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How i cheated the system and got an apartment

SeanLewis

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A couple of days ago i decided enough is enough.

I've been putting this off for 2 years now, I'm 21 years old and still living with my parents.

My excuses for not moving has been in line with "I'll move when i can afford the penthouse". But 2 failed business in and I can see the lack of faith in my moms eyes. I'm done being a burden. I've chosen this, I'm in this for life but my parents aren't and i'm not gonna drag them through it.

Truth is i've been using the Fastlane as an excuse to be lazy, to be comfortable. (sorry @MJ DeMarco ) Sure i've been working hard, but as long as i live at home i'm gonna be a kid. At the end of the day no matter how bad i mess up i'm still gonna have dinner ready at the table every night.

It's time i step out into the real world, and grow up.

So,

3 days ago I started looking for places to live in the city and found the perfect studio apartment in the "richer" part of town. The entire area is built in 2019 and sits right on the waterfront.

The way it works here in Sweden is that you have to stand in line and collect these points, and then the apartment goes to the one with the most points. This should work great in theory, the problem is that you have to "que" for years just to get a shitty apartment. (also people already in the system gets twice the points..)

F*ck that.

i'm not gonna stand in line for years, I need to move now.

Anyhow i call up the company that owns the apartment and tell them i want it, btw they where asking $550/m (this is a steal for the location).

At first I'm met with the usual "get in line" bullshit, but i completely ignore it and just keep talking, I talk about my job, how the holiday was really busy (retail sales) and then i move on to how i really like the location the apartments in and how good of a job they've done building the entire area.

And then i did something weird, It might have just been luck but it worked. I started negotiation.

Originally they where asking for $550 which i would have gladly payed, but i asked nicely if they could do something about the price, of course there wasn't but i proceeded to ask about parking, internet, wall paint and so on I even asked if they could throw in one of those Japanese toilet blasters.(ok that last one is a lie but still you get the point)

The thing is.. I wasn't able to negotiate a single thing, the price stayed the same and after all that back and (not so)forth he was almost laughing at me.

Well, 2 hours later i get a call from the same number, "hey it's X, listen we like your spirit kid if your financials checks out the apartment is yours".

So yeah, mission failed successfully.. I completely failed at negotiating, but in turn it got me into the room(literally..)

Signed the contract today. Moving in next month, can't wait.

Key take away: don't play their game, just pick up the phone and call them. Act like it's already yours.
 
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MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
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Sometimes it is as simple as taking action because no one else is.

Congrats on the move out.
 
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GoodluckChuck

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Nice job!

Your story shows that it's never a bad idea to just ask for what you want. I see this with sales all the time. I'll ask for what I want even if I think there's only a small chance I'll get it. Once in a while the answer is yes and I save a bunch of time and money.

I give this advice to friends when they tell me they want a career change: Just call the company you want to work for and tell them you want to work for them. Typically they'll tell you to get in line and submit a resume, but if you're persistent you might skip the line and save tons of time and effort.

Cheers and don't forget this lesson!
 

Roli

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btw they where asking $550/m (this is a steal for the location).

Woah! Is this a typo? Do you live in Stockholm?

We are always told in London that Sweden is much more expensive, however the more I hear about the place, the more I like it.

Oh and congrats by the way, I bet it feels good. Your first place, enjoy!
 

SeanLewis

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Woah! Is this a typo? Do you live in Stockholm?

We are always told in London that Sweden is much more expensive, however the more I hear about the place, the more I like it.

Oh and congrats by the way, I bet it feels good. Your first place, enjoy!

Thanks! :)

I'm not in Stockholm, but it is one of the major cities. most apartments in the area are about $900-1500/m, but this is only a small studio apartment. Even so i'm going to be neighbors with people a lot more successful then I, so $550/m for this location is crazy.

I think London and Stockholm are pretty similar price wise.

Saw this video the other day and think it did a good job explaining Sweden.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0dWHCnic8
 
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Strm

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Always great to see our neighbors in the west taking action!
Greetings from Estland, my friend! :smile2:
 

Roli

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Thanks! :)

I'm not in Stockholm, but it is one of the major cities. most apartments in the area are about $900-1500/m, but this is only a small studio apartment. Even so i'm going to be neighbors with people a lot more successful then I, so $550/m for this location is crazy.

I think London and Stockholm are pretty similar price wise.

Saw this video the other day and think it did a good job explaining Sweden.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0dWHCnic8


Wow! Thank you for that, I love that Economics Explained channel, so it's nice to hear someone from the studied country agree with him.

It just goes to show doesn't it? That a strong social system can still be built alongside a strong capitalistic one. Unfortunately in the rest of the world, we have mistaken corporatism for capitalism, whereby any kind of social help is seen as somehow disgusting.

I have a few Swedish friends, although after watching that video, I wonder why. I don't understand why anyone would ever leave Sweden, it seems like absolute paradise.

I used to want to visit there, now I want to live there! :smile:
 

alexkuzmov

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A couple of days ago i decided enough is enough.

I've been putting this off for 2 years now, I'm 21 years old and still living with my parents.

My excuses for not moving has been in line with "I'll move when i can afford the penthouse". But 2 failed business in and I can see the lack of faith in my moms eyes. I'm done being a burden. I've chosen this, I'm in this for life but my parents aren't and i'm not gonna drag them through it.

