House hunting

At the moment, our company has put us up in furnished shared hotel accomodation. Although large, it could be cleaner, and the fridge/stove/washer are not in good condition. We have been looking for different digs outside, and hopefully nearer to the university. This is because the company provides a transportation allowance, in addition to the housing allowance, if we choose to go out on our own. The problem is, most villas (3BR, because we would have to share to afford the rent) are unfurnished, and therefore part of the upfront costs would be to provide those amenities from our own pocket. There is no used goods market, as most people buy new and then throw away.

The good thing is the quality of the housing, a typical example is the following:

The building has marble top to bottom, granite-counters full size kitchens, controlled secure entrance with walls, good windows, and spacious rooms. We found one for 10,000 riyals per month, 8 rooms with ensuite bedrooms, a pool, on 3 levels, each level a seperate kitchen and living room. If we shared we would have made a profit, but the logistics involved, and the burden of one person signing the contract, as well as putting up 6 months deposit, when we are still in uncertain circumstances, mitigates against such move right now. Plus, most of the new guys are quite limited in their funds, and thus can't afford the up-front costs right now, but could in 3 months or so. But then, that creates problems with the year-lease at the end (leaving 3 months early). No one does month-to-month apparently.