If you follow this 5 step guide you should find a lovely condo in Chiang Mai that you can call home in less than a week.
You’re living the dream and moving to Chiang Mai.
The thought of finding your own comfy condo fills you with excitement.
Apart from it’s not that easy.
In fact it’s really quite hard. I know, I did it the hard way.
Here I share my tips of what you should do, and share with you the rental agents that you should get in touch with to help you, so that you find your dream condo hassle free and in less than a week.
The Fast Paced Chiang Mai Condominium Scene
Chiang Mai is one of the most popular relocation destinations in Thailand – and probably all of South East Asia – for expats, bloggers and the like.
Why?
Well most importantly it’s safe; hot but slightly cooler, cheaper and boasting a slower pace of life compared to say Bangkok; but not at the expense of access to modern conveniences and good healthcare.
Because of this condominiums (flats/apartments) are being built at record speeds; surpassing levels before the ’97 crash here.
Foreigners either re-locating here or recognising the good rental investment, mean that the condos now being built cater more for western standards in their finishes and amenities such as basic kitchens, washing machines and balconies.
When I was planning on moving to Chiang Mai, I found some useful blogs which got me started on how to find a condo to rent in Chiang Mai such as NeverEndingVoyage and Alyonatravels. But these were both written a couple of years ago and I found out the hard way that the Chiang Mai condominium scene is changing at record speeds and it is very different to five years ago when it was a backpacking favourite.
Most of these older posts name checked the same condominiums popular with expats to explore, such as Twin Peaks and Hillside as high range options – but these were built in the early 2000/2010s. And whilst you can still rent a condo out in such places, the building boom here has seen a whole new bunch of players open up the market and your options, as I will explain in this post.
NB: Please note, the condo scene is changing monthly and already there is more choice than when I rented our condo out, but all the agencies I recommend below are still awesome.
Alternatives To Renting A Condo In Chiang Mai
Of course I will say straight from the start that condos aren’t the only option to live in Chiang Mai.
In fact they are the luxurious option more often than not.
If you are going to live in Chiang Mai for less than 3 months, or your budget can’t stretch to renting a condo, then there are several other options:
Long Term Renting Of Guesthouse Rooms In Chiang Mai
Most guesthouses are open to this idea and it’s best to find one you like first and then enquire about reduced rates for longer stays. I know of an expat here who rents a room in a guesthouse in the Old City (the centre of Chiang Mai) for 8000thb a month (that’s about £160/month.) You would usually pay for your utility usage separately and forgo daily maid service.
This is a good option if you want to live in the Old City, don’t need a whole condo to yourself, and are happy to live in a simple room with private/shared bathroom and more often than not no cooking facilities/pool.
Serviced Apartments Chiang Mai
Short term lets (which are those of less than 6 months) of condos are possible but a bit harder to come by as I will explain in this post, but not impossible; I will set out in this post how you can go about successfully securing one.
Another popular and plentiful option for lets from a week up to 6 and even 12 months are serviced apartments. These are commonly studio type apartments, where you get regular cleaning service and access to communal facilities. These can range from high end like the Vanilla Residence which are brand new rooms with cable TV, balconies and kitchen areas for 12-20,000thb a month; to the well tested and very popular middle of the range Smith Residence with a shared swimming pool (they have recently opened up a higher end Smith Suites also).
Renting A House Further Outside Of Chiang Mai:
If you want a whole place to yourself but either can’t afford the price tag of renting a condo in Chiang Mai proper – or just want to have a whole house to dance around – then you can rent a whole house for a very reasonable price if you are prepared to forgo location and live further out of the old city area.
How to find the condo rental of your dreams in Chiang Mai
After reading and considering the alternatives, you still think a condo rental is for you. Good, then here is my 5 step guide to securing the condo rental of your dreams.
Step 1: What you need to know first before you start looking
New versus old?
As mentioned a moment ago, there are many manynew condominiums being built in Chiang Mai. The newer condos tend to be much smaller in size then the older ones (a typical 1 bed condo in a brand new block like Liv@Nimman is about 45sqm with a sliding door separating the bedroom and lounge, compared to 70sqm 1 bedrooms in the older condo block of Hillside). However, on the flip side the older condos tend to have run down and neglected communal facilities; with Hillside 4’s huge selection of retail shops in the lobby being over 50% empty compared to Liv@Nimman which boosts a rooftop terrace, bbq area, wine bar and library.
