The Nest

I originally moved to Seoul with my family (my dad was working here as an expat for GE) but since they are going to be relocating to the States, I had to get my own place. The search was a bit difficult as I hardly speak any Korean at all! Craigslist didn't turn up much and I actually contacted a broker who helps foreigners out, but none of the places were right. In the end having a good Korean friend was the best solution as usually is the case here in Korea. We sat down in front of a laptop one evening and made a few phone calls to this and that real estate office. That Saturday, we were traipsing around the neighborhood peeking in on 6 or 7 units! They waste no time in Seoul. I was looking in the Yeonhui-dong area, which is near Yonsei University, EWHA University and Honggik University. Most were in older buildings, cramped and dark, so when the broker took us to a sunny studio loft in a newer building with huge windows on two sides and a gorgeous view my eyes pretty much popped out. As it turns out, a unit with the same floor plan was available on the 8th floor. After little debate, I told the realtor I wanted it that same day and put down the deposit a few days later. A time was scheduled for drawing up the contract and voila! I was set to go. I poured over design blogs for the weeks before my move in date and before I knew it, it was time to move in! Here are a few pictures for you to get an idea of the "before." They aren't great as they were taken by my cheap Korean phone, but there will be more and better soon!