In general moving to a new country is hard enough, and adding apartment hunting to the mix creates a stressful combo. In the case of my relocation to South Africa, I had the great fortune of already having somewhere lined up for my colleague and me, during our transition from New York to Johannesburg. However, after our initial high of living in a guest house reality set in and we had to plan proper living arrangements for the long term.
Looking back now, I have noted a few tips which may be useful for any Expatriate navigating the apartment hunting world in Africa. They are as follows:
Use an Agent: Especially in a housing market that is foreign to you, it may be a good idea that you go with a real estate agent who would be in a better position to assist you with finding your perfect home in your preferred location.
Beware of Scammers: Surprise Surprise!! Housing scammers exist here too. You know the ones that ask you to deposit the money in their bank accounts, and afterwards the keys will be sent to you. Accordingly, do be cautious as scammers can be extremely crafty. To cut a long story short, my colleague got scammed into parting away with roughly $500.
Don’t be afraid to get lost: If you choose to be actively engaged in the housing search, and not leave it solely at the discretion of your agent to find your apartment/house, then don’t be surprised if you get lost a couple of times during your navigation of the city. Speaking from experience, it really is true that one of the fastest ways to know a new place is to allow yourself to get lost. It puts you under pressure to figure out your bearings and locations faster.
Beware of hidden costs of utilities: Unfortunately, coming from the west where we have an abundance of everything, we sometimes forget that the rest of the world suffers from resource shortages. Specifically in the form of water shortages and high heating and electricity costs. As a result, it is important that one be a bit more stringent with overall utility usage, or else, I fear you may be slapped with an extremely large bill. I am very proud to say that I now know how to locate and use the “fuse box” in my apartment. Before leaving for work in the mornings, I turn off the geyser (hot water) switch as well as the electric stove, and turn them back on when I arrive in the evenings. We will see if these conservation measures aid my utility bill at the end of the month.
Have a house warming: One of the essential components of African culture, is the practise of Ubuntu/Teranga/Ajo – translation to English “hospitality/caring for thy neighbor”. When one moves into a new apartment here, it is customary that friends assist you in putting together nick knacks that you would need to transform your apartment to a livable space. As such, don’t be shy when you boldly get asked by people “what do you want me to get you for your apartment”. I also was a bit shy by the boldness at first, but trust me, it’s quite the norm here.
Allow yourself to splurge: Com’on!! Go for it……you’re an Expatriate and you deserve to be pampered some. If you’re like me, I am definitely not complaining, especially coming from New York, were we pay an arm and a leg for housing. The overall cost of housing no matter how you calculate it, is drastically cheaper in Africa than in the West. So, allow yourself to splurge on rent. YOLO (you only live once) J
Apartment complex in the neighborhood of Sunninghill, Johannesburg
African Expatriate Kenny from Lesotho, recently relocated from China – African Expatriate Joe from Botswana, recently relocated from New York. Both on the apartment housing prowl
A popular apartment complex also in Sunninghill, Johannesburg
Apartment complex in neighborhood of Linden, Johannesburg
Apartments in the neighborhood of North Cliff, Johannesburg
Blowing off some steam after a long day apartment hunting and saw nothing we particularly liked. We continued again the following week :)en
Comments