[asiancat]

hey brainy....

i'm new to this too.....

and guess what? i'm moving to hong kong too!! right now, my employer is processing my visa.

i'm not sure whether this is true, but i think, this visa process takes a while to complete. my employer submitted mine in december and there's still no news whether it's successful. just don't think too much about it. i always believe that if it's yours, it's yours.

i am really curious about your apartment, as i am also looking for a place to stay. i noticed that apartments in hong kong are small and expensive compared to singapore. (i grew up in singapore, you see). of course, there are nice & big ones, but it's way above my budget.

[littlenun]

hello brainy babe,

if the rent's as low as HK500, do be wary of the type of building and the sort of residents there. while searching for our apartment, the agents did advise that the rent in some buildings are dirt cheap because there are prostitutes who service clients in those apartments. It wouldn't be a comfortable environment for you I would imagine.

To give you an idea if you search hard enough:

We found one in Kennedy Town and are surrounded by all the conveniences imaginable. Local and expat and wet supermarkets, bus services to Central, MacDonald's, pharmacy, watsons, restaurants and local food joints, photo developing services, easy access to cabs (it's just 5 minutes to Central without the traffic), among a host of other things, & all within walking distance. It's a rather local area, but there are expats living there too. Area's very convenient especially if you're on your own and don't wanna venture too far out to get grocery or meals.

My fiancee and I are renting our non-serviced apartment (approximately 500sqft) in La Maison Du Nord at HK10000 a month. It's fully furnished (having been a showflat) it's got a washing machine, refridgerator & stove. It's a relatively new building with 3 apartments on each floor.

So far, the location and abode is pretty comfy. There were some at Western Mid-Levels going as low as HK7000 last November. The apartments are pretty old, but the location should be convenient enough to Central. And there are many expats in that area.

If you don't speak a word of Cantonese like me, you'd prolly feel pretty homesick if you stayed in too local an area where no one speaks English.

If you're lucky, you might find a serviced studio apartment prolly about 300sqft with a bathroom for about HK5000 a month that's close to Central.

Good Luck!

[timklip]

Originally Posted by brainy babe

Hello Fly!

No, it's for $500 HK a month! I'm serious. Just to prove this to you, look at the classifieds and find Po Tin Building. I checked it 5 times just to be sure! ;-)

I know exactly which building you're speaking of. It's Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun North. It is a government estate for newly arrived immigrants only, for them to settle in until they find work and better housing elsewhere. In fact, my gf still has a flat there, tho she lives with me now (we use it for storage). Her rent is $330 per month (yes, that's three hundred and thirty) and the flat is about 130 square feet (i call it the prison cell!). Basically you get a 8x10 foot living/sleeping area, a bathroom about the size of an airplane bathroom, and a kitchen about 5x8 feet. There are larger ones with a separate bedroom for those families of 6or 7!
If you're an expat, there is NO CHANCE you will be allowed to live there, since you're qualifications depend on your income level...this place is meant for the absolutely impoverished!

[coolgirl]

Your dual citizenship should not matter - I think it will be okay to report just one...

Im Filipina and I know what you mean when you say youd rather shop than pay for rent! That's what my sentiments were, or more exactly, before I saw the apartments here! They can be pretty old and hideous, and sometimes borderline gross - if the budget is too low... this is the case if you have a small budget and want to be in the city (which happens in most countries anyways)

So I ended up in Kennedy Town - moderate rent (or even cheap by Midlevels standards!) Or you might want to consider the NT near the Tung Chung/MRT lines.

PM me if you have anything I can help you with.

[coolgirl]

Originally Posted by HKFella

I expect it will be more straightforward for your application to be on the strength of Canadian citizenship.

dont think so... Im a Filipino citizen and got my visa within 2-3 weeks...

[faguo]

Check Following Web Site, and you will have a idea of the rent depending of the location:
http://www.gohome.com.hk/english/home.asp?

In Hk a Very good rent price is 10 time the Surface in Square Feet.
E.g: 500 Square feet at 5000 Hks is Good.

I used to rent a 900 Square Feet in Sai Ying Poon, Just Between Kennedy Twon and Sheung Wan, Li SING Street for 7800 HK$.

Before that I was In WongTaiSin, Fung Wong Sun Chuen And was renting a 700 Square Feet for 5800Hk$ with View on Lion Rock.
(8 minutes to a MTR)

Each Time went to a locate agent & negociate the deposit.
For my first flat I did not even have My Working permit & Did negociate only one month Deposit.

Good Luck in your search.