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  1. #21

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    13,099
    Original Post Deleted
    I am - hence, I'm not finding anything easily.

    I'm living in a very desirable location with open racecourse views.

    But lets face it, Happy Valley is a very expensive neighborhood.
    I'm hoping that something in a bit downmarket area, combined with some graveyard view or a death or 2 would be able to save me some $$$

    What I'm finding is that in the downmarket areas, large flats are extremely few and far in between...

  2. #22

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    13,099
    Quote Originally Posted by Elegiaque:
    What about these old industrial buildings that have (illegally?) been turned into residential apartments in Chai Wan?
    I have looked at those and those are the only thing that comes close to what I want. If I was single, I'd go for it but with 3 kids, the possibility of getting kicked out is not one I want to deal with...
    Does this mean a significantly undermarket-valued property is going to become available soon?
    Probably not. I dont think I will be able to find very much
    Quote Originally Posted by Proplus:
    Under 40k is going to be a tough one, especially on the island side and walkable distance to the MTR.
    Thats what I'm seeing too. That size requirement makes it very very tough. The only thing I'm finding with those sizes are expensive newly built stuff. Old ones dont seem to exist at those big sizes.

  3. #23

    annapajama

    Welcome to Hong Kong! I hope you love it as much as we do. We have lived in Happy Valley, Mid level, and the Peak all in places paid for by employer. A few years ago we decided to buy and now live in Kennedy Town. (Tai Pak Terrace) WE LOVE IT! It has some very nice, new buildings ( we are not in one of those lol) and still has a real local feel. Bus, MTR, escalator, lots of local places to eat and lots of expat western places as well. Easy to get anywhere from here. Hubs office is far but hoping on the red top express bus he gets there fast. I have a couple of friends who like that they get a big flat in North Point for less than you would pay for a flat that size in many paces. But, I love living in Kennedy Town!
    Good luck and enjoy this wonderful city!


  4. #24

    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    6,531

    Unfortunately, I find it hard to imagine someone saying they love living in Kennedy Town if they're left to renting out of their own pocket at today's market prices. It sounds like you got lucky, being able to buy before the foreign-buyer tax was imposed and perhaps before housing prices increased even more in KT. Perhaps I've just become too cynical about living in a 350 sq/ft apartment in an overcrowded city...


  5. #25

    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Hong Kong
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    2,267

    It really depends on what rocks your boat. There are some area in Wanchai similar to Kennedy town, like Star street or stone nulla in terms of restaurant. Kennedy town is wide, more space to walk around and less people. Close to the sea side but then it's all concrete. With the MTR prices have increased a lot and most bar/restaurant are getting more expensive.

    Wanchai, it really depends of where you live like other people said, The flat close to Kennedy road are a lot more quiet like Phoenix court etc.... Hennessy road on the other end is super busy and noisy.

    North Point, I stayed in a hotel there for 1 month, it's quite crowded, I didn't really like the area, flats are cheaper but you're quite far away and MTR is crowded most of the time. There are also a lot of Chinese tour stay in the area at night blocking the street which can be annoying.

    My advise is go around and see if you like the area, try going at different times in the day, like time you would expect to go home after work and during the day in the week. Wanchai in the evening is okish, during the day it's a lot busier and crowded. K town is pretty much ok most of the time


  6. #26

    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Ex Sai Kunger Sunny Qld for now
    Posts
    8,318

    A friend of ours moved to Wan Chai a little over a couple years ago, falling for the HK Island hype,while warning him that he's going to likely get a savage rent hike at the end of his lease.. Yeah yeah he said.... He recently got slugged with a 40% rent hike and couldn't find anything big enough for the price he was paying in the usual ' convenient ' locations. In the end, he rented a 3 bedroom plus maids nook flat in Chai Wan for the same money he was previously, but he's not happy about it.

    It didnt matter previously when he was single, but it definitely gives you the shits when married with kids if your salary is not likely to increase in accordance with rental increases, or goes way beyond your company paid housing allowance cap.

    Kinda takes the fun out of paying low income tax, when comfortable/spacious accommodation ends up consuming such a large % of your net income. At least back home, sure you might have paid more tax, but at least you were very comfortable and were proud of what you lived in....

    Hopefully domestic rentals start to dive like some of the larger commercial properties have of late with drops of 40% being given. Only time will tell. Doesnt seem to be a shortage of silly duffers who are willing to pay the price of a HK Island address, so wouldnt hold my breath.

    Last edited by Skyhook; 03-11-2015 at 05:14 PM.

  7. #27

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Sarcasm - because beating the crap out of people is illegal
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    14,622
    Quote Originally Posted by HowardCoombs:
    I am - hence, I'm not finding anything easily.

    I'm living in a very desirable location with open racecourse views.

    But lets face it, Happy Valley is a very expensive neighborhood.
    I'm hoping that something in a bit downmarket area, combined with some graveyard view or a death or 2 would be able to save me some $$$

    What I'm finding is that in the downmarket areas, large flats are extremely few and far in between...
    So much of the older property stock is being re-developed. Look at Wanchai, particularly the southern part. It's unrecognisable.
    HowardCoombs likes this.

  8. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Proplus:
    This is one of the most uninformative and misleading post I've seen.

    To highlight the 3 mentioned areas in just a few words is either showing you are lazy or really don't know the areas all that well, and judging about what you wrote about Wanchai, it's most probably the latter.

    As mentioned by the previous poster Wanchai is a big area. Yes there are one or two streets that are a bit seedy, but you will find a variety of living standards their; from illegally divided flats, local families who have lived there for generations to nice studio flats, serviced apartments and mid-high end apartments. Some parts of Wanchai are much older dating back that he colonial days, with some of these flats having been modernised internally and every so often these can be gems to find.

    Apart from the newer plusher apartments, most of the remainder housing in Kennedy Town are much older. If you're willing to walk a little bit to the newer MTR station, rent prices are quite attractive. My best mate just recently rented an apartment approximately 700sq ft up the hill on Sands Street for $16k. It's still one of the 'upcoming' areas in which more and more expats are moving in, so that's why you'll find more Western eateries popping up amongst the more traditional local ones.

    As for good deals, there's plenty about, you just need to look for them and having to will to hunt them down. Get yourself down to the areas and find one which you like the feel of. Then look for local estate agents nearby. The place I'm living in are a great deal, and I've found places for colleagues and friends in Prince Edward, Tai Hang, Causeway Bay, Kennedy Town and Soho that are great deals as well.
    Hi Proplus, do you have any recommendations for real estate agents covering Soho / Central in particular? Cheers, Fab

  9. #29

    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Tsim Sha Tsui
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    3,963

    Just go down to the area itself and look for the local estate agents.


  10. #30

    Join Date
    Dec 2011
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    Tsim Sha Tsui
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    Howard, I just briefly saw on FB a listing for a flat in Chai Wan, a converted warehouse, 2200sq ft, 2 bedrooms for $22k. I didn't catch which street it was on.

    HowardCoombs and Elegiaque like this.