Moving to HK this Sept - where to start?

[HK newbie]

Currently living in London and have been looking forward to move to HK for 1 yr now. The date is finally nearing and now I am at lost at where to start..

My fiance got himself transfered to HK. Once arriving in HK he would be busy, leaving me to sort all out on my own.for two of us. For me, it would be a brand new start - a place to rent, where to rent, how to go about with grocery, getting basic needs for the house, visa matters, and finally a job.

On top of that I have a wedding to plan for Dec - and it is not in HK .

I have read quite a number of forums and have somewhat an idea how to go about on the visa matter. However shockingly, cost of living in HK seems way steeper than living in central London.

So before I leave for HK in 5 weeks time, I have so many questions

Accomodation
1. What are the reputable letting agents?
2. Do most accomodation come fully furnished or unfurnished
3. Is it common to have dishwasher and oven?
4. Where is a good place to stay in HK Island which has a good mixture of expat and local?
5. What are the things to lookout for when renting a place - eg next door neighbour? hidden service charges, train services etc?
6. Should i ship my double mattress and bedframe? should i ship my plasma tv, my mini version of a fussball table, my dining table? Would it fit into the new place?

I read so much about small accomodations in HK that it is scaring me. Also the thoughts of whether or not my bedframe would fit through the doors.

Once accomodation sorted .. my concerns then goes to looking for a job.
1) How do one go about looking for a job in HK? Is it usually via online jobsite and which one is the popular one? I was previously an IT Sales Account Manager also with Business Manager and Project managing experience but keen to explore other areas.

2) I have sales and busines development experience in IT, soft skills such as working on deadline, meeting sales target, meeting ppl, speaking to vendors and project delivery are the soft skills which can also be used in Marketing roles. Do most employers look at experience in relevant fields or do they put equal or more emphasis on soft skills?

Other questions that I can't seem to find anyone to answer as I do not have family or friends in HK.
1) Is online grocery shopping common? Do they do delivery to home? If so what is the local grocery shop name?

2) How about basic things like kitchenware, homeware, toilet etc, where do people normally go to buy things like this? Here in the UK, there are John Lewis, Debenhams, BH Homes, Argos and more, how about UK?

3) What should I bring over from UK to HK? What are the things that I can easily get here in UK that is hard to find in HK

4) Is it cheap to buy wine in HK, if so where do I go to buy them?

so many questions and so little knowledge..
can anyone help to get me started in HK.

Thank you

[hongkongperson]

Accomodation
1. What are the reputable letting agents?

Look around. I've found that smaller ones have been more helpful and usually don't list prices as high as bigger chains. However, a smaller independent office is not as likely to have the higher end of the market e.g. 100,000 per month plus...

2. Do most accomodation come fully furnished or unfurnished

Usually unfurnished, and it's better that way. You don't want someone else's choice of (often) bad furniture, and bad furniture layout.

3. Is it common to have dishwasher and oven?

Dishwasher- no.

Oven- no, unless it's a high end property (even then, not always) or has been renovated by someone to fit one in/has space for you to put one in. Hong Kong people don't cook using ovens.

4. Where is a good place to stay in HK Island which has a good mixture of expat and local?

Most of HK island has a mix of expat and local (apart from perhaps on the very eastern side). Pick where you like.

5. What are the things to lookout for when renting a place - eg next door neighbour? hidden service charges, train services etc?

Watch out for future building maintenance (your whole building may be covered in a green kind of fabric and bamboo scaffolding for months- so yes, that means you will be in the dark for months). You want to avoid this is possible (of course).

You can't pick your neighbours or when they may choose to renovate.

Remember to ask your agent whether the rent is all inclusive or exclusive of management fees etc, and the net square footage of a flat (as the gross is never what you actually get- far from it).

6. Should i ship my double mattress and bedframe? should i ship my plasma tv, my mini version of a fussball table, my dining table? Would it fit into the new place?

It depends on how big your new place is..who is paying for your shipping etc....

