Yong family moving to HK

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geoyoungdaddy

Registered User
Hello everyone!!!


We're moving to HK in Oct.-Nov., have 2.5 son. We like DB (been there once), but still want to choose other place, because of the transport and we find DB a bit isolating. We are living in Shanghai for 6 years already, in the city center, so it's not a problem for us.

We like sports, shopping, going out (on week-ends), active way of life!
The office location is for us to choose, perhaps kindergarten would the most important factor (see that it might be a problem)... Budget 20-25K.

We've started to look in Hung Hon and Kowloon Tong (because of many pre-schools, etc.), but feel like people (expats) are more into South side of the HK Island (Aberdeen, Stanley, Repulse Bay, etc.).. or am I wrong?

Please advise us, where we might find ourselves the best choice for living, for kid and for work, according to written above.

Thnx a lot!

Best Regards to everybody!!!
 
I live in the gold coast, which is nea Tuen Mun in New Territories. My son is 5 and daughter is 9 months.

I didnt want to live in the city with young kids so that is why we chose here. there is a club house with Tennis courts, Gym, squash courts, restaurants, bars a market place and many outdoor play areas, footbll pitch etc and it is a 5 minute walk to the beach from here.

There are shuttle buses to the MTR stations and also shuttle buses into central which take 30 minutes.

My son will be going to Hong Lok Yuen school, which will be a 30 - 40 minute bus ride, but the school provide the buses and there are also buses to most of the schools in Kowloon Tong from here, that will pick up outside your apartment building.

If you need any information please feel free to mail me but you can also get information on www.goldcoast.com.hk.

Good luck with your move.
 
If you are going for international schools/system, I think living on in Quarry Bay might be a good option (or anything east of it on the blue MTR line). Many of the good international schools are in North Point or have a campus there, and housing is less expensive in the Quarry Bay area. If you live off the MTR line, it's a straight shot to Central and all the nightlife you enjoy.

If you find yourself liking Kowloon Tong or Hung Hom, however, I wouldn't let that stop you from living there! We live in Kowloon Station, which admittedly is a bit closer as it is just one MTR stop from Central, and have never had any issues living in Kowloon and going out on the HK side. There are a lot of expats in this area, actually, since the ICC is here and there is a lot of available housing (not so affordable tho!)

And by the way, we also lived in Shanghai for 2 years before moving to HK. It's quite different, but a lot of advantages from SH.
 
Thank you for the info!

From what've seen in the Forum and other properties websites, for HK side would be interesting to have a look at:

- ssheng advised - East Side of the Island,
- maybe Repulse Bay (though it seems a bit too expensive...)
- maybe also Deep Water Bay or Aberdeen?

Other places seem to be either isolated or too crowded and noisy (like mid-levels).


Kowloon side would be interesting to see:

- Kowloon Station - The Arch, The Harbourside, The Waterfront, Sorrent (accoring to hongkonghomes.com prices also seem a bit too high, but still worth having a look)

- Hung Hom
Laguna Verde, Royal Peninsula, Whampoa Garden

- Tai Kok Tsui

Island Harbourview, One Silver Sea, Park Avenue

- and some properties in Kowloon Tong would be nice to see also


What do you think is the best choice from above? Or if I have missed something (sure did!)...

More advices will be appreciated very much!


Thank you!

Regards to everyone!
 
I would consider Tsueng Kwan O area as well, some nice new buildings with great facilities for a reasonable price. Great value for money. I like Ocean Shores, Residence Oasis and Metrotown for example... OS is my favourite though...

And the good thing about that area is that it's pretty convenient both to the island and also to Kowloon Tong etc.
 
aberdeen is hardly quiet and subdued... to me, it is a rather run-down/older area with a lot of high rises, road & water traffic and not much else. wouldn't consider it, myself.

you have given absolutely no idea of budget, which is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY important. we could suggest areas until we are blue in the face, but without an idea of budget, it is a waste of time.

repulse bay/stanley/shouson hill are (to my way of thinking) ridiculously expensive.

mid-levels is crowded (but so is most of hk island) and expensive, but very convenient.

all-in-all hk is a very convenient place. distances are short, so that even if you need to take a taxi, it doesn't cost ridiculous amounts...
 
