All of January we stayed in the same hotel while hunting for a flat with a few prerequisites like distance to work, amenities provided, cleanliness, the neighbourhood, and of course the rent. I scored the internet during the day in the hotel room marking the places that we should check out and in the evenings, we used to walk about looking for "Flats Available" boards and also try and talk to the building watchmen for details. First off we were astounded by the cost of rentals here compared to KSA. But then, we were told that rentals here in Abu Dhabi City have actually gone down with recent economy changes and so seems we are lucky to get the current price.
Most of the apartments we saw were of old buildings with old floorings etc and if the rent was okay, it was only for the flat, we had to pay for parking, water etc additionally. I have to stop comparing things with Yanbu, I will only get hurt! This is ABU DHABI! What was I thinking???? I cannot have the same luxury flat here for a similar price!
Initially, we were looking at one bedroom flat and after scoring dozens of flats, we realized it is not worth the price for cramped bedrooms and large halls. So we thought of looking for two bedrooms but the rentals were over the roof! Finally, when we found a flat that was to our liking, the rent quoted was 1.5 lakh! What the f... So I convinced F to look for a studio apartment!
Initially, we were looking at one bedroom flat and after scoring dozens of flats, we realized it is not worth the price for cramped bedrooms and large halls. So we thought of looking for two bedrooms but the rentals were over the roof! Finally, when we found a flat that was to our liking, the rent quoted was 1.5 lakh! What the f... So I convinced F to look for a studio apartment!
The studio ones were such a treat to my eyes! I really loved them, little cute abode. I wish I had one like that when I was single :-D But for reals, I was beginning to lose hope and being the "not-earning" member of the duo, I didn't want to be too picky. Without much thinking, I told F I can manage even in a studio if that will help us settle down and maybe we can move to a better place after a year. Frustrations speak.
We weren't getting anywhere to finalizing a place so we finally resorted to seeking the help of a real estate agent guy for a flat that was advertised on a website. We were asked to meet him after Maghrib at a location. Upon arrival, we were taken up to a brand new building to the 18th floor. It was definitely not the flat that we saw in the advertisement but way better than that! Knowing the price range for this size, I didn't have my hopes high, nor did F. We knew the guy would quote something we can't afford and we would not be coming back. :-D. But on our way down in the elevator, the agent said that all this you get for an unbelievable price! And yes, it was the best deal even though more than what we budgeted for housing.
We fixed the deal and I had a peaceful sleep. Though it seemed too good to be true deal, I didn't want to think that there might be some glitch that we are not shown or maybe the building was a rejected one... something was not right - my intuition speaks.
Apparently, the building is a Bank property and so the agent didn't charge us the usual commission but much lesser. That was indeed very kind and fair of him. God bless him. Now all the paperwork was to be done at the Bank's property office. I won't get into the details of the paperwork and rules etc. as the rules tend to change too often around here in UAE.
