For the happiest life, days should be rigorously planned, nights left open to chance. This is the first step and it is the most important one. Here you configure the limits and the expectations you have. Subjects as: “What kind of apartment, setting up a price, location, Real Estate Agents (R.E.A), what to expect, where and when to start looking , other links.more…
1. What kind of apartment you are looking for and for how long? What exists in Prague and where?
» 1-3 months is short term 3-6 months is mid term and above 6 months is long term renting.
Type of apartments:
» Lofts (the ones in the roof with a small bedroom where you climbing up with a ladder or a staircase)
» Garsoniere (a room with a kitchen)
»
Attic (in the last floor usually with a terrace, which is difficult to find because Czech people like terraces for having their pets there)
» Penthouse (2 floor apartment, quite expensive and difficult to find) and
» 1+1 (One room with a separate kitchen)
» 2+kk (A bedroom and a kitchen/lounge in the same area)
» 2+1 (A bedroom, living area and a separate kitchen)
» And goes on 3+1, 4+1 …
Problems of old buildings.
Old buildings usually don’t have any elevator. Trust your feet... If you like old buildings look for a good reconstructed one. Old buildings in Prague are really good for the cold with their thick walls but might have problems with plumbing, or have moisture if are not well renovated...
A flat with terrace is difficult to find because Czech people want apartments with terraces for their pets so they can have an option to leave them outside during the day. But you can find a flat with terrace especially in new buildings or old residential buildings.
You will find difficult though to have an elevator in old buildings. They don't have and if they have you might find other problems because they closed, for this reason, an old air vent or something else and the summer wind can’t cool off quickly the building...so it’s hot in the summer. But you can find, if you plan your search well.
The choice of the type of the apartment is crucial. If you need a loft or an attic in the right price with a terrace and an elevator you must start searching at least 15 days before.
For other kinds like studio, garsoniere, apartments to the second or higher floor you can manage it in 10 to 15 days or even less.
Furnished apt are more expensive than unfurnished ones and sometimes is not worth it to pay the difference.
Take a look at this scenario :
( 28 Czech Crowns, CZK= 1 EURO approximately) so take a calculator and
12 000 CZK apt with 1400 CZK per person utilities, unfurnished.
Suppose you stay for a year then 13 400x12=160 800CZK.
Same House furnished 18 800x12= 225 600 CZK
So the difference is 64 800 CZK per year.
That means that you can go to Ikea or Hornbauch or in a Zastavarna (*) and buy one bed, a couch, table, small tables, chairs and a desk etc.
You have a furnished apt now and before you leave you can sell the furniture for half price and get 30 000 CZK back and you don’t have to give 2 rents deposit for the apartment because there is no furniture so you can negotiate for one deposit.
If you like these scenario look for apt just with complete kitchen, they are a lot.
*Zastavarna: are shops that sell second hand in Czech Republic
A. We give you the definition of what is short ,mid ,long term renting because you are going to need it when ,in the scenario you have chosen a real estate agent (R.E.A), not to charge you a whole rent.
Practically this means that if you rent an apartment for 6 months the real estate agent wont get a whole rent but half….!!!
A lot of people paid a whole rent to the Real Estate Agent because simply they didn’t know it!!
There is a rumor that there are some Real Estate Agencies that don't take any money for short or mid term rentals...
Negotiate-Negotiate-Negotiate
B. If you plan to stay a year or more then we would advise you to stay somewhere cheap in the beginning for one month like a hostel, pension a shared apartment and then start looking.
See links .
C. Gas heated apartments are much more convenient for living especially in the wintertime. You can have water for a shower in 3 minutes and warm the house in 10... With electricity you can expect the water to be boiled for a shower in 2 hours and then another person can do a bath after 2 hours...if he is lucky...
Warming the house with electricity is a nightmare in the winter and is very expensive, much more expensive than Gas...
›The Internet based Real Estate Companies that offer their services through Internet and you just look and find the flat of your dreams through pictures are good as a fairy tale…
There is a big possibility when you come to see the flat you saw on the Net to tell you that this flat is rented or something else and they will guide you to another solution when they see your face…
Do not expect to find the flat through Internet, a flat is a real thing and is not virtual you must see it first and touch it or better hear and smell…
›There are always exceptions to this rule…
2. What is the budget and what to expect to have with that money...Where are the best places in Prague and why?
» Set a budget. Say to yourself that : “I can afford to give for a dissent flat in Prague …X… sum. “
Remember
28 CZK = 1 EURO ( approximately)
Level 1 – Marked as red for its expensiveness
Prague Stare Mesto for a flat up to 45 m2 you can expect to pay from
20.000 to no limit Czech Crowns.
The same in Mala Strana, Hradcany, Josevov, Nove Mesto
The above districts of Prague are high tourist places and you cannot expect to find anything dissent with a good price.
