History of the Apartment Search So Far

So first thing as soon as we got here, we discovered that a new apartment building is going up on one of our favorite little streets - Esperanza - just a block off Parque Kennedy. There are a couple of older buildings on this street that I started coveting when we were here last year. But they're so small and so cute that I'm sure there would never be anything available - either for rent or for sale. So this was exciting. But at $116,000 US for a 2 bedroom 2 bath, that clearly was not going to happen, even though it included a "study" and a parking space. I've since learned that a normal price would be about $92,000 since it's 92 sq meters, but of course we're talking location big time for this one. There was a 3/2 for $125,000. I adore the location, but the building didn't impress me. A few tiny balconies and none of it looked very special. Too bad on that street corner.

There's more, but you have to click on the line below to see it - and then you have to click on the back arrow to get back here. It's a pain in the ass. Sorry about that!

Next we sort of accidentally looked at a rental apartment because Gene had thought the ad indicated it was available for short-term and we still needed a place for January. It turned out to be much nicer than we expected, with large living/dining room with hardwood floors and 2 small bedrooms. There was no balcony or patio, which we would really like, but it was open and airy and there was a good "maid's room" that would make a very nice artist's studio. The kitchen was nice enough, but small, but let's face it, how much are you likely to cook when you live in a town like this! The rent was $600 a month, which seemed like a fairly good deal for such a nice place. We asked if she would rent it for one month but no go, and of course we're not ready to take a long-term place yet.

A bit later, we happened across another of the many fabulous parks in this city - Parque Tradiciones. I fell in love with the park. And then it happened! I looked across the street and right there on the park was a brand new condo building being erected. I'm not sure if it was all that much different from the first building we looked at or not, but there were baloncies, albeit rather small ones. And it was right on this beautiful park! And this park is just a few blocks away from the central area of Miraflores, which we love! The price? $140,800. Well, considering that it includes 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and maid's quarters (think artist's studio) and 2 cocheras (parking spaces) which could potentially be rented out, maybe it's a steal for all I know. But not in our budget. An exciting note though. There are a lot of other, some older, buildings on the park and close by. Some of them even sported "For Rent" signs. So there's hope for living in this neighborhood.

Then our December landlord mentioned a new condo building he was looking at. It was in an area we had not been in before: Magdelena del Mar, which is on the ocean. This was the first time we actually got to see the inside of a new construction apartment instead of relying on the paper floor plans. Oh, my God! I've never seen anything so small. But you could get an oceanfront apartment with a little balcony for $72,000. This of course is for a 72 sq meter 1 bedroom apartment, but still - to be on the waterfront for that price! The downside was that we just weren't crazy about the area around it - not a fun walking around area. The whole point was that Michael, who told us about them and who knows the area, feels that the area will soon be gentrified and thus these apartments are great deals. Oh, by the way, one could buy a 3-bedroom for as little as $106,000, but it is tiny also.

Then our friends Isabel and Ernesto took us to see an apartment for rent across the street from where they live. Huge living/dining room, good sized master and another bedroom that would have to be Gene's studio. 2nd floor (no elevator). Older building upstairs from a chifa and a grocery, which could be handy. Good area. At $250 clearly a good deal, but not only is it unfurnished, which would be fine, but the kitchen is actually the size of a walk-in closet and has absolutely nothing in it except a sink. So we're talking going without a kitchen - which would be ok for a while but not for long, or invest in an entire kitchen including cabinetry and having a teensy kitchen area, which didn't seem practical unless we were sure we wanted to stay there for a long time. Oh, and there was no terraza or patio or balcony or any kind of outdoor space.

We haven't really looked seriously at any of this, since we can't really rent yet unless we want to pay for at least 2 months, and probably considerably more, while we leave it empty and go back to get everything taken care of in Costa Rica. Still, we needed to find out what we would be able to find once we are here permanantly.

Then it happened. You'll have to page down to January 6th to see the photos, but we found the perfect apartment. Brand new. Huge living room. Gorgeous hardwood floors. Huge beautiful terraza. Atrium for a studio.  Across the street from another beautiful park and 2 blocks away from a huge and fabulous park. 3 blocks to a mini-shopping area with a fabulous ceviche and fish restaurant and a good grocery store. $750 a month - and when I gasped, the agent said the owner would come down to $700. Later when Gene emailed her and told her about our fixed income budget restraints, she said to tell her what we could afford and she would present it to the owner, who we had met and who I think wanted us to rent it (she lives in the apartment next door - the only other apartment on the 1st floor). We really wanted this apartment, but besides it being too expensive, we would have been paying double rent for several months! So there that one went. The area is fabulous, although a bit further out of the center than we would like, but really! It was fabulous. OK. So forget that one. But we really loved it.

So then today I find THE HOUSE! Wow! It keeps getting worse and worse. Gene mentioned once that it would be nice if I would like something we could afford. Or did he say it would be nice if we could afford something I liked? Well, anyhow, I see now that is not going to happen. What to do? I covet this house. I just need to find a spare $100,000 or so somewhere. The asking price is $200,000 (and it's 200 Sq meters). It has most of what we want. It could use some work, but that would be fun, wouldn't it? Then I would have something to DO!

OK. Time to get real and look at 90 Sq Meter apartments for rent and try to find something for $600 a month or less. But then it's actually time to forget about it until we get back and are ready to rent. It's been a learning experience. OK. I'm not going to think about real estate any more. I have other things to concentrate on during our last two weeks here.

Then again, there's the ad I saw this morning:

On the Malecon ~ Ocean View - $1,100 per month:
3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 1500 sq. ft. plus 2 covered parking spaces, storage rooms, 8th floor, fully furnished with new appliances. Modern and spotless with beautiful views. 24/7 security, only long term contracts. Maintenance fee US$ 150.

I'm thinking we could sub-lease the parking spaces...