We went to meet another agent and see another apartment. It was in a way better area than this one. We went in, talked to the owners and also fell in love with the place. We also closed the deal. We paid the agent last night and the owner today. We've got ourselves a nice little place! Not very expensive for what it offers (we have air conditioning, can you imagine what that will mean this summer?) and it's about 15 minutes from where I live now. All peachy!

We're moving on March 1st. A lot of packing and a lot of baggage carrying will follow. But starting next Monday, it will all be settled. As soon as I manage to arrange everything, I'll post some photos of the new place.

After agreeing to move there, I started to feel really sad. It is final, I am moving out from a place I really love and far from memories of many happy moments. Of course this was a great time to remember each smile and all the laughter the apartment was filled with. Luckily for me, Silviana stayed for a sleep over, so I felt a little better. Now that the melancholy has passed, I am thrilled we managed to get it all solved so quickly.

There are plenty of those in Bucharest. More than you can imagine. However, that does not mean all of them have a clear idea that they make money from the commissions their customers pay. So rudely hanging up on a potential customer is not such a big deal for them. After all, who cares?

This attitude might shock you at first. But after you think for a few minutes, it is all quite clear. The demand for apartments (to rent or to buy) is almost inelastic. People need a place to live in and the prices are always growing. As living in the North Station or at a hotel are really not viable alternatives, customers depend on agencies to find an apartment for them. Or to find buyers or tenants.

For such an agency, both the owner and the buyer/future tenant have to pay a commission. The issue is that returning customers are a factor to consider. So, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll act nice. Tenants don’t stay forever, so you may gain customers that always come to you when they need to move. Maximize your profit, that’s the idea! Yes, customers are pretty much everywhere, but what if some other company manages to turn most of them into return customers?

Now, some more complaining: I hate calling hundreds of people for hundreds of ads! I hate that the ads are already obsolete on the day the ad paper is published, that very morning, not later in the day. OK, now I feel better. Back to my search!