Ok...So your plane has finally arrived in Cork, you've got your baggage...NOW WHAT?!?!?! Well my first suggestion, if you haven't already, would be find a place to live. This can be a very difficult task indeed. A few things to keep in mind, most flats come fully furnished, with pretty much everything you need, now in some cases you will want to purchase your own things, as was the case with our first flat. It was a nice 2 bedroom flat at a reasonable price, located just north of the River Lee, but some of the things that were provided by the landlord, were unattractive at best. The dishes and pots and pans were practically unusable, so we did chose to pack up theirs and purchase our own.
A great resource for browsing available flats anywhere in Ireland is Daft.ie. This website is fairly user-friendly and straightforward. Select your location and amenities and search through hundreds of listings. When you find something that looks promising, ring them right away and setup a viewing with the letting agency. Be sure to check this site often, as it is constantly updated with newly listed properties. Once you have arranged a viewing with the agency, now's a good time to think about questions you have about the property. For example; what Internet providers are available in the area? Is the building gas? Electric? Or both? Is refuse included in the rent? If not, how much is it? Try to think of the most basic things that you use or do in your day-to-day life that you may have questions about. Be sure to write down your questions so you don't forget them. Also, when you're viewing the flat, you can ask the agent if the rent is negotiable (the worst thing that will happen is they will say no).
As an American moving to another country, here are some of the things that annoyed me about properties in Ireland. In most properties, the amount of storage space is extremely limited; primarily you will have a few cupboards in the kitchen, and the space under the bed, a property with closets is very rare, most likely you will have a built-in wardrobe with one or two bars for hanging clothes and one or two shelves. Throughout your search, you will probably never find a property that has electrical outlets in the bathroom. According to some online research and the experiences of a few friends; it is illegal to have an electrical socket in the bathroom. They say it is a safety precaution, but to me it's just a minor irritant. This can be extremely difficult to get used to, you may have to find an outlet in the corridor and place a small table and mirror (space permitting) for hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons etc.
All in all, living in Ireland is an AMAZING experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The people are so friendly, the countryside is gorgeous, and there is a pub on almost every corner...what more could you possibly want? So if you're moving to Cork, or anywhere in Ireland, try to keep an open mind, it's an adventure, a brilliant chapter in your book of life. Try to maintain a positive attitude while your making the transition, trust me it will be difficult at times, you will have bad days, but try to keep your head up and it will really make your transition much easier and much more enjoyable!
A great resource for browsing available flats anywhere in Ireland is Daft.ie. This website is fairly user-friendly and straightforward. Select your location and amenities and search through hundreds of listings. When you find something that looks promising, ring them right away and setup a viewing with the letting agency. Be sure to check this site often, as it is constantly updated with newly listed properties. Once you have arranged a viewing with the agency, now's a good time to think about questions you have about the property. For example; what Internet providers are available in the area? Is the building gas? Electric? Or both? Is refuse included in the rent? If not, how much is it? Try to think of the most basic things that you use or do in your day-to-day life that you may have questions about. Be sure to write down your questions so you don't forget them. Also, when you're viewing the flat, you can ask the agent if the rent is negotiable (the worst thing that will happen is they will say no).
As an American moving to another country, here are some of the things that annoyed me about properties in Ireland. In most properties, the amount of storage space is extremely limited; primarily you will have a few cupboards in the kitchen, and the space under the bed, a property with closets is very rare, most likely you will have a built-in wardrobe with one or two bars for hanging clothes and one or two shelves. Throughout your search, you will probably never find a property that has electrical outlets in the bathroom. According to some online research and the experiences of a few friends; it is illegal to have an electrical socket in the bathroom. They say it is a safety precaution, but to me it's just a minor irritant. This can be extremely difficult to get used to, you may have to find an outlet in the corridor and place a small table and mirror (space permitting) for hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons etc.
All in all, living in Ireland is an AMAZING experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The people are so friendly, the countryside is gorgeous, and there is a pub on almost every corner...what more could you possibly want? So if you're moving to Cork, or anywhere in Ireland, try to keep an open mind, it's an adventure, a brilliant chapter in your book of life. Try to maintain a positive attitude while your making the transition, trust me it will be difficult at times, you will have bad days, but try to keep your head up and it will really make your transition much easier and much more enjoyable!
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