Finally found an apartment in Cartagena… but guess what happened

I scored a place to rent in Cartagena: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, about 90 square meters, for 3 million pesos a month (roughly $670 USD). It’s a bit big for me—I just need a spot to grind and make money—but it was the only decent thing I could find without falling into the real estate scams here.

In Cartagena, agencies are a den of thieves. They whip up crazy contracts to rip off foreigners, exchange students, and even me, a “costeño” from Santa Marta aunque mis padres son de Bucaramanga y Boyacá.

They jack up your bills, overcharge you, and trap you with shady clauses. A total plague, I swear.

But this apartment? A rare win. I dodged the crooked agencies and landed a flexible deal straight from the owner.

How’d I pull it off in a city crawling with scammers? And what’s my next move to make this place work for me?