This is the reason why most choose to live in apartments over houses. Again the level of crime in Santiago is very low in comparison to most major cities and with five million people residing in Santiago alone, statistically crime is lower than average per capita.

So for those of you that are looking for houses to rent this could be a home renter’s paradise. Most landlords will be extremely flexible about renting and this is again due to the fact that most want apartments and houses are not in demand.

One of the best ways to find a rental in Santiago is just to take a drive around the neighborhood you are interested in. It’s virtually impossible to drive thru an area and not see several rental signs in the windows or front yards of properties, signs that say "se vende" mean that the particular house or apartment is for sale, and signs that say "se arrienda" are for rent.

Not to get off the subject but in Chile if you’re renting an apartment you can also buy it, for the most part apartments are strictly for renting in the States, but here in Chile if you like your apartment and can reach a deal with the owner or landlord you can buy it. Yeah I know, you want to know what's the average cost, right? The average price of an apartment in Chile is about $30,000 give or take, but I’ve seen units in older buildings going for $12-$15,000.

Houses on an average go for about $50,000 and in some cases way less, again the real estate market is wide open for houses because most Chileans feel owning a house is a bit of a headache so just about any deal can be made to acquire a house if one so strikes your fancy.

Now getting back on track, again one of the best ways to find a rental is simply to get out on the street and this is the first thing I tell people who are looking for a place to live. Stay away from the spendy areas such as the Provedencia and Las Condes. You will pay dearly to live in the popular areas and it’s just not practical when you are first getting settled into your new country. Be realistic and above all don’t try to live in another country with an American mentality. It just won’t work; just because you’re used to a certain lifestyle in the States does not give you the right to expect that in another country, if you do you will be setting yourself up for major disappointment. The rule of thumb is, when in Rome do and live as the Romans do. Don’t try to bring your American attitudes with you, it will make for a rather hard transition in your new living circumstances.

Mentally accept you’re not in America, and therefore you should not expect the American attitudes or approaches to things. Many have made this mistake; they move to another country and expect it to be a specific way due to their lifestyle lived in the States. This is a big mistake, think of your life as a clean slate, a blank piece of paper where anything can be written. It’s up to you to assimilate into your culture and make it.

Canvas the areas you like and any rental signs you see then write down the numbers on a tablet and list them in the order of preference, meaning if you find a place you really like put it at the top of your list. Separate the potential rentals by areas and also write down the street addresses so you can mentally picture the area that you found the potential rental.

The newspaper is also a good resource but the fact is, if a landlord is advertising in the local paper then you should expect to pay more for the place. The best places are the ones that don’t advertise that you can find by simply just getting out into the streets.

You also want to find places that are privately owned and not managed by a rental company. When rental companies get involved the prices get alot higher. When calling about a place it’s good to ask if the person you’re talking to is the owner. This is also good because a private owner is free to make any type of deal he wants, he is not constrained by a rental contract in any way and can decide a deal on the spot.

When you get off the plane you’re not going to have resident status instantly so many places and rental agencies may not feel comfortable renting to you. With a private owner you can many times get around all of this. When you deal direct with the owner in most cases there’s a great deal of flexibility. Besides that I will give you a technique I developed that will go a long way to get you into that apartment, even if you’re dealing with a potential landlord who may be a bit squeamish about renting to you.

I have often said in my past writings that the most knowledgeable people in any town are always cab drivers. They see everything and go everywhere. I would highly suggest getting in the back of a cab and going for a ride and picking the cabbies brain. Whatever is going down in any given city, it’s a sure bet a cabbie will know all about it, tell him you want to find a nice place to live in a decent neighborhood and what you will get is an outpouring of good information. Make sure you give a nice tip and if you’re really smart you will give the cab driver your prepaid cell phone number so he can contact you if he runs into anything. Be assured, you will get a call from him. Remember cab drivers go everywhere, they know the neighborhoods and areas well, so in the end a cab driver could turn out to be your greatest resource in finding an apartment. If I had a nickel for every cab driver that pointed me in the right direction to a place to live I would be very well off. They are a natural resource; use them to your benefit.

Speaking of areas, believe it or not, one of the easiest places to find an apartment in Santiago is downtown. You’d think living downtown would be an expensive prospect but actually it’s just the opposite. You’re probably wondering why and I will tell you, because downtown is considered and undesirable place to live. Mostly due to the noise factor, traffic, the lack of readily available parking, and the night clubs that stay open late which at times may attract unsavory characters. If you can deal with these small factors finding an apartment will be easy.

I have also stated in previous articles that it is best to avoid the newer apartment buildings and look for rentals in older buildings. This is because most newer buildings are managed by rental companies and if you don’t have resident status, which you won’t for awhile, then you may find it difficult to rent a unit in a managed building. Units in older buildings are usually owned by private individuals and this presents a more ideal situation in getting an apartment. Besides that, Chileans are fickle people by nature, they feel living in older buildings shows them to be unsuccessful or in some cases even poor, so most Chileans prefer to live in the newer developments. This means your chances of getting into a rental unit in an older building are very good as they are generally the last choices to rent by Chileans.

You may run into difficulties with perspective rentals in regard to your not being a resident. Do not panic nor let this discourage you. I will give you one of my best techniques for handling situations like this. The technique I have used with great success in the past is called ART. ART can help you get an apartment in situations when most landlords would shy away from the idea of having a non-resident renting from them. ART stands for Advanced Rental Technique. Let me explain. When I first moved to Miami, back in the 80's I found this quaint little apartment I wanted very badly. It was just perfect for my needs. I talked to the landlord and he was very leery about letting me move in as I had only been in Miami a few days and had no job. But I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse; I agreed to pay the first six months of my rent in advance. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a large wad of bills and begin to count off the amount I calculated it would be. The combination of seeing the money right there on the spot and knowing I would be willing to pay six months in advance was the icing on the cake that sealed the deal.

The landlord, who started out being reluctant to let me move in, was all smiles and eager to let me move in. In fact, I had the keys to the unit within minutes and we agreed we would handle the lease later that evening. The beauty of paying your rent in advance like this is, you don’t have the monthly worries of paying your rent, you are covered for several months which gives you plenty of time to look around and settle in. It also gives you peace of mind and breathing space in that you have one less thing to worry about in making the transition into your new surroundings. It makes the landlord comfortable because they know they have a guaranteed tenant for at least the next six months and best of all they have the money in advance. So from the landlord’s point of view, there’s no downside at all.

Believe me when I say ART can tip the scales in your favor very easily and go a long way to getting you into a rental fast.

Another point I would like to bring up is this, when dealing with landlords it’s always best, when asked why you have decided to move from your native country, that you say you are a student wishing to further your studies at a local university or school. Don't state that you wished to escape your mundane life in the States or wherever you are from. It gives off a bit of a bad vibe to potential landlords, but when you say you are a student wanting to further your studies it gives off a more positive light. Nothing alarms a potential landlord more than saying you have moved for political reasons or that you’re tired of life in the States or that your dream was always to live in another country. Landlords know all too well the hassles and hurdles facing those that are newly transplanted in a new country.

Don't feel that by saying this that you’re lying. We are all students in life in one form or another, and due to the fact that Chileans by a whole have a profound respect for higher education, you’re insuring that you will have a smooth transition into your new life and a landlord who will bend over backwards to help a “student” get settled in. 

Unless you plan on having a car shipped, it's best to look for places that are bus-able, meaning a bus runs close by. Public transportation in Chile is excellent. The subways and buses run very frequently and very late, so getting from point A to point B will not be a problem.

Conveniences are another point to consider. Preferably you want your place to be near or close to a shopping center or super market. Until you really learn your way around you should look to have the convenience of a store close by, even if it's just a mom and pop store, it will make your life easier in countless ways.

It may sound like an impossible to feat to find all of this but its not, my first place in Chile was two blocks from a supermarket and right on the bus line. There were also some good restaurants close by and other facilities such as a dry cleaner, hardware store and even a Blockbuster video close by. These are things you want to look for when moving into a place, as they will make your transition alot easier.

If you find an apartment or area you like ask around and find out what it’s like there in the winter time. Do the streets flood? Maipu is plagued with severe flooding during the rainy winters. It’s not uncommon to have apartments on ground floors get flooded out, so ask around and see what others say about the area.

Speaking of ground floor apartments, as a general rule you don't want an apartment on the ground floor, again it’s because they are easy targets for a burglar. Most apartments have bars on the windows but many do not. If you find a place you like and it’s on the ground floor, ask the landlord about adding bars if they are not present already, remember Chile has a low crime rate, but there is still crime.

Ask any potential landlords about pets if you happen to be a person inclined towards animals. Don't assume you can have a pet. Chileans by and far are animal lovers so for the most part you should have no problem with a rental if you happen to have a pet dog or cat but ask anyway to be sure.

In Chile one really great place to find rentals is at the supermarket. Yes, believe it or not the same place you buy milk and bread could yield a plethora of opportunities for you to find a nice place. That’s because most supermarkets in Chile have like a bulletin board near the exits. This is a place where people pin their business cards to advertise their services and such and many times you can find a flyer pinned to the board that describes a great one bedroom apartment or a room for rent. You will find this alot in the supermarkets in the residential areas, so if you happen to be near a market stop in and check for the boards, they are usually always near the exits.

So in review, you first want to get in town, get settled in a cheap hotel in the downtown or city center area. Get to a mall and get a prepaid cell phone so that you have a means for people to contact you back if you call about an apartment and the person you need to speak to is not readily available. Then take a ride with a cabbie and tell him you’re seriously looking to find an inexpensive apartment, give him your number. Grab a newspaper to get a feel for the areas and rental prices. Get out on the street with pen and paper and write down numbers of places you find. Call about them and leave your number. Pick people's brains and ask questions to those willing to talk to you. Check out the supermarket bulletin boards for rentals. Also, there’s nothing in the rule book that says you can't post a small flyer with your cell phone number that says "apartment wanted". Check out older apartment buildings and see if anything is available, many rentals are not advertised for in the newspaper. 

If you beat the pavement hard and keep your eyes open, you could have a nice place in less than ten days. I would say if you were really dedicated on the hunt you could find a place in a week. Using these specific techniques I have always managed to find a place in five days or less. If all else fails, call me and I will try to help you, but of course, lunch is on you.

The following is a list of articles that Jon has written for the magazine:

• Chile's Simple Pleasures - Horcon
• Life In Chile ~ Learning The Fine Details Of Survival
• Living In Chile ~ Part II
• Chile, The Ultimate Adventure - Traveling Through The Beaches And Coastal Areas
• Exploring Possibilities In Europe ~ Learning The Essentials
• Europe ~ Explorations
• Felixstowe - On The Coast Of England

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