August went by fast here in Shanghai. The whole month was unbelievably hot! I went apartment hunting with Brent and some friends from the school. I found out really quick that anyone that can get money off of you will. That's been the theme since I have been in Shanghai, China. I can't speak for everyone, there are always straight shooters out there, but for the most part, if you look like you have any money then someone will try to get it from you. It's the idea that, well, your a foreigner, you should expect to just get ripped off.
The school (SSIS) said they would help me and other teachers get some agents to find houses. The problem was, the agents would only show me the same two apartment complexes, and Brent and I didn't want to live there. The school, as I found out later, gets a kick back from their agents, and that's why they didn't want me going to other agents or place. hmmmm
Well, what to do? I put a posting on Craigslist, met an agent that spoke just enough English and we found an apartment in downtown Shanghai near the major shopping areas in one day. Up to that point, we had been searching with the school's agents for 3 weeks. It's better to just take matters in your own hands here. Just remember in China (or Shanghai at least) , if someone helps you for no reason its usually because there is a reason.
To get an apartment in Shanghai, you need to pay two month's rent and one month's deposit (normally). The agent who helps you find a place also get 30% of one month's rent from you and another 30% from the owner of the apartment for his services. If you pay enough per month for an apartment (8000 + rmb, about 1200 USD) then the fee is waived on your end, but I don't know all the details. That can be a lot of money for some people here. My apartment is about 80 sq meters, on the 17th floor, 5 minutes from the subway/metro station. The closer the apartment is to the metro and a nice area, the more expensive it is, but it is worth it! The metro here is fabulous and you can get everywhere quickly. Brent and I pay 3800 rmb per month or about $560 USD a month to rent. Our internet was 2000 rmb for the year. Our electric and water bills add up to about 500rmb a month, and our phone bill is about 50 rmb a month. So total, including internet, we pay about $665 USD a month. We also pay a maid (Ayi) $80 a month to clean and cook 9 hours a week. We pay her 50% more than the average Ayi. She makes $2 + dollars an hour instead of just over $1 an hour.
Finding an amazing apartment for rent at a cheap place in Shanghai is pretty easy. You just have to be willing to keep searching. There is no rhyme or reason for the prices charged on apartments in Shanghai. A fabulous apartment may cost $300 USD a month and a real crapper may cost $800 USD a month. Just know how big you want your apartment to be, how new, how close to a major area of town or a metro, and start looking. Don't say yes until you find exactly what you want. There are millions of apartments here. The one you want at the price you want is out there!
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