My Korean Life #30: Next steps

I am currently on my week long summer break from language school. When we start back up we'll have approximately two weeks remaining in the term and only about 2 chapters plus review to cover in class. Whenever I think of language school ending, I honestly get a little scared. The cycle of language school has been my life for over a year now and frankly I will miss it. Maybe not because of the difficulties I have faced but definitely for the friends I've made and the opportunities I've had because of it.

I am currently looking for more work and a more steady source of income to sustain me for at least the next year. If you have read my recent posts, I have moved and signed a year long lease on an apartment. Therefore, I see myself being in Korea for at least another year if not more depending on my work situation.

You may ask, if I don't end up finding more work will I go back to the USA earlier than planned. I honestly don't think I will. If I end up with a lot more time on my hands than expected, I'll probably devote a lot more time to working on blogging, posting YouTube videos, and doing independent study of Korean for the TOPIK or otherwise. I also want to get back into going to more language exchange meetings (for practice and for the networking opportunities).

I will also have a few friends moving to Korea later this summer so, if possible, I'd like to help them settle in. I know for me moving overseas had its share of stresses and were it not for the help of my friends in-country it would have been even more stressful.

I am excited and nervous what this coming year will bring. One thing I hope to do is travel more within and outside Korea.

Not much more to update you all on at this point, but if things come up I'll update the post later!

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My Korean Life #28: House Hunting Part 4 - Moving In

Part 4: Moving In

The day I moved in wasn't all that eventful actually. After arriving a little earlier than expected I found the building owner outside cleaning up and said in Korean I was his new 402 resident. He smiled and ushered me to the keypad to show me the password to unlock the door. He demonstrated once and then had me do it twice to firmly etch it into memory.

Thankfully there is an elevator so we both rode the elevator up to my new abode. He then unlocked the door and instructed me to input a new door password (Note: many Korean apartments no longer have keys and only have an electronic lock). After punching in a few new digits he said "OK" and welcomed me into my new place. He first remarked the bed and mattress were brand new and asked if it was to my liking. It's your standard XL twin bed with some drawers underneath. The actual bed frame is kind of light to it's easy to move about in case I happened to drop something behind the bed.

Next was the air conditioner (essential during the hot and humid Korean summer). There is a little remote that sits right next to my desk so I can adjust the fan speed, temperature, timer, etc. One thing I didn't expect was there is a panel that controls the hot water for the shower. It is not always on as is usually the case in American households. If I want hot water, I press a button and then can adjust the temperature using the same panel. This panel also controls the underfloor heating during the winter.

The bathroom and kitchen were pretty self-explanatory except for the range fan hood. The fan hood is more like a drawer that pulls out to extend over the whole counter. This much be fully extended for the fan to work and for the overhead light to turn on.

I'm going to have to play with the washer/dryer a little as it has a billion buttons and functions it seems. The real estate agent who speaks English gave me a quick run down of the main functions. He also showed me where to put the garbage and where to get mail.

I mentioned that I might want to buy a TV later and my real estate agent said any setup associated with that would be included. In fact I have a cable TV box already but no TV yet.

As the previous places I lived had a lot of kitchen things in them, I currently don't have any kitchen things (pots/pans/dishes/etc). I'm slowly working to acquire items, I bought a knife but I really need pots and pans so I can start cooking again. The problem is that I have an induction range so only certain pans work well with it, if at all.

I will finish moving everything from my old place(s) this week.

Part 5 will cover changing my address at immigration.

My Korean Life #27: House Hunting Part 3 - The Decision and Signing a Lease

Part 3: The Decision and Signing a Lease

So you are probably wondering which property I chose and the process of signing a lease and actually contracting an apartment!

I ended up choosing one I saw with the 3rd agent. The one that was my favorite out of all the ones I saw.

It's on the top floor of the building (just 4 stories tall but still on the top). The building has an elevator and looked very well maintained. The unit was not your standard box with a window as is with most one-rooms here. The kitchen area is somewhat separate from the living space and the bathroom is bigger than average. There is a small enclosed balcony area that I'll probably use for storage and hanging laundry. Overall, I'm very pleased with what the agent found to show me and can't wait to move and make place my own so to speak. Due to privacy concerns I won't divulge the area I am living in nor pictures of my apartment but you may see some of it coming up on my YouTube channel depending on my filming schedule with my fellow classmate.

