Apartment Hunting in Seoul, Korea (rent prices & tips/vocab & tours) 🏠 MOVING ALONE #1

Apartment hunting in South Korea alone is truly no easy task. There are so many things to worry about like rent prices, deposits, the vocabulary you need to know, and apartment tours. The way to find Korean apartments is very different than back home in the states and hope this apartment hunting vlog will help you guys with moving to / living in Korea and your own apartment hunting adventures in Seoul and other places around Korea. I look forward to continuing to share my life in Korea with you guys and I hope you enjoy this video. Let me know if you have any other questions
Timestamps
Apartment Hunting Vocab 0:00-3:32
How to find apartments/ What to expect 3:33-3:56
Apartment Tours 4:00-9:54
Get to know me more on social media! :D
Instagram: @KerrasJournal
Twitter: @KerrasJournal
Tik Tok: @Kerra_J
#apartmenttours #lifeinkorea #koreanapartment
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[@sunnni_]

This was very informative! Question, can I have the apps that you used to find the places?

[@KerrasJournal]

Great Question! The apps that I used were Jikband and Dabang. If yo need help in English there is also a website called Stayes that I have heard many good things about.

[@sunnni_]

@@KerrasJournal thank youu love!

[@Ran-cb5sb]

The name is 직방 or 다방 or 네이버부동산 in Korean :)

[@twinklestars95]

The rental is much cheaper than i expected. For apartment number 1, I thought it would be close to USD 800 / SGD 1000 but wow, it is much cheaper! On the contrary, I used to be apartment hunting in taipei - for the same price as apartment 1, I could at most get a bedroom with private toilet and no personal kitchen, definitely not even a studio

[@zee3e]

deposit is alot though! that is also partly why many young koreans still live with their parents, bc it's quite expensive to pay the deposit up front

[@awkwardsoup6943]

Yesss!! It was very very informative. I have never seen anyone do this before! Good job!!

[@KerrasJournal]

You are the sweetest! Thank you a bunch ^^ This means a lot to me ☺😘

[@lilynote2016]

Oh wow, this was really helpful! I learned new things and questions I didn't think of asking before. Thank you for making the video. :)

[@antietiquette5205]

Love how informative you made this video!!

[@KerrasJournal]

Thank you! I truly tried my best to give as much info in a small amount of time 😄

[@julian4630]

Thanks for this video. I'm moving soon and have been so anxiety ridden. This helps seeing someone else doing it (:

[@mina-fy8ip]

this actually excites me i want to move to korea for college or sometime in the future !!

[@SugarySweetz]

Same

[@cyand]

this is so incredibly informative! Thank you so much!

[@KerrasJournal]

Thank you for watching! I am happy I could help you :D

[@britneynotspears5]

As a young black 16 year old girl, this excites me and I hope I can live in Korea in the future, thank you so much for the information!

[@KerrasJournal]

And you will! Anything you put your mind to, will be yours ♥

[@privatecalice9673]

Same girl😊

[@princessbtsarmy0751]

Omg same i’m also a young black 16 year old girl who wants to live in Korea in the Future 😆💜 An i know it will come to pass 🙏🏽❤️

[@britneynotspears5]

@@princessbtsarmy0751 Same!! Let’s keep high hopes!!

[@mina-fy8ip]

literally same i’m also 16!

[@rayliur]

Thank you! Finally, someone who brought up gwanlibi 😭😭😭😭😭

[@KerrasJournal]

Right!? No one ever talks about it! I swear choose the wrong place and it will literally kick you in the booty😭 More so I recently just learned that I share my gwanlibi with my entire building and that it's not uncommon. I was literally in shock like I only want to pay what EYE owe 😭😂

[@user-hi4ne9pq5g]

Hi Kerra. I love your channel! You are so honest and funny & i want to thank you for giving us the BTS of many of these situations. Speaking of BTS (bangtan) , was glad to find out you are also an ARMY 💜 Take care!!

[@KerrasJournal]

Thank you so much! Your words mean a lot to me ^^ I am also sending you positive energy

[@WOTFICB1]

I love the lock pads and that all of the places have those toilets like that. The warm seat alone beside the hygiene aspect #spoiled.

[@MarkisCouch_1WhatJustHappened]

Great video!

