HELP!!! HOUSING around UERM area

[DrMcSteamy]

Hi, I will be attending UERM this coming June 2007. Is there anyone out there that can enlighten me on available housing near UERM and the approximate costs of housing. I'm in California now and will be flying to Manila around February. I don't know anyone from there yet and it would be nice to have a heads up.

Thanks!!

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[MedKev]

Hi, I will be attending UERM this coming June 2007. Is there anyone out there that can enlighten me on available housing near UERM and the approximate costs of housing. I'm in California now and will be flying to Manila around February. I don't know anyone from there yet and it would be nice to have a heads up.

Thanks!!

I'd like to know too... im applying too to UERM so hopefully I can get in there...where in CA are u from? Im from the bay area.. u take the NMATs already?

 

[marblesmd]

Most Fil-Ams live in Robbinsdale Hotel which is a short walking distance from UERM. My friend's rates way back 2001 was around 15thou/month which includes a huge bed, aircon, ref. I think she pays extra for laundry service and of course, room service. 14 G. Araneta Ave. cor. Palanca St.
Quezon City
Tel: (63+2) 716-2588, (63+2) 716-1262 to 69
Fax: (63+2) 715-6358
Email: [email protected]

There's also Gardenville, which is a small condominium-type community near SM Centerpoint (at the back of the mall, just past their parking building). Rates are 12-15k for a studio. You'd need to check the local ads publication Buy and Sell for advertisements, because some owners don't place signs outside their condo.

Beside Caltex gas station, is a dorm for ladies called Medics. usually 3 people per room. Certain buildings have curfew (I and II, I think) and are exclusive for the ladies. There's also a small separate dorm for guys. Pay extra if you want to have an aircon installed. Rates 8-10k if you want a whole room to yourself, however you'd have to make a reservation in advance.

There's also a few studio-type units beside Medics called Severina. I don't know what the rates are though.

There are also apartments located in the streets at the back of UERM. You can take a pedicab then ask the driver to drop you off at Zaragoza Street which has apartment houses for rent and there's also a big apartment building there where I used to live, or at Han Seng (apartment building) which is located in another street (pedicabs know this bldg), there's also another apartment building (5 stories high but no elevator!) at the corner of Guirayan Street.

Hope this helps

 

[LocutusofBorg]

Most Fil-Ams live in Robbinsdale Hotel which is a short walking distance from UERM. My friend's rates way back 2001 was around 15thou/month which includes a huge bed, aircon, ref. I think she pays extra for laundry service and of course, room service. 14 G. Araneta Ave. cor. Palanca St.
Quezon City
Tel: (63+2) 716-2588, (63+2) 716-1262 to 69
Fax: (63+2) 715-6358
Email: [email protected]

There's also Gardenville, which is a small condominium-type community near SM Centerpoint (at the back of the mall, just past their parking building). Rates are 12-15k for a studio. You'd need to check the local ads publication Buy and Sell for advertisements, because some owners don't place signs outside their condo.

Beside Caltex gas station, is a dorm for ladies called Medics. usually 3 people per room. Certain buildings have curfew (I and II, I think) and are exclusive for the ladies. There's also a small separate dorm for guys. Pay extra if you want to have an aircon installed. Rates 8-10k if you want a whole room to yourself, however you'd have to make a reservation in advance.

There's also a few studio-type units beside Medics called Severina. I don't know what the rates are though.

There are also apartments located in the streets at the back of UERM. You can take a pedicab then ask the driver to drop you off at Zaragoza Street which has apartment houses for rent and there's also a big apartment building there where I used to live, or at Han Seng (apartment building) which is located in another street (pedicabs know this bldg), there's also another apartment building (5 stories high but no elevator!) at the corner of Guirayan Street.

Hope this helps

I am an applicant to the UERM, and I'm reading this thread with great interest. For me, money issues are extremely important, but so is proximity to UERM (ideally, under 20 minutes walking). I don't care about no stinkin' laundry service, or room service. Nor do I care about "security" (I will bring nothing of exceptional value with me), type of neighbors (I currently sleep and study with neighbors blasting raggaeton all friggin night), and certainly don't need no view, no balcony, and no more space than a room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. How cheap can I go? What would be a reasonable local economy price for such a housing setup, within 20 minutes walk of UERM?

