LIVING IN GOA – HOW TO RENT A HOUSE IN GOA ON A BUDGET[/caption] LIVING IN GOA – HOW TO RENT A HOUSE IN GOA ON A BUDGET If you have been looking to rent a house, apartment, villa for either short term & long term period. Then, let me tell you the truth honestly. You MIGHT PROBABLY won’t find it! BEFORE YOU START READING THIS ARTICLE. PLEASE NOTE. THIS ARTICLE IS WRITTEN FOR SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM TRAVELLERS WHO HAVE PLANS TO LIVE IN GOA NOT TRAVEL IN GOA! [toc] See, the thing is simple. Goa, is one of the most famous destinations attracting tourism from across the globe in Goa, India. That’s why even if you book a place online with someone. Chances are the person MIGHT as well be renting that same place before you arriving that place. And that’s why even if you paid in advance the owner might agree to pay your money back when you arrive! (This comes from a personal experience, but several people that I found having same experience after months of living in Goa.) One chief reason is most property owners get higher price for rents in peak seasons. And they forward the lease to someone else till the time the person has arrived for a higher price since they are offered deals so many times from different property / real estate brokers in Goa. THAT’S WHY I don’t recommend you sending money to anyone in advance for someone to hold the place for you. So, with the starting warning…let’s start.

HOW TO RENT A HOUSE, VILLA, APARTMENT FOR EITHER SHORT TERM OR LONG TERM LIVING IN GOA!

See, there are so many places from where you can look for apartments, houses, and villas across Goa in different parts of the areas. But, where you want to live in Goa depends on the type of place you want to live in too. What kind of environment you want. Do you like a peaceful area vs areas with people around active, partying, living life with full energy & power all the time. Do you like to live in a society vs a individual house. Or may be take a place near the beach. Or some outskirts with your own private villa. Because mostly, Goa is famous for its vibrant nature, beaches, inspiring, hippie, travellers, musicians, free living, Yoga enthuthiast, and I don’t know how many different breeds of people. But, different places in Goa have different vibes to it. And hence, different types of people living in different areas. For example, in Anjuna/Vagator. You will find most of the party people coming during the season time. But, you will also find local & foreigners living their since more then 5+ decades in peace & harmony since a long time. If you are looking for a more hipper kind of place, then Arambol, in Goa is the best place. You will surely find 1000s of travelers and local expats who are more interested in Yoga, Meditation, Hypnotherapy, Reiki and so many different kinds of varied interest that if by chance you resonate with. Will come to be a place where your dreams have come true! And mind you, Arambol altogether has a different vibes to it VS Anjuna, which is more famous for party lovers, ravers, it’s music and ever growing entertainment during every hour of living in that place. That’s why. It’s really important to first decide about which location you want to live and what suits best according to the lifestyle you want to design while living in Goa. That’s why I suggest people that you land up in Goa. Then, stay here in an AirBnB, or a Guest House, or an apartment, or simply some hotel for a week. Explore different areas that you already have done so much of research online. And then, find a list of place around that resonate according to your needs, wants and desires and then finalize the home. So, when you start. Here are few places online to start looking:

1. OLX.in this is India’s local search engine like Craiglist is in the US. Go to OLX.in and you can find different places. Make sure you note down the address of all these locations that you find interesting. So, that. Once, you are in Goa. You can visit these places and talk to either the property owner (if you are lucky!) or the property broker (who will demand broker charges) for showing you these properties. Also, check out other places like GoaHolidayHomes.com, Mitula.in, Flipkey.com, etc.
2. You can find local property/real estate agents. Who will show you property around the area and even sometimes outside the area. While finding a real estate broker. First of all, make sure you demand from him to only show you the property within the specific budget in mind and only show you properties which resonate with your demands. WARN him in the starting that you don’t want to waste his time, and nor do you want him to waste time on you. This ways, you make sure other person does his research before taking you to show any such properties.Most of the brokers, find you houses in complex and places with gated colonies & communities. I myself lived in a gated colony. But, I know many people want to live in that special “little Goa house” that has that old school feel of a Portuguese house. And has a serene, peaceful, and delightful feel to it. Where its modern apartment, but yet feels like a personal “real” & “unique” home.
3. You can find several FB groups. Where people post properties available on short term or long term lease. These can be villas, houses, apartments whether 1BHK, 2BHK, 3BHK and even 4BHK, and you can even find some exquisite and luxury villas at cheap prices. Those, a piece of warning. There is so much of SPAM on FB Groups these days! Make sure a local person is posting these ads and not some fake profile on FB!
4. As I told you earlier. STAY IN GOA FOR A WEEK! Take an AirBnB, a hotel booked online from either makemytrip.com, booking.com, tripadvisor.com or ANYWHERE! But, come, live here, explore and then finalize a place. I can’t emphasize the fact that what you see virtual and what you come to understand Goa. Is entirely, different.