[@elsabrise1962]

Nice video! :D

[@KerrasJournal]

Thank you! 😍

[@kuzithecat6343]

Even though I'm Korean, I like your tone.

[@KerrasJournal]

Thank you~~ You're the sweetest ^^

[@unruly_kween3651]

I really love your makeup

[@priyakim1316]

Omggg you are so beautiful 😍😍 Your eyes are so stuning bab 😍😘

[@princessbuttercup1779]

Ur hair looks so nice

[@KerrasJournal]

Apartment hunting can be wild! I'm curious. What is your dream home?

[@kundaigogoma9420]

As a student I want a 2 bedroom apartment with a spacious kitchen, fridge and oven (love baking Nd cooking), medium to large bedrooms, modern finish and modern bathroom and lots of lighting 😂😂😍

[@KerrasJournal]

@@kundaigogoma9420 Yesss! And you shall receive it one day! I also love baking so an oven it's a must lol 😍

[@kundaigogoma9420]

@@KerrasJournal omw Yess but rent is so expensive is Australia gosh 😭😭 I really look forward to visiting Korea some day my goal was 2022 but with restrictions and Corona, Chile Issa a whole mess. Hope you're staying safe and you've gained a subbie ❤️

[@KerrasJournal]

@@kundaigogoma9420 Korea is starting to lower covid restrictions so I think 2022 might be more of a possibility. I'm sending positive energy and vibes your way to make it come true ^.^ Thank you so much for subscribing it means a lot to me 🥺

[@kundaigogoma9420]

@@KerrasJournal thank you so much hey♥️ means a lot to me, I honestly can't wait and if you're still there I'd definitely love to meet up.

[@candletalks]

Thank you for the informative video! I haven’t found anywhere that mentions if it is possible to rent an apartment without the ARC? If not, how long can I expect to receive after submitting my application once I arrive in Korea? I guess the option would be to rent an airbnb in the meantime? Also, how hard is it to find short term contracts? Let’s say if I come study for 6 months.

[@dayy6635]

short term contracts are quite common, but usually deposit is much higher; without ARC you are better off trying to get an airbnb or hotel, contracts require ARC. if you're coming for 6 months you will need ARC anyway.

[@liayesung5721]

Thank you for this great video! Can u recommend certain places in Seoul where the prizes are ok? Just checked Stayes Websites and for some reason i can only find normal studios in that price range. Is there maybe another english website that also offers officetels?

[@KerrasJournal]

Thank you a bunch! I am happy you enjoyed my content. If price is more of your concern and you don't really care about location, I highly recommend looking around the edges of Seoul in neighborhoods like Eunpyeong, Geumcheon, and etc, or possibly neighboring cities like Bucheon and Goyang. Not only is it easier to find Officetels (mainly because there is more of a focus to take the strain off of the center of Seoul) but the prices are usually a little more palatable compared to popular neighborhoods like Gangnam, Yongsan, and etc. In regards to English websites, I really only know of Stayes but I'll do so more research and let you know what I find :D

[@liayesung5721]

@@KerrasJournal Aww you are so sweet thank you so much for all these infos

[@-beomgyu]

I have a question. For large families, let’s say a family of 5-6 people, where would they live? Are the apartments in Korea huge enough to fit a large family in comfortably? What about houses? In which city do you find houses or townhomes in? I’m guessing it’s not seoul because of the population. Are houses easy to find and are they affordable in lets say the country side or suburban areas of gyeonggi-do province?

[@KerrasJournal]

This is an amazing question and I am so happy you asked! Apartments are literally life in Korea and I mean this with no exaggeration. Houses are somewhat difficult to come by in dense cities like Seoul unless it is a hanok style home. it is easier to find house outside of Seoul in areas around Incheon, newer cities like Sejong, or the country side like Gongju. It is also important to note that many Korean households have no more than two children. As of 2019 the average child to a household was 0.92. Therefore, the most amount of rooms I have ever seen in an apartment is 4 bedrooms. These places are usually nice and spacious for an apartment, I lived in one with my host family who were a family of 4. But this can differ depending on what your idea of comfortable can be. Generally the countryside is always going to more affordable because many of the buildings are old and the location isn't so popular but the gyeongi-do area tends to be more convenient, modernized, and located near Seoul. I hope this helps! :D

[@DeliaX]

thanks for the tour! are you able to share approximately which area in seoul these apartments were? just want to gauge what I can get and for what price in a given location ❤

[@KerrasJournal]

Heya! For safety reasons I will refrain but a great tip would be to look out from the center of Seoul and look more around the edges and outskirts. Prices are a lot better and transportation is good if you need to go to the center.

