[rani]

Wasn't there a story in the SCMP recently about an expat pissing off the village folk because of where she parked her car. Didn't they gang up on her or something?

[discobay]

Originally Posted by elle

discobay - village houses are a special case here.

Oh you mean those kind of village houses. In my mind I was thinking of village houses in Sai Kung and Clearwater Bay.

[jaykay]

Even land the village houses in Sai Kung stand on would possibly be owned by someone other than the government. Most village houses are built on land that is privately owned, and it is possible to buy the land.

Villages and the prices of the houses vary enourmously. From covenient village houses in Sha Tin to remote houses in the middle of the new territories. Prices for whole houses can be expensive in Sha Tin and Clearwater Bay, but cheaper in Sai Kung and Tai Po. The further up you go the cheaper they are with places around Yuen Long being some of the cheapest.

I live in a village house in Sha Tin and much prefer it to an apartment, but then I have buses, trains, supermarkets, 24 hour shops and car parking all within a 5 minute walk. I don't think I'd be able to live in one of the remote areas or even in one of the villages between Ma On Shan and Sai Kung. I think the inconvenience and barking dogs would put me right off!

[wongsg2005]

If you don't drive, you may consider Cheung Chau, an outlying island. There is a well-kept 12-year-old housing project known as Greenery Crescent in the quiet area of South Bay about 10-minute walking distance from the pier. In the low density estate, there are a few duplex houses amidst the common garden / space at the center. I guess the price is about $3 m.
Alternatively, you may consider a rebuilt village house in Ma Wan, now linked by the famous Tsing-Ma bridge and is accessible by dedicated shuttle bus for MTR transfer or by ferry service to Central & Tsuen Wan. The new village houses, each in 3 storeys (said to be selling at about $6m) are facing the modern housing project of Park Island, which stresses on environmental concepts, meaning no direct access by private cars or taxi (pending approval for taxi). In return, you have green and clean environment in suburban lifestyle.