- 2021년 1월 19일

Real Estate Information in Korea

1. Dormitory

Most of Korean universities dorms have curfew and strict rules (penalty system) which can be annoying for international students.

Additionally check in and check out date is not flexible.

2. Sharehouse

A sharehouse is a residential form where four to six people share a house or an apartment. It has various room sizes such as single, double, triple, and even up to quad. Many places are in great conditions because there is usually a host who manages the house with considerate rules for all housemates’ well-being.

The payment of the utility and management cost are shared for some places between the residents every month. However, there is a fixed utility in Korea, which people usually pay about 30,000 won to 50,000 won per person if it is expensive.

3. Co-Living House

Unlike the share house, which shares the whole place with the housemates, the co-living home is more private in terms of your room. It only shares a common area such as the kitchen and a place where you can eat and talk with your housemates. Most room types consist of a single room. A Co-living house has the advantage of being regularly cleaned by a manager, having more space for your own, and being able to interact with various people. The number of co-living houses in Seoul is currently not as large as share houses, and the price is high. However, the facility is usually new, trendy, and built with excellent quality.

4. One Room (Studio)

“One-room” is the most independent residential space. It is a studio-like apartment with a kitchen and toilet. There are many places where the living room and sleeping space are not separated, which is why it’s called one room, a room where all residential necessity is fulfilled. If you look for a place that is separated, it would be a little more expensive. One of the most significant advantages of one-room is that you can invite your friends and acquaintances anytime. You will also be able to change the interior and decorate the place since it’s entirely your own space.

However, it is usually challenging to find a short-term studio if you will not live for a long time. The contract period usually starts for one year. One-room can be easily found through a licensed real estate agent in Korea. A “full-option” studio, where a bed, air conditioner, washing machine, TV, and refrigerator come as an option, is difficult to find. There are many places where you need to buy your furniture and appliances.

5. House Rentaling

You can think of it as borrowing a whole share house. Usually, three to four people look for this type of rent when they want to live together. Full options are hard to find, and usually, you have to buy the furniture and appliances. However, if you book early sometimes, you can rent a share house as a whole, in which case, the items of furniture are entirely optional.

6. Gosiwon

Apparently, foreigners tend to choose to live in Gosiwon due to relatively much cheaper rent and deposit. However, there are critical reasons why Gosiwons can offer way more affordable rent than other residents. First of all, the size of the room is unexpectedly small. The images of the room that are posted on the website are usually fake and taken from the angle that looks bigger than it actually is. The room is usually the size where a male adult can barely stand. If the bathroom is placed in your room, the water will most likely leak into your space.

Moreover, the perception of Goshiwon in Korea is the last residential option to choose if you couldn’t find any appropriate house to contract. Although the reasons vary, people are usually reluctant to live in Gosiwon for too small, security problems, and inconvenience. Nowadays, these Goshiwons have been remodeled to improve their facilities and come out in the form of micro-house. Conclusively, there are many right places at similar prices, such as share houses and micro houses, so we recommend you to look for other options instead.

7. micro-house

It is an upgraded version of the ‘Gosiwon’ and a similar but cheaper option to the Co-living House. The house is remodeled from Goshiwon considering the better facility and security issues. Usually, the deposit is cheap and the contract period is short. The quality of micro-house varies, but you can expect much better facilities and quality than Gosiwons from most of them.