If you have finalized some places online. You really need to see them in person when you are here in Goa. That’s when you should decide before renting a place. I have done it myself. And I know so many nomadic, lifestyle designers, travellers, and many long term travellers doing the same. Also, note. That you might like the vibes of different places and like places like Anjuna and Vagator. Though, you might as well like to live in a peaceful village like place. For which I recommend places like Saligao, Siolim. Now, if you like trendy places then live in Calangute, Baga, Candolim areas. Now, if you are completely looking for hippie scene, free souls, and people who are adventurous and left the normal way of living then I suggest go and live in Arambol and it’s near by places. Anjuna, comparatively even though has become commercial but still has it’s “old trance” feel to it. And you can still expect a lot of hippies around the area who are living their since even 40+ years. And having that same blissful life like in Arambol.

Tips & Rules for Renting A Place in Goa

If you are a long term traveller coming to Goa for living around the season time which is approx. 6 months of the year. Then, frankly you won’t really care much about the monsoon weather in Goa. But, if you will be here during the monsoon time then please watch out for old Goa homes and older Portuguese places where you might find leaking roofs. If you will be here for a year. Then, please consider the roof quality, and also calculate the amount of money it will take to get it repaired. Make sure, that you negotiate this thing with the owner with a commitment of staying long term at the same place. Also, consider that it can get really humid during monsoon times with sunny days in. Because during monsoon times when the doors & windows are closed it can create a real wreak havoc on your clothing, leather shoes, bags and other items. During the monsoon times, if you are living near a village or jungle or green areas, expect snakes to come in the house if it’s not properly sealed. So, make sure that the house you get is properly protected in these terms. (Though, you don’t need to panic that much. Just because I said it here 😉 If you are looking to live for an year around Goa. Then, I suggest living in a modern house with built in amenities. (You might end up much lesser even with all the additional benefits) If you will look for a house near the beach areas. Then, be sure that your house will have ruiner floors and even electronics sometimes because of the salt in the air. The novelty of living in the “cute” beach house stays for a bit. When you realize that you need to maintain it also during this course. Which frankly, needs adaptation living in the area. Most of the property owners ask for one month or two months advance rental for taking over the place. Then, monthly rentals for the apartment after that. Though, it completely depends on your dealing with the owner and if you have broker involved in between when the deal is taking place. The best chance of getting the lowest rentals around any area in Goa is during the time of September. Because this is the time when season is just starting out. And you have many vacant properties left by people before who have most likely left the places. If you are here by September, you have 10x chances of hoarding a beautiful place then in December. P.S. October to February is the most peak times of Goa. So, you might as well have to pay 2x rentals during this time! If you are ready to lock in a lease for 11 months (or yearly, most likely) then you have much better chance of getting better rates on each rental properties available whether that’s a small house, or a big & luxuries villas or a 1BHK, 2BHK, 3BHK, 4BHK apartment, or even a beach house with that old feel into it. Remember, India is a country of negotiation. Most of the people even though pretend they are good at negotiation. But, you can beat them into their own game if the numbers are in your favour and you are aware about what you can pay and get for the price! Though, let’s say you are coming for a month or so. Then, you don’t need to go with a lease or contract and get all this complicated. Simply, go with the flow. But, only give half advance and rest during the course of time. Because let’s say if you paid in advance and then you find some problem with the property. If so, then don’t expect the property owner to be responsive in doing any fixes. Typically, 90% of the time when living for a long term period for a month or above. Or half yearly. Or yearly. In this case. Electricity bills, are part of your responsibility to be paid. Till, the time that’s not part of the commitment and negotiation done by the owner. If you are typically having a 3BHK house. Then, expect a 5k INR monthly bill for the electricity vs if you are here in Summers with ACs in your room then expect the bills to go as high as 15k INR per month during this time. You might as well pay much less if you have a 1BHK house with just fans, and other electronic items consuming the electricity. Most of the property owners are very “liberal” and have no restrictions as such. You can have pets around. You can paint on the walls if you want. You might as well need to pay some security deposits in and around society areas, with nicer apartments and gated colonies.

