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Finding housing |
| Accommodation in Korea
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(Note: All of the above can be negotiated for long-term stay.)
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[edit] Gathering Information 사전 정보 수집
When looking for a place to live, you should go to a real estate office (부동산중
개소) or search the advertisements in housing information publications (주택정보신
문). Real estate agencies are called budongsan junggaeso (부동산중개소), gongin junggaeso
(공인중개소), and bokdeokbang (복덕방), and they serve as go-betweens for people
seeking housing and people either selling or renting out places to stay. When you go to a neighborhood, you should visit as many real estate offices as possible. Although some offices pretend to be authoritative, each office might have a slightly different list of houses.
In the cities, "housing information publications" may be found being distributed for free
where large numbers of passers by congregate.
[edit] Choosing a Home 선택
First decide what kind of housing would be best for you. Then look for areas
that are both inexpensive and would be an easy distance to commute to and from
school or your place of work.
- Type of Housing: Korea has several different types of housing. For most single people, the choice will be between an officetel and a one Room. Officetels tend to be more upscale and closer to main roads, but the rooms are smaller and more expensive.
- Floor layout : Check to see if the floor layout is to your liking, whether there is a bathroom attached, and whether the home you are looking at is a good place to commute from.
- Size : Housing in Korea's cities tends to be small. House sizes are listed in terms of pyeong, but often they use such far-fetched tactics as including part of the hallway or even the elevator in the measurement. To get a more realistic measurement, ask the realtor for the shil-pyeong (실평) which includes only the actual living space.
- Transportation : See whether it is a good commute to school or work, whether the area is well connected by subway, city bus, train, or inter-city bus. Check this map of bus routes, as a direct bus route can often be faster than the subway.
- Full Option or Not : Rooms which are furnished and have appliances are described as Full Option (풀 옵션). This can include any combination of bed, desk, refrigerator, air conditioning, washing machine, gas range, television and other amenities. They are more expensive than bare rooms. If you need these things, ask the realtor to show you only Full Option housing.
- Stories : The first floor units of high-rise apartments are often inexpensive because there is little sunlight or because they are seen as being unsafe. Since units in the middle floors and higher have good views, they are usually more expensive.
- Heating system : Look into whether the heating system uses piped gas, LPG, or heating oil. Particularly in the case of heating oil that must be delivered by truck, see whether each unit has its own oil tank or whether it must be shared with other units in the building.
- Plumbing : When viewing houses, it's a good idea to turn on the shower for a moment and inspect the water pressure and temperature. The plumbing standards can vary.
[edit] Making Payment
See Accommodation financing
- If you express interest in a house, the realtor will typically claim that you should act quickly because it will be off the market soon. This an old saleman's trick and should be taken with a grain of salt
- The Haebangchon (해방촌) neighborhood near Itaewon (이태원) operates outside the rules of the normal Korean real estate market. Typically there are no jeonsae deposits required.
- Usually when you move into a house, it will not be clean. Cleaning is seen as the responsibility of the new occupant, not the old. Because Korean food has a strong smell, the refrigerator and the sink drains may require a thorough cleaning with bleach.
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