House Searching Continues

I think I have found probably one of the nicest apartment I can find around Shimokitazawa. But this morning I was disappointed when my agent called me and said that she cannot get me a better deal out of the negotiation. Though I felt that she didn't give me her best effort, after a long thought, I still decided tomove on with the contract, because it's difficult to lose a good apartment like this.

Not long after, my dad gave me a call and asked about how the negotiation went. I told him the story and immediately he told me to not back off from the negotiation. He said that there's nothing that you cannot negoatiate with. Even if it's a small amount of money, the price is there for you to earn. The worst thing that can happen for me would just be to continue my house searching, or move to my current landlord's apartment nearby. So, what's there to lose? Call your agent and ask her to keep talking about the deal. At the same time, start looking for other places.

At first I was like, 'Dad, you don't know Japan.' But then I thought that it's really not good to agree with the contract without giving it a good fight. The rent, deposit, and money for the landlord all stay the same, and I still have to pay one month of transaction fee to my useless agent? Even when I asked her if I can move my stuff in early before July, she cannot get the simple request to work. That's the time that I really wonder about my agent's negotiation ability. Either she didn't even try or she was just trying to rip me off.

So, the conclusion is, I've decided to put the best apartment on the line and ask the agent to move on with the negotiation once again. If the deal stays the same, I'll then refuse the offer and try some other places.

Let's see how my dad's old school strategy will turn out.