Looking for a home...

I'm in the midst of an apartment search, here in Cairo. I'll probably be living with some friends, so it takes a bit of logistics to find a place.

Here, the newspaper isn't the best source for housing. The newspapers here aren't good for news, either, but thats another story.

First, you can use your friends. The AUC community is still small, so if you don't know of a free apartment, you probably know a friend -- or a friend of a friend -- that does.

Second, you can use the bowwabs (the building doorman/watchman/all-purpose-man) in the area in which you're interested in living. The bowwabs seem to all know each other, and if they don't know of a place, their friend probably does. Sound familiar?

Third and finally, you can work through a simsar - probably best translated housing broker. The upside is he'll probably know several places that fit what you need. The downside? He'll get a cut of your rent. And not all simsars are beautiful souls with your best interests at heart.

Caveat Emptor, indeed.