When I visited Hillside 4 (right) I felt the building was a bit too run down for me. I decided that I would rather the trade off of a newer building with a smaller square foot condo, than an older building with double the size inside. However, of course this is a personal choice. If you do like the older condos then in my opinion out of all the older condos we visited, Riverside and Twin Peaks (below) seemed in the best condition and still very popular with expats.
To avoid confusion condos tend to be built in groups, so Hillside has Hillside 1,2,3 and 4. Punna has 1,2,3,4,5 and they are now building Punna Oasis. Make sure you are always clear what condo block you are viewing as they aren’t always very near each other or boast the same facilities.
The building of new condominiums is happening all over Chiang Mai but seems to be mostly concentrated around the Nimmanem road area near the new Maya shopping mall. That is the current trendy area of Chiang Mai, whereas you will find many older condos in the previous trendy areas such as near the river which is a bit more desolate these days. However, if you stay anywhere within a couple of kms of the Old City there is always street food vendors (and coffee shops which is Chiang Mai’s latest obsession) nearby.
Short term versus long term let?
How long you wish to let for will surely depend on how long you plan to live out here for. Firstly if you wish to let a condo for less than 3 months, I would rather you don’t waste your time as I will tell you right now that it isn’t gonna happen. You are better off looking at the alternative accommodation options I mentioned earlier in this post.
However any period 3 months up is very do-able. My partner and I have gone for a 3 month let as that is how long we initially plan to live here. Shorter lets (anything under 6 months) do limit your market quite significantly as many owners only wish to let for 6 months or more. But don’t worry with my tips set out in this post it will be fairly easy for you to find a 3 month let.
The rents are often adjusted slightly depending on the let duration, so expect to pay a couple more thousand baht a month for a 3 month let to a 6 month let to a 12 month let.
Peak season versus low season?
I don’t suggest that you plan when you move to Chiang Mai on the availability of accommodation. However, peak renting season from December – February will be harder to find apartments than if you arrive just before or after. We arrived at new years and this tended to be the busiest time of year, with condos going within a day which means there is no time for indecisiveness! If you came before high season began in October/November then you would have a lot more choice.
Foreigners versus locals
This won’t change your condo renting search but I found it interesting none the less. In Chiang Mai foreign owners more than 50% of any condominium, nor can they own Thai land (this means we can’t own a condo on the ground floor or a house).
Step 2: What to do before you arrive
Write a list of your requirements
The first thing to do is to think carefully about your requirements for renting in Chiang Mai. Some questions it might be good to answer are:
- What area do you want to be in or if you don’t know/mind a specific area, how far from the Old City do you want to be?
- How many bedrooms/studio do you want?
- What facilities are important to you – do you want a western kitchen,washing machine, modern facilities, gym, swimming pool etc?
- Do you want to live in a quiet side street (called a ‘Soi’) or somewhere busy with lots of places to eat and shops?
- Related to this, do you mind if there is building work happening next door (this is quite common with the amount of condos being built at present)?
I know it sounds silly but for me it was the small things that mattered. After spending a week on a typical Thai guesthouse bed which are uber hard, I knew a softer western mattress and comfortable sofa large enough for me to lie on where personally going to be super important to my search. If you want a safe area with other expats then that is almost a non-criteria with condo renting in Chiang Mai as most condo blocks have a lot of foreigners living there and are very safe; they don’t even need the token security man who mans the entrance gates.
It is really important you are clear on what you want before you do any searching so that any agents that you contact can tailor their search and you don’t waste your time. Time which could be better spent lying by the pool, soaking in cultural sights of Chiang Mai’s many temples, enjoying a relaxing massage, or gorging on Hinlay curry and Pad Thai than looking at unsuitable condos.
Decide your budget
It is true that living in Chiang Mai can be done cheaply. It is also true that if you are prepared to spend that extra bit of money, you can get the WOW factor for a snip of what we would pay in the Western world. For example, whilst we found some nice clean perfectly suitable condos for 11,000thb/month upwards for a 3 month let, we thought we would splash out 20,000thb/month to get something luxurious. We now live in a better place than we did in the UK and all for only about £400/month which is a steal by London prices.
As I mentioned earlier shorter lets will attract slightly higher prices. But 20,000thb for a 1 bedroom condo is a very good budget for a 3 month let. 15,000thb mark will still see plenty of options open up for you whilst still not going too far away from the centre of the city. For a good studio you can expect to pay just over the 10,000thb mark.
