Piso Hunting Is No Picnic

Ever since we arrived in Madrid, Sarah and I have focused all out energy into finding un piso (an apartment) to rent. This, my friends, is easier said than done. Finding housing in Madrid at this time of year is cutthroat with rapid turnover from available to not-available.

Let me explain how it works:
1. Search through numerous listings on popular internet sites, such as SegundaMano and Idealista (Madrid’s version of Craig’s List)
2. Narrow your search by having an area of town in mind (aka, know a district and its various barrios)—You might have to walk all around that district to get a good feel of exactly where you want to live
3. Call the number listed next to the piso when you see something promising(this bring a whole new meaning to “cold calls”), because contact through email is not nearly as reliable
4. Ask in your rusty Spanish (with a non-Castilian accent) if the piso in question is available and if you can see it as soon as possible; pray that the unnamed speaker understood you and that you interpreted correctly what they said in response
5. Travel to the correct neighborhood and locate the piso before it’s time to meet the proprietor or the realtor showing it
6. Tour the piso and ask questions about amenities, price, gastos (utilities), a/c, etc.
7. Leave the piso either completely disheartened, content but wary, or temporarily elated

After experiencing this process five times in three days, we found the perfect piso on Saturday. When we contacted the proprietor, Lola, and told her we wanted to rent her piso, she explained that we had to go to the realtor agency to sign our contract. Since business hours are crazy in Spain, we were told we had to wait until Monday. And so we waited.

Shenning & I arrived found the correct realtor agency early this morning, took our ticket, and waited for our number to be called. I looked around at the other customers, hoping that none of them wanted the same apartment as us. Finally, our number was called and we approached the desk to explain what we wanted. The agent explained we needed passport copies (we already had those with us) and work contracts (I suppose to prove we’re going to earn enough to pay rent). Unfortunately, we did not have those with us. Frustrated and even more anxious, we commuted back to our hostel via Metro, grabbed what we needed, located a copy store, and returned almost two hours later to the agency. Again, we waited for our number and were assisted by the same man as before. Long story shorter: He told us that since we want to rent this apartment for only 9 months, instead of a full year, the agency will need time to decide if they can lease the apartment to us. He took down all our information and told us that they will contact us within (?) a week.

What had hoped to be a joyful day seems to have only left us with more stress, anxiety, and pressure to secure an apartment before we start teaching on October 1st (also the last day of our hostel reservations). But don’t get me wrong, Sarah and I haven’t worked so tirelessly to find an apartment that we haven’t taken the time to enjoy the city. Madrid is quite marvelous, which I’ll most certainly comment on later. For now, your prayers and support would mean the world to us as we seek to end this torturous uncertainty.

After all, I’d rather not be a nomad forever.