Finding Somewhere to Live

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
361

Rmpalpha, it is advisable NOT to book apartments from abroad. Stay in a hostel a few days, if you want to, you can set appointments to see the place from abroad, but take your time to choose. Even staying a month in a bad place can bitter your stay, especially if it is so brief.

I would strongly recommend a serviced apartment -search on this website, there are several introduced- or even a business hotel. For two months, especially if moving around, a short term apartment lease may not be that suitable. AC is not negotiable during summer, mostly because of humidity.

362

I know this is probably a lot to ask buuuut:

Any websites, realtors or suggestions for Keelung?

I’ve wandered around the city a few times with very little luck as to what’s available. I have the feeling that this is most definitely a place where you have to know somebody/must have Chinese assistance… only problem is that I don’t!

363

Jilong? Are you sure you want to do that to yourself?

Here are some ads for apartments in Jilong. You could run it through Google Translate if the Mandarin’s too much for you.

364

Hi everyone,

I am coming to Taipei this summer to study at Shi-Da for 3 months–I arrive the 23rd and will leave August 23rd. Hoping to find a place for June, July and August.

I have been looking at ads on this site in the Housing section, and a little at Tealit. Are there any other sites or ways to find a place you can recommend? Which area would you recommend that is reasonably close to Shi-Da? Thanks in advance for your help!

Best,
Julie

365

[quote=“rhizome”]Hi everyone,

I am coming to Taipei this summer to study at Shi-Da for 3 months–I arrive the 23rd and will leave August 23rd. Hoping to find a place for June, July and August.

I have been looking at ads on this site in the Housing section, and a little at Tealit. Are there any other sites or ways to find a place you can recommend? Which area would you recommend that is reasonably close to Shi-Da? Thanks in advance for your help!

Best,
Julie[/quote]

The “reasonably close” is quite a large area. Since public transports are very decent, especially around Shi-Da, you can live a couple of MRT or bus stations away.

You may even get yourself a bicycle (very cheap here) and stay a bit closer, if you don’t value your life too high.

366

After a stint in Beijing and back in Canada, I am returning to the east this fall for 3 months. Destination: Taipei.

I want a 1 bedroom place, close to the MRT blue line ideally. A place from which I can walk to groceries, a park, and good sushi restaurants. Perhaps the Xinyi or Da’an neighbourhoods. Something around $40,000NTD would be fine. Walkability is important to me. I would be willing to commute if the place were close to local amenities and pretty much on top of an MRT stop.

Would Zhongshan, somewhere along the red line, be a good match for me?

As a side note, I’ve read comments of disdain here and there for the supposedly aptly-named MRT brown line. Why? Wouldn’t living near Da’an station be great?

I’ve checked out Jenny Chao’s site, and plan to pick one of her places if I don’t get any better suggestions. The only thing holding me back is that a number of her apartments seem to be placed at a halfway point between MRT stops rather than right on top of one or the other. There is one between SYS and Da’an stations that I’m contemplating in particular.

367

A normal one bedroom place should be 10 to 15K tops. Budgeting -heck, not even daring to say pay- 40K would be really wasteful, no matter the amenities. Yes, even on top of the MRT, even in Xinyi. That site you mention seems to be for expat businesspeople whose companies pay, not them.

The problem of the Brown MRT line is connectivity top other areas, plus small cars. Daan is a nice area, but not exactly over Daan MRT station. I’d say that if you are here short term Zhongxiao Tunghua area, Sun Yat sen and up to Taipei City Hall station areas are best for you, bit more interesting. Depends on what you want to do, where and if you have to commute, etc.

368

[quote=“darienpeak”] A place from which I can walk to groceries, a park, and good sushi restaurants. . . .
Would Zhongshan, somewhere along the red line, be a good match for me?
[/quote]
Zhongshan MRT is a very good match for you. Good sushi restaurants you say? The Linsen N. Rd. area has lots of authentic Japanese restaurants. And a park? There’s a big park at Linsen and Nanjing Roads. Groceries? There’re three department stores right next to the MRT, not to mention the Zhongshan sports center just a 3-min walk away. You can easily switch to the blue line at Taipei Main station just one stop away.

The brown line is only a problem during rush hour. That’s when you’ll be dealing with cars packed like sardines. Otherwise, Daan station is a very good location too.

369

The line itself is not bad, you just don’t want to transfer at Zhongxiao Fu**ing Station during the rush hour. And that’s the only transfer point so far. But when the red line extensions opens in December this year, you will also be able to transfer in Daan.

Ren’ai, Dunhua and Anhe (all near there) are some of the best addresses in central Taipei. If you can afford it, why not. Xinyi Rd, not so much. Fuxing S Rd Sec. 1 and 2 will have extra noise from the MRT.