Also, as one Thai agent told us, higher budget does not always mean better accommodation. Some owners are un-realistic about their rental value so do look at places below your maximum budget to compare.
Monthly rents tend not to include your utility bills so factor in these in addition. We are yet to get our first bill but I understand that a few thousand baht a month should easily cover everything. There are government rates here for electricity and water, and remember using your air con regularly will see your electricity bill soon rack up! Internet can be provided in the condominium but with newer blocks it is often not. Internet contracts under 12 months are impossible here but as any Thai person will tell you, internet dongles are easily enough bought from any 7/11 (supermarket) for a good internet speed on a rolling monthly basis.
Step 3: Agencies versus going at it alone?
There are two main options to find a condo in Chiang Mai. Both of which I suggest you do in tandem. Using an agency, or going direct to condominiums you like the look of.
There are many reputable agencies in the city which can help you find a flat. I list the best agents that can help you with your search below. These work just like they do in Europe/States in that they send you details of suitable places and you choose which you want to visit with them. They organise the viewings and then if you like one, sort out the paperwork for you. Unlike agencies back home, there is no cost for their services here. The other good thing about agents is that as well as having access to properties that you cannot yourself, they often pick you up from your guesthouse and drive you around on multiple viewings. Much easier than you finding your own way from condominium to condominium!
From our experience condo searching it seems the same condo can be with more than one agent. Always make sure you look at photos before you agree to a viewing to check that you have not already visited the same place already.
About a week before you arrive in Chiang Mai I suggest you email these agents below with your criteria and date you get to Chiang Mai and ask if they have anything suitable they can send over details and photos for. That way they can choose which condos you want to view and you can set up appointments for the day you arrive. I’d also book a guesthouse for the first week you are there to take the pressure of having to find somewhere in a rush.
Recommended agents (that helped me with my search):
- Perfect Homes – these seemed to have the largest selection of the market at the time and this is who we rented our condo through. They were very professional and our agent, Jade, was a university student as well as worked for the company. She spoke and wrote fluent English and was very helpful picking us up and dropping us off after viewings. Whilst I understand she has left the company to go back to study, I’m often sent messages by readers saying they found their other staff as helpful and often this is the agency people find their condo through.
- Joy – I’m not sure if she worked for an agency or was independent but was extremely helpful, spoke fluent English, and had a lot of options to show us. Her email address is related to Riverside condos (a nice block near the river) but she also does other condominiums. You could reach her at: joy@chiangmairiversidecondo.com
- Realtor Chiang Mai – they sent us a few options but most of the properties they offered us were a bit further out from the Old City than we wanted to be. You could email our agent Esther on: estherchiangmai@gmail.com
There are some others that we did not view any properties with personally because they didn’t have any that met our criteria, but did email us with options so I still think are worth contacting:
- BuyinChiangMai (but do rents too)
- Chiangmaiproperties
- Chiang Mai Apartment Rental
- Mr. Payungsak Faikao (Sam); faikao@hotmail.com
- Wisan; wisan.house23@gmail.com (he only does lets of 6 months plus)
Step 4: What to do when you arrive
Hopefully you will have some viewings lined up with agencies already. But I recommend strongly that at the same time you also go at it alone, and visit condominiums that you like the look of.
Rent a scooter for the day, walk around, or jump on and off some red taxis to visit apartment blocks in the areas that you like. I was going to write a list of all the condos here in Chiang Mai but as fast as I write it, a new condominium will be built and it won’t be up to date. The best way to find a condo block you like is finding an area you like and then just walking it until you will stumble across condominiums in the area. And don’t forget the side streets (soi) as they often have blocks hidden away from the main road. When you see a condo block you like, walk in and ask the reception if they have any condos to rent. The chances are they will say yes, and on top of that offer you many more options of condos in that block than the agents had on their books!
I used this way to look for a condo at the same time as using agents. However, in the end the condo we liked best was through an agent so as I didn’t rent this way I am not sure who does the paperwork – whether the condo building, the owner or if they instruct an agent at that stage. I am guessing one of the first two. I think it seems a safe and direct way to rent and as I said, many agents will say they have one or maybe no condos available in a block you like, but walking into the reception they will offer you a sheet of options to choose from and show you around immediately.
