Posted by
flowertot
17 yrs ago
Have you considered Kowloon side? There are four big developments at Kowloon Station; Sorrento, Waterfront, Harbourside and The Arch. 30k should get you a 2 bed apartment. It is not quite the outdoor lifestyle you would get in DB or Repulse bay, but it is convenient and there is a small expat community. You would be able to get to the Prince building in 20 minutes taking the MTR. The Elements mall has a 360 supermarket, outside playground and the local Starbucks seems to be the place for Mums and tots to meet up...
You might also want to start out with a serviced apartment first, until you figure out exactly what you want. Gateway in the Harbourcity mall is convenient, if a bit pricey. There are also the New World Apartments, both are in Tsimshatsui. You would just get the star ferry across the harbour to get to Central.
Good luck ... both with the baby and the move!
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Daniel
Can I suggest you contact Gloria Tsang, (ky_gloriatsang@yahoo.com.hk) and ask her to send you photos of Gallant Place. It's a 2 bed with huge terrace and great location. She sent to me as I'm looking to move back to HKG soon, unfortunately for me - it only has 2 bedrooms - and I need 3!
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Although the suggestions of the Kowloon side has its merits, there are many other reasons for staying on the island side. Convenience - you have the choice of taxi, MTR and bus on the HK side. On the Kowloon side it's basically MTR as taxis are prohibitively more expensive due to the tunnel fares and traffic jams in the central tunnel. Space usage - all of those Kowloon new developments have very low usage of living space (70% or less). You can get something older, but then you will not enjoy the convenience or the expat community. On the HK side, there are many older flats that are still in the expat communities.
Sorry for my biases against Kowloon, but whenever I go over there the feeling is different - people seem rougher. less English spoken, easier to get lost. That said, Kowloon Tong has some nice, older flats which are quite good usage wise and close enough to Central. Sai Kung has a large expat community but further away.
My recommendation is to check out Happy Valley. It feels like a little community separate from the rest of HK. Lots of older flats with good usage. Easy transport to Central. Lots of Americans live there with the prerequisite eateries, supermarkets, etc. Also cheaper than the mid-levels - which is an expat ghetto if ever there is one. If you live a little bit higher up the hill in Happy Valley, there are plenty of walking trails. Close to Causeway Bay too for a bit of shopping if you feel like it. Around this area, you can also check out Jardine Lookout/Tai Hang and also eastern midlevels which is much less crowded than the central or western midlevels. Pok Fu Lam is another consideration but more traffic issues getting into Central in the morning. But it has nice seaviews, more relaxed living and many expats.
Get a nice agent and they can arrange a car to take you around to the various areas to give you an idea of what you can get.
Good luck.
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Also check out Laguna Verde in Hung Hom (and Hung Hom in general) for convenience and waterviews. Kowloon Tong is a little further out, but has more greenery and it's expat friendly. There are a lot of transportation options and it's still convenient to Central.
Don't feel to you have to stick to pure expat areas. We live in Tai Po Kau and while there only a few expats out this way...we've formed a tight community. And also, we've made a lot more Chinese friends than we were told to expect.
Be sure to check the listings here on AsiaExpat and Craigslist as well.
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"I checked out Discovery Bay, Stanley and Repulse Bay because I heard this would be best but it felt very far away."
Repulse Bay is not at all far from Central. Outside of rush hour you're talking 15 minutes by taxi or 20-25 by bus. It is really nice but not the cheapest. 30k/month will not get you much in Repulse Bay.
As mentioned, Happy Valley might be an option.
The important thing is not to try to duplicate your US lifestyle in HK.
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cd
17 yrs ago
Definately go in a serviced apartment, and let your wife look around at her leisure rather than rushing in and signing something that your not sure you'll like.
Agree with Philly cheese, only the other way round... I would hate to live in mid levels, happy valley etc. Much prefer the feeling Kowloon side. The people tend to be more laid back, more middle class if you like.
