Every man desires to have a comfortable place or shelter, even in a strange land. As a foreigner coming into Korea, finding an apartment is probably at the top of your list. Tourists coming into Korea are scouting for hotels and lodges; students are looking for hostels and short-term apartments; families and individuals who are relocating need a place to start their lives; even the locals are constantly looking for a new apartment. Therefore, the apartment market is very strong and competitive and within hours (with the longest being two weeks), someone must find a place to call their own in South Korea.
Renting the right apartment in South Korea is not easy and it has its good and bad sides. The good part is that the speed at which expats find good apartments is relatively fast and an apartment can be gotten in days or weeks. The real estate market literally keeps you on your toes and expects you to make your decision fast because there are other people in line for the same space, so you ought to be very quick in your decision-making. The price of a rented apartment is not as expensive as it is in other countries. Despite the high cost of living in Korea, the average cost of getting an apartment is W927,166.30. Nevertheless, the bad side of the deal is that South Korean houses and apartments are very small with limited space compared to what can be obtained in most foreigners' home countries. Expats encounter several challenges in their hunt for good accommodation, ranging from unfamiliar terms and language barriers to deceptive ads that do not give the real picture of what their listed accommodation is.
In this article, we will discuss the available websites for apartment renting in Korea with their respective pros and cons, the average cost of renting an apartment, as well as the rental process involved when you find a good pick.
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Websites For Finding An Apartment In South Korea
A few years ago, finding a good apartment in South Korea was quite a hard task that involved visiting numerous real estate offices to know if any house was available, other times you were required to visit the house yourself to verify and this process was generally tiring and difficult especially for expatriates. With the advent of recent technology, apps and websites have become the escape route for house hunting. Through these apps and websites, one can see the pictures of various available houses, and you can contact the real estate agent in charge of the apartments. With the recent upgrade in technology, most apps and websites provide you with a payment option where you can pay for the house from the comfort of your home. Listed below are some apps and websites for finding apartments in Korea with their advantages and disadvantages.
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1. HOMIER
Homier is a housing assistance service that helps expats through the entire process of finding their ideal house. They work with several local real estate agencies and utilize a variety of apps, including the ones mentioned below, to provide a seamless service.
How Homier works :
- Homier further specifies and adjust your priorities and recommend the best house type based on market prices, your budget and duration.
- Your manager schedules time for house viewing and accompanies you and thoroughly inspects housing options together.
- They provide translation during the contract process and read through the contract terms to make sure nothing is unreasonable.
- Homer assist with legal procedures to secure a safe contract and provide communication services with the landlord. Homier connects you with relocation service and provide bedding.
uncover the uncomfortable truth of the foreigner housing
Advantages
- You don’t need to feel overwhelmed
- reduce the risk of being overcharged or rental scams
- From searching for a house to moving out, they accompany you and help you utilize all the methods that locals use.
- Website : https://homier.kr
- Tel : 010-4259-3545
- Kakao ID : homier
- Address : Piville, 145 Anam-ro, Seonbuk-gu, Seoul, KOREA
2. Dabang
Photo Credits: APKmonk
The Dabang app is one of the most popular websites and apps for finding an apartment in South Korea. To use the Dabang website in your apartment search, log on to the website, select the kind of apartment you need, and using the map option, you can zoom out to select your specific location of interest. Various options will be made available with your search specifications. Once you find a good option, you can directly contact the real estate agent in charge of the house by pressing the phone button on the ad.
Advantages
Dabang is very easy to use and has a good and friendly user interface. It is a self-service website and app.
Payments for the apartments can be done through the app.
Dabang ads are not misleading as they give full and adequate information you may need to know about the house.
It provides a lot of pictures.
It gives you an option to filter your search.
How to use Dabang: Find Housing in Korea with the best real-estate app
Disadvantages
The disadvantage of using this app or website is the language barrier. Most ads are made in Korean.
Search can be interrupted by numerous unnecessary adverts from related services such as house cleaning or interior decoration services.
Information on this website can be misleading as the houses might be taken yet the agents leave them on the website to attract people to call them. When faced with such a situation, report such agents to the report section.
Website: https://www.dabangapp.com/
App: PlayStore
3. Naver Real Estate
Photo Credits: PlayStore
The Naver Real Estate is owned and managed by the renowned Naver Group in Korea. The kinds of accommodation mostly found on this website are "apartments," so if your house choices are "apartments,” Naver Real Estate can make the search easier. Keywords are used for searching as provided in the search engine.
Advantages
By using the Naver Real Estate website, you can find more "apartments."
It has detailed information and numerous filters.
How to Create a Naver Account When in Korea
Disadvantages
Most of the time, they don’t include their available “apartment” pictures.
Location verification is usually a problem when using this website.
Website: https://land.naver.com/
App: PlayStore, AppleStore
4. Zig-Bang
Zig-Bang is a good place to look for good houses in Korea. They work in connection with most apartments, villas, officetels, one room, or two rooms so that they are aware of any vacancy that comes up. Expats enjoy using the ZigBang app or website because of the advanced technology incorporated into their website, such as a big data lab and virtual reality, where viewers have a 3D view of their apartments as if they are inside the house themselves. This feature makes it easy to find a suitable apartment. This website also makes available reviews from past tenants of the house, they give you an insight into what you expect while living in the house, the environment, the neighbors, utility, house management, and even the traffic condition of the area. To make a search on Zig Bang, you search for available rooms that suit your desired area and budget. The Zig-Bang map also helps you calculate the distance between your school or workplace and the house.
