House-hunting

House-hunting is very interesting here. Firstly, there are no estate agents where you can go and look at photos of houses. Secondly, in many areas, everything is behind high walls so that you have no idea if there is a one-bedroom flat behind or, as I found in one case, three or four courtyards, over 20 rooms for tourists and three houses! Thirdly, some streets are inaccessible by road and/or up rather a lot of steps. Fourthly, there are a couple of newspapers that advertise houses and flats (one is a like a small version of Friday-Ads) but it hard to tell from the advertisement exactly what is being offered – there is often no price quoted and the size can be quite vague. As a result of all this we have looked at some highly unsuitable places! However, it’s fun looking round so we don’t mind too much!

It seems quite acceptable to wander round an area that you like and ask people you see if they know anywhere for rent. Sometimes there are notices in windows, normally handwritten, saying that rooms are available, and you can knock and look. Or, it seems to be OK to knock on doors of properties that look promising and ask if any of the property is available. So far, we have found quite a few places this way.

We have been looking mainly in the area below the 'Cristo Blanco' statue that overlooks the city:

Here is a selection of places that we’ve seen on our periodic house-hunting expeditions, plus a few pictures to give you a bigger picture of Cusco:

On one occasion, we saw a lady outside her house and asked if she knew of anywhere, and she said she had two small properties inside her courtyard that were rented out. They are currently occupied but we went to see the courtyard anyway. It was a beautiful place in a lovely location near town so we might go back and ask again sometime. Encouraged by this, we knocked on the door of the property next door. This also had various rooms and flats positioned around a courtyard, again mostly rented, and the lady said we could ask again in a few weeks.

I was about to knock on another door when two women came down the street saying that they had a house available. It turned out to be a bit small and would be rather cold as all the rooms had to be accessed individually from the courtyard or balcony. It had no outside space where boys could play either.

On another occasion I saw a notice saying that there was a room to rent in a house ‘arriba’. ‘Arriba’ means higher up and that can often mean in a location in a poor area accessed by hundreds of steps! I decided to have a look as even if it says there is only one room there can often be more space that might be available later. (Probably after the main tourist season is over in September there might be more available.) The house turned out to be up quite a lot of steps but there was road access from another direction, although you would have to cross the playground opposite. The property had an amazing view across the city and a good proportion of it was being renovated. It seemed that although only one room was available at that time, it would be worth re-visiting at a later date.

I found another property undergoing renovation in a slightly more convenient location. There seemed to be about three houses on the plot, one of which would be available in a couple of months. The lady said it would have 5 bedrooms but it was hard to see how! It is also due to have a ‘chiminea’ (fire place) though so again, it’s worth another look later! This one was shown to me by a friendly security guard who saw me wandering about and said he knew the owner.

A couple of properties advertised in the paper have been worth a look but both turned out to be huge. One needed complete renovation – windows, floors, rooves - everything except new walls! It was actually for sale and we’re not planning on trying to buy something here. It had three courtyards and could be a beautiful hotel if someone has plenty of money to invest! The other was newly built but was four storeys high and had fifteen bedrooms! It was not in the area we are hoping for and was out of our price-range.

Wandering round a slightly different area, a lady I met said that the house on the corner might have a flat for rent. I knocked but the landlady was out so the girl who answered suggested I call back in a few days. I did so, but she was out again! However, the man who opened the door let me have a look inside the courtyard this time. The property turned out to consist of various rooms and two flats surrounding the big courtyard. The second floor looks as though it has amazing views over the town. The guy I met runs bicycle tours and lives in part of the building. I eventually got hold of the landlady a few days later who said she might have something in December.

The two most recent places we have looked at were advertised as suitable for running as hostels. We thought they would be too big but in actual fact they were a very suitable size. The first one was not really in the area we want but it was interesting to find a something the right size which was not much too expensive. It was snapped up by someone else the day after we saw it so we didn't get time to seriously consider it. The second place again was not in the area we are wanting but we actually like the street very much, and given the location of Sammy's school next year it would be right on a good bus route! This place has been advertised for several weeks now. Noone is taking it because the price is extortionate! We will see if the landlord eventually comes down to a realistic price.

A street we like. So far we have not found any suitable properties for rent here.