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I think, by the way, that you are underestimating the efficiency of transportation in HK. The city has a tiny footprint compared to, say, NYC, and is extremely well served transportation wise. Repulse Bay may feel far away but it really is only a few kilometers.
"Definately go in a serviced apartment, and let your wife look around at her leisure rather than rushing in and signing something that your not sure you'll like."
Oh yes. You are well advised to take let your wife take 1-2 weeks to look around.
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maz27
17 yrs ago
I have sent you a private message log into through the control panel.
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Go the serviced apartment absolutely! They are fairly cheap and the stress is off with the time frame and then choosing something in a rush and you may regret it.
Lots of people stay at New World Centre at Tsim Sha Tsiu when they arrive as it's really sort of in the middle of everything.
As for the comments from Philly Cheese, I can understand that people living on the Island may have that idea of Kowloon side, but I love it. There is an abundance of public transport, taxi's are not expensive at all, I zip around all over the place in a taxi. We live in Kowloon Tong which is close to where my child goes to school.
I think it is very convenient over here, there are some lovely complexes, One Beacon Hill, Dynasty Heights, Mount Beacon just to name a few. All with top notch facilities, shuttle buses, etc.
I think Kowloon side has much more personality and culture, as for the English, I feel it's exactly the same as the Island and there is a huge expat community on Kowloon side.
It is becoming so much more popular now as people are discovering just how convenient and less expensive it is.
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Chin
17 yrs ago
If you are from NY and we are too. Stay in the Midlevels area. West or East Midlevels. Central Midlevels very pricey.
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I am also from NY and living in HK. Iwould strongly suggest looking at One SilverSea, at Olympic Station. Great building, VERY spacious flats and public area for wife to get out of the flat with the baby without having to "go out" on the street. Check out my photos at http://picasaweb.google.com.hk/k.phillips.us/HongKongOneSilverSeaPhotos#
Three BR apartment cost me HK$38,000 (third BR used as walk-in closet due to storage restrictions in the smaller spaces in HK). Great estate agent to contact is Fanny Lui at +852 (9185) 4188, fanny-liu@hongkonghomes.com and tell her I sent you.
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Hi,
Why dont you try Island Resort on the HK side(its in Siu Sai Wan). It has a reasonable Expat popullation. And the plus point is in 30K you might get someting like 1200sq ft Plus (3br plus 1 maids room with maids toilet). As you are an Expat I will take a liberty in guessing that you will keep a helper and you will require a separate room for her. The development is fantastic with promenade and fantastic seaview from all the apts. You will get Express bus from right under the bldg. which stops at Pacific Place ( 7bus nos. :88 and 789) or you can take a cab ooor you might want to buy a car in future with a baby (lots of parking available for rent under the building).
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I just want to advise you to have your wife take part in the selection. People are very generous with thier responses but they are responding according to thier needs. Your needs must be considered of course since you will be commuting but assuming your wife will be a stay at home mom, where you live will be a huge part of how happy she is here.
I moved here from the U.S. a year ago (first time living overseas) I'm a stay at home mom and I've learned to be happy here but it sure is inconvenient at times.
Where you live will definately affect your families happiness.
You have to consider if the convenience of living in Central is what you want or the community feel of someplace like Discovery Bay is what you are looking for.
I live in Central and very much appreciate the convenience of it, no need to own a car the transportation is excellent. Can get to anywhere I need to go very inexpensive. Take my 2 year old to the park, library, something every day.
One frustrating thing is Hong Kong is not stroller friendly, so this is something that will frustrate your wife at first. Also the crowds in Central are difficult and the people are just not friendly! They are more friendly in Discovery Bay, Kowloon, from what I've experienced.
So all of this to say, ask more specific questions about the different areas and get your wife's perspective on what she needs to have here.
There are Expats everywhere here, some places just have more than others.
I have friends who live at Bamboo Grove in Wan Chai, I have no idea what it cost to live there, but I think it is a great place for families. I guess it isn't cheap, but you can look into it.
