Hell, that was easy.
Moving update #1
Finding an apartment in Tokyo can be a huge pain in the ass – even if you’re Japanese. And it’s considerably worse for gaijin.
But it doesn’t have to be.
I’d been waiting for word from my boss’ husband about what the local realtor had available. He hadn’t gotten back to me, so earlier this week I asked him what was up. He said he’d been informed there was nothing available in the area I wanted – last week.
Gee, thanks for keeping me posted.
He said it didn’t seem like the agent he’d used in the past was going to be much help, and I got the feeling he didn’t want to help out much either. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of handling this on my own, but it was pretty obvious that if I wanted to move, it was all going to be on me.
Fine.
I hit the web and started looking up gaijin-friendly realtors. There aren’t many, but thankfully one of the one’s that’s out there is damned good. I started emailing them on Tuesday after checking out some of the properties they had available on their site. A few messages back and forth and I had an appointment to check out an apartment on Friday evening.
It was great!
I looked at a few units in the same building, then picked the one with the best layout. I’d wanted a 1LDK (one-bedroom with a living/dining/kitchen area) or a 2DK (two-bedroom with a dining/kitchen room), and the one I picked was a 2DK. The agent who was showing me the apartments went over the details on rent, deposits, utilities and such. No hassles, no “we need to check up on you and make sure you’re the right kind of person” stuff you get from Japanese companies. Just, “do you want it?” and “can you afford it?”
I do and I can.
I’m wiring my deposit next week, then signing the lease a day or so after that. I’m due to move in at the end of this month.
Now, if I could do this in four days, why’d it take the boss’ husband a month to get back to me with nothing?
Meh. Doesn’t matter. I’ve got the place and I’ll be settled in before too long. That’s the important thing. Oh, and if you’re a foreigner in Tokyo looking for a new place, check out TokyoRent .
I can’t say enough good stuff about them.