[@DeliaX]

@@KerrasJournal thanks! Do you know how a foreigner could transfer funds for key money deposit from their home country to Korea? How do landlords take payment? What if the foreigner doesn't have ARC yet?

[@KerrasJournal]

@@DeliaX These are all amazing questions! In order to sign a lease your arc is necessary so you can't do much without it. Also, the way I normally transfer money from home is through my Korean bank account. I also sent my deposit to my landlord through my Korean bank. I'm sure you could wire transfer the money but this could be tricky because of timing. I actually made a video apart of this series that will touch on this topic a little because i was so confused during the process. I realize many apartment videos in Korea don't discuss the behind the scences which could really help

[@DeliaX]

@@KerrasJournal thanks for taking the time! I appreciate it. I ask bc I currently don't have ARC or korean bank account and am looking for a place to move into from outside of Korea. But it seems like I can't really rent until I've been in Korea long enough to have my ARC issued?? Haha

[@KerrasJournal]

@@DeliaX i understand your fustration. I've known people who will come here and stay in an airbnb and apartment hunt after. But I'm no expert and maybe there it's a way for your particular circumstance. I would also recommend reaching out to this site called stayes. I have heard that they help people while abroad so this could help.

[@santesia6222]

I have a question about realtors and their fees. I've heard people say you should use multiple realtors because they tend to just show apartments in their neighborhoods and this is a way to get a broader sense of what is available. My question is, do you pay them for just showing you apartments or do you pay the realtor that got the apartment you signed a lease with? And how much does it usually cost?

[@KerrasJournal]

Yes, this is true. It's good to get as many options available to you. Realtors do not charge unless you sign a housing contact through them. At that point, their commission will be anywhere between 0.5%-5% of the deposit depending on house type and location.

[@jeanblaaa]

You’re very pretty and charming!

[@xDifferentStuffx]

Hello, Kerra. Can you please tell me what apps or sites can be used to find an apartment for rent and for buying?

[@KerrasJournal]

Sure thing! I personally like Dabang and Jikbang. Some people use naver estate as well

[@BhawanaPohal]

Can you tell us something about the loft apartment in South Korea

[@losercatlover]

When you were talking about the costs of deposit and rent, were the prices in USD?

[@chiaugenyi6652]

No they weren’t

[@wangxian5473]

Oh my gosh I should move over there my parents are paying 5k for our apartment and its the same size as the ones in this vid😭

[@danyshaadina1220]

you're really pretty

[@KerrasJournal]

❤️❤️❤️

[@nemionline]

Area(s) of all these apartments please? :)

[@christophersimmons983]

Gorgeous eye's

[@wisnandechelot7924]

When you were going "hunting" how did you know if the place was real and not a scam?

[@KerrasJournal]

Great question! Many times you won't know until you show up to the listing and the person will try to show you something different than what you came for. So, I stopped contacting realtors directly through the apps and found a legit realtor by walking inside of a realtor's office. Then if I saw a posting online that the realtor hadn't shown me yet, I would send them the link for the place and they would kind of scope the place out for me.

[@marquitawilliams7922]

I’m sorry they didn’t give it to you cause you was a Foreigner

[@tumiskosana448]

Is this in Seoul? If so where exactly?

[@hannahwiwi6341]

I'll come to Korea next year and I don't have any friends there so could you help me when I come hehe?😅

[@user-yq9sj6hu3i]

How can I find apartments with furntiure?

[@vsboardza]

What apps do people use while in Korea?

[@AsandaMahlangu]

집방

[@mariabradshaw4289]

How can a foreigner permanently stay there?

[@akilashamsid148]

ok I really need to learn the money currency difference because im so confused ike what is 6500 in usd

[@puppydoggylover]

Koreans basically add three decimal places so 1,000 won in korea is equivalent to $1 usd … 6,500 won would be $6.50 usd … 500,000 won would be $500 etc etc

[@puppydoggylover]

Not the exact calculation since american currency is worth a tinier bit more than korean won but its pretty similar

[@97angelkook]

May I ask how you manage to pay for it? I wanna go and study in Korea but I am scared that I cannot work and balance school at the same time :( Also for 전세: if there stands 2억300 does it mean 2.3 million won or is it more?