Oh I"m just going on, I hope this was helpful. Good Luck!
Oh get some air cleaners, the pollution is going to really affect your little one!
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You may try xpat.com. There are quite a lot of properties that are direct from the owner. And no comission to charge. Maybe you can choose the right one for yourself.
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190k
17 yrs ago
You can rent a 1300 sq ft house with three bedrooms garden in Fairview Park for about $15k/month. Bus to central Post Offices takes 25 minutes. Very safe to walk around with a stroller. Good facilities within the estate with good parks and playgrounds for the nipper
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Just to add more confusion ;)... it will depend if you have a car. If so, south areas of HK Island would be a nice place for your wife to be, on all with a baby, if the point is to have some green areas and more fresh air.
Stanley is very nice but quite a lot of people during the week end, very touristic. You also have places like Tai Tam, Shouson Hill...
It's easy to commute via Aberdeen Tunnel.
Places like TST (Kowloon side) and Midlevels are convenient, you can do everything by walking, but not childfriendly, very polluted and noisy... can be fun for a couple who likes to go out, but definitively not if you want some space and calm.
If you want to stay on HK Island, around Pok Fu Lam could be a good deal, it's a bit outside (west area) but still easy to commute. By taxi it takes 10mn to IFC (Central), 20 mn by bus, good transportation... you also have Cyberport, lots of expatriates, baby friendly, but quite expensive.
Good luck !
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Ed
17 yrs ago
http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/
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cd
17 yrs ago
To Teachah, that is why so many people have suggested that him and his wife stay in a serviced apartment for a while so that SHE gets a feel for the place.
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If you are working near to Princes Building, what with a new job and the possibility of long hours, no matter how attractive it maybe it is too far away. I would suggest Happy Valley, it has a great indoor play room from littles up to bigs, it has a great playground and the park in the middle of the race course is wonderful. Happy Valley has a great village feel to it as mentioned above and your wife will be able to get all she needs provision wise on foot with the stroller. Many xpats live there so she will soon get to know other Moms. There are also a few clubs in Happy Valley such as the Cricket Club and Football Club. You should get somewhere quite nice for HK$30,000.
I live in Repulse Bay and love it apart from the polution, Stanley is great too but in rush hour it can be a pain getting in to Central, however, I don't think you would get very much if anything at all for HK$30,000 in both these places, so definately look in Happy Valley I think you would be pleasantly surprised.
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to cd, the woman is the one who will likely be in the home 24/7 whereas the man will spend much less time in it. Also, since her husband is working, he has instant status, things to occupy his mind and challenges. His life is busy and he won't have to worry what he will do in the day. The woman will need to be comfortable so she has to create her world so to speak. Since mothers get very little status and their friendships are very important, I agree, that it would be best for her to take some time to get a feel for HK. I live in Pokfulam and love it. Other friends love living in mid-levels. There are lovely places in Pokfulam which are 15 mins from Central.I think teachAH wrote an excellent helpful note.I suggest you get a real estate agent who speaks English well. Neenib said Kowloon people have good English, but I didn't really think they spoke English as well.
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to cd, the woman is the one who will likely be in the home 24/7 whereas the man will spend much less time in it. Also, since her husband is working, he has instant status, things to occupy his mind and challenges. His life is busy and he won't have to worry what he will do in the day. The woman will need to be comfortable so she has to create her world so to speak. Since mothers get very little status and their friendships are very important, I agree, that it would be best for her to take some time to get a feel for HK. I live in Pokfulam and love it. Other friends love living in mid-levels. There are lovely places in Pokfulam which are 15 mins from Central.I think teachAH wrote an excellent helpful note.I suggest you get a real estate agent who speaks English well. Neenib said Kowloon people have good English, but I didn't really think they spoke English as well.
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mdap
17 yrs ago
Hi, well your first problem is your budget, 30k a month is really a single persons relocation rent, for a family you should have secured a higher rent allowance. If you can wait a little while rents should soften in HK with the financial crisis, but even witha decline - 30k a month will still only get you small low floor apartment in mid-levels. I would look further afield - DB, Tai Taim, Pok fu Lam etc.