Rents in different parts of Goa

You can get a big villa in Goa for about 1000$ though this is a negotiable price for long term lease during off seasons. But, if you get the same villa during the peak price that it might cost you approx. 1,00,000INR a month also! You might as well find a house for as low as 10,000INR per month! That’s when you land here at the right time and take it for as extended period you can. That’s before the peak season starts BTW. After that, the same house might as well cost you anywhere from 20,000INR to 30,000INR per month for the same type of Portuguese setting house. At the same time let’s say you want a beautiful, newly built studio apartment with all the modern amenities in place that might cost you around 40,000 like the Riviera by The Hilton. But, if you have a large number of people joining in with you. Then, it’s best adviced personally to go with a big Goan house that might require you to shell out approx. 30,000 to 40,000 per month. You can even find your dream houses with all the modern amenities, live-in onboard staff, private pool, green garden, and fully furnished home for upto 70k per month. BUT, there is always a catch! It will be far out in the village i.e. about 40 mins away from Mapusa. Let’s say if the owner provides you with washing machine, ACs, power generator or invertor, etc. And if it breaks down during your stay. And you want it fixed. Then, as part of the responsibility as a tenant it comes down on you, to get that fixed. Though, you might try getting it fixed at the cost of the owner. But, it’s rare. Hence, if you re-sign the lease. You might as well talk to the owner for the repair costs involved, etc. Hence, it’s always best to look at everything and inform the owner before hand for the condition of items given by them at the time of relocating to the property. Because when you look at the cost of getting a new AC, or new batteries for the invertor, or getting fans fixed, or even the stablizer for the AC. It’s a cost in the end. And in Goa, you have a lot of upper cost for these things too!

Amenities Available in Houses, Apartments & Villas in Goa

Most of the times you will find some unique, antique, partially furnished places in Goa. Most likely it might not be the best looking million dollar style furniture that you might hope for. But, in the end. You most likely need a proper bed and couches, which should do the job. If you find a newly built, nicer apartments then you might as well get more furniture like dining table, etc. along with TV, and other decorative items that add to the beauty of the place that you live in. BTW, if you don’t know then couches in India are like Patio furniture outside. What I advice is that you go to Mapusa market and get an extra pair of mattresses, new bed sheets and pillow covers, pillows. You can find showroom and shops with the name Fab India where you can find all this stuff. I don’t know about all of you reading this post. But, I can’t imagine myself without the ACs in summers in Goa. If you are here in April, May, June then you should definitely find a place with AC fitted in that place. Because it gets really hot and with humid nature of the beach areas. ACs are your best resorts for a peaceful sleep, without a sweaty, humid, irritating sleep time.

Privacy, Security, Servants & Maid Issues in Goa

Even though Goa, is a very safe place. But, if you are luckily living in a gated places then you will have society security guards working divided 24 hours shift in the society. You can even pay them extra to do some extra errands for you like bringing things from shops, car washing, bringing groceries, paying electricity and other bills by going to the town areas, etc. If you have security guards in the area then its most likely 90% of the time included in the rent, paid by the owner himself. House keepers, servants, and maids are very common in India. It’s not only very cheap to hire someone. But, also its giving an opportunity for lower income group to make extra income. It’s not this kind of a thing in Goa, but majorly every part of India. You can expect to hire a maid & house keepers from anywhere between 1500 to 4000INR per month. Depending on how often she comes. And what tasks are assigned during her time. Generally, maids are OK doing tasks like dish washing, doing laundry, changing bed sheets, cleaning the house including sweeping and mopping, dusting and whatever other tasks you want her to do. Usually the timing are 2 hours a day for 6 days a week. With 4 holidays per month. Though, one of the most ironic, and funny thing about maids in India is that they hate ironing for some reason! Don’t expect other tasks to be done by maids since its time consuming and they fix other houses near the area to add an extra and multiple source of income for them. Also, look out if you have a place with a washing machine. It will be much more convenient for you as well as your maid. And since, many times light goes off in the major areas in Goa. Hence, make sure you have inverter or generator in your place. (Battery keeps charging on invertor when the light is coming and when it’s off. Then, your inverter can keep your lights and fans ON for couple of hours which is mostly sufficient and manageable) Inverter batteries are very expensive to replace. Approx 30-40k. Which lasts approx 3-5 years. So, check with the owner if he has taken warranty card when buying them. Or any kind of serving is required beforehand. And the generators are even much more expensive. Also, check for water filter. And check it’s servicing timing when you come to the place. Also, your place can have a refrigerator, which is a must have if you are living long term with the place near to the beaches and the beers 😉 Though, unlike in the USA and Europe. You won’t find dish washers or oven in a Goan house. It’s as rare as the Dodo bird. Though, you can buy ’em online over at Flipkart.com or Amazon.in if you need one. Or check second hand on websites like OLX.com

