The New Year’s challenge: Move
out of the house at the kick of 2014.
I was canvassing units for rent
for the entire 2013 and as the year went on, my procrastination progressed
until such time that I really need move out of the unit that I’m co-renting
with my friends. How many places have I lived in and moved to? About four. My
quest started in 2008.
One was in Sucat – the whole lot
was a deformed swimming pool resort which made the waves way back in the 90s.
The supposed condominium houses remained unfinished after the resort was
re-possessed by the government. The rent was cheap but friends and I need to
walk a long way from the place to the bus station which was quite dangerous.
This means crossing and doing ala home base run within SLEX mind you.
Then we moved to two units in a
Cityland building in Makati. First unit lasted for one year – because we got
the place at an unreasonable price. Second unit is the one that I was living in
until the end of 2013.
Apart from the 365
procrastinations that went on within the year 2013, I managed to process the
whole move out thing in a span of three days (this includes the unit’s ocular
inspection, talk with the owner, whole moving out thing)!
You can move in a span of three
days (or less) provided that you fell in love with a certain unit/place. Here
are the lessons that I’ve learned about moving houses / renting new places
which might be helpful for some:
THE REASON FOR INDEPENDENCE. Moving
out of the family nest is not a big joke. There are perks of living with your
family: you get to hang out with them a lot, depending on how spoiled you are …you
get 50-100% discount in terms of shelter, food, clothes, allowance, groceries,
health benefits (this includes TLC), you get to have the better share of your
salary (really applies to folks who are not hard core breadwinners). Moving out
and living independently means sacrificing all of these perks. Living
independently means reaping good outcomes than getting easy perks. Yes, you
need to pay your rent and personal needs but there’s a sense of fulfilment which
comes with it because you know that deep down in your heart, you are an adult
with responsibilities and you can rely on yourself (and probably have somebody
rely on you if you are planning to start a family anytime soon).
How certain should you be in
moving out? 100% certain. You consider the most legitimate reasons for living
independently. If you secretly think that, “damn, going solo is cool because I get
to look like an adult” or “I hate getting nagged by my parents about my curfew”
or “I just want to be with my friends”, then you are going the wrong way. Initial
maturity and a pinch of discipline will guide you to the right way.
COMPUTE, COMPUTE. You don’t need
to be a Math genius to do this job. How much are you earning? Have you saved
some bucks? Do you know where to get your money in an instant? These are the
things that one needs to think about before stepping into the cold water of
living independently. The following are what will eat up your dough:
·
Initial rental payment. Ask the owner, how much
are you requiring your tenants to pay? Normally, an owner will ask you to pay 2
months deposit and 1 month advance. How much will that be? Multiply the monthly
rent with the numbers your prospective landlord gave you (e.g., The 2 months
deposit and 1 month advance that the owner is laying down for you will mean
MONTHLY RENT x 3).
The 2 months
deposit will be held by the owner in the event that you moved out without any
warning and have unsettled bills. This is normally given back suppose the
tenant doesn’t have any accountabilities at the time of his move-out AND he has
completed his contract fully (depends if owner-tenant has signed up a 6 month/1
year contract).
Check
if you are required to shell out for a monthly association due. This would
normally cover the building’s extra security, cleanliness and other general services.
Consider the amount too since this will be a part of your monthly payment.
After
the initial payment’s computation, determine if you can easily generate the
proceeding payments for the next few months to come. This is where you do a
comparison between the rent/other expenses and your monthly earnings.
·
Lipat
bahay / moving out expenses. Do you need a car or a truck? Do you have boxes
that can hold all of your stuff conveniently while you carry them to your new
place? Do you need to pay somebody who will assist you as you transfer places?
If you were
previously renting a place, you need to settle all of your bills. Do you have
cable/internet connection that needs to be terminated or moved which will
require you to shell out a sum? Have you settled the usual association dues,
water and electric bill?
·
New or additional groceries. There goes your
basic needs: food, water, cleaning materials. It is highly advisable to
purchase new door locks for security reasons so this will eat up part of your
bucks (add the labor expenses too if you’ll need to have a maintenance install
your security items).
·
Furniture. You don’t need to worry about this if
you can get the basics from your old place. Bed, cabinets and a table-chair set
are the prime furniture that you need in order to be comfortable enough in your
place.
·
Appliances. Electric fan/airconditioner and
stove/microwave/heater are the basics. All else can follow later.
MODE OF PAYMENT. Usual mode of payment is by post dated checks. Second mode is by cash coursed through to the owner/broker.
HOW TO GET TIDBITS ABOUT THE PLACE. First good option is to go search online because it saves you time, money and effort. List the owner’s name, address, contact details and monthly rent rate. Best to include pictures too. AyosDito and Sulit.Com are good sites to check.
Walk around. Exercise is good for you every once in a while.
Plus this is also a smart idea because there are a lot of places for rent which
are not published via the world wide web.
Ask friends. Another effective way of getting a very good
place because it’s either they have rented a space themselves or they might be
living in a friendly neighbourhood where there are spaces for rent.
A combination of all three options is a sure fire way of getting
a good space at a minimal time.
CONSIDERING THE PLACE. Why are you moving your home in
the first place? The typical Filipino worker would cite proximity to their
second home (aka the workplace) as their main reason for renting. If this is
your case, get a place which is 5-15 minutes away from your office. Get a unit/house
which you can go to in the event that there’s an inclement weather or if the
public transportation system decides to shut down for the day. If you’re not
commuting, at least you can save on your gas expenses.
Always analyse if the size of the
space is worth the rent that you’ll be paying for. Do comparisons if you must. Are you looking for an apartment? A studio unit? A one/two/three bedroom space? Are you up for bed spacing?
Check the security of the place.
Is it really safe to go out at night most especially if you’re working the
graveyard shift? Is it conducive to live in?
KNOW THE PROFILE OF THE OWNER. How long has your prospective landlord been in the business? What does he do for a living? How does he interact with his tenants? These information will help you even if you are supposed to course everything via the broker.
SHARING THE SPACE. Sharing the space with somebody is quite practical because you get to split your expenses. If you'd rather share your space, make sure that you know who you're sharing it with (more than just knowing the other person's name mind you).
R-E-A-D AND UNDERSTAND YOUR CONTRACT VERY WELL. Before you really give your payment or sign the contract, check out the document which your landlord is giving you. Talk with him/her if there are conditions which might need to be adjusted.
SECURE IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS. Never lose important receipts which might be useful for item warranties, monthly rent receipts and contracts.
You are all set once you have
considered everything that has been enumerated. One needs to be mentally and physically
ready for the big move because the whole experience can be nerve wrecking. The
experience is rewarding after much planning and after everything has been
executed in order. Good luck to your life’s transition!
