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Getting my own apartment

 
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sweetiesmith



Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Location: Bucheon

PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 2:53 pm    Post subject: Getting my own apartment Reply with quote

My contract ends on Friday. I leave the country on sept 12th. I'm due to return to korea in the middle of Oct for a new contract. I wanted to get my own housing so I went out and got a real estate agent. I found an apartment that is open as of Oct 1st. Can I pre-sign all the forms before I leave and still get the apartment even though my new job doesn't start until Mid Oct? I was told I can arrive early because the new ARCs are 13 months instead of 12. Would I have to wait until closer to the start of my contract to sign the lease? I do plan to give them a copy of the new contract. The real estate agent doesn't really know..... Any info will help. Thanks!
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r122925



Joined: 02 Jun 2011

PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 3:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A lot of questions here. So I'll try to answer them individually.

Quote:
Can you sign the forms before you leave?


Yes. In fact, I'm surprised that the real estate agent hasn't pressured you to do it yet. Until you have signed the lease the apartment is not guaranteed to you. If you definitely want to move in there, sign the lease right away. You'll also have to pay part of the deposit to hold the place for you, usually 10%, then you'll pay the rest when you move in. If someone else comes along willing to sign before you you'll miss out on this place.

Quote:
Would I have to wait until closer to the start of my contract to sign the lease?


You shouldn't. There's no reason that the landlord or real estate agent will care about your work contract as long as you pay the money.

Also, you can try to negotiate with the landlord for a later move-in date. In my experience in Korea, landlords are usually flexible about this kind of thing. Especially if it's jsut a week or two. If the landlord says no and definitely wants to stick to October 1st, then the other option is to just pay the landlord the other 90% of the deposit and your first month's rent on October 1st (could use an internet transfer or have a trusted friend in Korea do it for you or simply pay everything in advance before you leave). As long as you're paying rent from October 1st, I can't think of any reason why they would care when you actually move in.

Quote:
The real estate agent doesn't really know


That seems like a bad sign. Isn't it their job to know this sort of thing?
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sweetiesmith



Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Location: Bucheon

PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you for the fast response! The real estate agent has never worked with a waygook before, but he is really kind and so willing to help. I was really worried because you know in korea everything is tied to that ARC number. you can't even get a simple happy points card without providing that number. My ARC will lapse because it will be beyond that transfer visa date, but I really want that apartment before I leave. I'm so willing to pay a month of rent to get it.

thanks for your help!!! Very Happy
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