Moving Day(s)
Even though we have been through this twice already, the eviction we faced in August had the potential to be a total disaster. We had eighteen days to find a new apartment and get moved out of the old one. This was the fastest move we have had to make yet in China. With our (and friends') previous experiences with the Changping rental market, I was not at all confident that we would find anything livable in such short order.
The walk-in closet in the master bedroom. I was completely blown away by this. I hadn't seen a closet like this since we left Shenzhen. We did have a closet in our recently vacated apartment, but the landlord kept it for herself.
Brigid was most excited about having a playground in between the buildings. Of course, during the day it has to be shared with the neighbors' laundry.
Four years ago I was happy to get out of this complex. I have to admit that part of my displeasure was that Shenzhen was still fresh enough in my mind that I resented that Changping (and our apartment) couldn't be like that. I still missed the lush, tropical greenery, the two swimming pools, and the feeling like we were living in a resort.
Funny how a few years of living in Changping have readjusted my attitude. I look out at the small, poorly maintained grounds and the closed-off, deteriorating tennis court of the complex we've returned to and I see now how fortunate we are even to have this.
I was quickly in touch with realtors, visiting apartment after apartment on Monday and Tuesday after we returned. Everything I was shown fell short of my hopes but met my low expectations.
more after the jump
I was seeking properties near the top of the rental market in Changping and yet I was still seeing some combination of broken furniture, crumbling plaster, and an absence of modern amenities, like A/C and hot water tanks. Was it too much to dream that even in our rushed move we might at least find a better apartment than we were leaving?
One of Randy's co-workers volunteered that she had a friend who was a realtor in Changping, and she would go with him to screen apartments for us. She looked at half a dozen, and then sent us pictures of two that she believed to be the best. The realtor friend worked out of the same office as the realtors I had been dealing with, and yet he showed the co-worker a completely different (and much better) set of apartments in the same price range. Of the two apartments, we elected only to visit one.
The new apartment is in the same complex as our very first Changping apartment. I had promised myself we would never return after we left, and here I am. We would not likely find another apartment available within our time constraints as well appointed as this one.
The living room, before all of our own stuff began to litter the coffee table.
The walk-in closet in the master bedroom. I was completely blown away by this. I hadn't seen a closet like this since we left Shenzhen. We did have a closet in our recently vacated apartment, but the landlord kept it for herself.
The full-size oven in the kitchen. I have heard of foreigners renting apartments that had ovens in them already, but we have never seen an apartment (of the dozens we have looked at both in Shenzhen and Beijing) available to us that had one. We have used a small counter-top oven for years, so we're really excited about how much more we can make using this one.
We no longer have a Great Wall view, but we haven't completely lost sight of the mountains from our low floor. Or at least one mountain.
Brigid was most excited about having a playground in between the buildings. Of course, during the day it has to be shared with the neighbors' laundry.
Four years ago I was happy to get out of this complex. I have to admit that part of my displeasure was that Shenzhen was still fresh enough in my mind that I resented that Changping (and our apartment) couldn't be like that. I still missed the lush, tropical greenery, the two swimming pools, and the feeling like we were living in a resort.
Funny how a few years of living in Changping have readjusted my attitude. I look out at the small, poorly maintained grounds and the closed-off, deteriorating tennis court of the complex we've returned to and I see now how fortunate we are even to have this.
Sure there are no palm trees, no swimming pools. But we have some greenery, a playground, and room for kids to run around a bit. Unlike the apartment we just left.
On the morning of August 28, we met with our old landlord for what I hope is the final time. She was surprised that we were completely moved out already. I reminded her that she did say we had to be gone by that day. The biggest surprise for us was that she not only refunded us the rent we had already paid through the end of November, but also the two months' deposit we made when the lease was initiated. We were prepared to argue for it, believing that at best we would only see a fraction. After all we had been through with this landlord, the end of the relationship was exceptionally uneventful.
On the morning of August 28, we met with our old landlord for what I hope is the final time. She was surprised that we were completely moved out already. I reminded her that she did say we had to be gone by that day. The biggest surprise for us was that she not only refunded us the rent we had already paid through the end of November, but also the two months' deposit we made when the lease was initiated. We were prepared to argue for it, believing that at best we would only see a fraction. After all we had been through with this landlord, the end of the relationship was exceptionally uneventful.
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