Posted by
RobRoy
14 yrs ago
Hi,
I'm very excited since I'm about to sign the papers for a 2+1 year contract as an expat in Hong Kong! I'm a single 28 year old guy from Sweden and I will be working at our office at Connaught Place (next to the tall building)
The problem is that i never even visited HK, so I need your guidance. Sorry if I come off as a stupid expat, but i really dont have a clue about how stuff works in HK, even if i spent a lot of time reading on the web. I hope for example that my allowance is enough..
I have a maximum house allowance of 50k HKD and i will try to fit electricity, tv, broadband bills etc into that as well. I would like to live central, with a short commute to work.
Optimal apartment for me has the following:
1 Master bedroom + 1 small guest bedroom
1 Nice living room
1 Good kitchen (stove would be nice, but those seem rare in HK)
Balcony would be nice
On a high floor, away from ground traffic.
Good air-condition is a must (maybe all apartments have good aircon?), preferably with some kind of air-purifier (is that common?)
I have been trying to screen apartments on http://www.gohome.com.hk but nothing really fits my description. Seems hard to find a good apt in HK.
Maybe you could name specific buildings that you think would fit my profile? Also what areas do you think i will have the best chance to find something of my liking?
All help greatly appreciated - see you soon in HK! :)
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You should be fine in Midlevels. Plenty of nice buildings. A building like Centre Stage for example.
Definitely stay in a serviced apartment the first month.
"Good air-condition is a must (maybe all apartments have good aircon?)"
Aircon is a necessity here. Make sure you get split units. Less noisy.
", preferably with some kind of air-purifier (is that common?)"
Some units have air purification, but you are better off getting separate purifiers.
"I have been trying to screen apartments on http://www.gohome.com.hk but nothing really fits my description. Seems hard to find a good apt in HK."
Not really. I think the problem is that since you have never been here you have no context to help you interpret the listings. It will fall into place once you start looking.
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lalib
14 yrs ago
thats a lotta money for a single 28 year old are you sure its not the housing + salary combined?
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JinHK
14 yrs ago
Look at apartments in Robinson Road and Conduit Road, Mid Levels. Both are near the escalator which can take you down to Central and a short walk to your workplace. After work you can take the same escalator home and have a few drinks and a bite to eat on the way without having to deviate too much.
There are a couple of supermarkets, bakery, coffee shop and restuarant and main route for buses and taxes on Robinson Road.
And, you should be able to get what you want for HK$50K per month.
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Thanks you for giving such specific recommendations, good to have a starting point where to look! I was thinking though, in the summer when it's so hot, maybe it is better to live close by the MTR instead of having quite a long walk to work?
Also my company is strange with bills, i only get electricity and such paid if it's included in the rent. Is that common to have that kind of agreement where everything is included in the rent?
"thats a lotta money for a single 28 year old are you sure its not the housing + salary combined?"
No, I will have a salary also, but not a big one, since I have the apt for free. But, that's good to hear, then i won't press for more :D. I got a lot of information from Mercer, who compiles data for cost of living in HK. From that data it looked like the HK$40K i was given first was not enough, so I pressed HR for an increase. As I said, stupid (spoiled) expat ;)
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Take a look at Bella Vista in Ying Fai Terrace and Cameo Court in caine Road (both in the SOHO/Mid-levels area and convenient for escalator).
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"I was thinking though, in the summer when it's so hot, maybe it is better to live close by the MTR instead of having quite a long walk to As JinHK mentions there is an escalator that runs from Queen's Road Central up through Midlevels. So you won't have to walk much if you live close to it. It runs downhill until 10 (I think), then uphill the rest of the day.
You can live next to the MTR instead but the buildings around the mid to upper escalator tend to be way nicer.
Also, you won't be able to escape the heat whatever you do. ;)
"Also my company is strange with bills, i only get electricity and such paid if it's included in the rent. Is that common to have that kind of agreement where everything is included in the rent?"
Haven't heard of it outside serviced apartments. However you could talk to your landlord and see if they will agree to include the electricity. They'll raise the rent but if your company is paying.
"From that data it looked like the HK$40K i was given first was not enough, so I pressed HR for an increase. As I said, stupid (spoiled) expat ;)"
Well done! :) Lots of companies, even ones with thousands of employees here, actually underestimate the cost of housing in HK.
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gdep
14 yrs ago
suggest taking up a serviced apartment for the first 2 months (Ovolo, Shama, Hanlun etc) for the first 2 months in Mid-levels (5 mins walk to central) and have a look around and find your apartment. You will get a feel for the area and your preference as well
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Ed
14 yrs ago
i agree with the suggestion of the serviced apt... you can then use some time to work out where the best location is for a long term commitment... or just stay on in a serviced apartment (I lived for many years in a serviced apartment as a bachelor... talk about hassle-free living...)
http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/serviced.asp
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"Well done! :) Lots of companies, even ones with thousands of employees here, actually underestimate the cost of housing in HK."
Well I guess it's the other way around, since we are few in HK, to cost for the large mother company in Sweden doesn't change so much. For a company to give thousands of employees a raised allowance is very expensive.
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You are indeed correct RobRoy. I have noticed that if a company only has 1-2 people in HK, they tend to have quite cushy deals relative to those from companies that have dozens or more.
BTW quite a few Swedes here. I'm not into the whole Swedish community stuff very much but there's Luciafirande (43 barn i tåget i år!), SWEA, Svenska Handelskammaren, Svenska Skolan, Svenska Kyrkan, Valborgsbrasa (några värmeljus i sanden men ok). And of course three IKEA with Swedish food.
