Planning move to HK in Oct. 2010

[JaredHK]

My gut feel is that those agents only rent out expensive places and cannot find the best deals. The best deals come from the smaller local agencies. SO unless you have money to burn, stick to them!

Very True. I have been here over 20 years and have noticed this as well.

[MovingIn07]

Gold Coast looks nice, but we'd have to check out the bus connections as this is really quite important to us.

Where (exactly) are you trying to get to and at what time (s)? I can give you a better feel if I know that.

[hello_there]

Hi all,
Do you have names of efficient expat oriented agents? From what I gather from the replies it might be best for us to at least start from there, as we're not really sure about the area. I've been to HK several times but have only really been in TST, Central, Soho, not in the areas a bit further away.

We used Peninsula Property after several recommendations from friends/ acquaintences that were happy with them. The estate agent didn't show me a single property that was outside of my size/ price criteria and was knowledgeable about the areas. They focus mid-upper range properties on HK island, but also have a number of places in the New Territories. They have fewer properties available in Kowloon, but still might be worth contacting them. At least for the south side of HK island their property listing prices are right in line with the local property agencies and we found them to be a lot less pushy and willing to bring our requests to the landlords.

Peninsula Properties

[bdw]

I would say your gut feel is rubbish. Having been through this recently, and used a selection of local agents and an expat-centric agency I would say you are shown the same properties at the same prices by both.

But Geoff, if I remember correctly, you are living on top of Kowloon station. That is not exactly a local area and for most people it would be out of their price range.

Perhaps, in this 'unique' area and for your particular requirements, going to an expat centric agency worked out about equal as a more local agency.

But maybe in the more broader HK market, an expat focused agency is actually not the best way to go. You just happen to be paying a premium already by choosing the most expensive area on Kowloon.

[campas12]

My gut feel is that those agents only rent out expensive places and cannot find the best deals. The best deals come from the smaller local agencies. SO unless you have money to burn, stick to them!

my company gave me an agent to use- she took me to 20 apts in 2 days. then another 10 over the space of 3 weeks. she worked with me to figure out exactly what i wanted at the price i wanted- i.e. she'd show me a place with an asking price- i told her it was too exp- she'd say if you really like it, it doesn't hurt to put in a low price - she'd also speak to the other agents to see what the landlord was really looking for. at the end of the day i got an apt for 20% asking- based off of what she was telling me- mainly because of her negotiating skills, and knowledge of past landlord reactions/practices.

[Geoff]

But Geoff, if I remember correctly, you are living on top of Kowloon station. That is not exactly a local area and for most people it would be out of their price range.

Perhaps, in this 'unique' area and for your particular requirements, going to an expat centric agency worked out about equal as a more local agency.

But maybe in the more broader HK market, an expat focused agency is actually not the best way to go. You just happen to be paying a premium already by choosing the most expensive area on Kowloon.

Well, we looked at places from North Point to Pok Fu Lam, encompassing Sheung Wan, Kennedy Town as well as various places in Kowloon - Hung Hom, Olympic, Jordan and even some properties in NT.

Just because we ended up in Kowloon, doesn't mean it is the only place we looked.

[fraugenau]

Where (exactly) are you trying to get to and at what time (s)? I can give you a better feel if I know that.

My office will be in TST on Canton Road. I'd probably want to get there between 9 and 10 AM.
My partner won't be working the first 6 months we're there, but will want to explore HK while I'm at work.

[Geoff]

My office will be in TST on Canton Road. I'd probably want to get there between 9 and 10 AM.
My partner won't be working the first 6 months we're there, but will want to explore HK while I'm at work.

My partner was in the same situation - not currently working and she hated living in Gold Coast as it was 45-55 minutes to get to HK island, not including walking time to the bus stop or waiting for the bus in the 95% humidity.

If you want to explore I would recommend somewhere more central, or at least somewhere on an MTR line as that gives you a lot more flexibility and is faster and more comfortable too.

[MovingIn07]

My partner was in the same situation - not currently working and she hated living in Gold Coast as it was 45-55 minutes to get to HK island, not including walking time to the bus stop or waiting for the bus in the 95% humidity.

If you want to explore I would recommend somewhere more central, or at least somewhere on an MTR line as that gives you a lot more flexibility and is faster and more comfortable too.

Oh I see - both of you hated sitting on a bus. Well that explains it.

I really dislike the way you seem to think that ONLY people on an MTR line have any decent transport though. If you'd lived here a bit longer you might have got to know the bus timetables, which reduces the 'standing in the hot sun' considerably, as does knowing where each bus goes without having to think about it.

I can get pretty easily from GC to Airport, Tsing Yi, HK Island, TST, Mongkok/Jordan most places all the way to Tsuen Wan; Tuen Mun and Yuen Long in one bus. 2 buses takes it to Sheung Shui (and anywhere on either KCR line), Sai Kung, Tung Chung and HK South, East and West.

The only places that are a right pain to get to are Mui Wo, DB and the far side of Sai Kung/eastern country parks.

Unless by 'exploring' you mean 'exploring the shops in Central and Times Square' I cannot see what the heck you keep complaining about.

[MovingIn07]

My office will be in TST on Canton Road. I'd probably want to get there between 9 and 10 AM.
My partner won't be working the first 6 months we're there, but will want to explore HK while I'm at work.

The resident bus would take you close to your office then - I believe it drops off on Canton Road. The 8:05am bus is the only one that fits your needs though, and I don't think they have one going back the other way.

Having said that, getting back from Jordan (which depends on how far down Canton Road you are) is very easy, as there are public light buses that leave from there very regularly and take 30 mins.

Getting into work, if you don't want to be disciplined and catch the 8:05am bus, is harder. Although the public light buses do go in the opposite direction, they are much slower (annoyingly so).

Your other options are to connect to the MTR at Tsing Yi or Tsuen Wan or Tsuen Wan West. If your office is close to Austin, then taking the 141 to Tsuen Wan West (15 mins) is much faster and the MTR trip to, say, Austin takes only about 12 minutes (TST East is another 2 mins).

Obviously it all depends on the lifestyle you are looking for. Some folks love GC because it's quite different from many other places - has many of the benefits of DB without the high prices/ lack of cars/high supermarket prices and is nearly as close to Central. I'm much less familiar with Kowloon Tong but I do know it's not on the coast!

Best thing to do is come out and take a look - take public transport out here and you get a feel for what is involved. Sure - it's NOT a 5 min journey to work. But only you know what type of environment suits you best!