370

Hi all,

I’ll be arriving in Taipei in early September and need to start thinking about my living situation. I’m doing my master’s up at the Taipei National University of the Arts (in Beitou, next to the Zhongyi Station on the red line). I’m open to either living close to school and traveling to Taipei for fun or living closer to downtown and commuting up to school. I’m leaning towards the latter since I’ll most likely only be in classes 3 days a week, but the nicer environment and more bang for your buck up north is also kind of appealing. I don’t know what my expectations should be in terms of housing, so here’s my ideal living arrangement, and you guys can tell me if I’m crazy or not:

20,000/month or less, including any guanli fees
Single, non-shared apartment
2 bedrooms would be great so I can have a place for friends when they visit, but I’m also open to one room + enough space for people to sleep on the floor.
On the red line for easy transportation to and from school.
A nice, non-nasty bathroom (if Taiwan is anything like China in this regard, I think this might be the hardest to find)
Simple kitchen
Fridge, AC, washer and dryer would be great.
Fitness center on the premises would be great (just basic stuff like treadmills), but I’m not expecting to get that.

I’ve been looking at Shilin and Datong (near the Zhongshan station) so far, and it seems like it might be possible to find something that fits my specifications. Does anyone have any advice/opinions on where I should be looking and what I should realistically be expecting to find? I’m primarily using 591 to search.

Also, I do speak Chinese pretty fluently, but I’m still concerned about getting ripped off if I go apartment viewing by myself. I’ve heard Taiwanese people are pretty friendly in general, but something tells me I’m not going to find any friends within the first 24 hours of being there that would be willing to come with me. Should I just go through an agency and save myself some trouble?

Thanks!

-Ben

371

Right, so I’m still trying to convince my SO that 3mil for my house is a good price. She reckons it’s too high and we should go for 2 mil or so. If the Agong declines, which I’m sure he will, I’ll be looking for a nice apartment in Tainan come September or October.Something in the region of 6-8k/month, three bedrooms and not too pricey in the guan li fei department as we’ll also be needing parking. It would be super if it has a swimming pool in the complex.

372

[quote=“by002007”]Hi all,

I’ll be arriving in Taipei in early September and need to start thinking about my living situation. I’m doing my master’s up at the Taipei National University of the Arts (in Beitou, next to the Zhongyi Station on the red line). I’m open to either living close to school and traveling to Taipei for fun or living closer to downtown and commuting up to school. I’m leaning towards the latter since I’ll most likely only be in classes 3 days a week, but the nicer environment and more bang for your buck up north is also kind of appealing. I don’t know what my expectations should be in terms of housing, so here’s my ideal living arrangement, and you guys can tell me if I’m crazy or not:

20,000/month or less, including any guanli fees
Single, non-shared apartment
2 bedrooms would be great so I can have a place for friends when they visit, but I’m also open to one room + enough space for people to sleep on the floor.
On the red line for easy transportation to and from school.
A nice, non-nasty bathroom (if Taiwan is anything like China in this regard, I think this might be the hardest to find)
Simple kitchen
Fridge, AC, washer and dryer would be great.
Fitness center on the premises would be great (just basic stuff like treadmills), but I’m not expecting to get that.

I’ve been looking at Shilin and Datong (near the Zhongshan station) so far, and it seems like it might be possible to find something that fits my specifications. Does anyone have any advice/opinions on where I should be looking and what I should realistically be expecting to find? I’m primarily using 591 to search.

Also, I do speak Chinese pretty fluently, but I’m still concerned about getting ripped off if I go apartment viewing by myself. I’ve heard Taiwanese people are pretty friendly in general, but something tells me I’m not going to find any friends within the first 24 hours of being there that would be willing to come with me. Should I just go through an agency and save myself some trouble?

Thanks!

-Ben[/quote]

Most places don’t have dryers so I would forget about that. AC and fridge yes. Not too hard to find.

Bathrooms that are clean and normal in a NT20,000 apartment should be absolutely expected. Wouldn’t make treadmills and fitness centers a priority. Find a place reasonably close to the rivers (easy in Datong and Shilin) as there is an excellent interconnected bike system throughout the city. Also usually lots of parks with chin up bars, etc so easy to stay in shape.

Getting ripped off: not really an issue. Most landlords now basically ask what they want with only a little room, if any, for negotiation.

If a place is listed at NT18,000 then that is what the landlord wants and is probably what it’s worth. Maybe you could get it down to NT16,000.

373

Hello by002007, welcome to the 'mosa

I’d go for the Northern option, Hongshulin, Danshui stations, though around Peitou I know there are pretty nice places. 15 to 10K shoudl be more than plenty for a nice apartment, rooms as said -studio apartment, actually, with won private bathroom and Internet/utilities included- can be from 8 to 15K. Very nice air, close to the coast, close to hot water springs, hiking places, Tianmu for shopping/movies/fine dining. You’ll be set.

Shilin/Tatung and close to Zhongshan station is to urban, too crowded and polluted. Coming from China, won’t be that bad, but it is not necessary. If you like to party, then the area to be is Zhongxiao Fuxing/Tunghua, and that’s another story.

