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.
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
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.