[Kev]

Hi Everyone,

A little while ago I started a thread asking for some help re: girlfriends visa - this has all worked out really well now so I'd just like to thank everyone for their help!

I'm moving to Hong Kong around Oct 10th and still have no idea of places to live etc so it's fair to say i'm switching between massive excitment and complete fear!

I'll be working in Kowloon and orginally wanted to live somewhere Mid-Levels(ish) as the place just looks great but after a lot of apartment searching the place seems really expensive (I have a feeling that may not be limited to Mid-Levels!) Someone has told me that the Arch in Kowloon is really nice - is this correct?? i've looked at the place and it did seem awesome (not sure I can afford it!) but wanted to know if anyone had first hand knowledge of this building and area.

Secondly whats the deal with living in Kowloon? From my very limited expereince all the social scenes seem to take place in LKF and SoHo. Is that true and is it possible to live in Kowloon and have a decent social life (either there or on the island)?

Lastly I keep reading threads organising get togethers for all members, excuse my ignorance but what's the deal with these, can anyone come along?!.

Anyway if you can help me out at all I'd be really grateful as I have a feeling i'm going to be pretty overwhelmed for a while!

Thanks and hopefully see some of you around!

[larac]

Hi Kev

Standard advice is to get a serviced apartment and look around while you decide where to live. Apartment prices vary hugely and some of it is just about being in the right place at the right time to find the one you like. It seems that in general only the more expensive places advertise online so when you get here just walk along Caine Road for example in the mid levels and look at the real estate windows to get an idea of the variety - there is hundreds of agents and places to rent.
As for living in Kowloon the MTR is very good and the ferries come across from TST, Kowloon side, every few minutes so whilst midlevels is certainly more convenient to Soho and LKF living somewhere else is not impossible - in my hometown I was at least 20-30 minutes from where all the bars and restaurants were but here everything is so close together you get used to not travelling far.

As for the gatherings you are already a GeoExpat member and welcome to join any of the get togethers. A few are organised by Geoexpat but most are just organised by members using the website to suggest and time and place and round up some people to go along.

Good luck with your move. It can be a bit overwhelming but the people on this site are very helpful and friendly.

[penguinsix]

I'd strongly recommend a serviced apartment, even if it is only for one month. You need a base to search for other places, and you'll see things when your feet are on the ground that you won't see in an apartment listing website or a realtors ads.

[Kev]

Thanks for your replies I hadn't even considered a serviced apartment!

I've been trying to work out my rental budget which is really hard in another country as I can't seem to get a clear idea on costs in Hong Kong.

I've spoken to a few realtors in HK and they tell me that in any apartment electricity is 300, gas is 200, cable and broadband is 200 (HK$ p/month) and water rates are 200 (HK$ per every three months)

Does this sound right to you? I know its all realtive but in my country (UK) this is really low!

I know this must be the most boring thread ever but you're help would really go a long way.

Thanks!!

[larac]

Your questions are not boring just normal and they have been covered many times on this forum becasue everyone asks them..

Check out the serviced apartments tab up the top to get you started or try moveandstay.com. The big plus is that they are all inclusive so you know exactly how much it will cost you. Some people stay a month others a year or more. On the plus side of staying a long time you have no set up costs and can easily move out again on the down side there are often alot of rules especially about visitors and it never quite feels like home - totally depends on how much time you will spend there as to how long you could stay there.

On average I pay $1,000pm on bills over the year thats power/water/phone/gas/broadband tv & internet but in the height of summer just my power bill comes close to that b/c of the air con that you can't live without and it would be way higher if we were home during the day. You need to pay around $2k in deposits and set up fees for all that some of which you get back. I would pay more than $1k per month at home just for the tv so yes bills are a bargain in my opinion.

For rent you need to pay 2 months deposit plus a month in advance plus stamp duty plus half a month to the agent and rent can vary from $5-$50k pm or way more if you have the cash. On average I think people pay 25-35% of their income on rent.

Most places come void of furniture except a fridge and washing machine but some are fully furnished and you don't need to buy a thing. If the place is empty you are looking at anything from $10-30 or more, depending on what you need and your taste, to kit it out plus the bigger the size the more you need. Most places have no storage so you need to buy drawers/wardrobes etc. Check out the Ikea and Pricerite websites and register to see the prices.

Do some searches on this forum for some other posts for lots of opinions and advice on costs.

Good luck

[Richack10]

Hi Kev,

In nearly exactly the same boat as you as I have an internal interview next week that is going to determine whether I move out around mid November time. (General consensus amongst our management is the job's mine but I still gotta see). So I can fully understand the overwhelmed feeling and flying rapidly between massive excitement and complete fear...

Coincidentally, I am on the internet today looking at serviced apartments with a view to taking one for a month or so before signing on an apartment. I was also fortunate enough that my company sent me out in early September so I could get a feel for the place and scope things out. Managed to get in touch with a REALLY helpful property agent, I'll PM you the details.

In your position I would definitely look at Kowloon side, you're going to have to be in work every day and will not necessarily be in LKF and Soho every day so getting to work should be your priority. Even if you're out in LKF and miss the last MTR, it's really easy to get a taxi back and still pretty cheap (well, by UK standards anyway). Although not LKF, there is a lot of bars and decent restaurants around TST and it does have a different night scene. Plus being a first time visitor (and staying on the Kowloon side), I thought it great fun to get the ferry across on nights out... Can't do that where I live at the moment.

Rich

[penguinsix]

There are some things you just can't tell on a website when looking at apartments, for example:

Is it next to a fire station / hospital / police station?
Are there any weird smells wafting up the stairs?
What is the street noise like? Can you hear the Clunk-Clunk-Clunk of the walk / don't walks?
Are there hydrofoils roaring past on the way to Macau?
Is there anyone in the neighborhood who speaks English?
How many groceries are nearby?
How much is a cab to X from my apartment?

And, one of the most important things, how cheap is a place--really?

One of the things that I found while living in a serviced apartment is that there are many different agents that I could go to find a longer term lease. For example, I lived in Manhattan Heights. I rented from the serviced apartment list, and then, when happy enough with the place, decided to stay and get a long term lease. The agents were more than happy to show me the long term places, with leases around $20,000 a month or so.

But as I walked around Kennedy Town, I found dozens of small agents who were advertising rental property in the building, for considerably less. With the help of a friend who spoke the language, I ended up getting the same apartment (on a different floor) for $14,000 a month.

While having a place all set up via the net / office is nice as it is a bit less of a hassle, you really can gain a lot with a soft landing in a serviced apartment and then a few weeks walking around.