Don’t go through an agency, now that would be easier for them to rip you off. If you can read Chinese, look for tmm.org.tw Most reliable, non profit service. Try to contact the school. Normally, they assign a “student big brother/sister” to the foreign students. See if they can go with you and look at apartments together. Heck, bring some butterscotch life savers and I’ll do it. :laughing: Now, allow at least a week to look for a place that fits your needs, so book a hostel for that time frame, so you won’t dive in the first appealing place and regret later.

Good luck. Yiayio!

EDIT:
A few samples, what do you think -studio apartments in Beitou/Tianmu area:

rent.591.com.tw/rent-detail-1481158.html

rent.591.com.tw/rent-detail-1512661.html

rent.591.com.tw/rent-detail-1500369.html

rent.591.com.tw/rent-detail-1474331.html

374

Thanks for the advice guys, I’ll keep it in mind during my search. Mucha man, on an unrelated note, I checked out your blog and it looks like there’re some pretty awesome hikes in Taiwan. Any chance your group is open for whoever wants to join?

PS: I know your name shows up incorrectly in this post - I think it’s being autocorrected.

375

[quote=“by002007”]Thanks for the advice guys, I’ll keep it in mind during my search. Muzha man, on an unrelated note, I checked out your blog and it looks like there’re some pretty awesome hikes in Taiwan. Any chance your group is open for whoever wants to join?

PS: I know your name shows up incorrectly in this post - I think it’s being autocorrected.[/quote]

Yes, this is truly a bountiful land for hikes. Hopefully the group will get going again in the fall. If you are in the north of Taipei there’s also Richard Sauders group. On any case you arevery welcome to join us.

376

Hi All,

I’m getting expat’d to Taiwan and am completely lost on the apartment hunt. I can speak mandarin fluently, grew up speaking it at home in the US and converse with it daily for work, but am completely illiterate in it. The company is in Hsichih but I’m told that I should look for an apartment in Taipei if I can. How’s the public transit between Taipei and Hsichih? How’s the commute during rush hour from Taipei to Hsichih and vice versa? How about public transit within Hsichih if I got an apartment there?

Thanks in advance for the replies

377

Hi there

There are lovely, cheap and big expat quality apartments in Xizhi. many foreigners prefer this area due to teh proximity to teh mountains and nice community feel. So living in Xizhi is not out of the question. In general, public transportation is goo dto excellent all over Taipei and the outskirts. That said, morning communte is morning communte, and if you can avoid it by living close to work, even better. In Xizhi, private transportation is not out of the question, as parking space is more available. If you have family in Taipei -but where in Taipei? it is a big place- or like partying or anything else in particular that needs you to be closer to the “action”, well, then, go ahead, but choose close to train lines since the communte to Xizhi will be a long one -depending on where you work, metro system may not be the closest, but the light rail will.

378

First off, thanks for the response. How long time wise is the commute from Taipei to Xizhi? My family is in Gilong(?) but I’ve asked a few local co-workers there and the general consensus is to try to find a place in Taipei for some reason. One recommended the city hall area. All I really want is good working internet, AC, maybe a gym close by, and maybe a tub/shower combo. I’m heading there in Jan, after my Brazil expat term is up.

379

Just a note to those considering Bitan: Added to all the other construction projects, the bridge is going to be under construction and not usable for about half of next year, which is going to make getting to the MRT a real bitch and a half.

380

Ah, now it makes sense. What they mean is DO NOT live in Keelung, but stay in the Taipei area -which includes suburbs, including Xizhi or Neihu or other options. They do not mean Taipei city per se. Keeelung, well, it might be a bit too “rural” for a newcomer. But it will be a train skip and hop away from Xizhi. You can visit your grandma often. But it may not have teh ammenities for socialization as Greater Taipei. You have to remember, it is a bit out there.

City Hall is what we were talking about, Taipei 101. Very expensive, suitable for someone on a fat expat housing bonus. That is what people think when they recommend this area top you. Not really necessary. This is Taipei, not Matto Grosso. We have wi-fi all over the island. Anyplace will have nice apartments with fancy showers that change colors according to the temperature, or have ugly buidlings with plastic faucets in the bathroom with crumbling tiles. Taipei is not divided as per social/economic class as sharply a developing countries. You can have a mansion next to what looks like a shanty town… which is probably fancier inside than the mansion. And worth just as much, if not more.l

So my recommendation is come here, stay in a hotel. Define your priorities: are you a party animal that needs to be next to Chungxiao/ Taipoei 101/City hall area for Lux and other fancy places? Or do you yearn a bit more open space, mountains and such? Or is your priority something close to work?

Check out the conditions at say Lotus Hill, dahu Lake area, Neihu, with a 10 to 20 minute commute to Xizhi. Choose a location. Then focus your search on thafor an apartment on that location.