Thursday, April 29, 2010

Always on the move

I like changes, but to change apartments for the second time in one month is a bit odd. A few weeks ago I heard that I had to move out of my apartment already. So I started a search for the holy grail in the city of Amsterdam. Because to find an affordable apartment in the city centre is almost impossible. So I went for the second best option: a not so affordable apartment in the city centre.

That's already a bit easier. Still, you have to be very careful in Amsterdam. Housing is scarce in the capital of Holland. And a lot of conmen know that. So there are various stories of people who had to make a run for the cash machine in order to pay the first month's rent and the deposit. Just to find out later that they're one of the 10 owners of the key to the apartment.

And there are also crooks who claim to be abroad, and therefore they cannot show you the room in advance. But if you put the money in a deposit, he can send you the key and you can take a look at it before you give permission to pay the rent. The e-mails are always written in the same way. They first tell you they're abroad for business. Then they usually tell you that the last owner made a big mess in the apartment, so this time they have to be really careful. And the flat can be yours if you transfer the money using the step-by-step procedure. Of course that's one big scam. Oh, and usually these people have a Scandinavian name like Martin Blirup or Erica Paulsen.

But all the ploughing through the jungle of housing offers paid off. I've finally found my dream apartment. It's in a district called the Jordan, near the central station. It's not exactly cheap, but it's certainly a fair deal. In Amsterdam, if you think twice about an apartment it's already gone. So after viewing the apartment, I immediately said I'm going to take it. If I survive all the wild partying on Queensday, I'm going to move to my new apartment the first of May.

2 Comments:

Anonymous 5tarvin said...

oesters van nam kee

8:40 pm  
Blogger Robin Stam said...

Haha, ja inderdaad in die film gebeurt dat ook. Nou, ik zit al veilig in mijn huisje hoor.

11:14 pm  

Post a Comment

<< Home