English, baby!

Apartment Search

Date: Dec 05 2003

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Finding a new place to live can be hard work, especially if you want a place in a nice neighborhood. There are many places to choose from and many important decisions to make.
Miguel recently moved out of his house and found a new apartment. Listen to him talk about the process he went through to find the place that was right for him.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Finding a new apartment was hard work, but it was also a lot of fun. I had a lot to think about, but in the end, I think I made the right choice.
When I decided to move, my first important decision was the kind of apartment I should look for. I had to decide between a studio or a one-bedroom. I chose a one-bedroom because I wanted the extra space.
An essential part of deciding on an apartment was the size. A good question to ask an aparment manager is how many square feet the apartment is.
It’s also good to know where in the building the apartment is located, and if it has a view. Many apartments have windows, but are facing another building, so they don’t get much daylight and it’s not nice to look out the window.
Some other important features are the washer/dryer, dishwasher and garbage disposal.
The last, and for many people most important, factor is the price. In Portland, the range for a one-bedroom apartment is anywhere from $300 – $1500 a month. A nice apartment in a nice part of town is usually somewhere between $600-$800.
Also, there are often other costs, such as the security deposit, which the rental company will hold in case you cause any major damage to the apartment.

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Discussion

As you can see, there are lots of great vocabulary words related to finding and moving into an apartment.
In the U.S., renting an apartment isn’t difficult. The hard part is finding one you like that’s available. Once you find an apartment you like, you’ll have to show the rental agency some financial information and explain past living arrangements. Generally, most people qualify to live where they like.
Good luck!
John

Comments

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miffoo

Slovakia

nice lesson :)

sabar031

India

Moving from one place to another is really very hard work. Because you've to manage all the things from the begning in new apartment.

comdir007

China

Beijing rents ride Olympic wave

Li Xiao, a 29-year-old company executive, is apartment hunting.

"My monthly rent will rise eight-fold by August, from the current 3,200 yuan to 25,600 yuan, far beyond my budget," Li complained, adding some of his colleagues living around the major stadiums that will host the Olympic Games are also facing similar problems.

Li, who used to live in a 90 sq m apartment along Beijing's north fourth ring road, had a perfect view of the Bird's Nest.

"My landlord informed me about the new rent in March. I had never imagined it would be that high," Li said.

Statistics from Beijing Tourism Bureau show that over 3.5 million people, including domestic and international tourists, are expected to come to Beijing from August 8 to 24. The Beijing Organizing Committee of the Games of the 29th Olympiad has booked some 95 percent of high-end hotels near the major stadiums.

Such a huge demand and short supply of suitable accommodation has been pumping up the rents. Most apartment owners around the Games stadiums are not willing to have long-term tenants. Homelink statistics show 71.5 percent of them would accept a contract that ends by June.

Wang Liang, a 32-year-old official, bought a 54 sq m apartment along the west fourth ring road last year. But ever since he finished redecorating his home in November, he has refused many long-term tenants, accepting, instead, short-term lessees.

"I've heard about the possibility of rents going through the roof during the Games, so I have tried to rent out my apartmenton a monthly basis so that it's available in August," said Wang.

He said he expects the August rent to jump at least six times as his apartment is only 15 minutes drive from Wukesong Stadium.

But industry experts said Beijing apartmentowners should not get their hopes too high. Some 80 percent of the tourists are likely to pick hotels as their first choice and only the rest 20 percent would go for short-term rent of family hotels.

Besides, most overseas tenants are quite demanding when it comes to decoration, furniture and the general environment of apartments.

Ding Mei, who has an apartmentthat's only 5 minutes drive from the National Stadium, faces a similar dilemma.

After contacting a real estate brokerage company to put out her apartment for lease earlier this year, she did receive some inquires. Some of them, usually foreigners, would like a long-term contract for a monthly rent of over 5,000 yuan, but asked her to put in new furniture and remodel the apartment to their liking. Since Ding wouldn't go through all that trouble, she hasn't found any tenants so far.

Jin Yusong, general manager of roofinder.com(Beijing Apartment http://www.roofinder.com), offers these tips for those looking for accommodation during the Games: Move early; go for lower rent; never underestimate the importance of signing contracts, even for a 16-day stay; choose an apartment not close to stadiums but along the subway line.

Labels: Apartment Beijing, Rent an Apartment in Beijing, Property in Beijing, Beijing Property Rental, Villas in Beijing

akodira

Egypt

Good Advices

godge

India

i can not hear any sound…...

godge

India

it is really super

stphranceez

Nigeria

its not really hard finding one in my area but the conditions the agencies place yu upon is always unbelievable

stphranceez

Nigeria

it cool and simple,very easy to understand

wwyy_247

China

i often face this question ,becase i havenot my own house ,

moving one place to another is really a tiring thing!indeed

janoi

Thailand

i also can't hear it.what to do?

Yolanda Florence

Myanmar

Yes, finding a good apartment is hard but it is fun. I think moving the apartment is really hard and tired. I changed the apartment almost 15 times. you can imagine big family with small babies how difficult to finding and changing apartment and try to settle in a new place.

sharp_muslim

Egypt

hi , it very Fantasitc

sharp_muslim

Egypt

Really it's very good

Ya , Fantastic

sharp

United States

hello guys i wanna speak in english what will i do ? help me pls

Chin214

Peru

moving sounds hard!!, but is a new experience which everyone need to have :p

Anna

Ukraine

I agree with a great number of those who write here that moving to another apartment is really tiring. It is better to have own flat though it is not so easy.

fzfotzse

China

yeah I encounter the same problem

zhangyan200383

China

Yeah,it is really hard to find out a department which is satisfied. As i moved to a new department three months ago, i met with quite lots of difficulties such as the agency doesn't work well and the owner is somekind of distrusted.