Truth is i've been using the Fastlane as an excuse to be lazy, to be comfortable. (sorry @MJ DeMarco ) Sure i've been working hard, but as long as i live at home i'm gonna be a kid. At the end of the day no matter how bad i mess up i'm still gonna have dinner ready at the table every night.

It's time i step out into the real world, and grow up.

So,

3 days ago I started looking for places to live in the city and found the perfect studio apartment in the "richer" part of town. The entire area is built in 2019 and sits right on the waterfront.

The way it works here in Sweden is that you have to stand in line and collect these points, and then the apartment goes to the one with the most points. This should work great in theory, the problem is that you have to "que" for years just to get a shitty apartment. (also people already in the system gets twice the points..)

F*ck that.

i'm not gonna stand in line for years, I need to move now.

Anyhow i call up the company that owns the apartment and tell them i want it, btw they where asking $550/m (this is a steal for the location).

At first I'm met with the usual "get in line" bullshit, but i completely ignore it and just keep talking, I talk about my job, how the holiday was really busy (retail sales) and then i move on to how i really like the location the apartments in and how good of a job they've done building the entire area.

And then i did something weird, It might have just been luck but it worked. I started negotiation.

Originally they where asking for $550 which i would have gladly payed, but i asked nicely if they could do something about the price, of course there wasn't but i proceeded to ask about parking, internet, wall paint and so on I even asked if they could throw in one of those Japanese toilet blasters.(ok that last one is a lie but still you get the point)

The thing is.. I wasn't able to negotiate a single thing, the price stayed the same and after all that back and (not so)forth he was almost laughing at me.

Well, 2 hours later i get a call from the same number, "hey it's X, listen we like your spirit kid if your financials checks out the apartment is yours".

So yeah, mission failed successfully.. I completely failed at negotiating, but in turn it got me into the room(literally..)

Signed the contract today. Moving in next month, can't wait.

Key take away: don't play their game, just pick up the phone and call them. Act like it's already yours.
Hey Sean, congrats on the move
Here are a couple of things I wish I knew or at least I wish someone told me before moving out.

1. Buy a toolkit, screwdrivers, screws, nails and a small hammer.
2. Buy a plunger and drain cleaner.
3. Buy a good big knife and knife sharpener.
4. Buy 10kg of rice and keep it for emergencies.
5. Buy a flashlight, batteries and candles.
6. Buy bandages, active charcoals, aspirin, rubbing alcohol.

Good luck :)
 
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SeanLewis

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Hey Sean, congrats on the move
Here are a couple of things I wish I knew or at least I wish someone told me before moving out.

1. Buy a toolkit, screwdrivers, screws, nails and a small hammer.
2. Buy a plunger and drain cleaner.
3. Buy a good big knife and knife sharpener.
4. Buy 10kg of rice and keep it for emergencies.
5. Buy a flashlight, batteries and candles.
6. Buy bandages, active charcoals, aspirin, rubbing alcohol.

Good luck :)

Thanks! i'll add it to the shopping list :)

I used to want to visit there, now I want to live there! :smile:

Stockholm in the summer is fantastic, highly recommend it :)
 
D

Deleted74396

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That's awesome! I'm around the same age as you, I wish I'd rented instead of buying as my property is a burden :rage: I'm excited to rent my first place later this year, congrats on cheating the system! :)
 

dawp

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I guess this will not work in Stockholm
Btw, You could make a service out of it
 
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Bigguns50

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Funny, motivating, smart. Good job. Great throwing fear into the back seat.

Something that works for me when I have a problem to solve or want/need something: Before I call or go see the person face to face, I'll say out loud and with emotion exactly what it is I'm going for. Then....I let it go. I learned that if I take that emotion into the conversation, I start out WAY too aggressive. Now, I'm not 100% successful but damn, I've gotta be in the 90 percentile !
 

Ing

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Well done!
Only that one gets who opens the mouth!
 

SeanLewis

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Moved in yesterday. Threw away 90% of my stuff which felt like a big relief.

Got lost in IKEA, but made it out a few hundred bucks lighter.

Still lots to do but that's not what this thread is about, here are some photos to bring everything full circle.
1.jpg2.jpg
 
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D

DeletedUser0287

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$550/month? That is super cheap. What is the average salary in Sweden?

Although, I completely disagree that staying at home with your parents to build your business makes you a “kid”. Thank god that I live with my parents to build my business. If I didn’t, there would be no way I could afford to build a business. Building a business is a true luxury. Creating a productocracy is one of the most expensive things in the world.

It is just the social conditioning that makes someone believe that if they live with their parents they are a child. When in reality, it is just your perspective. Aka paying $550/m to feel like an adult.
 
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GravyBoat

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I do this with customer service people as well.

Had to call Yelp the other day since my ads for one of my business locations were stuck.

They told me some BS about having to provide multiple pieces of paperwork, and they had to get reviewed.

I ended up calling 3 more times, a total of 4 times. I already knew from previous experience, someone would just flip the switch, and the ads would be running.

Sure enough, good ol Susan at the Yelp Customer Success team got them up and running within the hour, and did it with a smile on her face.

I wrote her a survey saying she deserves a raise.
 

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