If you follow the steps set out in this blog post then you should have no problem finding a condo to suit your needs in a few days. However, if you still haven’t had any luck then re-email the agents I mention above as they have new properties coming up weekly.
Step 5: How to seal the deal
Great news you’ve found a condo you like, now what do you do?
If you are able to pay cash upfront for all your rent for the duration of the tenancy (much easier if its a 3 month let!) then ask if in return you can get a discount on your rent. We tried this successfully.
Then tell the agent or condominium reception (depending on which way you found a suitable place) that you would like to rent. They will ask for a copy of your passport for their records and then complete the relevant paperwork.
The renting process is Chiang Mai was a lot more formal and professional than I imagined. Whilst there aren’t the complexities of renting compared to UK where they reference and credit check tenants, you still signed a formal contract and completed a photo inventory.
It is also the norm to pay 2 months deposit plus 1 month rent in advance. It might be a good idea to start taking enough money out of ATMs from when you arrive to pay this amount if you didn’t bring it with you. This is because ATMs have daily withdrawal limits and instant international transfers through banks, paypal, currency brokers and companies such as Western Union normally attract extortionate fees. Plan ahead and don’t be caught out how I was!
You can’t move in until the owner has signed the agreement but this shouldn’t take more than a day or so. Get an inventory (same rules apply as in UK that fair wear and tear are acceptable) and make sure all the utility bills are paid up to date before you move in. Utility bills will often be billed separately from your rent and put in your condo mailbox by your condominium staff, and you pay these in cash at your lobby.
The dream condo is now yours
So there you have it. All you need to know about finding and renting a condo in Chiang Mai. If you follow this 5 step guide then you should find a lovely condo that you can call home in less than a week. Just like I did.
And here is my condo, in a luxury newly built condominium called Liv@Nimman. Most days I have the pool and gym to myself. Did I say I would only be living here for 3 months?! I think I might have to re-evaluate that.
If you are you looking to rent a condo and need some help with your search then drop me a line and I will try to help.
Or perhaps you rent a condo in Chiang Mai and have some additional experiences or useful agents contact details to share with others?
Either way please drop a comment and if you’re going to be living in Chiang Mai you need to check out my other post on where to find the best massages in this city.
Great article. We will be moving to CM in Feb 2016 so I have started searching condos. It’s tough to get a good idea of what condos are well kept and which are not. Your article is the most comprehensive I have found to date.
Thanks Keith, I am glad it was helpful for you. If you contact the people I have mentioned on the post in advance of your arrival then I am confident your search wont be that painful! Do get in touch if you think of any other questions on your condo search you want me to help with. And lucky you moving to Chiang Mai! 🙂
Amazing article thanks…I am sad to report that a few of the agency links ar dead…
I wonder if walking door to door is still the he best way?
Thanks a lot for your most informative post! I’ll be arriving in Chiang Mai in December and plan to stay in a serviced apartment while hunting for a rental condo. I’m wondering if there are any additions, deletions or revisions that you would make with regard to serviced apartments or agencies/recommended agents for condo rentals if you were to write your terrific article today?
Thanks Robert, glad you found the article useful. I wouldn’t make any changes to the agencies as they are all still running but just a tip for arriving Dec time: It’s peak season and although possible (we did it!) to find a condo to rent then, you don’t want to spend too long in your serviced apartment before you secure a condo so do try and research back in your home country and set up some viewings for when you arrive. And luck you, Chiang Mai is an awesome place to live, you will have a great time. Enjoy
Nice post! Very useful 🙂
I am arriving in CM by the end of next week and will be staying 4-6 months. I’ve already been hunting for a condo for months now and really like LIV@Nimman. Looks like I’ll end up there.
I was hoping you could answer some questions for me.
1. Are you still at LIV? Can I ask you which type of unit you have/had and what you paid for it?
2. Do you know the minimum duration of the lease?
3. How is the internet connection at LIV? For my work I will need to make a lot of skype calls back home (netherlands) so a fast and stable connection would be very useful. I’ll be working around 32-40 hours a week and prefer not to spend all that time in a coworking space.
4. I saw LIV has a library. Is it suitable for working?
5. What kind of people live at LIV? I asume mostly foreigners, but are they in the same age group as you or generally a bit older (retirees).
Sorry for all the questions.
