Apartment hunting in Buenos Aires is tough, just as I imagine it is in any other big city. And there are all kinds of apartments out there, from dark and scary to tiny and sun-filled, old with character and an amazing entrance, and even cheap-looking but still expensive. The winners in the property stakes here are the real estate agents, who upon signing or renewing a 2 year lease demand up to 3 MONTHS OF THE RENT AS THEIR COMMISSION. I don´t know who first thought up this brilliant scheme or how it caught on, but it has to be one of the biggest scams in the country.
So the biggest tip when it comes to searching for your own place is to rent directly from the owner of the property, thus cutting out the middle-man who takes the commission. Finding the perfect apartment from an owner is a delicate process which involves scouring the weekend papers and the internet. Here are a couple that tickled my fancy on the soloduenos.com.ar website, but unfortunately were a little out of the budget...
This apartment is a big loft in an old factory, on the edge of the San Telmo and La Boca neighbourhoods. It´s pretty old and industrial with a big wall of windows, faded carpet and unpainted walls, and just the sort of hip dwelling you want to live in for a year or two to cross it off the to-do list.
This lovely little 2 storey apartment in Colegiales has a balcony AND a terrace (a luxury) and is only 2 years old. I love the exposed brick wall mixed with the modern interior. It also looks full of light or luminoso in Spanish.
And the hunt continues...
Sometimes it is hard getting an apartment since we don´t know the country or how they manage things and we end up getting something really price and not in downtown. To me, the best way to rent apartments in buenos aires is through a rental company that you trust in. If people recommend it, there you are. If there is a lot of advertising, but not word of mouth, you may have doubts. The one I used was recommended by my best friend. I will be forever greatful!
ReplyDeleteLindsay