Hong Kong: House Hunting
So this is obviously our 3rd international move, meaning I've done the foreign "house hunting" ordeal. What's the show "International House Hunters"- I have never seen an episode but I'm sure I could take them on a few journeys.
The whole experience is needless to say "entertaining". (Sidenote: my experience in Sydney was totally different because like in the States you can go view the properties by yourself- they have "Open Houses" for rental properties and you don't need an agent. Granted the "Opens" are only 15 minutes so you snooze you loose!) I think it starts off being less than ideal because you get a local agent who (not by their faults) has NO idea what westerners expect out of a house. No clue. They're not used to big open spaces, having ovens, or closets, or houses that make sense.
I'm going to try and find some of my photos- I may have deleted alot of them along the way because I come home and look at them and just get upset. Delete delete delete! Out of sight- out of mind!
I had honestly started looking at houses in Hong Kong months ago. Just preparing myself for what we would ideally have. You never really know. And, of course, Hong Kong is one of the most expensive when it comes to housing. http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Asia/hong-kong/Price-History
(Sydney is actually listed as #3, even though we'll be paying double what we were in Sydney). However, checking out overall, Hong Kong is listed as the #9 on the list of most expensive for expatriates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_cities_for_expatriate_employees
SO, on my 3rd day of arriving in Hong Kong, I was sent out with our agent (Jack and I) to view houses for the first time. Jason had actually looked at some in January when he visited by himself. BUT, I'll say this with love, Jason would take anything that looked somewhat decent. Doesn't work for me. :)
Needless to say, after 3 1/2 hours of house hunting and viewing some of the area (Sai Kung and Clearwater Bay), I was spinning again. I came home and just plopped and popped (sat down and popped open some wine). Honestly for those that have done this, you understand. It can be just an overwhelming and daunting process.
First off- I was taken into the jungle! Yes the jungle. All the hills and dense forest- nothing like what I was expecting. I mean I've been a city girl for the last 5 years and here I am seeing "cattle crossing" signs on the side of the road. I told Jason I felt like he had dropped me off in the middle of Vietnam. Not expecting this at all!
And the houses- because of all the hills/mountains, most of the housing is a trek to get to. Park yourself up on the hill and then make the trek down to the house. Totally blown away. Then the houses themselves- they just don't make sense. Not really at all. And I'm still baffled by the fact that the architects don't hire a westerner (or someone with ANY sense) to come in and assist in a few decisions. The space that is wasted in some of the houses is beyond ridiculous! And when you're thinking that you don't have alot of space anyway, you'd want to maximize what you do have. I tend to get so frustrated, talking out loud and asking the realtors "Why", "Why did they do this?" or "This makes no sense", etc., etc., They just look at me.
I guess it's good that I'm used to this as well, because I have grown more accustomed to smaller ovens (barely can fit in any of my cookie sheets) and small refrigerators, etc., But I was definitely thrown a curveball here in Hong Kong. There are "Maid or "helper" rooms that are built into most of the houses. (Most of the helpers here are from the Philippines and come over here and are required by the government to live in). I'll just say that the living area (wouldn't even call it that- closets really) are atrocious. I got nauseous looking in some because I couldn't even IMAGINE someone living in such a small area. Most of the rooms are near the kitchen and laundry rooms and have some sort of built in bunk bed/wardrobe system. Although one was so small that the bed popped out of the wall. One actually had a lock on the OUTSIDE of the door. And I don't think there's any "but" to this. It's just really terrible. It makes me sick thinking of it now.
Here are a few pictures of the houses I viewed. The ones that were just terrible I didn't bother to take pictures or sometimes even go further than the front door. "Nope, sorry, not going to work" then I walk away. ha ha!
And here's the motto for the day (and it's a good one)- "If you want something done right, do it yourself!". I was doing most of the research anyway- our agent was somewhat worthless. So I picked up some magazines and did research everywhere across Hong Hong. I ended up finding a place near one of the schools I had heard about for Jack and Henry and noticed it was close by. Bam! Right when we walked in the complex I knew this was for us. And this is after COUNTLESS hours and days spent looking for houses with our real estate agent- I was beginning to think that we needed to move back home!
Anyway- the complex is amazing and so is the house (well, with what were getting- not perfect by any means- I mean it has NO closets!). You really learn to pick what is the most important thing to you when house hunting abroad- for me, it's the kitchen, a bit of yard space (after living in Sydney apartment and having none!), big rooms (some rooms over here are so tiny that a twin size bed would barely fit), and recently remodeled or newer (I think houses age and fall apart rather easily over here).
So - we are moving in about 10 days! Hallelujiah! We didn't have to use our agent (and did you know- over here they charge one months rent - which can be about $7-$8K for their fees?- seriously?), we are getting 4000 sqft, new house that no one has lived in, our own little pool, a yard, big patio, and the complex has everything- indoor and outdoor pool, 3 kids areas, karaoke rooms, wine & billiard room, spa, fitness, etc., etc., When I first saw the place and tried to explain to Jason he just didn't fully grasp it until he looked for himself.
A few pictures of our new place (we haven't moved in yet though!):
Ah- cannot tell you what a relief it is to find a great house. House and school. That's it....everything else falls into place!
For anyone's reference, here are some good websites if looking in Hong Kong for rentals, etc., (I spent months on these!):
http://www.squarefoot.com.hk/
http://www.hongkonghomes.com/
Both are good as they give you information about all the areas (where some of the big expat communities are, schools, shopping, etc.,) but honestly it just helps to talk to people that have or are living there. And our agent that we originally had wasn't too bad- it does help to get an agent that has worked with foreigners because they know what to look for- somewhat. (Jason had one show him a house that had no stove or oven- seriously?).
Here is another good website for enquiring about anything with your move to Hong Kong:
http://hongkong.geoexpat.com/
Life can go on once you get your home- ! :)
The whole experience is needless to say "entertaining". (Sidenote: my experience in Sydney was totally different because like in the States you can go view the properties by yourself- they have "Open Houses" for rental properties and you don't need an agent. Granted the "Opens" are only 15 minutes so you snooze you loose!) I think it starts off being less than ideal because you get a local agent who (not by their faults) has NO idea what westerners expect out of a house. No clue. They're not used to big open spaces, having ovens, or closets, or houses that make sense.
I'm going to try and find some of my photos- I may have deleted alot of them along the way because I come home and look at them and just get upset. Delete delete delete! Out of sight- out of mind!
I had honestly started looking at houses in Hong Kong months ago. Just preparing myself for what we would ideally have. You never really know. And, of course, Hong Kong is one of the most expensive when it comes to housing. http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Asia/hong-kong/Price-History
(Sydney is actually listed as #3, even though we'll be paying double what we were in Sydney). However, checking out overall, Hong Kong is listed as the #9 on the list of most expensive for expatriates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_cities_for_expatriate_employees
SO, on my 3rd day of arriving in Hong Kong, I was sent out with our agent (Jack and I) to view houses for the first time. Jason had actually looked at some in January when he visited by himself. BUT, I'll say this with love, Jason would take anything that looked somewhat decent. Doesn't work for me. :)
Needless to say, after 3 1/2 hours of house hunting and viewing some of the area (Sai Kung and Clearwater Bay), I was spinning again. I came home and just plopped and popped (sat down and popped open some wine). Honestly for those that have done this, you understand. It can be just an overwhelming and daunting process.
First off- I was taken into the jungle! Yes the jungle. All the hills and dense forest- nothing like what I was expecting. I mean I've been a city girl for the last 5 years and here I am seeing "cattle crossing" signs on the side of the road. I told Jason I felt like he had dropped me off in the middle of Vietnam. Not expecting this at all!
And the houses- because of all the hills/mountains, most of the housing is a trek to get to. Park yourself up on the hill and then make the trek down to the house. Totally blown away. Then the houses themselves- they just don't make sense. Not really at all. And I'm still baffled by the fact that the architects don't hire a westerner (or someone with ANY sense) to come in and assist in a few decisions. The space that is wasted in some of the houses is beyond ridiculous! And when you're thinking that you don't have alot of space anyway, you'd want to maximize what you do have. I tend to get so frustrated, talking out loud and asking the realtors "Why", "Why did they do this?" or "This makes no sense", etc., etc., They just look at me.
I guess it's good that I'm used to this as well, because I have grown more accustomed to smaller ovens (barely can fit in any of my cookie sheets) and small refrigerators, etc., But I was definitely thrown a curveball here in Hong Kong. There are "Maid or "helper" rooms that are built into most of the houses. (Most of the helpers here are from the Philippines and come over here and are required by the government to live in). I'll just say that the living area (wouldn't even call it that- closets really) are atrocious. I got nauseous looking in some because I couldn't even IMAGINE someone living in such a small area. Most of the rooms are near the kitchen and laundry rooms and have some sort of built in bunk bed/wardrobe system. Although one was so small that the bed popped out of the wall. One actually had a lock on the OUTSIDE of the door. And I don't think there's any "but" to this. It's just really terrible. It makes me sick thinking of it now.
Here are a few pictures of the houses I viewed. The ones that were just terrible I didn't bother to take pictures or sometimes even go further than the front door. "Nope, sorry, not going to work" then I walk away. ha ha!
 |
| Okay this house was one of the nicer ones but they were asking almost $8000 US a month- and the trek from the car to the house was a pretty big hill. And there was no yard. |
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| Same house- nice bathroom right? Um, the bathroom was bigger than the master bedroom?? |
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| Pretty views though! :) |
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| Weird space...don't know what to do with it- and again- the stairs take up most of the space |
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| This one was pretty nice- weird and kind of isolated area, but no refrigerator or oven or dishwasher. |
And here's the motto for the day (and it's a good one)- "If you want something done right, do it yourself!". I was doing most of the research anyway- our agent was somewhat worthless. So I picked up some magazines and did research everywhere across Hong Hong. I ended up finding a place near one of the schools I had heard about for Jack and Henry and noticed it was close by. Bam! Right when we walked in the complex I knew this was for us. And this is after COUNTLESS hours and days spent looking for houses with our real estate agent- I was beginning to think that we needed to move back home!
Anyway- the complex is amazing and so is the house (well, with what were getting- not perfect by any means- I mean it has NO closets!). You really learn to pick what is the most important thing to you when house hunting abroad- for me, it's the kitchen, a bit of yard space (after living in Sydney apartment and having none!), big rooms (some rooms over here are so tiny that a twin size bed would barely fit), and recently remodeled or newer (I think houses age and fall apart rather easily over here).
So - we are moving in about 10 days! Hallelujiah! We didn't have to use our agent (and did you know- over here they charge one months rent - which can be about $7-$8K for their fees?- seriously?), we are getting 4000 sqft, new house that no one has lived in, our own little pool, a yard, big patio, and the complex has everything- indoor and outdoor pool, 3 kids areas, karaoke rooms, wine & billiard room, spa, fitness, etc., etc., When I first saw the place and tried to explain to Jason he just didn't fully grasp it until he looked for himself.
A few pictures of our new place (we haven't moved in yet though!):
 |
| NOT our actual house, but shows you what the houses look like |
 |
| Not our actual kitchen but we have the same appliances built in- steamer (yes, apparently very popular in Asia, a coffee maker and an oven). And trust me- I'm so happy with these! |
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| Bathroom- ha ha! :) |
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| Just one of the kids play areas! So nice right?? |
Ah- cannot tell you what a relief it is to find a great house. House and school. That's it....everything else falls into place!
For anyone's reference, here are some good websites if looking in Hong Kong for rentals, etc., (I spent months on these!):
http://www.squarefoot.com.hk/
http://www.hongkonghomes.com/
Both are good as they give you information about all the areas (where some of the big expat communities are, schools, shopping, etc.,) but honestly it just helps to talk to people that have or are living there. And our agent that we originally had wasn't too bad- it does help to get an agent that has worked with foreigners because they know what to look for- somewhat. (Jason had one show him a house that had no stove or oven- seriously?).
Here is another good website for enquiring about anything with your move to Hong Kong:
http://hongkong.geoexpat.com/
Life can go on once you get your home- ! :)
I could only imagine how much courage you mustered when you were looking for a house in a different country. So how is it going? I'm glad that it turned out to be entertaining for you guys. This is exciting because you get to choose houses with a different architectural culture from the usual. Hope you find what you're looking for! :)
ReplyDeleteHouse Connect Now
Well I've done this a few times but always a new experience in each country! :) We did find a great house- in a newer complex and so far are loving it! :) Thanks for asking. :) Always entertaining...
DeleteWith all those sites that you used as reference in house hunting, it'll be a lot easier for you to choose from their lists. Just be sure that all their documents are legit. Starting anew in a foreign country is a great challenge for your family. Have you moved into your new place? :)
ReplyDeleteParamountTitleFL.com
Hi! Are you living in a foreign country? We did have a real estate agent and sometimes it is easier to use their references but then there are ones that just pop up. I find it nice to talk to people (via Facebook, blogs, expat sites) to find out what housing complexes or neighborhoods are nice- of course, this is once you know where you want to live. :)
ReplyDeleteWe did move into our new place- in April- thus my reason for not blogging since recently. BIG house and took me awhile to unpack! ha ha! :)