[rrb]

Moving to HK in Jan 06 and have a rental budget of around 25K/month. All the usual things are being considered e.g. rent, location, square footage etc. Working in central so will ideally like to be within a 45 min commute door to door max and ideally around about 700sqft.

Was looking at renting but now considering serviced apartments. Seems you can get some fairly good deals with a newly furnished apartment with all bills, servicing etc included which would save you a but each month if you had to take care of all ths yourself. Only downside I can see is you would probably not get as much space as you would in a rented apartment. Also depending on the lease agreement your probably not tied in as much as you would be with a lease and also you could probably negotiate a better deal over a 12 month period. Would mean a lot less stuff to move over from Lonond and probably would spend a lot less setting up.

Interested to hear thoughts or experiences from others.

Thanks,

RB

[Laughing_Monkey]

Renting is cheaper and more get more for your money in terms of space etc, and youd be amazed at what demands you can make - i.e. from getting a door decorated or asking for extra furniture to asking to have a new shower fitted etc.
On the down side your tied in on a longer contract, have to deal with estate agents and pay fees and have to buy stuff like bedding and cutlery.

With serviced apartments you get them cheaper if you contract to stay for a fixed period - i.e. 12months but otherwise you are contracted a month at a time.

I'd recommend getting a Serviced Apartment for a month to start and using the time to look at a few apartments so u can make an informed decision on whats best.

On your budget you can get something really nice and fairly central - just be aware that the sq. footage that websites or estate agents etc tell you includes the lobby, stairwell, communal areas (i.e. corridors) and lift size so its really no use as a size guide...

[sylvesterjay]

You could get a fantastic place for $25k a month...need a roommate?

[Sazzy]

I have lived in a serviced apartment for about one month now and im getting a bit fed up really - nothing is yours and its difficult to make it homely. Its just like a hotel which is great at first - cleaner etc but now I dont know its just a wierd feeling of wanting something else.

[Laughing_Monkey]

the cleaners get frikkin annoying very quickly

[rrb]

Thanks for your replies. I think the nicities of a serviced apartment would soon be outweighed of the benefits of renting i.e. would prefer to make a place our own with own furniture etc. Sounds like I'm on the hunt for a good property to rent for a few years. Not sure where. Can anyone recommend a good agent or a good starting place? I imagin most of the bigger payers on the web will have the more expesive apartments for rental and might not find any bargains with them. Land early jan so that'll be the best time to start seriously looking.

Thanks for your responses.

[larac]

Check our moveandstay.com. At first I loved the serviced apartment - all new, so clean, costs inclusive so you knew exactly how much money you had but as soon as I moved I realised just how temporary everything felt - like my life was on hold and I am so much happier in my own place.

[Laughing_Monkey]

yerh u really should consider going into a serviced apartment for the first month - this is the kinda place where you need to actually see the apartments first hand before you can make a decision.

Youll find that whateva estate agent u use they will try and offload their worst properties on you first so u have to see a few before they start getting good.

There are a few large firms (chains) and a load of little ones. As far as i can tell not many large ones speak fluent english, with some of the smaller (literally in a cupboard!) sized ones specialising in this - though when you come to sign you'll prob find that the little guys are showing you properties that the large ones haveand youll do all your contractual stuff there.

On your budget you should be able to get a good estate agent - maybe even through a rehousing - relocating firm.

good luck

[kitkat]

i second living in a service apartment for your first month. it took me a little over three weeks to find a place i can call home. you want to explore different areas to see how comfortable it is. ask your company if they have an agent they usually use. the one my company refer me to was pretty cool. he had helped my coworkers before, so he knew what we were used to. good luck!

[vicenta]

I know the perfect agent who I am using her at the moment. She has plenty of apartments for u to see and she's honest. Gloria +85290274288. I've tryed other agents and they always overcharged me, relocators are worse. Tell her I'll give you her number she'll be extra nice.

I am in a serviced aptm. now and I can't wait to leave!