Hey Stef, glad you found it helpful. Lucky you moving to Liv@nimman, its an awesome place to be! We’ve moved on now but we had a studio unit which people also call a 1 bedroom (there are only studio/2 bed places at Liv). It is a studio with a draw across door which then becomes a 1 bedroom, but it pretty spacious just the slidy door is not the best noise insulation if someone is trying to sleep whilst someone is watching tv. Rent was about 19,000 thb a month. We paid a bit more as we had a short lease and if you sign up for 6-12 months, you will get a monthly discount with nearly all agents/owners. The minimum duration really depends on the owner of the condo and what they are happy with. The internet was good for thai standards but it isn’t fast compared to the UK so you may find it frustrating at times and it used to jump a bit when on skype, however this isn’t just Liv but most condos. You can sign up for cable internet if you are there for a long time or buy internet cards which are better than the free wifi at Liv. There is also a library which is very nice and often empty but only has two desks so if there are lots of people that want to use it then it would be tricky. It is above the pool and lovely, cool, and suitable for working. Most of the people at Liv are foreigners and generally 30 – 50s. There were quite a few 30 year old people there so its not full of old expats at all; its a trendy area Nimman so mainly younger people. Hope helpful and have an amazing time!
Really useful article. Thanks 🙂
We are moving there in November. We were pretty concerned with the amount of people we know also moving in a week or two before us that the affordable mid lenght rentals would all be full.
Sounds like, if you got a place in late December, we shouldn’t have too much to worry about in early November.
Thanks again.
Thanks. Lucky you moving to Chiang Mai – awesome place! You will be fine in Nov, the earlier you go, the easier it is but dont worry there will still be choice in Nov.
Hi Justine
How much was that last condo in the end?
I’m heading back out to CM in December and need to sort somewhere soon.
Thanks for this article.
S
Hi Sophie, Sorry for the delay in replying…your comment seemed to slip through the net. That last condo of ours was about £400 a month in British pounds. That included some bills. A lot less than you would get a box room in London for! Have you managed to find a condo for yourself in CM yet?
tried to sign up for your newsletter but got a message that ‘something went wrong’ ?? Thank you for your info – my wife and I are looking to retire there as well. Trying to decide if its better to rent or buy a condo??
thanks again
robert
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your message. I have checked all the newsletter sign up forms and they all seem to be working fine this end, so maybe it was a hitch your end. Please do try again.
I guess it depends on how long you intend to stay in CM for whether renting or buying is best for you. I would also check re-sale values. They don’t seem to maintain condo blocks very well in Thailand, so a new dazzling top range condo block built this year will look quite run-down and middle range in 10 years time. However, saying that the value and demand for condos in CM has rocketed on the other hand. Regardless, lucky you retiring in CM as it is an awesome place to live!
Thanks for all the tips they proved to be spot on. After your recomendations of agents we contacted Jade from Perfect Homes and a couple more them. But jade found us a great place on the first day of viewings. So thank you you saved us a lot of hassles.
We ended up in the Punna just up the road from Liv@nimman in a great place that they normally look for long term rentals but Jade spoke with the owner and got us a three month contract.
We had to buy a few items for the property but we were very happy due to its size location and the building facilities.
Hey Stephen, I’m so glad that the article saved you a lot of hassle and time in finding your condo. I know Punna and it’s a lovely area of the city. Enjoy your 3 months 🙂
Hello Justine,
I fantastic blog. I will either do three months this October or starting in Jan. It appears you will have saved me an incredibile amount of time! I have only been to CM once before, but would like to follow your examples.
Regards,
Michael
Glad I could be of help Michael 🙂
How is the pool? We stayed for 6 mths near you – PromT Condo (around Maya). The reason I ask is that the pool at PromT was ^&%& freezing! Even during the hottest days! It never sees the light of day so it maintains that 0 degrees and is famous (infamous?) with a lot of ex-pats that have been there for its amazing ability to stay freezing ^%^ing cold year round:)
So, ha, how is the pool? A big thing for me. What about the size? water temp? chlorine levels ok?
Thanks in adv.
