Over the past 4 days, we’ve walked 29 miles through different neighborhoods and exchanged broken English/Spanish emails with numerous real estate agents.

In true House Hunters International fashion, this is our showcase of our top 3 properties (out of about 15 we found online).  On the Travel Channel show, they would show you some amazingly small homes/condos with prices over a million dollars.  We aren’t spending that kind of money (in Colombian Pesos perhaps) but we will build the same suspense until  the last paragraph.

Apartment One – New building with rooftop pool in Nuñez (320 sq ft) - $660-720/month ($600/month + 20% commission)

• Pro – New building with security guard.  Balcony on the 2^nd floor facing the street.  Rooftop pool overlooking numerous county clubs and the River Plata soccer stadium.
• Con – In Argentina, the normal rental contract is for 2 years and a commission of 1.5 months is paid by the buyer.  Since we were only looking for 3 month lease right now, they would charge us 20% of the commission.  We were not sure if this was 20% of the monthly rent of the contact commission of 1.5 months.  No laundry in the building and kitchen doesn’t have an oven (which apparently is common in the size apartment we were looking at). Far from the Subway (1.1 miles)

Apartment Two – Double room loft in a shared apartment in Palermo SoHo – (500 sq ft) $400/month

• Pro – We would share the apartment with the owner and his wife (late 20s to early 30s) who speaks as much English as we do Spanish. This is a “pro” because our main goal is to learn Spanish while we are here. Full size kitchen with oven, separate living/dining room.  Under the amount we had budgeted for our monthly rent.  It’s located at the far end of Palermo SoHo district, which is a “newly fashionable area for fashion, design, restaurants, bars and street culture” (Wikipedia). Only a few blocks from the center of Palermo SoHo with lots street art vendors.
• Con – Little more than a half mile from the subway, which is further than most other apartment we have looked at.  We will need to figure out the bus system for times when it’s not nice enough to walk.  Not as much privacy as a private apartment; our loft bedroom really doesn’t have a door.

Apartment Three  – Directly across from Mall with Balcony in Belgrano (400 sq ft) - $630 ($550/month + 15% commission)

• Pro – Subway is across the street.  Close to the Alto Palermo Mall (TGI Fridays, Binihana, Starbucks).  High traffic area (car and by foot).
• Con – Not available until Feb 3^rd.  Older building. Have to pay a commission.  Not very quiet due to high traffic. 

After 4 nights in our hostel ($35/private double room w/ shared bath and crummy WiFi), it looks like we’ve found our more permanent living arrangement (or at least for the time being).  Which apartment would you choose? The Rooftop Pool far from the subway, Not so private loft with unknowing Spanish tutors or Older noisy apartment close to a lot of amenities……

We chose....



.... Apartment #2; the shared apartment.  In additional to the cheaper rent (lets us stay longer), we will be living with two Colombians who are as excited to be living with English speakers, as we are with Spanish speakers.

Now on to task #2 and 3.  Find Jobs and a Spanish School (for a 2 or 3 week course)