One thing to also note - the quoted sizes of apartments you are seeing can be misleading. If you are looking at a new building and it says, for example, 1000 sq ft., that is likely to take into account a rather sizable clubhouse which has a gym, pool, squash courts, entertainment rooms, children's center, etc. Therefore, the actual size of the flat could actually be as much as 30% smaller!

If you look at older buildings, they generally do not have such big clubhouses, so the quoted sq ft is much closer to the actual sq ft. That is why it's important to go check out a lot of flats. Some people really like the clubhouse and it's worth it to have such facilities (also you can often meet a lot of parents and friends for your kid when you have a children's area).

Btw, I mentioned the north eastern side of HK Island around Quarry Bay due to close proximity to some good schools and your budget, which I think is 20-25K a month. However, it is a bit dirtier and fewer expats as well. So there are definitely always compromises - depends on your priorities. You mentioned checking out Kowloon Station and that's where we live - we really like it, but for your budget I think you would need to focus on Sorrento or the Waterfront, as these have better rent prices, and also pick a lower floor with an interior facing view as a compromise for getting more space.
 
Yes. Budget is 20-25 K.

Would like to have 120 m2 (around 1200-1300 sq.f., right?) – actual size.

We love sport/fitness, our kid loves swimming pools.

Yes, newer building would be better, but 1999-2002 also look acceptable I think. Do not like dirty places.

Ssheng, are there any kindergartens around the Kowloon station? Where do you usually take your kids out in the daytime and evenings?

Seems, like Hung Hom, Mid-Levels, “Far North” are more affordable for us…, though will never consider Mid-Levels and the New Territories I guess… I will get crazy soon, really need to fly there by ourselves and see everything in reality! But still need to make the “worth looking” list, otherwise we’ll just waste a lot of time.

It is wanted to be all in one, not noisy and not too crowded, but not isolated and with shops and restaurants beside, we like sea, and fitness and pools, like going out on week-ends, and also need a kindergarten not far, convenient transportation… looks like I am dreaming :-)
 
AmyH's suggestion fits the bill for all your conditions.
20-25K will get you a furnished A-apartment with sea views (all rooms - living and 3 bedrooms) at the Gold Coast. There are buses going to many schools from the GC.

There's also Tsing Yi (4 stations from Central/HK Island). Sea views, size that you want and well connected to schools. The newest complex is above the train station. We had a look recently and it was quite nice.

You're not going to get the size you want at Kowloon Station for that budget. Definitely not a sea view - maybe a sliver of a sea view. Olympic station perhaps but don't think you'll get a decent sized apartment.

We had been apartment hunting and the current rental prices are still crazy.
 
geoyoungdaddy,

You are not dreaming. What you need exists if you look for it.

My husband and I had pretty much the same thoughts when looking for a place. I chose to live in Laguna Verde, Hung Hom in the end. It took me 2 months of daily flat hunting to make my decision. It is very near hubby's work which is in Tsimshatsui. There's Anfield Kindergarten downstairs. Transportation is extremely convenient. There is a bus station below my block with buses to TST or a minibus to Kowloon station or Hung Hom station. There's a ferry which goes directly to Central and Wanchai.

There's a market closeby, a huge park n shop in Whampoa Garden as well as a cinema, bowling, lots of kindergartens to choose from and playgrounds for the kids.

I have a 3 bedroom 1,300+ flat and I pay 26,000 a month.

I looked at about 20 flats a day for 2 months including Christmas day! Its definitely hard work but with a little perseverance you will find the perfect place for you and your family. Good luck!
 
To get all the facilities, 120m actual size and close to all the amenities you need to double your budget or move further away like the ladies above suggest. We looked at Kowloon station a year ago and a 3 bedroom flat, mid floor, no sea view and the size 1100 sq feet minus probably 30% was 43000/ I know the prices have increased since. If you want clean. convenient and with lots of facilities for the kids DB seems to be the option or Gold Coast if you don't mind a comute. HK appartments tend to be on a smaller side even if their are 3 bedrooms.Hope this helps

Also maybe you should look at Kennedy Town (not far from Central, green and cheaper than Mid Levels or Pukfulam. But as I said anywhere on the island you would need to up the budget.
 
