We've recently found an apartment in a great location in Taipei, but not without some major frustrations, laughter, and high pitched screams. Here are some highlights.
1. A broker we found online let's call him...James (because that was really his name). This was the first apartment I was going to look at by myself. I had no cell phone and no clue where I was going so I had John's co-worker, Pablo (to help hide is identity) help me speak to James and figure out where the apartment was located. I found the apartment easy enough and when I showed up James said that we needed to wait for Mr. Lin....I figured that was the landlord
****side note**** in Taiwan, brokers don't have keys, but instead have to call the landlord for the most part and wait for them to let us in as well totes pointless.
Anyways, after 30 minutes I was starting to get frustrated because I haven't seen the house and James and I are just standing in the lobby waiting for this Mr. Lin who was clearly SUPER LATE. The following conversation happened one minute after I started feeling really angry...
James: "Should we call Mr. Lin"
Me: "Yes, I think that's a good idea"
James: "Do you have his number?"
Me: "Why would I have his number, don't you have his number?"
James: "Oh, yes, yes I think I do but I must look it up."
Me: "Okay that's fine if you want to look it up."
James: "But maybe it's easier if you look it up."
Me: "James, why would I have Mr. Lin's number?"
James: "He tell you that he is coming, no?"
Me: "No, James, I have no idea who Mr. Lin is."
James: "NO?! He is your friend who I talk to right?"
Me: "Pablo??? No James, he isn't coming to look at the apartment he was just writing down the address for me...."
Le sigh. First lesson in Taiwan, always be super clear and ask questions sooner than later to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes as you stand outside waiting for a mysterious Mr. Pablo Lin.
2. Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring. That is how I felt everyday when searching for apartments. The phone never stopped ringing. In the states when one pays for a broker you first give him/her your parameters of everything you are looking for from location, to rent, to amenities. From there your broker will narrow down the apartments and show you only those that fit those parameters. Lesson number 2 in Taiwan...that is not the case. Because each online listing was through a different broker I ended up working with at least 4 different agents and after having given them my number they would call me nonstop. At first I would go and look at these places until I quickly learned to ask 3 simple questions:
1. Where is it located
2. How much is rent
3. Is the place furnished with certain amenities
because without asking these simple questions first I found myself looking at apartments that didn't fit any of these parameters.
3. Finally, I now realized why people do not like telling what they pay in rent...it's much like the parents that like to keep the name of their baby a secret until it is born...to keep all the unnecessary opinions at bay. We've heard everything from:
"what a great deal" to
"damn ya'll getting your skinny jeans ripped right off from under you"
I mean John and I are very bad negotiators...and by bad I mean not only are both of us horrible at it but whenever one of us makes any headway the other will unintentionally undermine the one who is on top. It really is an amazing ability the two of us have as an (UN)powercouple to get the worst deals known to mankind. Therefore, moving forward, when people ask me now what I pay in rent I'll say I pay more than when I lived at home with my mom but less than when I lived in New York....
