Another where to live question!

[bryant.english]

With those requirements I'd try Sham Tseng. It's on the coast, with access to beaches, 30 mins to central on a 962B, various accomodation available and some nice outdoor restaurants there. Also great mountain views and access to hiking - does that count as "different"? And you'd have money to spare (alot) on your budget.

It's not, however, a traditional expat destination nor is it that close to the "clubbing" areas. If that's what you want, perhaps somewhere like Sheung Wan would suit better.

Personally I'd save the fortune and go for Sham Tseng but that's just me!

Sham Tseng is an interesting little place with a nice village feel to it. I found myself there by accident a few months ago and had a lovely lunch with my son in a western style cafe there. As Tuen Mun Highway bypasses it you tend to race passed it many times without really knowing it's there. I still need to get there for the goose!!!

[penguinsix]

If I had a 4 or 5 br I'm sure I'd find a use for them as well. To each his own and glad you are enjoying those spaces instead of the crackerboxes out there.

As for "far more" I guess I should stand corrected. It sure seemed that way when we were searching but to be more accurate I just did a quick search and found "far more" might be an overstatement.

Over the last 90 days on Gohome I found (across all over HK, not just HK Island or the areas mentioned)

2br <$50k 90days
7,014 / 227

3br <$50k 90 days
6,345 / 1,746

4br, <$50k 90 days
512 / 336

While technically there are slightly more 2brs than 3brs (the first number is total units available) when you add the OP's criteria of size of at least 1200 sq feet you'll see there are actually far more 3brs than 2brs, although a >1,200 2br seems pretty rare so the numbers are a tad skewed.

The point I was trying to get at was more as to whether there was a specific need or desire for a 3br (den, guests, storage) or whether they were just sort of going by what they had before they moved over. We moved from a spacious 5br place to HK and got a 3br on the assumption we'd have guests or that the kids needed the extra room. But it has turned out it would have been far cheaper to just put the guests in a hotel than to pay the extra in rent and the kids ended up sharing a bunk bed and are more than happy living that way. We've actually been quite surprised how downsizing from our larger place to a smaller one has gone, so much so that we're seriously considering a 2br for our next place.

Of course your mileage may vary, but it might be worth considering.

Good luck with your search.

[Simes]

thanks for all your replies...

the 3 bed thing was as a result of 1 bed to sleep in, 1 as a music room (for my little hobby) and 1 for visitors...though i guess the visitor and music thing could double up, but from what i see in HK, every bedroom is TINY!!

Actually my requirements have changed slightly and now I really should be on HK Island, so will look at Pok Fu Lam I think as I really want that sea view!! A 2 bed in Pok Fu Lam (at a decent size - need at least a 'real' 1,200 sq ft) should be available at my budget?

And also - what's the deal with the sq ft measurements....looking at photos I can guarantee that almost every flat is significantly smaller than stated!! Do advertisers just lie?

I've been to HK a few times, but only ever as a business visitor...never really looked in terms of living there...of course will be doing a recon trip in the not so distant.

[MovingIn07]

The Sq Ft is gross - which includes your share of stuff like lift wells and (if provided) club houses. The newer places have more of the club houses etc so the actual sq ft can be MUCH less than indicated (about 70% or so) whereas older places with just a small lift well are much more efficient so you could get up to 90% sometimes. You have to look and see. It's a HK thing. The other "HK thing" you should be aware of is that photos ARE doctored. If you ever look at the website for the Gold Coast (where I live, which I why I note this one in particular) you see that it looks like all the boats in the marina are in the sea and there is nothing obstructing the view, and that there appears to be a lovely grassy path all through the complex. All are lies. The boats in inside a tyhoon shelter, there is Pearl Island, and entire housing development with high rises out past that and the "grassy path" is actually a tarmaced road coloured green! Unbelievable. Just bear in mind if you are looking at any printed ads for anywhere.

[Skyhook]

thanks for all your replies...

the 3 bed thing was as a result of 1 bed to sleep in, 1 as a music room (for my little hobby) and 1 for visitors...though i guess the visitor and music thing could double up, but from what i see in HK, every bedroom is TINY!!

Actually my requirements have changed slightly and now I really should be on HK Island, so will look at Pok Fu Lam I think as I really want that sea view!! A 2 bed in Pok Fu Lam (at a decent size - need at least a 'real' 1,200 sq ft) should be available at my budget?

And also - what's the deal with the sq ft measurements....looking at photos I can guarantee that almost every flat is significantly smaller than stated!! Do advertisers just lie?

You'll find that the newer an apartment is, especially the case with apartment complexes that also have a fair percentage of their allocated land usage dedicated to club houses, the smaller they will be compared to older versions or those that don't have club house facilities. Older apartments that were constructed during the late 70's to 80's are around the 80 - 90% efficient of their floor area useage, compared to newer apartment complexes of the last 10 years that can get to as low as 60% - 70%,, the rest wasted on grand public foyers and club houses etc.

Average bedroom sizes in Hong Kong newer apartment complexes are smaller than the average Australian home bathroom, I supplied a photo of our bathroom in Aus lol for reference, just to get a bit of perspective.

Pok Fu Lam definitely has apartment complexes which are of an older design, which have MUCH larger bedrooms, as will Shouson hill, Stanley etc where average bedroom sizes are around 14 ~16m2, where master bedrooms are around 16 - 20m2. Kitchens will also be a lot bigger also, around 2 to 3 times larger than the current crop of modern shoe boxes.


Definitely take a look at Baguio villas and Scenic Villas if you want apartments with western sized bedrooms, Kitchens and a lot more usable space. Sea views wont be a problem here, and a lot of expat couples/families tend to live in these complexes, so you should be right as rain re budget. When dealing with real estate agents, make sure you hammer the point home to them that you want a revamped/modernised flat that has modern kitchen and bathroom features, there will be a percentage of flats that have been updated, which is what you should aim for. Avoid tired rental flats that have only ever received a coat of paint between tenants with pretty tired fittings.

Shri is your best man regarding comment about what expected rental prices in this area are at the moment, as he lives in PFL, and what to expect in the area regarding local facilities.

Also if you want extra club facilities you can always join the Hong Kong Cricket club, http://www.hkcc.org/main.html (lots of Aussie members ) which has excellent facilities, is reasonably priced to join and a lot more interesting socially than the rote bland typical generic apartment supplied clubhouse, that feels like a school library.. My opinion of course, but there is better out there that you can join privately, if you wish.