Hey, interesting you say about the pool being %%% freezing (that made me laugh!) because I think it must be a Thai thing, like maybe they don’t consider positioning and shade etc when designing the condos because this pool too was cold in the afternoon when the sun moved position. I used to get out there all morning and go elsewhere in the afternoon. Size is nice – not huge but the photos do it pretty accurate justice and it is definitely big enough for some lengths – far from a dip pool if that’s your concern. It is also empty most of the time – even in the mornings when it;s in the full sun – so pretty much like a private pool. And I never noticed the chlorine levels so they must be fine 🙂
I’m staying at liv right now. The pool can be pretty cold in the winter as Justine says. At the moment I think its ok. Not too cold. And in the summer its very refreshing, never too cold. But I have to say I rarely use the pool. Around the time the sun tends to shine on the pool there are usually people but never a lot. I’ve been living at this condo for almost a year now so ive seen all the months.
ps. Apparently I still get notifications for this post. I forgot all about it! Thanks Justine, I ended up at Liv partly because of your blog. Been loving it there!
Thank you so much for writing this – It helped me so much with my search for accommodation in Chiang Mai. Everything you mentioned is spot on and exactly how it went for me as well! I ended up getting a studio with the condo directly though and the process was exactly the same as what you described for your agent.
Great article. I’ve been living in CM for a few months now and everything you said matches my experience. I would also recommend Bibi at Perfect Homes. Her English is very good and she is quite helpful.
I would also comment that you don’t have to worry about ATM limits. You can go to most bank branches with your original passport and ask them if they do cash advances on debit card. There is no fee and usually either no limit or a really high one that you’d never hit. I usually go to the Bangkok Bank branch in the Kad Suan Kaew mall. They have a window in the front for cash advances. I also found several banks in the Maya Mall which also do free cash advances with no limits.
Thanks again
Hi Matt, hope you’re enjoying CM and thanks for the very useful tip! 🙂
Hello Justine,
I found your writngs most useful, thank you..
Before moving on perhaps I would update you on Western Union. We send money from the UK regularly and only pay £2.90
on transfers up to £4000 Sterling with no charges at either our UK or Thai bank. The exchange rate is always very competitive and known in advance. Even better a transfer we have just done from UK to Norway to pay the rent on our Pattaya condo was put through with no charge at all.
To continue, we have been an Anglo-Thai couple for nearly 26 years, living in a 4 bed villa in Cyprus until quite recently and now have a house in Southport. We are used to having the facilties associated with Western Europe. I am retired so we live an everyday life wherever we are.
We stayed at Dusit Princess and The Empress and rented a house off Chang Kllan road many years ago. We found the area near The Dusit very convenient and need to locate in that vicinity in a 1 bed condo with a proper kitchen, covered parking if possible, a balcony for outside dining and obviously good security. We arrive on the 1st May for 6-8 months.
Maybe we can get a good deal now we are in the low season?????
Would appreciate your thoughts<
Best regards
Keith B Bradbury
Hi Keith, thanks for your comment. Yes I definitely think in low season of May you will be able to get a good deal and can negotiate on price especially if staying for 6 months. Do give the agents I suggested in this post a call and hopefully they can help you.
Hi Just,
Thanks for al the info. You mentioned several agencies. Is it okay to call/use more than one at the same time or do they frown this?
Thanks again.
Jhipo
Hi Jhipo, yes of course that’s fine. We used several at the same time and mentioned that to them at viewings as in “oh another agent showed us this condo at xx we didn’t like the location”. Good luck with your search!
Thanks for posting!
I will be moving to Chiang Mai to teach in a few days! I am 25 years old, and I am coming from America. I do want a more modern/westernized condo since I will be living in Chiang Mai for 6 months or more. Ive heard that prices tend to drop if you stay for
a longer period of time. Is that true? Im looking to stay in the Nimann area do you know of any condos that are like the one you chose (liv@nimm) but for around 300 us dollars per month? (need a pool and nice bathroom but do not need as much space I guess haha.
Thanks so much if you have any suggestions! MUCH appreciated!
Hi Ava, thanks for your message. Yes it is true that prices drop if you stay longer such as 12 months. But for 6 months you should be able to find a good deal. There are so many similar modern condos in Nimman are, the further up the hill past Maya shopping centre the cheaper places get and there are lots of modern but 8 or so years old condos up there which you can get cheaper than the ones built in the last year or two. It really is easier to use an agent and they don’t charge you to find you something. Have a look at the details I put in my post of local agents. And enjoy!
What to do for accommodations between arrival and finding a long term condo?
Hi Glenn, good question! We just rented a hotel room for a week when we arrived and made sure we found somewhere in that time which is pretty easy to do if you aren’t too inflexible in your requirements.