Hello everyone,

My name is Morgan and I will be moving to Shanghai this August with my boyfriend. I speak basic Mandarin (1 college year), but he is nearly fluent in Chinese (5 college years, two summers in China).

I feel really in the dark about when to find an apartment. Part of me really wants to have a place before we arrive in Shanghai in mid-August, but I have heard from some people that it's way smarter (and cheaper, usually) to wait until you arrive, get a cheap hotel room or stay in a hostel for a week or two, and find an apartment then. I have also heard it can be dangerous to make any deals from the US because you can't trust the pictures and prices listed.

Any advice about this (Or links to threads that have already addressed this question)? When is the right time to start looking? Can you make a good deal a few months in advance, or should you wait?

Thanks so much,
Morgan

(We're moving from the United States, just to be totally clear.)

don't rent a place until you get here
do like you said and stay in hotel, plan on at least 2 weeks

Agree, never rent untill you have personally inspected it. Good luck

morganlmallory wrote:Hello everyone,

My name is Morgan and I will be moving to Shanghai this August with my boyfriend. I speak basic Mandarin (1 college year), but he is nearly fluent in Chinese (5 college years, two summers in China).

I feel really in the dark about when to find an apartment. Part of me really wants to have a place before we arrive in Shanghai in mid-August, but I have heard from some people that it's way smarter (and cheaper, usually) to wait until you arrive, get a cheap hotel room or stay in a hostel for a week or two, and find an apartment then. I have also heard it can be dangerous to make any deals from the US because you can't trust the pictures and prices listed.

Any advice about this (Or links to threads that have already addressed this question)? When is the right time to start looking? Can you make a good deal a few months in advance, or should you wait?

Thanks so much,
Morgan

Hey Morgan,

Definitely wait until you arrive in Shanghai and then start looking for an apartment. If you and your boyfriend would like to stay in a economical place while you are looking for an apartment, try booking service apartment for couple of week. Since you will be arriving during the World Expo, hotel might be a little pricey, so service apartment could be a good alternative, and also there are some nice hostels in Shanghai. Once you guys arrive in shanghai, you will get a feeling of which district of the city you guys might wanna move into. Also, you are right about the fact that you just can't trust the photos listed on website...

Couple of recommendations:

for service apartment MetroPark is good one, it's like a hotel, but if you book weekly the rate is much better than hotel. I stayed there while looking for an apartment, the experience was great. And it's located in the center of shanghai.

for hostel, i recommend Mingtown Etour International Youth Hostel. You can book on Hostelworld.com, they have the option of private room with share bathroom. A friend stayed there for a month and love it! Because the location is great, and the hostel is very clean and unique. Also they have a beautiful activity room with internet access.

All the best wishes to you two

I also agree with the other posts.. Don't make any official contracts/agreements while you are in the US..
But you can get in touch with agencies prior coming here.. It would give you a basic idea about the current real estate market situation..
But of course, as everybody else here says, do not make your final decision before you come here and do several site-visits

Good day,

I am Richard, a real estate agent from Familiar Realty Shanghai. We have 190 outlets throughout Shanghai that can help you find your flat in the shortest period of time.

House search can be frustrating and stressfull. Getting a good night sleep 3 days before your flight would be difficult with those unanswered questions inside of you.

Why bother? Leave your troubles to us... "That's what we do"

I need a few infos and we can start our search this early...

Please email the following to sh_expathelp@yahoo.com or call +8615000985011

Your Name:
Date of arrival (Shanghai):
Your rental Budget in USD:
Number of occupants:
Length of lease:
Preferred district/location (if none, at least let us know the purpose of your travel in order to give us some idea and where to start looking)

We then put you in our August client listing, and show you numerous apartments depending on your viewing availability.

We will see to it your email gets a reply in 8 hours MAX
Have a good day!

Richard Gomez

hi, Morgan.

I am a native chinese who works in shanghai too. I have also tasted the experience of finding a suitable apartment. It is not easy in this huge city. But i do think it is more safe to sign the contract after you arrive here and inspect the house personally. onlines pictures can not be trusted. U may stay in youth totel for a few days and then search for apartment according to you work place and desired living location. The good thing in shanghai is most parts can be reached by subway. Living in place 20minutes by train would be much cheaper and quiter. I have a friend in real estate business. I may introduce him to you if you interested. My mail is JWUKAI@QQ.COM

have a good day!

jack wu