Shatin, Tai po, Mah on shan, or others?

[plas]

Hi all. We (myself, wife, and 3yr old daughter) will be moving to HK in Dec, and in the process of figuring out the best place to rent. I work in Shatin, and would like to stay within 'reasonable' (max 30mins drive during rush hour) distance from my office.

Our budget is around HKD35k, and if possible would prefer a house (3-4bedrooms) rather than apartments.

I have been reading various posts about areas in NT, but some of them are over 2 years old.

Would appreciate any fresh views on the following :

1. which would be the best place to live based on the criteria above?

2. any recommendation on estate agents?

3. any areas to avoid?

Any recommendations, feedbacks, views, would be much appreciated.

thanks.

[Sleuth]

Will you have a car or two?

[plas]

Yes, i plan / hope to have a car while out here.

Thanks.

[er2]

where exactly will your office be? Houses, at least those I've seen (I live and work in Shatin) are often not that great - and often stuck together so that you don't have much in terms of nice view or lawn. One option would be in Tai Wai, there is sort of a 'village' southeast of the train station, but I'm not sure if you can rent an entire house.

I'd not rule out the high rises. You might get some comparably spacious apartment for that money, and a few of them are in quite nice neighborhoods, close to the green, restaurants and schools. If you stay in one of the more modern 'villages' like those along tai po road, it means driving whenever you wanna do something.

Have you been to Shatin before / do you have an idea how things here look like?

[jaykay]

One option would be in Tai Wai, there is sort of a 'village' southeast of the train station, but I'm not sure if you can rent an entire house.

That would be Tin Sam Village. However with a budget of 35K you could have a large 3/4 bed apartment in Shatin Heights which is a more affluent area (low density places) and quite a few expats up there.

[plas]

Hi, yes i have been to Shatin a lot.

As our family is growing, we really rather a house with a garden, instead of an apartment.

One of the key factors for us would be a good pre-school (preferably UK curriculum) for our daughter who is 3+.

Some folks recommended Hong Lok Yuen -- any comments?

thank you.

[maky66]

just my 2 cents
Hong Lok Yuen is sorta high end housing area, well organize zone with decent security, rents is quite pricey as well.
Personally i would suggest Sai Kung. i would say 25 - 30 min drive from Sai kung to Shatin.(once u hit the highway, there is no problem). There is a few pre-school around the zone for ur daughter as well, drivable distance, think there is a new one opening up in September.
Alot of xpat families in the zone, sure u can meet alot of ppl. Now for a house with garden, would depends on ur luck, see if u can find urself a 3 story village house 700 sq. ft each lvl, big enough for kids to run around, and u can get a decent size garden as well, or u can just rent find a decent house in the local Villas. Clearwater Bay would be another good choice for good housing area, but it would be a bit further away from Shatin than Sai Kung.

[Sleuth]

I found Hong Lok Yuen to be really hit or miss. Some houses are well kept-up, others a disaster.

[vam]

Hi all. We (myself, wife, and 3yr old daughter) will be moving to HK in Dec, and in the process of figuring out the best place to rent. I work in Shatin, and would like to stay within 'reasonable' (max 30mins drive during rush hour) distance from my office.

Our budget is around HKD35k, and if possible would prefer a house (3-4bedrooms) rather than apartments.

I have been reading various posts about areas in NT, but some of them are over 2 years old.

Would appreciate any fresh views on the following :

1. which would be the best place to live based on the criteria above?

2. any recommendation on estate agents?

3. any areas to avoid?

Any recommendations, feedbacks, views, would be much appreciated.

thanks.

________________________________________________
Hi there,
With your budget, the best would be an apartment, but since you prefer a house, I would suggest that you do not waste your time looking for it in Shatin or Tai Wai.
I have lived there for 18 years and they have the worst village houses, and at ridiculous prices.
If you want to be no more than 30 minutes from shatin( during rush hour jams), then you should consider Tai Po, Fanling or Sheung Shui.
Tai Po probably has about 2 or 3 places that are decent---Serenity Villa, and Sun Uk Ka. Good security and quiet.
A 700 sq ft apartment in a 3-storey village house would cost about
$8K to $16K.
Serenity Villa is a bit old, but based on my experience, has the best security in terms of village houses in Taipo. The airport bus stop is also just a 2 minutes walk away. And 15-minute walk from train station.

Fanling and Sheung Shui are also good. ( I live in Sheung Shui )

Please make sure that when you talk to your estate agent, tell him that you want a 'brand new' village house apartment.
Some of the new ones, especially in Sun Uk Ka ( Taipo) are really nice with 2 bathrooms too.
The older ones can be quite nasty. Nothing that a little bit of renovation can't fix though.( if you have the time and budget)

Another place to look at would be along the Ma On Shan route on the way to Sai Kung.
There are several villages that offer nice sea views.
Although Sai Kung is nice, houses here can be quite pricey, and the drive can be quite bad on a rainy day or if there is a jam.
Its only minutes from Shatin, but its a winding road and does get jammed sometimes.

Incidentally, I live in a village house in Sheung Shui in a 700' apartment in 3 of the newest blocks here. There are 2 apartments( middle floor that have become vacant recently) --rental HK$7000 !

Good luck

kind regards,
Vam

[Sleuth]

Fanling/Sheung Shui are rather isolated from the rest of expat HK. Yes, you can get to HK Island, but it will take some time. And with a 3 YO and normal bed time/nap routines, it will be even harder to get places.
Tai Po would be my northern limit and only with a car. We looked at a handful of places in Tai Po, but not really practical without a car.