Months into their hunt for an apartment in San Juan, Valentina Valldejuli and her husband or wife, Rafael, pivoted from exploring local authentic estate websites to browsing Facebook Market.
Valldejuli was born and raised in Puerto Rico and has lived her entire existence in San Juan.
The 29-yr-aged “Modo de Vida” artwork director, instructed CNBC Make It that it was crucial to find a two-bed room in the town to be shut to her loved ones.
“I really like that everywhere you are on the island, you have the seashore nearby. I reside in this centre of an space, but I can just just take a ten-minute push and get to the beach here in Ocean Park in San Juan,” she claims.
Hato Rey is the fiscal district in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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In October 2020, the couple found a Facebook Marketplace listing for a a few-bed room, two-lavatory in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, for $1,000 a thirty day period.
Valldejuli says that due to the fact the hurricane period in Puerto Rico is only finding even worse as the yrs go by, the most crucial detail for them was that the apartment has what they phone “tormenteras,” or storm shutters, and for the building to have a backup generator, too.
“The instant we noticed this apartment, we just fell in adore,” Valldejuli suggests.
She added that even though the hire for the condominium was only $1,000 a month, there was a catch: it didn’t come with a refrigerator or an oven.
The kitchen area didn’t come geared up with an oven or a refrigerator, but the pair were being inclined to compromise and get the appliances themselves.
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Immediately after receiving permitted for the condominium, the pair paid a $1,000 stability deposit, the initially month’s rent, and about $1,200 for a fridge and $600 for an oven.
“We ended up eager to compromise to get these appliances mainly because we appreciate the house so considerably. We experienced now observed 4 unique locations, and it was pretty complicated to get a put this huge and [in that] price variety,” Valldejuli says.
The couple put the a few bedrooms to great use by creating one their principal bed room, turning the 2nd into Rafael’s office environment and music studio, and using the 3rd as Valldejuli’s house office.
Valldejuli describes their decor as a mix of boho with a mid-century vibe and a little bit eclectic.
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“I am a photographer and a graphic designer, and I wanted to explore what interior design and style would look like from a perspective of a photographer and a graphic designer,” Valldejuli claims.
The artwork director describes their condominium decor as a combine of boho with a mid-century vibe and a little bit eclectic.
