home is where you hang your hat. home is where the heart is. there's no place like home. right now, i'd settle for just the 'home' part and little else...spring has sprung and so has my yearly itch to move onto something new. to scratch this itch i've decided it's time for a new pad...been scoping out things for about a month now and have some interesting experiences to share about my personal search for that perfect place.
by last count, i've now seen over 25 apartments in various parts of daan and xinyi districts, but i have to tell you it feels like much, much more. but, from those i've already seen it looks as tho i will be looking at many, many more...it's always a case of one of the following factors; location, living room, bedroom, or other general bizarre design. my criteria for a new place is that it is a) bigger b) within the above described areas c) furnished d)modern. now, i know that there is something out there that fits both my criteria and my budget, but the search is exhausting. i have used almost every available free minute to find that perfect place and have thus far turned up empty handed.
there was one, which i hate to mention because it was the one. it was in xinyi district, modern, furnished, with enough room to live and even entertain. so, we began to negotiate with the landlord who then after a week decides that he would rather sell it than rent it any longer. since then, i think i might have be jinxed against finding something i really like, perhaps simply due to the fact that nothing quite seems to measure up against the one.
when i stop to consider, i believe i have lived in 11 different apartments. each time i have moved, it has always been according to something that wasn't right about the place...storage, location, roommates, noise...each move had a method to the madness. this time, it's really about the size...i love the look of the place, the building, the price, the amenities, and the location. the rooftop garden in particular is something i am going to miss, but i can't exactly live up there, now can i? that's the reason i'm being so picky about the next place. i really want it to be a place that meets all the criteria and (heaven forbid) i might actually be able to stay put for longer than a year.
there are a couple of current contenders. in fact, i'm going to have a second look at four of them this evening so fingers crossed that a decision can be made. i still have to say that i'm not all that sold on any of them...something just keeps telling me to hold on for another week, 'cos i just know that the ink won't even be dry on the lease when the dream apartment will present itself.
also, there are the financial part of things to take into consideration as well. 3 months rent has to be paid on any rental here in taiwan...2 months deposit, and the first month. as we have an agent working for us, there is also a half-months's rent in commission to be paid. on top of all that, we would be signing out of our lease early which means that there will be a penalty. even though it's not that much, it still adds onto the total cost of moving which i put around $100000NT by the time it's said and done. we will be able to minus our current deposit from that total, as well as the first months' rent which would we have to pay anyway, but stiill makes a shortfall or $30000 or thereabouts. this is also why i want to be certain.
i've also been looking at apartments online through various websites. some of the places are really nice, but it's either a case of them being snatched up or no reply from the landlord. and of course, there is also the communication barrier which agents make so much easier to break through. still, i think i might keep trying that route for the moment.
in the meantime, let's hope we find a place to call our own soon enough.
