My Korean Life #25: House Hunting Part 1 - Before You Go

This mini-series within "My Korean Life" will document me finding a one-room (studio apartment) here in Korea. <NOTE: There is something called the jeonse (전세) system in Korea but normally that requires $80,000 - $125,000+ upfront, I will not be addressing this system>

Part 1: Research and Preparation

Research where you want to live first of all. Then you can start to look online or visit the windows of real estate agents and browse possible rooms. In Korea there is a very popular app called "직방" which I used to find some open rooms. They may not show you the exact apartment you saw online or the app due to the heavy turn over but they will show you similar properties or whatever is in your price range. Most every room has a negotiable price. Prices published online are normally what the building owner prefers but that is not set in stone.

If your Korean is...still in development...then feel free to bring along a Korean friend with you. I did on my first two visits to agencies but honestly (and my Korean friend said this to me) she didn't need to be there. My Korean was good enough. The 3rd agent I visited speaks English well so we talked mostly in English.

First thing you should KNOW (not a maybe and not an "I don't know") is the MAX you are willing to pay for both the security deposit (보증금) and monthly rent (월세). They will also ask you when you want to move in (an estimate is fine). I gave about one or two weeks out. You also don't want to go to the real estate agency too soon (maybe within 2-4 weeks of you wanting to move unless you need more time to plan or want to look at multiple areas of town).

They may also ask what is important to you or what size of room you want. They may reference an old area measurement called pyeong (평). If looking at one-rooms I suggest at least 6 pyeong (~213.5 sq.ft. or ~19.8 sqm).

They may also ask you about the options you want, this means what is included when you rent the apartment. Most will come some furniture like a desk or wardrobe. MANY DO NOT COME WITH A BED but sometimes this can be negotiated into the contract options. Just check with the real estate agent on what the options are PER PROPERTY.

If you visit multiple properties in the same neighborhood, remember where you have been as real estate agents may share regions, neighborhoods, or property building listings.

Checklist (pre-visit)

• Preferred location
• Max Deposit and Max Rent Amount. Most properties are negotiable.
• Preferred size (in pyeong or square meters)
• Preferred options (bed, desk, refrigerator, wardrobe, etc)
• Move-in Date
• Term of lease (Normally 1 year but some can negotiate less than a year or more than a year depending on the building owner)

Part 2 will cover visiting properties.

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