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cd
17 yrs ago
To Not you, not quite sure what your point is. I know its often the woman who is at home all day etc, which is why I suggested 10 days ago for them to stay in a seviced apartment so they could spend time looking around to find something they really liked.
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Ed
17 yrs ago
http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/
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cd
17 yrs ago
$30k would be enough for a 3 bedroomed, 1400sf place in Sai Kung.
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To the OP:
Maybe you wanted to sort out a flat so your wife doesn't have to run around in her condition or w/ new born, which I think is a good idea as I wouldn't want to be flat hunting in the last term of pregnancy or w/ a tiny baby that maybe won't sleep well. Plus she probaly wants to get the baby's room ready and all.
Definitely look up Happy Valley and what is referred to as "Mid-Levels East" and really refers to "above Wanchai and along Stubbs Rd". Rents are lower w/older Bldgs (and therefore better usage of living space) Quite convenient for grocery shopping and getting stuff for the home, and meeting you for Lunch w/ the baby! Some areas are quite steep uphill (especially along Stubbs RD) and not very convenient w/ pram, but it's fairly easy to throw the pram into a taxi and be off.
DB is a good option if you're looking for a lifestyle similar to what you have back home. I's not so inconvenient as you may think for commuting (as said above, ferry is a nice way to commute), and v convenient for your wife. It has everything from shops to doctors, schools and playgroup, beach, residents' club etc. The only thing is the commuting COSTS. DB is often compared to Mid-Levels in terms of lifestyle/convenience, except w/ lower rents due to commuting time, but the monthly ferry costs can make it similar to your low-end Mid-Levels rent in a Bldg w/o facilities.
Good hunting!
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I am in the Grand Waterfront in Kowloon and its a great development. Certainly not as convenient as Central, but nowhere is. For 32k I got a 4 bedroom 1500sqft place. Inclusions, facilities etc are top notch. The place sits above a small mall which includes a huge Jusco.
Can put you in touch with the agent that found it for me if you like. 30k will get you a place there easily. They also offer a free ferry directly to central for residents (wharf is right outside). It is infrequent though (every 40m during peak) but good enough. The bus terminus is right outside so can get anywhere a bus takes you and the north point ferry is also right outside which will get you to central as well and an MTR.
I have no complaints so far.
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i work in Prince's building in live in Stanley/Tai Tam - commute takes 30 min in taxi or shuttle bus (our building has one to central in the morning). Repulse bay would be around 20 min to central - all well worth the commute for - in the weekends you will feel like you are on holidays - which sadly neither Mid-levels, happy valey or certainly Kowloon - feel like. I really would give South side another chance - esp show your wife around, indeed, she is the one who is at home all the time...
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"Just to add more confusion ;)... it will depend if you have a car. If so, south areas of HK Island would be a nice place for your wife to be, on all with a baby, if the point is to have some green areas and more fresh air."
It is true that a car can be convenient, but we live in Repulse Bay and have no car. As long as you have a short walk to the main road, public transportation and taxis work fine. We are saving a bucketload by not having a car, despite taking a taxi to and from work every day, and many times apart from that. If your kids do lots of activities a bit further from home, a car may be a must though.
DO go and look and WALK AROUND. Don't just stay in the realtor's car. What looks "right there" on the map can be a slog up a very steep hill in HK. Add in the very hot and humid summer climate...
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Well, i think Sheung Wan is a good residental area. It is just mins. walk down to Central. And near Soho....it will let you have the atmosphere in New York city. What do you think??
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ArtHK
17 yrs ago
Go to a service apartment or hotel and let the wife into the decision, some points I was fortunate to consider or learn when we moved in:
-It is a lot better to have a 1 hr commute than an unhappy wife or worst a long commute for the kids to school. I ended up loving my daily commute, provided you get a Blackberry and an Ipod you’ll get a lot done or will be very entertained.
