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You might not be the right person to ask this, but maybe somebody else from Switzerland will be able to. I'm starting a coding internship in Geneva in about tw

by dom96 10y ago

You might not be the right person to ask this, but maybe somebody else from Switzerland will be able to. I'm starting a coding internship in Geneva in about two months and I was wondering whether you would have any advice about renting apartments in the area. For example, should I be trying to find apartments in France, or am I better off sticking with Switzerland. Should I be getting in touch with estate agents in the area via phone? Are there any good sites which contain apartment listings? I will be staying there for 12 months so any advice would be much appreciated.

hocuspocus 10y ago
The real-estate market in Geneva can be pretty daunting. Low supply, high demand, wary landlords... * I wouldn't bother with France unless you're willing to drive and waste a lot of time in traffic jams. Annemasse is the exception, but it's pretty sketchy imho. * On the other hand, living in the countryside can be a good option. Public transportation works better than if you cross the border, and biking to work can be reasonably doable. * Living a bit further in Vaud, near a train station, is a good option too. * Most apartments belong to estate companies (régies immobilières), not individual landlords. Contacting them directly is definitely the way to go. * https://www.scrapeo.com https://www.scrapeo.com (disclaimer: it's run by friends of mine, you can scroll down and see the websites they're scraping if you prefer).
- dom96 10y ago
  Yeah, from my (admittedly brief) research into apartment listings it does seem rather daunting. I would like to cut down on the amount of travel I need to do every morning, to and from work. But at the same time I am pretty used to it already I guess. I will look into those places and that website, thank you very much!
DaveSapien 10y ago
Just a quick bit of advice. Getting a flat from an agent is very hard if you're not friends with them. I've seen this first hand. Bizarrely it can be just as cheap getting an air b&b for a few months at a time. Also it is absolutely worth looking in to a place across the border in France, it's cheaper, not that far away, and public transport is pretty good. I've been here for 6 months or so, but leaving soon... its really not the city for me.
- dom96 10y ago
  > Getting a flat from an agent is very hard if you're not friends with them. I find that rather odd, any ideas why it is that way? Is there really so few flats on the market? I would think that estate agents would be happy to help anyone find a home... I have tried to email a number of estate agents and all I got was automated responses. Some in French, despite the fact that I wrote the email in English. They all mostly said the same thing: "Our website has many listings, please look there". > Bizarrely it can be just as cheap getting an air b&b for a few months at a time. While that may work, I would much rather stay in the same place. > Also it is absolutely worth looking in to a place across the border in France, it's cheaper, not that far away, and public transport is pretty good. Hrm, France is looking very nice too. I guess it all depends on where I find a place first. > I've been here for 6 months or so, but leaving soon... its really not the city for me. May I ask why it's not the city for you?
  - hocuspocus 10y ago
    > I find that rather odd, any ideas why it is that way? Is there really so few flats on the market? I would think that estate agents would be happy to help anyone find a home... Vacancy rate in Geneva proper is about 0.4%. As usual in such situations, why bother with a foreigner who isn't going to stay long when you likely know friends/acquaintances (Geneva is a small world :) looking for a place?
DaveSapien 10y ago
Just a quick bit of advice. Getting a flat from an agent is very hard if you're not friends with them. I've seen this first hand. Bizarrely it can be just as cheap getting an air b&b for a few months at a time. Also it is absolutely worth looking in to a place across the border in France, it's cheaper, not that far away, and public transport is pretty good. I've been here for 6 months or so, but leaving soon... its really not the city for me.

by dom96 10y ago

hocuspocus 10y ago

The real-estate market in Geneva can be pretty daunting. Low supply, high demand, wary landlords... * I wouldn't bother with France unless you're willing to drive and waste a lot of time in traffic jams. Annemasse is the exception, but it's pretty sketchy imho. * On the other hand, living in the countryside can be a good option. Public transportation works better than if you cross the border, and biking to work can be reasonably doable. * Living a bit further in Vaud, near a train station, is a good option too. * Most apartments belong to estate companies (régies immobilières), not individual landlords. Contacting them directly is definitely the way to go. * https://www.scrapeo.com https://www.scrapeo.com (disclaimer: it's run by friends of mine, you can scroll down and see the websites they're scraping if you prefer).

dom96 10y ago
Yeah, from my (admittedly brief) research into apartment listings it does seem rather daunting. I would like to cut down on the amount of travel I need to do every morning, to and from work. But at the same time I am pretty used to it already I guess. I will look into those places and that website, thank you very much!

DaveSapien 10y ago

Just a quick bit of advice. Getting a flat from an agent is very hard if you're not friends with them. I've seen this first hand. Bizarrely it can be just as cheap getting an air b&b for a few months at a time. Also it is absolutely worth looking in to a place across the border in France, it's cheaper, not that far away, and public transport is pretty good. I've been here for 6 months or so, but leaving soon... its really not the city for me.

dom96 10y ago
> Getting a flat from an agent is very hard if you're not friends with them. I find that rather odd, any ideas why it is that way? Is there really so few flats on the market? I would think that estate agents would be happy to help anyone find a home... I have tried to email a number of estate agents and all I got was automated responses. Some in French, despite the fact that I wrote the email in English. They all mostly said the same thing: "Our website has many listings, please look there". > Bizarrely it can be just as cheap getting an air b&b for a few months at a time. While that may work, I would much rather stay in the same place. > Also it is absolutely worth looking in to a place across the border in France, it's cheaper, not that far away, and public transport is pretty good. Hrm, France is looking very nice too. I guess it all depends on where I find a place first. > I've been here for 6 months or so, but leaving soon... its really not the city for me. May I ask why it's not the city for you?
- hocuspocus 10y ago
  > I find that rather odd, any ideas why it is that way? Is there really so few flats on the market? I would think that estate agents would be happy to help anyone find a home... Vacancy rate in Geneva proper is about 0.4%. As usual in such situations, why bother with a foreigner who isn't going to stay long when you likely know friends/acquaintances (Geneva is a small world :) looking for a place?

DaveSapien 10y ago