Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Real estate in Lilongwe…

Sorry it's been a while since my last update - internet access is so limited, it is really frustrating. I can't believe I don't get internet at work (it is on 2 computers there, my boss's and his secretary's)! I get to use them, but since I have been out house hunting every lunch, I haven't had a chance - hopefully once we get settled, things will improve!!!

So an update on our jouney to find a house in Lilongwe.
We have been so unsuccessful, iot is a bit mind boggling…we found out that WUSC used to assist volunteers by finding homes but stopped as it caused the office here too much work. If it’s that hard for a local, I am not sure how tyhey expect a bunch of transplanted mzungus to do any better.
We have already toured a few disappointing houses so far, and today was really frustrating. It started when I picked up Heather (our future housemate (if we ever find a house, that is)) and drove downtown to see an agent. After calling him for directions (to the house, we thought), we went instead to his office. Our driver went up to talk to the agent, then came down and told us we needed to talk with him. We walked up to the third floor of a rickety building and entered the office, where we were told to take a seat (??). Anyways, he spoke with us about two ‘promising’ properties but then let us know we couldn’t view them until the afternoon. After totally wasting our time, we left and called a few houses from the paper. We saw a gorgeous house that was about a 45 min walk to the nearest transport (our driver told us we would definitely need a car while the real estate agent was saying, no, no, transport very close). And a tiny recently fumigated home (cockroaches EVERYWHERE) that was close to transport, but is a bit small for our needs, given that there are 4 of us.
In the afternoon – back to the morning agent, who we had to pick up (seems most agents don’t have their own transport, so you need to pick them up for them to show you around). He took us to the same cockroach house we’d already seen in the morning and then to a house that is double our price range, totally wasting our time again.
We are getting a bit down at this point, and the houses we toured last weekend that we found depressing are looking much better….
On a more positive note, we have met some nice people at our guesthouse and have had nice group dinners on the porch every evening as the day starts to cool down.Wish us luck – hope all is well with everyone in Canada!!!

6 comments:

Patricia said...

Hi Janna Sorry you are having such difficult finding a home. After 11 moves in 13 years I feel your pain - except mine were in Canada and I didn't have those kind of local issues.

Good idea to visit the other Canadian's home to get a comparison. This is where strong negotiation comes into play to try and wheel and deal. I wish you had been given more information in this area.

Knowing you this will be put behind you very soon and you will immerse yourself in this incredible culture.

Your smiling face is sorely missed but I know you are spreading your warmth, humour and great spirit with everyone there. Looking forward to hearing more about yuor adventures. I hope you find a good home soon, minus cockroaches!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Janna,
If you want, I can put you in touch with my co-worker who is still in Lilongwe. He knows some pretty decent apartment complexes in Areas 3 and 12 (Old Town and City Centre).
There's basically two sets of housing -- fairly large, free standing houses, which tend to be far from transportation, and apartment complexes usually rented by Westerners on short or medium term contracts. The apartments don't have things like private washers and dryers, but most have staff for the complex who do cleaning, laundry, etc. They are safe and clean, if a bit basic. And a lot of them have generators on the property. If you rent a house, it may or may not have an inverter...

Anyways, send me an e-mail if you want me to put you in touch with anyone. Good luck. I was surprised by the lack of housing and the completely non-transparent process for finding it, too.

Anonymous said...

I can only imagine how frustrating that must be! But I suspect that this will be one of your major hurdles and (hopefully) smooth sailing after this. Hang in there!

Looking forward to more updates (and photos!)...

Anonymous said...

Hi Arntz-Grays - it's great to hear from you. I miss you!! I'm sure that with your determination and upbeat nature, you will solve this problem and find a great place to live. I love reading your updates.....I check every morning!!

Everything is the same here...cold......yucky.....

Janette

Anonymous said...

Good to hear you arrived safe and sound, but with a bit of adventure--you need to have stories to tell. I am enjoying the updates. Keep them coming. And I am sure you find some accommodation before long.
Sharon

Dan Statlander said...

Hi, it's a very great blog.
I could tell how much efforts you've taken on it.
Keep doing!
Dan Statlander
http://www.statelandbrown.com
(Real estate experts in Boca Raton Florida)