- Almost nothing is very much out of the way in Hong Kong I would never rule out DB, Stanley, Tai Tam or many areas in Kowloon, all areas will provide your basic requirements; you should be able to do your groceries very close to any building you chose and there are doctors, and options for entertaining and dinning all over. Also many retailers will deliver.
- Some features (like a nice view) are quite expensive in Hong Kong, if you like an area, walk about, a few hundred yards may make a big difference in value for money.
- Don’t be afraid to make an offer, given the current situation most landlords will be willing to negotiate. Also some may be willing to throw in a few freebies like curtains, some furniture or fix things you don’t like.
- Go to the areas you favor during the weekend, for instance Stanley has a “holiday ambiance” you will miss if you only go on a Monday; other areas like Caseway bay are very crowded during the weekend.
- Do not rely completely on the property agent you are using, some agents have exclusives or are more familiar with particular areas, go to areas you like and walk into the property agencies to see what they may offer. Tell them what is not negotiable and what is important, if you do not like a place say no, don’t say maybe unless mean it or you’ll get a lot of follow up phone calls.
- Ask your friends or people in this forum for detailed information for specific areas, like how to commute from the area to your office, where to get your groceries, etc.
- Do not rush or despair, it took us 15 days of intensive house hunting to find a place we completely loved and it was very much worth it. A good indicator you are there will be that you have a few places you like and there is one clear winner.
- Ask lots of questions take notes, make a list and rank it every night in accordance to your priorities.
- Do not get stuck with a place you are not completely happy with, because you are unwilling to wait a few weeks.
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ArtHK's post sums things up excellently.
"- Don’t be afraid to make an offer, given the current situation most landlords will be willing to negotiate. Also some may be willing to throw in a few freebies like curtains, some furniture or fix things you don’t like."
I have even seen 3-6 months rent free thrown in.
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I feel that people always rush into renting an apartment when they first move to a new place. It is almost impossible to know where to live and what will suit your lifestyle if you don't know the country you are moving to. My advice is to go into a serviced apartment for a few months and get a feel for hong kong first before making a decision on where you wish to live. Once you have signed a contact you are often locked in for two years - a long time if you have made a mistake. I also think for what its worth if you are new to hong kong it is best to live on the Island to begin with where there will be lots of like minded people and its easy to find baby groups for your wife. Good luck.
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dphu
17 yrs ago
There's a nice little area in Hk island call Shiu Fai Terrace, it is very quiet, no bus run on this road but 5 minutes walk to wanchai and causeway. taxi is less than hk30 to central. rent is quite reasonable. alternatively, a nice compound would be the Belchers with excellent club facilities, you can get 970 square feet for 30k and under.
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cnd43
17 yrs ago
I have an apartment that is fully furnished in Robinson Road. It will be available for inspection from 31/11. It is 1000sq ft and previous tenants have included Japanese Government personnel. It may not exactly suit your requirements but it is central to everything and will give your wife a chance to move around in the community and look for a place without pressure; not a good idea. She can find a place that is suitable for her own requirements and you can easily travel to the office. I am prepared to lease at $30,000 pm for 6 months. This is a discount from the current rental figure. Please call me on 94027726 from 30/11 if you are interested. Thx Charlie
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"Shouson Hil is South of HK and has a more direct commute to Central than RB. Car, Bus, Taxix, Mini Bus. "
Shouson Hill is very nice, but has a couple of drawbacks. Parts of it are a bit "isolated", as in a fair distance walking to public transport. Also, there isn't really anything there but houses. I don't know if there is even a grocery store.
"I would NOT patronize them as they have a different agenda. They exist to serve and please the landlords."
Very true of HK agents I have found. Be very clear about what you want and don't back down.
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lmcf
17 yrs ago
Shouson Hill does have a grocery store, and many families there use Ocean Park for their regular playground (cheap season pass). Also close to lots of int'l schools. Mini-buses travel most of the area, but a few are not so accessible for public xport.
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