**If your Korean language ability is still being developed (Or you are unable to obtain a copy of the terms and conditions in your mother tongue) I suggest bringing a Korean friend with you to go through the final negotiations and contract signing**

The day I signed the contract the following happened:

• Invited back to the agent's office for a final chat
• Agent called the owner to make final negotiations and to settle the move in date
• Agent provided an English copy of the terms and conditions of the lease
• Agent described all the money that was to be due and when.
• Final negotiated rent, security deposit, management fee, and brokerage fee was detailed
• The day I signed the contract, 3 copies were made (one for me, the agent, and the building owner). Once the building owner signs the paperwork, a fully signed copy will be given to me. In the interim, I was given a copy without the building owner's signature.
• I also paid part of the security deposit to basically hold the property. I also decided to pay the brokerage fee that day but the agent said I could have waited if I wanted.

More details about the brokerage fee:

Real estate agents will take a brokerage fee once you sign a contract. This fee is 0.4% of the (Monthly rent x 100) + Security Deposit Amount. Upon signing the contract, you will be asked to pay a holding deposit (a portion of the security deposit) and the brokerage fee. Upon moving in, the balance of the security deposit, management fee, and first month's rent is due. Utilities are billed as you use them per month and bills arrive in your mailbox. The management fee can include a number of things but typically it only includes Internet and TV (and water sometimes). Some buildings have everything included but the management fee may be quite high (~$100 per month).

The brokerage fee can also be where the agent could give you a further discount. Be aware there is tax added to this fee (the tax on mine was about 10%).

I paid the holding deposit and brokerage fee by bank transfer but the agent said he would have also taken cash.

Immigration information:

If you are a foreigner you only have 14 days to change your address at immigration from the day you move to your new address. If you do not do this and immigration finds out, you can be fined a lot. You should bring a copy of your lease and a form you can get at the immigration office. Let's say instead move to a Korean friend's house, goshitel, or hasukjib; immigration told me you need another form you can get at immigration that basically says you are living at their place with their permission. The address change is free, however, if you run out of spaces for addresses on the back of your ARC Card, then I think you have to pay for another card (will verify after I go to immigration in a week or two).

Part 4 will cover moving in and taking possession of my new home :)

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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My Korean Life #1: Welcome Home

It is the first morning since arriving in the motherland to start my new life abroad. I woke up around 5AM due to severe jet lag and will probably have to resort to an afternoon nap later.

I flew in late last night and was lucky enough to have my landlords meet me at the airport with a car. I say lucky because I flew with no less than 3 checked bags and two backpacks all bulging at the seems. The checked bags alone probably weighed as much as I do in total. My two backpacks were not the wisest choice of carry-ons but I made due. After a brief introduction we were off to the parking lot to load up and take me to my new digs!

I would consider the place that I landed a Korean 'office-tel'...my landlords left most of their furnishings including a bed, refrigerator, washing machine, TV with IPTV, couch, tables, kitchen utensils, etc. The 15th floor gives me quite a nice morning view. The office-tel is a loft style with a low roof loft used mainly for storage overlooking the living area (and yes I've already bumped my head once going up there). The kitchenette is open to the living area with the bedroom and bathroom on your right as you enter. A lot of nice storage closets flank the left of the entry way across from the entrance to the bed and bathroom.

After dropping all my bags, we headed out for an (almost) midnight snack at the local Kimbap Heaven (yes that is the literal translation). We ordered cheese kimbap, tuna kimbap, rakbokki, and mandu ramyeon. It was all delicious, deliciously cheap. This is one reason I like being back in the motherland (eating out for Korean food is so affordable). My ramyeon dish was only $3.50. I think total it was under $15 for 3 people.

My landlords walked me back and bid me farewell for the night. All I wanted to do was try to sleep but not before washing off the airplane funk (17 hours of traveling...ewww). I hopped into bed and slept on and off for about 6 hours.

Here at present time, I've managed to unpack one suitcase fully and have been chipping away at the others. I'm debating about heading downstairs to the convenience store to pick up some drinks and snacks to have on hand...later today my landlords will be back to explain things about the place...hopefully the washing machine and small oven which are completely in Korean....

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Goodbye to my humble abode...

I lived in an apartment in downtown Baltimore for 4 years. I had contemplated moving after the first two but didn't like the options I found. Here we are after 4 years and due to my rent being inflated substantially to renew...I left. Below you will find a video walking through my apartment. I do call out some pros and cons of the place.

Basically this converted turn of the century warehouse was split up into one and two bedroom apartments. They are not quite what I would call luxurious but they are above your standard flat. The ceilings are very high (15 feet I think) and you get some perks on the grounds (fitness center, pool tables, half of a basketball court). 

There are some things that got on my nerves after the 4 year stint:

• Locals other than apartment complex residents mooching off of the amenities (neighborhood kids, other adults wanting to play pool or use the basketball court.
• Dogs...lots...and lots...of dogs...and with all those dogs comes a lot of their waste.

You may be wondering about pests...I didn't really have a problem with them...until my very last months there. If you are really curious drop a comment below or on the video.

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