 

[marblesmd]

There are some houses along Guirayan St. (near UE, just past the photocopying machines) that have rooms for rent and some houses for rent also. I'm not sure with the rates, probably something like P15thou/month for a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment.

#22 Zaragoza St. is an apartment building 3 stories high. Ground floor has the reception area with tables and chairs. Visitors are not allowed to stay in the rooms so you can't have someone sleep over. It also has a common kitchen area with a microwave (free), gas stove (there's a monthly fee of P100 if you want to use this), thermos (free), and a few tables and chairs, and a sink. They also offer laundry service at P35/kilo for clothes and P60/kg (I think) for bedsheets and towels. There's also internet service, P30/hr. No curfew. Usually 2 people per room. Rates: 8-10k/month.

#66 Guirayan St. -- another apartment building with limited parking spaces at the ground floor and 4 floors of apartment units (no elevator). 3 bedroom 2 bathroom unit we last rented cost 9,000/month way back 2002. Back then it was quite noisy coz there was an ongoing construction of a building right in front of it. I'm not sure how it is now.

Han Seng building - 20minute walk (not advisable); students who live here usually ride pedicabs to UE. apartment units, usually 2 stories, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, kitchen. Expect to pay P10-12k/apartment.

How cheap can you go? P4,000 if you share a room with a friend/classmate/upper classman, etc. Expect to pay 8k up for a solo room.

 

[LocutusofBorg]

How cheap can you go? P4,000 if you share a room with a friend/classmate/upper classman, etc. Expect to pay 8k up for a solo room.

Cool, that sounds more reasonable. I mean, I am currently paying $200/month for a solo room (shared apt) here in the US, I thought paying 300 is a bit too much in PI!!!!

 

[DrMcSteamy]

I'd like to know too... im applying too to UERM so hopefully I can get in there...where in CA are u from? Im from the bay area.. u take the NMATs already?

Where in the bay? I go to san Jose frequently to visit friends. I live in Sacramento. When do u plan to take the NMAT?

 

[DrMcSteamy]

Most Fil-Ams live in Robbinsdale Hotel which is a short walking distance from UERM. My friend's rates way back 2001 was around 15thou/month which includes a huge bed, aircon, ref. I think she pays extra for laundry service and of course, room service. 14 G. Araneta Ave. cor. Palanca St.
Quezon City
Tel: (63+2) 716-2588, (63+2) 716-1262 to 69
Fax: (63+2) 715-6358
Email: [email protected]

There's also Gardenville, which is a small condominium-type community near SM Centerpoint (at the back of the mall, just past their parking building). Rates are 12-15k for a studio. You'd need to check the local ads publication Buy and Sell for advertisements, because some owners don't place signs outside their condo.

Beside Caltex gas station, is a dorm for ladies called Medics. usually 3 people per room. Certain buildings have curfew (I and II, I think) and are exclusive for the ladies. There's also a small separate dorm for guys. Pay extra if you want to have an aircon installed. Rates 8-10k if you want a whole room to yourself, however you'd have to make a reservation in advance.

There's also a few studio-type units beside Medics called Severina. I don't know what the rates are though.

There are also apartments located in the streets at the back of UERM. You can take a pedicab then ask the driver to drop you off at Zaragoza Street which has apartment houses for rent and there's also a big apartment building there where I used to live, or at Han Seng (apartment building) which is located in another street (pedicabs know this bldg), there's also another apartment building (5 stories high but no elevator!) at the corner of Guirayan Street.

Hope this helps

Thanks marblesmd! This helps a lot!

 

[DrMcSteamy]

Thanks marblesmd! This helps a lot!

Hi marblesmd, quick question for you. It been a while since I've been in the Philippines (I was 6 when my family vacationed there). In regards to the areas mentioned are there any flooding issues? One of my aunts brought up the issue.

 

[marblesmd]

Hi marblesmd, quick question for you. It been a while since I've been in the Philippines (I was 6 when my family vacationed there). In regards to the areas mentioned are there any flooding issues? One of my aunts brought up the issue.

Good question. Yep, there had been instances of flooding in the areas around UERM especially after heavy rains that pour throughout the night. This happens around 1-2x a year and is a great excuse to cancel classes. There was this one time in 2004, when we were junior interns, my roommate had to ride a small boat from the nearby street corner to our apartment because the streets were flooded. Your safest bet is to look for rooms/dorms on the opposite side of UE or Robbinsdale. Traffic can be worse in the surrounding areas like San Juan, Araneta Ave, R.Magsaysay Blvd, especially after a heavy downpour.

 

[Saipan]

I am an applicant to the UERM, and I'm reading this thread with great interest. For me, money issues are extremely important, but so is proximity to UERM (ideally, under 20 minutes walking). I don't care about no stinkin' laundry service, or room service. Nor do I care about "security" (I will bring nothing of exceptional value with me), type of neighbors (I currently sleep and study with neighbors blasting raggaeton all friggin night), and certainly don't need no view, no balcony, and no more space than a room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. How cheap can I go? What would be a reasonable local economy price for such a housing setup, within 20 minutes walk of UERM?

Hi Locutusof Berg,

Have you been thinking some more about Manila? Third world cities are not cheap places to live. Manila is an extremely large, loud, crowded, dirty metropolis. Millions of people are competing for an inadequate amount of decent housing.

Have you experienced third world cities before? Security is a GIGANTIC issue in Manila. "Exceptional value" means different thing to different people. You will have things of value. You will have $100's (US) of medical books. Maybe you can afford to lose them to some Shabu-smoking burglar, but can you afford to lose them twice...or ten times? Because that burglar is going to return (or his friends). As soon as he figures out that he has a foreigner living with no security, he'll be making regular visits about five minutes after you go to school every day.

You want to live under 20 minutes walking? Not bad. But under 10 would be better, and under 5 would be best. Walking thru hot, humid Manila in your lovely white uniform, carrying those big books, with the buses and jeepneys throwing clouds of desperately polluting smoke in your face is not something people do by choice.

People pay for security and people pay for convenience. And they pay for peace and quiet. They pay not to live beside the all-night videoke and Karaoke bars. Nice studio apartments in Manila are not cheap.

Sharing rooms in boarding houses is cheaper but it's not good value. Sometimes you may want a little peace and quiet. You may want to retreat home and just close the door. Life is not like that in boarding houses. Boarding houses are unlikely to suit someone who is culturally American. Privacy is lacking.

I'm not going to talk about the flooding, cos that has been mentioned by plenty of others. But I will say that flood-free this year doesn't necessarily mean flood free next year. New construction, roadworks etc, can change all the drainage in a neighborhood.

And laundry service is the way to go, unless you are really lucky and have one of the very few coin-operated laundries across the road from your place where you can chill as you watch ur clothes fluff in the drier. What's your other choice...laundry by hand...hmmm.

If Manila sounds too, well...uncomfortable, then you should re-consider the provincial schools. The schools in Cebu (the beach) or Angeles (much cheaper than Manila, and the school has lots of foreign students including Fil-Am and American) have plenty to offer.

Did you read Phlipsquad's post on 10/22? Filipino schools are a little different. Phlipsquad is a Fil-Am and even he sounds a little down. There's a big learning curve for foreigners learning a new system.

You sound gung-ho and up for the challenge. That's good. But you also need to make some good decisions based on good solid thinking.

And what was that in your very post about being non-competitive for stateside med schools? Why do you think that med school in the PI will make you competitive? Generally, good students do well in PI med schools, and poor students struggle.

It can be done. But it sounds like you may need a little more advice.

 

[LocutusofBorg]

Saipan,

Thank you for your words of wisdom and caution. You make a lot of assumptions about me, which is understandable, because I make the same assumptions about other Americans as well.

No offense, but my preferences and lifestyle are different from what you have assumed. When I did a one-month medical spanish program in mexico, life was very much as you had described it. I know what it is like to walk in the heat (I always changed at the hospital, and used my street clothes on the street). I know the laundry situation (I found doing my laundry by hand on a rim-board was way to relax and get my mind off of things, before hitting the books.). And right now, in my Bronx apartment every day, I fall asleep to cars and neighbors blasting Bachata at 3AM, mixed in with hourly sirens from cop cars.

In terms of books, I know in asia they are published at cheaper rates, so I am not sure what you mean when you say 100s of dollars. Already I buy my books (illegally) through ebay from asia, and pay maybe $15 for a book thats normally $120. Same book, with an ugly red cover.