[luckycat]

I am sure that lots of people will give you suggestions about HK living. I can suggest one thing for you for the wedding (our wedding is also in December in the UK). Get yourself a wedding planner. It is maybe the best thing we have ever done. In the grand scheme of things, they're not a lot of money and they do EVERYTHING. We have a random habit of conceptualising something and then our wedding planner runs off, sources suppliers and materials etc and it manifests into an amazing idea that we can take credit for.

[hongkongperson]

1) Is online grocery shopping common? Do they do delivery to home? If so what is the local grocery shop name?

It's not common, but some stores do it. There are plenty of 'grocery' stores but it depends on what you're looking for. There are also lots of wet markets for fresh fish/veg/fruit etc.

2) How about basic things like kitchenware, homeware, toilet etc, where do people normally go to buy things like this? Here in the UK, there are John Lewis, Debenhams, BH Homes, Argos and more, how about UK?

You have your usual IKEA, department stores (SOGO, wing on, etc) and then you have places like Horizon plaza which is a whole mall dedicated largely to furniture. You do not have JL, Debenhams, Argos (despite it being managed from HK I believe), etc. Argos would be a very odd concept over here...as people can't see the product they are buying.

3) What should I bring over from UK to HK? What are the things that I can easily get here in UK that is hard to find in HK

Bring all the stuff that is 'English' which you would miss. For most people I know this is largely toiletries (e.g. Boots stuff), certain brands of tea bags, milky bars, English cadburys, books, magazines (they cost more here), etc.

I would also recommend stocking up on underwear, and bikinis in the UK. Better selections irrespective of your size.

4) Is it cheap to buy wine in HK, if so where do I go to buy them?

Wine is more expensive here, but you can buy it in wine stores (I like Soho wine because I get to drink wine while I shop for it!) supermarkets, etc, don't worry. ;-)

I don't know anything about IT or sales jobs, so I can't help you there- sorry!

[HK newbie]

Dear Hongkongperson.
Thank you for the elaborate information and your time to pen them down for me. It is indeed helpful.


Can anyone advise me further..

Grocery shopping
1)What are the few popular grocery place ppl mostly go to. What would be like Tesco/Carrefour standard, and what would be like a Waitrose/Selfridges standard? Is Park and Shop in HK like Tesco/Carrefour standard?

Hongkongperson - can you advise what is the grocery/toiletries website for the local. I would like to findout more what i should stock up from UK to HK

2) Is it cheaper to go fresh market for meat/poultry/dairy/vege or to go to grocery shops?

3)Where can I find food like Chorizo/Salami/Pate/Feta Cheese/Pesto sauce in HK- are they easily found?

4) What is the equivalent of Boots in HK?

Accomodation
1) What is the average size and rental for the accomodation around Sheung Wan, Admiralty , Wan Chai, Causeway Bay or Tin Hau

2) or rather What can I with a budget of £2,500/mth in HK Island?

3) Is it true , buying furniture in HK is expensive? I have option to ship my furniture to HK from UK for free but worries if it can fit through the door

[HK newbie]

Thank You Luckycat I do have a wedding planner in hand. Wondering if there is a wedding street or wholeseller for wedding items in HK to get inspirations. Perhaps oriental doorgifts for my wedding guest

[jimbo]

Wellcome and Park N Shop are the big two.
I'd say more comparable to asda to be honest.

Park N Shop international and Taste are more comparable to sainsburys and Tesco.

Comparable to Waitrose, you're looking at Great and City Super and 360.

[HK newbie]

Thanks jimbo. Do they have online websites?

[Satay Sue]

Cold meats and pate can be found at a lot of supermarkets - maybe a better choice would be at Taste, Great, City Super and 360. I've found feta at Wellcomes and Park n Shop. There's also Il Bel Paese, an Italian deli with a cold meats and cheese.
Watsons and Mannings are the closest thing to Boots.

[penguinsix]

Wellcome Delivers
PARKnSHOP – Hong Kong’s Largest Online Grocery Store - - Home Page

Compared to somewhere like the US e-commerce in Hong Kong is basically non-existant. You'll find some sites here and there but nothing as popular as Amazon or other big e-commerce players. A variety of reasons, from the abundance of easy to find items only a few steps away from most homes to the general culture of "no refunds, no returns" making people hesitant to buy without physically seeing an item.