Like Tree31Likes

Victoria Gardens, Pok Fu Lam?

Closed Thread
Page 3 of 5 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 LastLast
  1. #21

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Sai Kung
    Posts
    8,561

    our house never rented for 12k. my aunt lived in it for 7 years before we did, she paid 15k. we paid 16.8 for the first contract, 17.8k for the second and now 20k for the 3rd. no one in the village is shy about what they pay. none of us want to pay more than necessary.

    the folks in front of us are paying 25k. they are the newest to the village, but the l/l did a lot of renovations and repairs before they moved in. our l/l has done NOTHING except change broken air cons and replace our moldy, falling apart kitchen counters in 5 years.

    but i agree with the idea that one person pays more, then they think everyone should.


  2. #22

    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    1,107
    Quote Originally Posted by MrsDizzy:
    Our initial thoughts go something like this;

    With new jobs and all the added pressure, we'd be better off living close to the two schools, regardless of cost and desirability. Given that we have two young children, being close and not commuting might give us more time to actually break them in gently to their new circumstances and surroundings. We don't want to or in fact need to accrue a vast fortune. We will be in HK to experience something different not put down roots or build an empire. My wife already commutes an hour along the busiest stretch of motorway in the UK and would rather not have to replicate that in HK. Meanwhile I cycle for 45 minutes along a canal and would rather not own a car.
    re: your commute, you might (as is the case with my wife) have access to the school's bus service (at least in the morning) as a possible door to door solution....
    be sure to ask the school...

    Sent from my GT-I9000 using GeoClicks Mobile
    MrsDizzy likes this.

  3. #23

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Sai Kung
    Posts
    8,561

    ps> we are still the cheapest in the village.


  4. #24

    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    5,044

    Have a look at Kennedy Town as well. I agree with the others, you need to be in the area as it easier to manage playdates and after school activities.

    carang and MrsDizzy like this.

  5. #25

    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    5,044
    Quote Originally Posted by Satay Sue:
    I should have added, landlord is Chinachem, so yes totally relevant. There were 6 flats available , they wouldn't do basic repairs to any of them other than damaged paintwork. All had bathrooms in dire need of repair. Quote: "toilet seats are very cheap, you can repair yourself."
    Friends who have moved to Victoria Gardens have hired contractors to repair their units.

  6. #26

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Kent, England
    Posts
    6,728
    Quote Originally Posted by rani:
    Friends who have moved to Victoria Gardens have hired contractors to repair their units.
    Exactly. So they had to pay themselves? Underscores my point which was that if the LL won't do a simple repair before moving in then what happens when something does go really wrong?
    I also forgot to say, we had viewed online before arriving in HK and had put it at the top of the list as it looked great. We found the photos were not indicative of the general condition of the two buildings. They were shabby and in major need of updating.
    MrsDizzy likes this.

  7. #27

    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    54

    Many heartfelt thanks to you all! It really is a comfort to know that people are willing to listen and discuss the pros and cons of such a move.

    We've decided to try to get out to HK in order to do a reconnaissance mission over Easter (I'm currently sorting out flights) I thought they'd be a catch to Victoria Garden and did "google earth" the twin towers and area around Consort Rise. Looked OK but only OK, if you catch my drift. A couple of properties in Crown Terrace looked a bit better but I think we'll just have to suck it and see, as the kids will definitely be a bigger priority. We contacted a potential kindergarten in Pok Fu Lam, called Big Foot, with a view to having a look around at Easter, as although my six year old gets priority for a place and 80% discount at Kennedy School, we don't get any assistance with my little girl.


  8. #28

    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Posts
    1,966

    Baguio Villa has small apartments of about 1,000 sq ft, which are being rented for $35,000 all inclusive. The place is only 5-7 minutes drive from Kennedy school. Also you can catch the school bus in the morning.

    MrsDizzy likes this.

  9. #29

    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Posts
    4,821
    Quote Originally Posted by Oldtimer:
    Baguio Villa has small apartments of about 1,000 sq ft
    Er, 1000 sq.ft puts them in the biggest 6% of apartments in HK - they are not "small"!

    (Source: http://www.rvd.gov.hk/doc/en/statist...cs_table_7.xls Class D&E are 100sq.m and up, A,B,C are below 100sq.m)
    Last edited by Gruntfuttock; 12-02-2013 at 10:58 PM.

  10. #30

    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    54

    Thanks for the info on Baguio Villas. Had seen them but they seemed to offer less value for money. Of course that means they're probably of a higher standard than Victoria Garden.

    On a separate note, we booked our flights yesterday and will be in HK from the 3rd to the 9th of April. Tried to get a room at the much heralded T Hotel in Pok Fu Lam but unfortunately, no dice!

    In line with rental accommodation, hotels don't seem cheap! We would kind of like to check out Lantau Island from a commuting point of view, so were looking at finding a hotel or guest house there. Trip advisor had one or two but we weren't that inspired, in terms of price and/or quality.