PM me if you want. We can always meet up for a beer once you get here.
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As others have said 50k is plenty for housing for a family let alone a single guy so you'll have your pick of apartments.
Regarding air-cons and air purifiers, pretty much all flats in HK will have air-cons. IMHO avoid air purifiers, no manufacturer of air purifiers has managed to come up with any proper trial-based evidence that they are of any benefit whatsoever and several independent trials have suggested that they are either of no benefit or actually make air quality worse.
The air is the air, the heat is the heat, the quicker you get used to it the better. If you try to seal yourself off in a sealed little bubble you're going to be miserable.
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Very good advice dipdipdipper. I haven't gotten used to the heat in summer, but I have come to accept it. ;)
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madtown, no i can't transfer allowance to salary :/
Another thing, I got to think about, since my salary won't be closely as good as my allowance. If i for example settle in the mid-levels. Is food etc gonna be crazy expensive in those neighborhoods compared to if i lived not so central?
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A good question, but the answer is no. Food prices tend to be pretty much the same all over for the same item. Here's the kicker though: In Midlevels the supermarkets are much more foreigner-oriented, and those items cost more.
If you want to save on food, learn where it is cheaper and try to be clever about you eat. Some imported things are crazy expensive while most "local" food is quite cheap.
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Hi
I just moved from NY in July and went through same review. I found almost all the apts are posted on all the real estate sites so best to get a broker that will listen to your requirements and not waste your time. That said you can easily get a great one month service apt and get a lay of the land. Depending our your interests (is do you like sailing? nightlife?) you may prefer different areas. Good news is your budget will get you a dcent place inc. utilities.
If you want a suggestion for an agent I have one. he only showed me things that met my needs and when he did have suggestions he mentioned the pros-cons in advance so there was little time wasted. he also neg 2 months free rent and showed the apt I wound up renting was not even on the market yet.
E
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Good point given by cara. With your budget, you can rent a up-market apartment with all appliances included and on top of that, all utility bills like electricity, gas & water, plus internet, TV and cleaning service...these extras add up to quite a large sum. No worry about what kind of furniture to buy and no furniture to get rid of when you leave Hong Kong at the end of your contract.
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Was going to say the same as wise cara! We came (from Malmo) to HK 3 years ago with 1 kid and a housing allowance of $27k and that was plenty so for your 50k you can live like a prince in a serviced apartment. You also have the luxury of perhaps signing a month by month agreement, so if you change your mind or want to try something else, you can move without paying your way out of a broken lease. If the place you find costs $40k/month, you could negotiate so that you pay $50k and get the rest in other benefits such as dining vouchers, sports club memberships, vouchers to the local dry cleaner. We did that with our $27k. The rent was $24k so we put the rest towards sports club memberships through the landlord and made the most of our housing money. There are ways to 'create' flexibility!
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You could also look at renting a big enough place to use the entire allowance and then advertising to share which you could pocket or use for the electricity etc.!! Have heard very positive stuff from friends who share in HK. That allowance could afford a 3 bedroom place in mid-levels.
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Hi Bankerchick,
I just moved to HK from NYC. Been here a week now and I havent had the best experience with the brokers showing me apartments so far. Could you send me details of your agent?
Much appreciated.
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merm
14 yrs ago
"You should be fine in Midlevels. Plenty of nice buildings. A building like Centre Stage for example."
Mid Levels around the escalator is the area between Caine Road and Conduit Road. Centre Stage is not in Mid Levels at all. It is on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan. Mid Levels has a good reputation for some reason and so lots of other places are advertised to be in the area when they are nowhere close.
But the really scam-like advice came from Loyd Grossman is Miss Venezuela : "Take a look at Bella Vista in Ying Fai Terrace and Cameo Court in caine Road (both in the SOHO/Mid-levels area and convenient for escalator)."
Out of all the very similar buildings in the area, why these two?
Bella Vista is surrounded on 3 sides by construction sites and a building under renovation (completely covered in an ugly and dusty net). One of the construction sites is new and will start driving metal pillars underground in a few months - the noise and the vibrations are literally unbearable!!! Mon - Sat! And this will go on for at least half a year. There's a bunch of constrution sites near Bella Vista along Castle Road - an area totally to be avoided. The only 'good' thing is rent will then go down by at least 20% during this period if you start renting then.
Cameo Court is similar, just opposite another construction site.
When viewing, if you see look outside and see a site with no building there and think 'oh open view!', you're wrong. Red flag - it's a new site.
Hope this helps other new expats as well.
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"Mid Levels around the escalator is the area between Caine Road and Conduit Road. Centre Stage is not in Mid Levels at all. It is on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan."
Really depends who you talk to. It is technically in Sheung Wan but only a couple hundred meters from the escalator and up the hill. Many people refer to this as Midlevels. As you say advertising "expands" Midlevels quite a bit. ;)
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Merm. You're welcome to your opinion but it's harsh to say my advice is a scam. I mentioned those two buildings because I'm familiar with them. They are both of good quality and are well-maintained with good lay-out - and the flats are small enough to be affordable (15,000-20,000). Bella Vista is quiet from a traffic point of view as it is on a side road and has lots of open space. Cameo Court is good because it is on the north side of Caine Road which has sweeping views (unlike the roads higher up). In the interest of disclosure I own one flat in Bella Vista (which was rented out several months ago with no complaints) but not in Cameo Court. Pile-driving can be heard all over Mid-levels at the moment and most people are at work when it takes place.
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