[@panukapino2224]

2억300 is 203million won

[@KerrasJournal]

Heya! Great question. I worked full time for 2 years in Korea where I never paid rent. So I saved up a lot of money from that. Also, working and going school is pretty doable especially since Korea caps the amount of hours students can work at 15hrs a week unless you have a topik score of 4. So you'll definitely have time to work, go to school, and hangout with friends. Also, the comment above me is correct :D

[@kayla9410]

You’re soo beautiful

[@hih-.-3370]

Not meant badly but as a foreigner how do you get the money so that you can afford a nice apartment in Korea? so...How did you do that because I calculated the 5,000,000 won are 4.365,61 USD !😳 Or did I calculate wrong 😂😳?

[@KerrasJournal]

Heya not bad at all, that's actually a good question. You calculated right. It's about 4300 usd for the deposit but you get this back when you move out of the apartment. I saved money over time from working over the past year and a half. So I used that money to go towards my deposit and rent. Corona kinda help me save even more because i couldn't go anywhere lol

[@hih-.-3370]

@@KerrasJournal okay thanks for your feedback ❣️and that means you use the "jeonsae" style?

[@KerrasJournal]

@@hih-.-3370 I really wish but jeonsae could cost anywhere between $90,000usd to $300,000usd. Maybe one day when I'm successful I can afford that but not at the moment lol. The way many Korean people afford jeonsae is by taking out a loan and just paying the interest every month. But its very difficult to get a loan as a foreigner

[@hih-.-3370]

@@KerrasJournal Okay, I understand thx❣️

[@jesse_dickson]

do yo get the deposit back?

[@AsandaMahlangu]

I heard you do when you leave

[@allygaretzka2323]

Can I still travel to the country even if I cannot get the vac for personal reasons? There has to be a soul that hasn't taken it. Hoping to make the move 2022 or '23 god-willing. Any feedback will help at this point. Can't find much on the matter online.

[@v.a.l.5165]

Korea just dropped vaccine passes so you should be okay.

[@funkyblanket15]

Where would you find an English speaking realtor

[@KerrasJournal]

You can find many through google actually or sometimes a real-estate place will have a realtor that speaks English.

[@emysouza9390]

Legend in portugues please 🙏🏽

[@KerrasJournal]

Do you mean you would like Portuguese subtitles?

[@keo872]

@@KerrasJournal yes, in portuguese "legenda" means"subtitles", that's a false friend case right here!

[@KerrasJournal]

@Raquel Oak Thank you for clarifying! For a second I thought they were calling me a legend I was flattered lol😅 I added Portuguese subtitles! :D But I am not sure how accurate it will be with google auto-translate

[@KerrasJournal]

Portuguese is added now ^.^

[@keo872]

@@KerrasJournal call you a legend is also accurate, you made me a fan with a single video 😘💜

[@user-bt8zg2fk4c]

상위 1%의 집....

[@khazhr_13]

you can put the subtitles in french please, otherwise I really like your videos

[@saimo2498]

Damn the deposit is too much🤦🏽‍♂️

[@yaya-yk4or]

it's in krw not usd, if that helps. she said in a comment before that she kept switching the currency which she apologised for.

[@deyonwhite5937]

I truly hope your 관리비 is not $80,000! Haha, I hope you meant 80,000 krw. 😂

[@KerrasJournal]

LOL Not at all 😂😂😂 it's around 80,000 krw. Im sorry about the constant conversion. I can't keep to one currency haha.

[@Sensei486]

You are so damn Beautiful. 🥰

[@Everlasting-life777]

Jesus said,repent and believe the gospel. Do it right away.

[@queena.reversa]

Amen

[@justnormalgurl2050]

cheap

[@KerrasJournal]

Rent? yes. The deposit though? Might have to rethink 😭 lol

[@vivianpanek5166]

Girl, not for nothing, where are you going to get $5000 down payment for an apartment? Are the apartments in Korea made out of gold? I live in NJ and the down payment for an apartment here is $1200 to $1500 dollars, 5000 dollars for a down payment is a bit much, how do you survive? You have to eat. I am staying here, it’s cheaper to live here than there. Good luck to you, good luck in School.

[@yowussap1661]

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