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tjinh200
Joined: 15 Mar 2011
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 Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 5:45 am Post subject: English speaking real estate agents in Seoul? |
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I apologise if this has been posted before, and I assume that it has, however I tried to use the forum search, and it doesn't seem to be working. If one of the regulars here would be so kind as to point me in the right direction, I would really appreciate it.
My question is relatively straight-forward: Which English-speaking Real Estate Agents in downtown Seoul would you recommend for just renting a flat. Preferably in the Sinchon/Ewha area. |
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coffeesoda
Joined: 20 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 4:30 am Post subject: |
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Contact Gilbert from nearsubway.com. He handles the Itaewon area but his colleague "Sue" covers Sinchon/Hongik. I've been very happy with their services and have recommended them to several others, just be clear about what you're looking for & price range.
Good luck! |
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tjinh200
Joined: 15 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 6:18 am Post subject: |
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| coffeesoda wrote: |
Contact Gilbert from nearsubway.com. He handles the Itaewon area but his colleague "Sue" covers Sinchon/Hongik. I've been very happy with their services and have recommended them to several others, just be clear about what you're looking for & price range.
Good luck! |
Really appreciate your help 
If any others come to mind from anyone, would be glad to hear. If I end up using this company, I'll report back so that others can have a gauge for themselves. |
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Slowmotion
Joined: 15 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:04 am Post subject: |
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| Dude just get a Korean friend to go with you to which ever area you want to live in. These English speaking real estate agents are just going to contact other real estate agents in the other areas and you'll probably end up paying more. |
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tjinh200
Joined: 15 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Slowmotion wrote: |
| Dude just get a Korean friend to go with you to which ever area you want to live in. These English speaking real estate agents are just going to contact other real estate agents in the other areas and you'll probably end up paying more. |
I would do that but I'm not yet in Seoul, and haven't been for a while. A lot of the people I knew there aren't still there or now are in different cities. But yes, your suggestion would be the better alternative if I had more people I knew in Seoul and had the time to look around. And yes, I'll likely end up paying a premium just to have someone show me an apartment and speak English, but there's usually a price to pay for expediency and convenience. I would also recommend what you suggested to others who aren't in my position. |
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Slowmotion
Joined: 15 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Let us know when you get a quote from the real estate agent so people on here can tell you if you got ripped off or not. Especially if they're gonna try to charge you like over 600,000. |
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red_devil
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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| coffeesoda wrote: |
Contact Gilbert from nearsubway.com. He handles the Itaewon area but his colleague "Sue" covers Sinchon/Hongik. I've been very happy with their services and have recommended them to several others, just be clear about what you're looking for & price range.
Good luck! |
Opinions vary. Sue's English isn't really that good. Their commission rates are super high.
Seoul website is your friend:
http://english.seoul.go.kr/lh/residence/housing.php?pidx=5 |
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shivasirons
Joined: 21 Nov 2009
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Michelle Shim is a real estate agent in Itaewon. Don't know if she knows the Sinchon area or not. She's not a crook and speaks English fairly well. 02-794-2151 Good luck! |
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tjinh200
Joined: 15 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 9:22 am Post subject: |
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I really appreciate all of your help.
After speaking to Sue, I can so far only confirm that her English is passable and comprehensible, but no further than that. For the sake of others who may pass upon this thread later, I will still update with further details so as to try and make others' experiences that much more informed.
Slowmotion: for the rental of a "regular" flat (meaning nothing exorbitant), I was under the impression that 600K won was actually illegal (referring to the Korea government website).
red_devil: will confirm here about what commission % she charges, and thanks for the other website. I had seen it before, but is a great addition to the thread.
shivasirons: will give her a call soon and report back with more information about the company she works for, commission %'s, and areas of coverage. |
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Slowmotion
Joined: 15 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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| tjinh200 wrote: |
Slowmotion: for the rental of a "regular" flat (meaning nothing exorbitant), I was under the impression that 600K won was actually illegal (referring to the Korea government website). |
I don't see why it would be illegal. I think there's some sort of formula based on the rent price so it's very possible. But that would be some place where your rent is over 1 million won a month. |
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shivasirons
Joined: 21 Nov 2009
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Yes, please do update us on your progress/findings. Good luck with your search! |
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tjinh200
Joined: 15 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:01 am Post subject: |
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Okay, so after searching and meeting with many many real estate agents, my findings are mixed.
As for Sue and nearsubway.com, I can only say that I would not recommend her to anyone unless they are willing to settle for "anything" - regardless of quality or location. She may be a nice lady personally, but business-wise, could perhaps improve. Her English is passable, but even still most of our conversations had to be in Korean for her to understand.
One other item of interest is that I waited for her for almost an hour in the rain, and she didn't show up. I never met her once, because she seemed to always have something "come up" last minute.
shivasirons: I called the number and the lady was very nice and patient. I would recommend her, but she just didn't have the right places for me.
My overall recommendation would be, if you know any Korean at all, by all means find the area in which you want to live and find a real estate in the area. This way, it is so much easier, and less expensive too (I paid 3% commission). |
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shivasirons
Joined: 21 Nov 2009
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:37 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the update and advice. Glad things worked out. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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| tjinh200 wrote: |
My overall recommendation would be, if you know any Korean at all, by all means find the area in which you want to live and find a real estate in the area. This way, it is so much easier, and less expensive too (I paid 3% commission). |
This is the key to successful apt hunting in Korea.
Walk around the area you would like to live in and drop in to the local estate agents. There's one on almost every city street. Preferably with a Korean friend unless you have great Korean skills.
Tell them what you want and be strict about which kind of places you are willing to view. Korean estate agents are known for showing the places they are desperate to rent rather than the apts you might want. |
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