Level 2- orange
Prices from 12.000 up to 20.000 CZK for the same square meter apartment.
Very good districts to leave and with great transportation to the center , with metro , bus and feet and the rents are 30% maybe in some cases even 40% down are Holesovice, Bubenec, Stresovice, Brenvov, Smichov, Vysehrad, Nusle, Vinohrady, Zizkov, Karlin these are smart places that you can leave and be near the center much cheaper.
In some of them you can reach the center within 15 minutes walking or with 10 minutes by bus or in 5 minutes by metro.
Level 3- green
Prices from 5.000 up to 16.000CZK
In the below districts is another world. It is not reminding Prague at all with the old buildings and staff, but has some, and most of the buildings are communist type blocks of flats or new maisonettes or something else.
It is very cheap way but you have a feeling that you leave in an industrial zone and we would not suggest it if not for economic reasons and a sense of adventure…
Liben, Troja, Dejvice, Veleslavin, Liboc, Motol, Podoli, Radlice, Michle, Vrsovice, Strasnice, Vysocany and many other…
A friend said that Podoli, and Radlice and Vysocany are good for leaving and have good transportation. (25 minutes from the center).
A.If you finally decide that you want to live in the Center of Prague and you decide that you must search after all is better to eliminate the feeling or attitude of Luck…
Wipe out luck and start using simple mathematics
Practically this means : Ok you found an apartment below 20.000 CZK but what are the utilities, should I pay something else on the way ,for example 3 deposits or has no gas but electricity and that means more money because electricity is very expensive in Prague.
B.Utilities are:
GAS
WATER
ELECTRICITY
TRASH REMOVAL TRANSPORTATION
TELEPHONE(not always included)
INTERNET CONNECTION(not always included)
ELEVATOR MAINTENANCE
CLEANING THE PUBLIC SPACE OF THE BUILDING
Don’t pay more than 1500 CZK crowns per person for utilities.
›If you hear something that there are apartments in a very good price in the high tourist districts of Prague like Stare Mesto, Mala Strana, Josevov, and Hradcany there might be a future problem somewhere…
Something is not right…
3. Should you start looking with the help of a Real Estate Agent(R.E.A) or alone and what you must know in both scenarios?
» If you think you can make it alone I suggest prepare yourself for the trip.
First you should know Czech language.
You are going to notice on the way that the older people in Czech Republic speak German and Russian and the younger English and most only Czech. So if you cannot communicate in the Czech language or German and Russian then I suggest you to hire a Real Estate Agent. The Czech real estate agents most of them especially the out of the center located, don’t speak English. So you must find an Internet Based REA but few are good. Usually the Internet REA has an expertise in the center apartments that are more expensive, but if you want to live in the center this are the REA you must choose.
Now let’s go to the second scenario. Ok, Which real estate agent. ?
You will understand within a few days which are the best. So don’t hire one, hire 5 or 10 if you can. You will see that these people are searching the same databases and they will call you to see the same apartments. Take a good notepad and write the addresses of the apartments. In your mobile phone write the names of the real estate agents because you must understand with whom you speak every time.
A.Real estate agents in Prague use the same databases for renting apartments such as www.sreality.cz, the newspaper "Annonce", and other sources.
And usually they don’t know the apartment, they ask the Landlord for information by the phone. They will try to convince you that this is the best flat, and has exactly what you told them…and when you go to see it you will understand that the REA has no idea what you are looking for…
So that’s why we started with question ONE. Setting up the attributes of the flat, for example a loft, about 50 m2, with a refrigerator and an oven, gas for heating and water, floor 3rd or upper, must have elevator.
So don’t waste your time when PAVEL or PAVLA calls you. Speak to them from the phone and ask them: Does the flat has these things we discussed? Yes. Are you sure? Yes Are you absolutely sure? And then he might crack and tell you: “Ok, I will ask the landlord again!” “Or hasn’t got gas but has electricity but it is hot during the winter” and things like that…
B.Have patience. They will try again and again to convince you that you will not find what you want. It is difficult this time of the year or the money is not so much for apt like that and other marvelous inventions of the human mind…
Have patience and be cool .Be persistent and serious.
C.Some REA have their own flats for rent. Practically That means that a company has bought a building or two and is renting them and has set up and a real estate agency so he can take an extra month fee for FINDING THE flat!! Negotiate for the fee if you notice that. Probably they will understand.
D.Do not waste your time. Hire many Real Estate Agents. Prepare for the data flow.
Check first and later go to the flat.
›Don’t get caught. The real estate agents will not be much motivated when they understand that you have 10 other looking for flats with the exception of good ones…
›Because the REA use the same public databases, you might go to the same flats so write down the addresses and check by the phone
4. PDF with sample contracts, the Law, E-book etc
» Handbook of Czech Republic (60 pages) contains useful informations about almost everything