House Hunters International

I met with a broker today named Gonzalo who had arranged for me to look at 4 apartments this afternoon. I felt like I was on House Hunters International! It was kind of fun to drive around and look at different things. I haven't settled on a place, but am open for advice, so please comment and let me know which one you would pick!

Option 1 - Old building, lively area
El Golf

Large living area - I like the decor

Dining area next to the living area 

Separate breakfast table off the kitchen

The first one I saw was very large, had a great wrap-around balcony and an amazing kitchen. There was a dining room and a separate breakfast table off the kitchen. 

Larger bedroom (I'd take this one)

Smaller bedroom

It had laundry in the unit (huge plus!) and a good sized area for ironing. It is a 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom apartment, so it would comfortably accomodate a roommate if I wanted one, or would be great for anyone that comes to visit. 

Larger bedroom closet

The broker told me that the landlord was very good about fixing things because he is the owner of the building, not just the unit. It comes with parking, in case I want to buy a car in a few months, which is a good bonus, because parking in El Golf is very expensive. The apartment is on the fourth floor of a building that has a doorman 24 hours a day. The area is recommended to ex-pats often, but Gonzalo's wife, Monica, who I met later in the day, told me that there is a lot of prostitution in the area. Hmmm....

Good sized bathroom for Master

Giant closet for the small room

Option 2 - No doorman
Apoquindo


This one wasn't worth photographing, but gets a mention because of the funny old lady outside that Gonzalo and I spoke to. We arrived at the building, which was gated, but when we entered the grounds, we noticed that there was no security other than the iron gate, which we got through because another man was leaving at the time. I stopped Gonzalo right there, because safety is my number one priority. On our way out of the grounds of the building, an elderly woman standing on the sidewalk staring into the yard asked if she could take some of the mint growing on the other side of the fence. Gonzalo graciously told her that it would be fine, and the two of us continued walking laughing, since he clearly had no authority to allow her to take the mint. Gotta love Chileans.


Option 3 - Very modern, great price
Escandinavia

Living area - very modern

Kitchen counter with stools

Kitchen

I was tempted to pull the trigger on this one, but I don't feel like I've seen enough to make an informed decision. It was not nearly as big as the first one I saw, but was in a new building very close to Deloitte's new offices they will be moving into next July. It is also very close to a subway station, super markets, Santiago's first mall, and the Home Depot-like store and mall with the Apple store that Guido took me to the first day I was here. The building has a pool, is gated, and also has security in the lobby (24-hour doorman). The kitchen was a decent size (again not as big as the first) with a counter with two stools to sit on to eat. It didn't have a dining area, but knowing me, I'd probably eat at the counter mostly. Another issue is that there wasn't a TV in the den, only in the bedroom. Gonzalo explained to me that it is more common in Chile for the den to have no TV, because people typically just watch in their rooms. I'm not sure I'm a fan of this idea, since it's always been just the opposite for me. It had a balcony. It was one bedroom, one bath en suite, meaning that guests would have to go into my room to use it. The more I think about it, the smaller it seems. It doesn't have a washing machine in the unit, but is equipped for one. Gonzalo offered to call the owner to see if they would put one in. She first said that she would, but it would be 30,000 pesos more per month. He rebutted and said I would only be interested if the price remained the same. They accepted. This guy is great! They also mentioned that there was another interested party and that if I wanted it, whoever made a deposit sooner would get the apartment. I'm not ready to take the leap yet after only seeing 2 apartments. Let's hope I don't lose it if it was my best option!

Balcony with city view

Not a great photo of the bathroom

We had another apartment to view, but the owner was supposed to bring by the keys, which never happened. Apparently, she left her cell phone in another apartment and missed Gonzalo's numerous calls. I saw the building, pool, gym, and common areas of the building, which were all VERY nice. Gonzalo is coming back to show it to me tomorrow and was going to look for some other things now that he has a better idea of what I have in mind. While we were driving back to the Apart Hotel I asked Gonzalo if I didn't make a deposit on Option #3 if I would lose it. He said he didn't think so. He said that the owner was most likely bluffing because if they truly had another interested renter, they wouldn't have agreed to keep the price and put in a washing machine so easily. This is why you use a broker...they know what they are talking about. 

Bedroom

Let me know what you think about the two shown. There's always tomorrow too!