We were received by Mustafa who was warm and very precise about the details in the apartment. The place was very clean. Since Mustafa lives in the same building it ie great as one feel always safe (in case of needing somthing like a taksi etc.)
I had never been to Istanbul so I had no I idea of what kind or area "Balat" was. The area is not beautiful at all and in the begining one feels a bit uneasy, however after two days we were surprised by the kindness of people and we enjoyed the part that is close to the sea ( the apartment is up the hill where there are lots of wild cats and abandoned houses). Getting a bus ticket was not the easiest thing (we never managed) and going to the center (the blue mosque for instance) from Balat takes abour 1-1.30 hours by foot so we eneded up taking cabs which are not expensive but as they warned us the know how to cheat. All in all Balat is not a bd place to stay if you are not looking for glamour. The price for the flat is correct. We enjoyed the whole experience.