[altralazer]

Good evening guys,

I'm looking for a new appartment; nothing fancy, should be around 350-400sqft.

If possible it shouldn't cost more then 6500.

Browsing on gohome.hk there are A LOT(!!) of offers from "Tsuen Wan Centre". Anybody familir with this estate?

Do you have any other ideas where to live for that money? Office is in Mongkok, very very close to the KCR station.

All I'm basically asking for is that the kitchen looks clean and has hot tap water available; many flats don't seem to have that (my first flat in HK didn't neither but I didn't care back then).

Would you guys, who are living in Tsuen Wan, recommend it to anybody?


Thanks for your input in advance!

[Shanghai38]

You could easily live for that price in Mong Kok.... We had a ~550sqft apartment for ~6k in Mong Kok with about what you want -- good water, clean kitchen and bath, good sized rooms.

Tsuen Wan in general is OK, but the closer to the MTR, the more expensive the apartment. I'd rather live in Mong Kok, close to work, for that price.

[carang]

just talked with one of my hubby's friends who lives in tai po. he and his family live on the first floor of a village house and pay $5,500

[altralazer]

@Shanghai38
When was that? I would love to live in MK but the prices seem to have skyrocketed! Whenever I check the available apartments ads hanging at the agents windows it's like $8000 for 400sqft in an area (close to the footbridge from MTR to Grand Century Place) where there seem to be only old walk up building

[altralazer]

@carang

I was thinking of Shatin and Taipo, some place close to the KCR station. I'm not sure if the villages are close; do you have any info about that?
Thanks!

[er2]

Hi altralazer,

I've just last week finally found a place in Sha Tin for 6200. Generally the market for this price range is really small, especially since in Tai Po (where the price is generally lower) most flats are just too big to fall in this category. Also the village houses are often not walking distance to the station, which makes late night arrivals really cumbersome.

To give you an idea, my flat is tiny (368 sqft gross, which comes down to like 240 actual area, nearly 80 (!) windowsill and the rest being my share of the elevator and the like. Absolutely no furniture except in kitchen/br and no appliances, but fees included. I was looking for nearly four weeks and would say this is as good as it gets right now.

I don't know much about Tsuen Wan, but I can recommend Sha Tin, two direct buses with night lines to Central/ Wan Chai / Aberdeen depart outside my front door, Sha Tin KCR is a 5min minibus or 15min stroll away and I quickly get to the hiking paths too. If you want the contact of my agent (speaks decent english), PM me.

Generally I can only recommend that you do agent-hopping till you find someone whom you trust - most of them just try to make you rent the next best (=lousy) flat that just exceeds your budget by 10% . Websites here help rather little as I had to find out - often the prices are way too low, the usually don't include the management fee and are often intentionally outdated (e.g. go to property.hk, search for golden lion, rent 5000-7500, listing T007505. I looked at that flat 4 weeks ago, was decent, though real price was 6500, and was gone a day later. this flat is still re-listed every day.....)

Good Luck!

[Pekkerhead]

You could try looking at Pan Chung/Pan CHung San Tsuen in Tai Po as the nearest villages to Tai Po Market station.

After that perhaps the Wun Yiu valley area, it has several villages in close proximity - e.g Lai Chi Saan, Ha Wun Yiu, San Uk Ga (San Uk Ga has some new developments just recently completed) - all of which are about a 15 minute walk/5 minute minibus journey from the station.

[artistinhk]

Have you thought about Sai Kung?

We have the ground floor in a village house - really nice, and pay 6500.

OK no MTR but regular buses into Hang Hau.....

[altralazer]

@er2
Sounds good although I was hoping to get around 350sqft net in that area for that money Could you pm me the contact details of your agent?

@Pekkerhead & artistinhk
Ive been living on Lamma for about a year now and just don't feel that muck like living in a village house any more.

My first flat has been in Jordan on Nathan Road, pretty damn good location but hell of a tiny flat (200sqft and I bet that was gross...). I'd like to live in a higher rise with 20 floors at least

Although if it was a old walkup building in Mongkok I wouldn't mind that either!


Pekkerhead, I think I might still go and check out Tai Po this weekend just to get a better picture of that area.

[er2]

Good Luck then - I looked at 20 flats or so and would say if you want 350 net, it'll be either more like 7500, or pretty rundown. Crossing fingers though