Thank you all people!!

BabyG, you are hero!!!
Cause I had the same story in Shanghai, not 20 a day, but 7-9 for sure.
So Hung Hom... I see only 3 names - Laguna Verde, Whampoa garden and Royal Peninsula. Please advise me pros and cons for each of these! Which of this is more close to kindergarten, shops, transport, etc?

I have actualy started looking in Hung Hom, then I found this forum and went up looking at each district of Kowloong and HK Island, and now I am back again, and kinda glad about it!

Thanks to everyone, thank you for you advises!
 
As I see on Google Maps,

- Laguna Verde has a park near by and closer to the sea,

- Royal Peninsula more near to the Metro, but located right in the middle of big roads and traffic, which is not too good,

- Whampoa Garden is in between above two and seems to be a good choice, but there are so many blocks, anyone knows which one would be better?

- and I also see Harbourfront building there under the Whampoa blocks by the sea. They look good... expensive?


Regards to all of you!
 
whampoa garden is MUCH older than what you specified. it was relatively new when i arrived in hk in 1995... i lived in hung hom back then for about 6 months...it sure has changed since i lived there!
 
Royal Peninsula is really nice! Have a friend there and she loves it. Plus you're right by the Cross Harbour tunnel and the transportation links are excellent!
 
rani, agree with you for the transport... but for everything else?

Are there a lot of kindergartens (like expat kidergartens or bilingual) near these three places to live in Hung Hom? Some playgrounds also?
 
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Here is my opinion on the following places:

Whampoa Garden- older, I have not looked at any of the flats there. They are right above all the shopping areas and schools. There are no pools or what they call resort facilities.

Royal Peninsula- A bit further away from the whampoa garden shopping area but still walkable (say 10-15 mins). Nice flats, I saw all kinds in all the blocks, my concern was the kitchen layout. It was completely enclosed and small. If you cooked anything smokey or strong, the whole flat would smell because it has no windows except an extractor fan. It has resort facilities.

Laguna Verde- Resort facilities- gym, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis, driving range, ballet room, playroom, barbecue area, tennis, squash courts etc. Next to the sea and parks, shopping, kindergartens, walking distance to the wet market, church, supermarkets etc. Best of all, transportation is really easy. My flat is overlooking the park so I don't have a view of buildings or other people's windows. You also get a good mix of locals and expats here and Royal Peninsula.

Harbourfront or Harbourview Horizon- Cheaper but small. They are serviced apartments. They look like hotel rooms. Minimum stay is 6 months and they charge around 12,000 up / month if I'm not mistaken. Complete facilities also.
 
Oops looks like there were a bunch of comments before I got a chance to respond to your questions on kindergartens nearby Kowloon Station, and you aren't really looking here anymore. But just to make the answer complete, there is actually a pre-school/kindergarten right in Kowloon Station (on top of it anyway), which is PIPs (Parkview International Pre-school). There are others near here as well, but that one is 10 steps from any of the buildings here. And definitely agree with other posters, for 20-25K you can get only some of what you want - you will sacrifice on size (can only get under 1000 sq ft for that price), no seaview (although there is plenty of water around here and a nice harbourfront walk once you exit the buildings). Sounds like you have a lot of good options otherwise, however, so good luck!
 
Scheng, thank you for your answer! Yes, many comments, thank you all, you really helped a lot!!!

BabyG, you infected me with the Laguna Verde :-) (thank you!). I will be now looking in the internet for flats there.

The best websites for HK apartments are gohome.com.hk and hongkonghomes.com??

BabyG, and how are the kindergartens there? Many expat kids also? Nice teachers and other staff? Conditions good? Education?


My biggest thanks to all the answer givers!
 
Whatever price you see on hongkonghomes.com is subjected to gweilo tax - it is higher than what you'd be quoted if you were local. Gohome is a little more reliable. But they've recently revamped. You'd probably be able to knock at least ten percent off.

I got my local colleague to ask and took note of the differences in prices. So if you have a local colleague, you could do the same or simply ask for at least ten percent off if you are using those sites.

Just to give you an idea, where we live, on HKhomes, it's priced at $22000 for 1500 sq ft. But you could actually get it for as low as $17500.
 
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