Pyeong Envy

Just got back from seeing places with the real estate agent and I have pyeong envy (for myself in my current place!). I didn't realize how big my place was compared to most others. We decided to look in Hannam because it is a good place for foreigners and close to the base, but we can't afford the big, modern places in Hannam. Inside, the places were nice, but something was missing. What? At least 20 pyeong. Other problematic things: roads are very narrow and hard to get to the place; garage entrance was short for our car (Hyundai Tuscan); 3rd floor with no elevator; no vent for American dryer; no room for American refrigerator; many small rooms instead of open floor plan. We have a good housing allowance, but not as high as the foreigners who are here with corporations.

We did see one place that was two levels. The elevator was bity and the layout was a bit odd, but we could have made the second floor the master bedroom, exercise room and storage. We need room for a king-sized bed, two night tables and a crib in our master. The second floor would fit. But, the bathrooms and kitchen aren't the greatest.

I hope we can just stay in our current complex.

There are other areas to look in as were suggested in the comments. Just overwhelming to think about.

Where Should I Live in Seoul?

We're getting the boot from our apartment at the end of June because the apartment was sold and the new owners want to live here. There are other empty units but the owners don't want to rent, they want to sell. Some of the places have been empty for three years (since the building was constructed) and the economy is in the tank, but whatever. The real estate agent is going to talk to them. Who knows what the real deal on that is, either, because the agents try to steer you towards properties they represent so they can get a bigger cut.

I like the place that we are in for the following reasons:

-Big (82 pyong) with a good layout
-Buildings in this complex only have 14 or 15 floors. I don't like the super-tall highrises
-Great view of the river and the 63 Building and all the fireworks that happen
-Easy to drive to (except that no one knows where it is). There is no point where you have to pull over to the side of the road to wait for someone to pass
-Has an indoor pool, sauna and gym (though we never used them much), and playground behind it (used it a lot)
-It is not right on a busy street, so it is safer with kids and quieter

Things I don't like:

-No one knows where it is and I can't get anyone to tell me what to say to tell people where it is
-The service is terrible--they don't post signs in English (there are enough Americans to justify posting signs in English)
-There are no community activities so it hard to meet people. Last summer I hung out with the Americans' nannies because most of the Americans that lived here both work. They were nice but they called me m'am even after I told them to call me by my name and you can't really be friends with someone who doesn't feel comfortable calling you by your name.
-The neighborhood isn't that great because there's just not that much around

If we can find a place in the same complex, I think we will stay because it is less stressful than looking for a new place.

If we moved, I'd like to live in a similar place or a place with more SAHM foreigners. It would be great to have friends for Ian and I that live close enough that we could hang out on a regular basis. I was thinking that Hannam might be a good place to look.

Any suggestions for buildings, neighborhoods or real estate agents?