I posted this earlier in the Lotus hills thread… but I decided to repost it as a separate thread.
I am moving to Taiwan this August and so I’ve been trying to learn as much about Taiwan as possible. This forum has been a great help.
I have a ton of questions.
I notice that a lot of the people that moved to Lotus Hill have families. I really like the sound of the community there and the apartments sound cheap / GREAT but I was wondering what your advice would be for me.
I am going to study at Soochow University (Downtown campus in Zhongzheng(?) district) for two years (Doing an MBA). I will be on a scholarship with a limited income. I have savings, etc but I really would like to find a cheap place. But at the same time, I will be studying so I want to some peace and quiet. I don’t really want to go out clubbing every weekend, etc. I prefer to live outside the city and I don’t mind traveling a little to get to school…
Also, several friends have said they will come and visit me in Taiwan and my family has said they will visit me too. So I’d like to have a place big enough to accommodate a visitor or two occasionally.
I’ll be coming to Taiwan with a suitcase and a computer…so also I’m wondering if I should look for a furnished apartment or go for a cheaper unfurnished apartment and then accumulate stuff over time once I arrive?
Lotus Hills is sounding great but I was hoping you could give me some advice. Should I look for an apartment in the city that’s close to my school? Or should I rent a place in Lotus Hills?
Hey buddy, my advice to you is move into the city for your first year. If you are coming off the plane with a computer and a suitcase and no friends in Taipei to help you out and get settled, the city is the place to for you. You are conveniently located to banks, food, shopping, public transportation, police, fire department, doctors, dentists, and schools to work in. AT a community like Lotus Hill, you will be a good 30 minute car ride outside of the city away from work. Little public transit goes out there so you would have to hurry to purchase a scooter to be able to get to work. Furthermore, in the city is where the fun is. It is where you learn about this city. Find a cheap place close to an MRT station (10 min walk or less) and explore. You’ll be greatful you did. There are many good neighborhoods in the city. I currently live with my family near Rongxing Park. We are close to everything we could want, even a public swimming pool.
This is my advise to you. Feel free to ask questions. I may even have a place available to rent next month if you are interested.
Zhongshan and Zhongzhen districts in teh city would be better. True, you will be sacrificying space and amenities, but there is also time considerations, even for visitors -it will be easier for them to get around.
There are pockets of peace and quiet close to the university, and it depends on each neighborhood. Plus, you need to be where food is available and cheap, and you won’t have to spend too much on building administrative fees and such.
It is cheaper to find a place with little or no furniture, but at leats it should have a gas cooking rage -smaller places only have an electric “pad”, which is not that convenient- and a gas/electric water heater. the rest can be bought, pilfired off the street, loaned or otherwise obtained cheaply and/or free. Of course, if budget allows, go for furnished. Look for both and compare.
Wherever you decide to live, remember you can bargain with the landlord. If they want 15,000NT every month for the place, chances are you can get it as low as 13, let them know you are a student, this will help.
Me and my GF recently signed a lease on a new apartment. The landlord advertised it for 15000NT, plus a 1000NT door man fee. That would of been 16000 each month. We talked him down to 14000NT every month, which includes the door man fee. In addition we are getting free cable, internet, new appliances, and a new computer desk. So keep in mind that you can negotiate almost anything here, including rent and what is in included.
It’ll help if you have a Chinese speaker to translate too. If you use an agent, don’t let the real estate agent rip you off when it comes to the finders fee. Our real estate agent tried to charge us a 7,000NT finders fee. In my city the going rate for an agent is usually 2000NT unless he/she goes above and beyond what is required. In this case all he had to do was meet with us once at the apartment for 10 minutes and make a 5 minute phone call to tell the landlord our demands, he didn’t even pick us up to drive us around to different apartments, so I had my friend tell him that and gave him 2000.
So just keep this in mind and don’t be afraid to fight for the best deal, even if they seem friendly they are doing what’s best for them, and for many that means trying to rip off the foreigner.
I have a few Taiwanese friends that are going to help me find a place… but they are pretty busy with work, etc… One friend found a place that was a 15 min walk from my school. She went and took a few photos for me… it looked kinda ok (bit small… no furniture, etc) but the kitchen was… well kinda crappy. The price was 12,000/month. I was thinking about renting that place originally, but my friend warned me that there was a food vendor place on the first floor and that I should be careful because the apartment would probably have a problem with cockroaches / rats??? (Is that true?!)
Oh… I found my University campus on google maps. (the address is: No.58, 貴陽街一段, Jhongjheng District)
It looks like it’s in the middle of the city! Would it be better to find a place that’s in a neighbouring suburb? (I’m guessing the area around the campus would be expensive, if it’s in the middle of the city?!)
Any suburbs that you would recommend?
Valor: Thanks for the advice about bargaining… I actually asked my friends if I could haggle about the rent, etc…
Icon: I will have many questions for you soon! (for example… pilfered off the street?!?)
Can I get more details on the place to rent?
Also, what’s this I keep hearing that it’s kind of a nightmare to get rid of your trash?!
In Taiwan you MUST separate your trash. Compared to recycling in the states (if that is where your from), it is a little more troublesome. Here in Taiwan you have to separate food, recyclables, and general trash. So 3 categories. Back in the states you just set the trash bin and the recycle bin out front on certain days and the trash man comes and takes care of everything.
