhere about airbnb negotiations, but it goes something like this:

"Dear Owner, I am looking to stay in your area for two months (list the dates) and have found an apartment comparable to yours going for $xxx. I'd just take that place, but I honestly like yours better. If you can meet that price, I'll be happy to book right now."

Most airbnb owners will be delighted to not have to deal with the turnover of new guest every few days and would be glad to take your offer. I negotiated in just that way that for an upcoming trip to DR and it worked.

Please do negotiate for the sake of keeping the price down for your fellow players here on the RVF!