After months of apartment hunting in San Juan, Valentina Valldejuli and her partner, Rafael, Pivoted from searching local real estate websites to browsing Facebook Marketplace.
Valldejuli was born and raised in Puerto Rico and has lived his entire life in San Juan.
The 29-year-old “Modo de Vida” art director told CNBC Make It that it was important to find a two-bedroom in the city to be close to his family.
“I like that wherever you are on the island, you have a beach nearby. I live in the middle of this area, but I can only take a ten-minute drive and go to the beach here in Ocean Park in San Juan,” he said.
Hato Rey is a financial district in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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In October 2020, the couple found a Facebook Marketplace listing for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, for $1,000 a month.
Valldejuli said that because Puerto Rico’s hurricane season is getting longer, the most important thing for them is that their apartments have what they call “tormenteras,” or storm shutters, and that their buildings have backups. generator, too.
“The moment we saw this apartment, we just fell in love,” said Valldejuli.
He added that even though the rent for the apartment was only $1,000 a month, there was something he could do: no refrigerator or oven.
The kitchen is not equipped with an oven or refrigerator, but the couple is willing to compromise and buy the appliances themselves.
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Once approved for the apartment, the couple paid a $1,000 security deposit, the first month’s rent, and about $1,200 for a refrigerator and $600 for an oven.
“We’re willing to compromise to get the device because we really like the place. We’ve looked at four different places., and it is very difficult to get this big place and [in that] price range,” said Valldejuli.
The couple made good use of the three bedrooms by making one the master bedroom, turning the second into Rafael’s office and music studio, and using the third as Valldejuli’s home office.
Valldejuli describes the decor as a mix of boho with a medieval vibe and a bit of eclecticism.
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“I’m a photographer and a graphic designer, and I wanted to explore what interior design looks like from a photographer’s and a graphic designer’s point of view,” Valldejuli said.
The art director describes the apartment’s decor as a mix of boho with a mid-century vibe and a bit of eclecticism.