Job Discussion Forums

heathergray · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 41

A description of successful and negative experiences will help me. I'll be looking for accommodation in late March near Levent.

Thank you in advance for the time you spend thinking about this question and typing. Very Happy

molly farquharson · Joined: 16 Jun 2004 Posts: 839 Location: istanbul

look on craigslist, mymerhaba and sabhinden.com (the latter is in turkish). good luck.

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

Get yourself a friendly Turk to help you...someone who is good at negotiation. A Turk will probably be able to get a better deal for you. The cheaper places will be found through small local real estate agents who will most likely not speak English.

As well, guessing you'll be working in Levent, try for an apartment somewhere along the subway line. Getting to Levent won't be too difficult and the rents may be a lot cheaper. (if costs are an issue to you, that is. Wink

)

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul

I think it might be hard to negotiate with emlakcı you don't know, but it is possible. When we rented ours, the emlakcı brought the landlord over and he knocked a bit off the rent. I think the emlakcı also went down a bit on the fees as well. We didn't know him, but early on in the discussions it was established that he and husband's family all hailed from the same part of Sivas and are all Alevi... So stuff like that helps.

However, when we first went there, just my husband and I, it was all seeming pretty expensive and non-negotiable and there were allusions to my foreign-ness and landlords' unwillingness to rent to foreigners, like they thought my husband was just pretending in order to rent the place for me to have my wild foreign prostitute parties (we weren't yet married, just engaged). So my husband brought his father in and all of that went away. Father loves a good haggle. Once he even tried to haggle at Burger King. He had more success with the emlak than with Burger King.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I don't want to worry you justme.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2003489,00.html

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Yes you do, dmb ! Naughty !

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul

heathergray · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 41

All right, only took 7 posts to wander completely off topic!

I'm hoping one of the innumerable friends of my Turkish friend's dad will be able to do something for me, in any case, at least until I'm more settled.

Thanks for your suggestions. By the way, what is it reasonable to expect to pay, say in an area such as Taksim (I still don't know Ist. that well), for a 1 bedroom apartment?

How have your roommate experiences worked out? They run the gamut, I'm sure. . .

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

'Roommates' ? College kids have roommates. Grown-ups have their own place.

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

I had a poke on the net. www.emlak.mynet.com (In Turkish)

Prices: Pangaltı 400-1200
Harbiye 500-1500
Cihangir was more expensive. Surprise Shocked

I had figured that place was cheap...
Taksim 400 Lira-3000 dollars. Big range there!

But what kind of an apartment can you get in Istanbul for 400-500 YTL? Shocked

Ewwwww With rats n roaches?

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Pangalti for 400. Walk away from that one. We pay 900 for a 2+1, it's quite small at 90 m2 but very modern. Most places worth seeing here are 800-1000. I have a feeling that being close to metro puts the price up.

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul