Home › Forums › General

No money no flat..

Mon, 2007-08-06 13:42 — citydweller

Hi guys,

I've been working in HK for one year now, and have been living with family since then in a very cramped space. I've been flat hunting on and off for several months now, but with little luck. I'm hoping to find a 1 bedroom or studio under $6000 since I'm just starting out but seems like the flats in that range are all very old buildings - with rusty sinks and cabinets doors which look like they're about to creak off their hinges...

I'm living on HK Island now, but I'm open to other areas so long as its reasonably close to MTR. I checked out Tseung Kwun O over the weekend - i like the area, but seems like they don't have many 1 bedroom units for rent..

Anyone have suggestions? or better yet, something to rent me??

Cheers,
-CityDweller-

‹ Acoustic guitar/music shop in HK HK on a budget ›
Mon, 2007-08-06 15:43 — Mr Tall

cheap digs

I wish I had an easy, obvious suggestion for you, CityDweller, but it's going to be a tough call in that price range.

Have you looked at the area around the Kowloon Tong/Ngau Tau Kok MTR stations? That's where I lived for a couple years when funds were tight. There are some older private high-rise buildings in that area, e.g. the infamous Amoy Gardens, Tak Bo Garden, and so on, that have small flats where you might be able to find something in your range. It embarasses me to say this, but I can't remember the name of the building I lived in, but it's in between the two bigger estates I mentioned.

The advantages of this area are an excellent range of transport options, and easy access to pretty decent shopping areas/restaurants, i.e. Telford Centre if you're nearer Kowloon Bay station, APM if you're closer to the Ngau Tau Kok end.

Hope this helps!

Mr Tall

Mon, 2007-08-06 17:53 — mrb

$6K flats

Have you tried the GoHome site's 'power search'? I asked it to show me flats that rents for $2.5-7K, in district 'Hong Kong East', for buildings aged 10-15 years, and it came back with 60+ results. Granted there will usually be lots of duplicates, but at least it can give you an idea of possible buildings & areas.

There are also plenty of results if you run the same search in 'Hong Kong West', but there you'll be out of MTR range, and so need to rely on buses and minbuses. It'd be worth looking at them at least once, just to compare what you'll get for the money - yes being close to an MTR station is convenient, but you pay a premium for it. (And most places that aren't close to MTR stops have a good range of minibus services around rush hour).

Good luck with the hunt, MrB

Fri, 2007-08-10 11:28 — skmama

Live with someone

I think the answer for you is to get a flat-mate. It's not as private as your own place, but it often beats living with family members.

 

In the back section of HK Magazine, you will find ads for flat-mates.

 You can also go to these websites and look through the ads:

http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/flatmates.asp  

http://www.geoexpat.com/classifieds/showcat.php?cat=14  

Although I have previously posted on this forum about tales of flat-mates from hell,

I've also had some great ones who became life-long friends. 

Fri, 2007-08-10 23:52 — citydweller

Keep truckin' along

Hey guys -

 thanks for the tips! Yes, sucks to be young and poor but I guess we all start somewhere! I am considering a flat mate except that I am a border-line compulsive clean freak - fear I may have trouble finding someone who can deal w/ all my quirks and pet peeves....but certainly something I'll consider.

thanks!

- CityDweller -