My biggest doubt about choosing PI schools is that, as you mentioned, it is a different system of learning. I know that expectations will be same or higher than the US. That is my single biggest fear.

However, this thread wasn't about that. This thread is about finding cheap housing commensurate with the level of income of most Filipinos. I seriously doubt that a student from a poor Visayan village dishes out 10000 pesos a month. And they, too, have to purchase and keep these medical books.

All I am saying is that my **** doesnt smell sweeter, and my lifestyle in general isnt too different from that of a third world country. I don't want to pay more than any local out-of-towner would pay for his lodging. I do need more advice, and I asked for it. How does one go about finding housing in Manila without paying a premium to live with other foreigners, or to live with laundry service, security, air conditioning, etc. I do want my own room (if possible, but not required, with my own bathroom). Everything else is not necessary. So, recommendations, ideas?

UERM is still my second choice (UP is my first)!

 

[RaaMD]

Saipan,

Thank you for your words of wisdom and caution. You make a lot of assumptions about me, which is understandable, because I make the same assumptions about other Americans as well.

No offense, but my preferences and lifestyle are different from what you have assumed. When I did a one-month medical spanish program in mexico, life was very much as you had described it. I know what it is like to walk in the heat (I always changed at the hospital, and used my street clothes on the street). I know the laundry situation (I found doing my laundry by hand on a rim-board was way to relax and get my mind off of things, before hitting the books.). And right now, in my Bronx apartment every day, I fall asleep to cars and neighbors blasting Bachata at 3AM, mixed in with hourly sirens from cop cars.

In terms of books, I know in asia they are published at cheaper rates, so I am not sure what you mean when you say 100s of dollars. Already I buy my books (illegally) through ebay from asia, and pay maybe $15 for a book thats normally $120. Same book, with an ugly red cover.

My biggest doubt about choosing PI schools is that, as you mentioned, it is a different system of learning. I know that expectations will be same or higher than the US. That is my single biggest fear.

However, this thread wasn't about that. This thread is about finding cheap housing commensurate with the level of income of most Filipinos. I seriously doubt that a student from a poor Visayan village dishes out 10000 pesos a month. And they, too, have to purchase and keep these medical books.

All I am saying is that my **** doesnt smell sweeter, and my lifestyle in general isnt too different from that of a third world country. I don't want to pay more than any local out-of-towner would pay for his lodging. I do need more advice, and I asked for it. How does one go about finding housing in Manila without paying a premium to live with other foreigners, or to live with laundry service, security, air conditioning, etc. I do want my own room (if possible, but not required, with my own bathroom). Everything else is not necessary. So, recommendations, ideas?

UERM is still my second choice (UP is my first)!

well said.

 

[Saipan]

LoB,

There's only one way to find housing that will really suit you, whatever your desired target price.

Get to Manila a few weeks (at least) before school starts, and hit the streets. Walk down EVERY street and lane in the neighborhood around your school and look carefully at every building. Go into the ones that look like they suit you (apartments, boarding rooms...whatever), and ask for the caretaker, manager, landlord...etc.

After you've done this a few times, you should develop a reasonable picture of what the neighborhood rental market has to offer. Even if a building has no vacancies, people will still usually let you have a look at an occupied apartment and tell you the rental price if you ask nicely. A "sharp" landlord may jack up the asking price cos you're a foreigner. So don't be shy, and ask a regular tenant what the normal rent is before you start your dealings with the landlord.

If your "perfect" rental is unavailable, get the manager's cell phone number and check back frequently. Apartment turnover can be high, at all levels of the market.

As soon as you score your place, then you can skip off to the beach until school starts.

 

[LocutusofBorg]

I like that advice, I think i'll do that! Thanks!

 

[RMT]

my 2 cents worth....

Zaragoza st. has 3 bedroom houses that go for as much as 15k/month with reasonably large rooms which you can share with classmate.
A friend of mine used to stay there (but i forgot the exact house #) when we were interns, and 6 people stayed in the place....do the math.

Saipan is right, come to manila about 2weeks b4 hand to make living arrangements.....or if you can afford to, right before the end of the school year. UERM has a large fil-am community and im sure they will be willing to help you out.


Goodluck.