Like Tree18Likes

July Move: Typical Settlement Questions.

Closed Thread
Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 LastLast
  1. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Char Siu King:
    15k? Not happening.
    $15K is possible for a storey in a village house in the NT.

  2. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Elegiaque:
    Where on earth is this advice coming from?!

    I think you need to be in Hong Kong to start the apartment search and, yes, that will be stressful but I wouldn't recommend committing to any places before you've seen it in person. Most places are not occupied when you see them, so a fast move-in is possible and it helps you negotiate down on the rent. You'd be a desirable tenant if you said you would like to move in next week ($$$).

    Yes, the websites are terrible and don't follow them (only as a little reference to get an idea). I actually highly recommend keeping an eye on the classified sections of this website and the other expat website for property because in my experience I have found dealing with landlords directly is more reasonable than agents -- they are not experienced at inflating the price like agents are, and you may luck out and find another reasonable person who is also trying to save paying 1/2 the agent fee themselves and happy to deal directly with a tenant. Of course this is really down to luck, but I have experienced it. It can also give you a little idea of what's available and more genuine pictures.

    If you're looking for a whole village house, as a Westerner, I think you would have to budget $25-30k, but if you're all right with one floor of a house (like say 2/F + rooftop) then $15k should be ok.

    Why not be honest about the cat? We haven't had problems with having cats and that way it's more straight forward. We have had to make it clear to landlords that the cats only damage our property and are really incapable of damaging anything inside the flat. Actually, I take it back, we didn't have cats and then got one, didn't initially tell our landlord, and then had some difficulties negotiating this with our landlord who wanted a non-refundable $2,000 cleaning fee and an additional $10,000 in deposit. In the end he took the $2,000 but we negotiated out of the extra deposit (because, come on, what damage is a cat going to cause beyond a $44,000 deposit?!), and he also returned our full deposit. So in the end, it was OK. What we found a bit disturbing in this case, is that we got the cats and had them without telling the landlord yet, and somehow he found out. We really didn't like that somehow someone knew what was in our apartment and told him. *shudder* I think it's perhaps best to be honest and friendly about this, or else the landlord can use it as an excuse later on to take all of your deposit. New place, no problems and in fact we got some nice screens for our flat ("to help protect the cats"). We have a relatively safe rooftop for our cats to go on and they really enjoy it.

    Paying the initial agent fee and deposits and first month's rent is a real financial killer, especially before you start receiving your HK salary. Hope you'll be ok in this regard!

    It's actually very easy to buy a lot of good second hand furniture and everything else you'll need from the classifieds. When people move out of the country you can buy a lot of things in one go. You can use an app called GoGoVan or EasyVan to arrange an English speaking van driver who is in the area. The costs depends on the distance and if you need help with carrying or request at peak times, and you'll know the price when you book. The cost is not much more than a taxi (maybe 20-30% more the cost of a tax?), and it's actually one of the few HK startups that gets things right! You pay the driver in cash.
    Elegiaque, I have to say you are a very lucky man indeed!

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652
    Quote Originally Posted by locust.fund:
    $15K is possible for a storey in a village house in the NT.
    plus $1.5K to park your car

  4. #14

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Tuen Mun
    Posts
    2,074

    I think locust.fund's experience has made him/her overly cynical about real estate here!

    My own experience - the very first time I was flat-hunting here I had a local colleague help me communicate with estate agents; since then I've done everything myself. I'd just say yes, you do need to be on the ground here - do NOT trust websites. As mentioned above, things move quickly here; it's no use looking at something a month in advance. Just let the agents know your requirements, and be firm about not looking at places that are outside your budget or where you cannot keep your cat (yes, I would be honest about the cat).

    I have rented from both private landlords and through estate agents (this is over 16 years out of the last 30), and had a lot less trouble here than I did in my native Australia.

    Re banking - it's true that international reporting requirements in places like the USA and EU have put a lot of extra hurdles up for opening accounts, but the one piece of advice I can give is that you don't *have* to bank with a Big Name Overseas. You can equally well open an account somewhere like Wing Hang, Bank of China HK, Standard Chartered or many others - all of which have relationships with other banks around the world, and otherwise compare favorably with Citi or HSBC.


  5. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by locust.fund:
    $15K is possible for a storey in a village house in the NT.
    I guess you're right.

    Sounds terrible though.

    3rd world housing.

  6. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Char Siu King:
    I guess you're right.

    Sounds terrible though.

    3rd world housing.
    Not necessarily. Haha.
    Char Siu King likes this.

  7. #17

    Thanks again for all the comments!

    To be clear, I've just been looking online to see the types of housing on offer, typical arrangements, layouts, and inclusions etc. Based on what people have said and quoted on village houses in these forums, a 2nd floor + roof (6-700sqft) seems doable for about $15K +/- budget. Also not opposed to other buildings with a private rooftop terrace. If someone has info on specific price ranges for those areas that would be great! If anyone can recommend an agent or agency in the Tai po - Ma On Shan area, I would really appreciate it.

    So is there any consensus on disclosing a pet? It seems like an opportunity for landlord to just ask for more rent for nothing, as a cat isn't going to tear up a fridge, stove, or concrete slab, there is no risk to the owner (unless there's fabric furniture included).

    As far as banking goes I'm fine with local banks, I just thought for simplicity's sake, opening an account with a bank here that also has branches in HK would ease the transition and help get my salary advances quickly.

    Cheers


  8. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Terreneuve:
    So is there any consensus on disclosing a pet? It seems like an opportunity for landlord to just ask for more rent for nothing, as a cat isn't going to tear up a fridge, stove, or concrete slab, there is no risk to the owner (unless there's fabric furniture included).
    Put yourself into the property owner's shoes and you might think otherwise.

    (Most of the apartments I rent out didn't come with furniture, just FYI)

    Anyhow, I guess we have given you the pros and cons regarding the disclosure. What you ultimately will choose to do with your cat is up to you at this point.

  9. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by locust.fund:
    Put yourself into the property owner's shoes and you might think otherwise.

    (Most of the apartments I rent out didn't come with furniture, just FYI)

    Anyhow, I guess we have given you the pros and cons regarding the disclosure. What you ultimately will choose to do with your cat is up to you at this point.
    I am a home owner, so I am in a property owner's shoes .

  10. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Terreneuve:
    I am a home owner, so I am in a property owner's shoes .
    Well in that case, put yourself into an asian owner's multi-million dollar shoes, and think again.