Advantages
Zig-Bang is very easy to use and has an exciting user interface.
It provides more accommodation options as they work closely with the accommodation managers.
Zig Bang provides more detailed pictures for viewers.
Tips to Find Housing: Zigbang Mobile App - No. 1 Housing App in Korea
Disadvantages
It can be spammed with fake posts. Nevertheless, we always report such posts.
It gives you fewer filter options.
Website: https://www.zigbang.com/
App: PlayStore
5. Ziptoss Real Estate
This is a real estate company that provides good real estate apartments for rent in South Korea.
How Ziptoss works:
To get their rental listings, agents from the Ziptoss Business team scan through different locations to learn of new buildings or construction. They perform an on-site inspection and connect with house owners, after which they compile available house listings.
After this process is completed, they send the information to the listing management team of Ziptoss, and photographers are deployed to the location to take professional 360-degree shots of the house.
The house management center confirms and approves the listing after confirming the identity and ownership of the house. The listing is registered and uploaded on the website. In cases of updates such as occupancy or a change in the rental fee, the listing on the website is regularly updated to avoid misleading information or listing.
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Advantages
All Ziptoss services are in English.
It allows for filters.
Listings on Ziptoss are always true as the management team takes their time to conduct proper inspection and confirmation of the listing before it’s been posted.
They allow for reviews from the past tenants of the space on the house ownership and rental process.
Website: https://ziptoss.com/
App: PlayStore, AppleStore
6. Peter Pan
The Peter Pan website is also another convenient and easy website for finding good apartments in South Korea. Peter Pan has more functions, such as local search by subway, campus, and building. You can also do a customized filter or a map search using Peter Pan.
Advantages
Unlike in the Zig Bang and Dabang websites, non-existing rooms are fewer.
It has a Naver café option to let users get updated on the latest happenings around them.
Disadvantages
Peter Pan has fewer housing options than the other websites.
Website: https://www.peterpanz.com/
App: PlayStore, AppleStore
7. Booking.com
Booking.com is a website that provides accommodation for both foreigners and locals in Seoul, South Korea, and other destinations. On this website, one can find furnishings and kitchen equipment for individuals, groups, and family homes. You can also find long-term and short-term apartments on this site. There are various options to look at and book from; the most booked apartments, the most popular apartments, even apartments that guests love can be found on this website. Other apartments, like hotels and guest houses, are also available on this site.
Advantages
All texts are in English, making it easier for expats to use.
It has filters.
It shows reviews of people who have used the apartments.
Gives insight on the distance of the apartment from central landmarks
Disadvantages
Fake posts are numerous on this website.
Website: https://www.booking.com/
App: PlayStore, AppleStore
8. Han bang
The Han Bang app is designed and owned by the Korean Association of Realtors. This app has an interesting feature of “voice search." Another interesting feature is the “area of interest” feature, which automatically updates prospects of new apartments in line with their specifications and standards. Searches can be made in groups or by type of property. Apartments closer to your search location are also provided for you.
Advantages
Han Bang has a lot of apartments available for rent.
It is more credible and has no fake posts since it belongs to the Korean Association of Realtors.
Disadvantages
It doesn’t have many filters.
Houses are selected by region.
Website: http://www.karhanbang.com/main/
App: PlayStore, Applestore
9. Craigslist
Craigslist is a big site with a lot of apartments and rooms in shared apartments. The search on Craigslist is great because the content is uploaded daily, so you get a better chance of seeing the latest available houses.
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Advantages
Services are offered in English only.
Prices of houses are relatively lower compared to going through a realtor.
Disadvantages
Going through Craigslist to rent a house denies you the opportunity to have the actual rent contract.
Website: https://seoul.craigslist.org/
App: PlayStore, AppleStore
10. Dwell Dongdaemun
This is an exciting site to visit when you need a home away from home. With your accommodation needs sorted out, they also integrate other uniqueness for co-existing partners. Their rooms are comfortable with minimal and adequate furnishing. They also develop fun activities, industry talks, community outreach programs, and social nights for their occupants. With their office at 188-5 Hoegi-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02446, Republic of Korea, their phone contact number is +82-2-957-0700/8008. They have various room options ranging from single cozy rooms to single comfort rooms, twin social rooms, twin option spaces, etc. You can access their website at www.dwellkorea.co.kr.
11. SeoulHomes
SeoulHomes is a platform for people to find good rental property in Seoul and beyond through verified realtors. Searching the website is easier with the different categories of search options. It is also possible to contact the real estate agent in charge of the apartment and conclude arrangements using their various social media platforms.
Website: https://seoulhomes.kr/
12. Rentberry
Rentberry is a website (rentberry.com.kr) for finding listings of apartments in South Korea. Searching for a house is made easy on the website as the search can be streamlined using the filter options. You can search for a house by the number of toilets, basic amenities, scratch policies, number and size of bedrooms, houses for refuge, types of accommodation, and eventual thought to see the house in 3D. Also available on the website is a map view of the listing. When houses are listed on Rentberry, they include important details about the house, such as the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and the distance from a central landmark. The cost of the rent is also provided on the listing.
Website: https://rentberry.com/
Other sites to search for apartments in South Korea include:
Hi Expat: https://englishspectrum.com/
TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/
Vrbo.com: https://www.vrbo.com/
Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/
Just Landed: https://www.justlanded.com/
Some of these websites have their apps available for download for both Android and iOS devices.