Internet Speed in Goa

Now, if you check at NomadList.com you will find so many places across the globe which includes deep beaches like in Thailand with really good internet speed. Though, Goa lacks this very basic necessity and if it improves on this. It will be a heaven for all the nomadic travellers who work online. Even though there are places where you can operate 4G connection using Reliance Jio. And if you are lucky you might as well find good spots for 3G connection using a Vodafone/Airtel SIM card available nationally across India. But, more stable and local fix to the internet is to get a local fibre optical connection provided by local operators such as Eureka, etc. But, that’s only advisable if you want to live long term. Or else, try using a data connection by asking your neighbours to try that at your place using local SIM cards. And then, get a dongle with the same company. And be conservative. BSNL is another govt. option in India. But, they have the most unfit, old, retarded people working in their company. Because of which it takes days and days before you here back from them for adding the connection and in case you get lucky, getting it. Then, you will have to wait days to get any line fixes incase you have any future issues with the line. I am hoping in 2017, we will see a lot of mobile operators improving the internet connectivity in different parts of Goa.

Renting Vehicles in Goa – A car, scooter, or a bike. Even, getting your own driver!

Even you get a car or a scooter. You most likely want to keep a driver handy. That you can trust. You might have to do airport runs, do errands, and that day when you’re very drunk, etc. etc. you know, you have someone, who can save your ass at a better rate, because you are partner in crime. Renting a scooter in Goa can cost you anywhere around 150 to 300INR per day. If you get it for a whole season then expect a price around 100 to 150INR per day. Renting a car for per day basis varies from 400 to 1000 INR a day. Although, the cheaper pricing are mostly available during the monsoon times. A jeep or bigger Balero type of cars can even go upto 1500 to 2000INR per day. If you are frankly, going to live here for long term. Then, it’s better to buy a car. Get second hand Omnis, or Tata Nanos which you can get for anywhere from 45000 to 65000 INR. And since, there are many car workshops. You can get them repaired and serviced at low cost if it needs any maintenance and fixes. You can rent the Tata Nano car for about 10,000 INR per month vs approx. 1,00,000INR+ if you buy a new one. So, incase you are here for a year. Then, I suggest that you get a new Nano car. Run it for a year and then resell it later when you leave Goa. Because that’s going to be more cost effective for you over the long run. And unlike other countries, where insurance charges are bombing-ly high. In India the car insurance, is very very highly cheaper!

Ending Notes:

Hope you enjoyed all the information that I provided in this post related to living in Goa for either short term or long term in this beautiful paradise. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. Or check my fanpage on Facebook, and inbox me your message. I will be happy to reply back to your questions and might as well add my answers for everyone else if it’s sharable. P.S. I am going to be covering some more posts related to living in Goa, lifestyle design, and how to get the best out of long term travels in exotic, beautiful, and blissful places like Goa. Feel free to suggest any topics. P.P.S. I most written the pricing in INR, so please convert the amount in your currency by simply doing a simple search of INR to YOUR CURRENCY on Google. I didn’t write in USD because pricing mostly keeps fluctuating. But, INR currency pricing locally, doesn’t! ADDITIONAL BONUS: Checkout this video by Arthur Moore who is staying in Goa and vlogging his experience on YouTube. It pretty much sums up the beautiful life in Goa ]]>