In Taiwan you have to separate it into 3 categories, then run out to the front of your apartment when you hear the trash truck coming (just listen for the tune that sounds like the ice cream man). Run outside and throw your trash into the truck. I’ve never had to do because my high rise apartment separates the trash for me pretty much, I’m gonna have to learn though now that my new apartment doesn’t provide that service. Maybe someone else can give you more detailed information.
Depends on where you stay - some places have a refuse collection area while at other places you have to go outside yourself, rain or shine, when you hear “Fuer Elise” playing (or whatever that song was); the trucks come daily (except Sunday I think?) and on a fixed schedule, and they are usually punctual.
In any case you should separate your trash: plastic, paper & cardboard, food & other organic stuff and general trash. The latter has to be put into government approved bags which you can buy at 7-11 etc. or the supermarket. At least that’s how it works in Taipei, not sure about other places.
It’s worth getting somewhere based on whether they deal with your rubbish for you, if you will be out (as a teacher, I always worked in the evenings) at rubbish truck time. Where I used to live, they had community bins and a chap who dealt with it all. The truck used to come at 10:30 - 10:45 at night where I lived; bugger that!
[quote=“valor”]In Taiwan you MUST separate your trash. Compared to recycling in the states (if that is where your from), it is a little more troublesome. Here in Taiwan you have to separate food, recyclables, and general trash. So 3 categories. Back in the states you just set the trash bin and the recycle bin out front on certain days and the trash man comes and takes care of everything.
In Taiwan you have to separate it into 3 categories, then run out to the front of your apartment when you hear the trash truck coming (just listen for the tune that sounds like the ice cream man). Run outside and throw your trash into the truck. I’ve never had to do because my high rise apartment separates the trash for me pretty much, I’m gonna have to learn though now that my new apartment doesn’t provide that service. Maybe someone else can give you more detailed information.[/quote]
haha… I’ve been living in Japan for 5 years. The recycling / trash separation here is insane… (much more than Australia!!! I’m from Australia btw) but there in my area, there are trash … cages? that I put my rubbish in the night before / morning before it gets collected…
hmm… so I need to chase after a truck to get rid of the trash?!?
How can I found out if an apartment has community bins, etc? Will they mention that? or should I ask?
If it’s a compound of high rises, with gated gardens, it will. If it’s a 4-5 storey shop-house place, it probably won’t, although many of those places have people you can pay to collect and take it out for you - that’s an informal arrangement, though.
You need to ask; if you live alone and have to study at truck time, you are going to be infested. I shared a flat when I got here and the truck came at 6 pm when we were all at work, so we could only take it out on Saturday which meant we could only cook or consume food in the place after Thursday.
[quote=“mattoc_g”]
hmm… so I need to chase after a truck to get rid of the trash?!?
How can I found out if an apartment has community bins, etc? Will they mention that? or should I ask?[/quote]
Just ask. If they have it’s probably collected in the staircase of each floor, and some cleaner will take it away daily.
It really depends, my place in Guting was in a single, non-gated building but they had someone to collect the rubbish daily (and clean the staircase, lobbys etc). No extra payment needed.
The way around that is to store all your wet waste in a bag in the freezer until trash day. Works well, especially when it is 30+ degrees like right now and you would be infested or your garbage would start its own colonies pretty darn quick. :aiyo:
I don’t recycle it, just store it in the freezer until I manage to hit a time where I can get to the truck to dump it. If it stays for more than a couple days in that heat it starts to grow creepy crawlies and smell funky, hence the freezing. I actually picked it up from my Aunt that lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. Much like you said, I can only hit the truck timing once a week, if at all. :neutral:
Most single people usually eat out and don’t generate that much rubbish. Just take the bag out each day and dump it in a litter bin. It’s illegal but I doubt the Environmental Protection will get on your case. Usually bins have separate sections for recyclables and “ordinary” rubbish, so you could sort your rubbish before taking it out. But so many people don’t bother that I think it must all end up in a landfill.
The recyclables I give to any number of old ladies or guys who live off selling the stuff. Our bit for environment and society.
The fruit skins, leftovers, etc… I put in the fridge. usually not a lot.
The rest -cat litter “products”, doggie’s “golden tresures”, assorted wrappings, etc…- goes out a big bin with a heavy lid in the back balcony. This gets thrown once a week.
By the way, if you live in Taipei City, you need to but special, city hall approved garbage bags for your garbage. The cars won’t accept any otehr because that is how you pay for garbage collection, according to how much you throw away. You make a lot of garbage, you use more and bigger bags, and hence pay more. The more you recyvle, the less garbage you produce, and hence the less bags you need to pay for.
If you live in Taipei County and beyond, this question is moot as you do not need to pay for each bag, but rather, there is a fixed rate included in your water bill, for example.
Hence, you should alos budget the bags in if you do not live in the suburbs.
[quote=“Icon”]The recyclables I give to any number of old ladies or guys who live off selling the stuff. Our bit for environment and society.
The fruit skins, leftovers, etc… I put in the fridge. usually not a lot.
The rest -cat litter “products”, doggie’s “golden tresures”, assorted wrappings, etc…- goes out a big bin with a heavy lid in the back balcony. This gets thrown once a week.
[/quote]
So the fruit skins and leftovers from last year are still in the fridge?
Much like you said, I can only hit the truck timing once a week, if at all. :neutral:
