Some Background Info.

Finding an apartment in Taiwan is an interesting experience, especially when an employer is involved in the contract terms. Schindler (Cody's employer) gave us a budget, and hired a real estate agent. The real estate agent picked us up at the hotel where we were staying and showed us several apartments that met our specifications. Once we decided on an apartment, the agent and the landlord negotiated contract terms. At this point we had to make a list of everything we wanted fixed and included in the apartment and/or contract. We were able to negotiate to have major appliances, utilities, furniture, and a shower curtain :) included.

The landlord gave us a budget and allowed us to select the furniture for our apartment. You would think picking out furniture with someone else's money would be fun. It was actually quite hard. They only gave me two stores to shop at and a very tight budget. After much calculation and recalculation, I selected everything we wanted and just under budget!

After realizing our apartment wasn't going to be as huge and glamorous as we were originally hoping, we found the best place with the most potential. Although at first glance it didn't look like much, we are really pleased with it now and really feel like we can call it home.