Permanent Flat found =)

After shopping around and visiting various areas and units, I've finally found my permanent flat. It is somewhat in the heart of Wan Chai, tons of entertainment in the nearby areas (although lots you wouldn't wanna walk into), and a public playground that has a full size football field (soccer for those in the US, but not grass) and 4 full size basketball courts! Not to mention the massive amount of food places just below... well, there are tons of food places everywhere in HK, so just a matter of finding it. It is also only a block and a half from the Wan Chai MTR, making it VERY convenient to go places.

It took me some time debating with myself on whether to take this apartment, most places wanted more, but this place was actually a lot bigger than the others, but was asking for less money... why??? Take a look at the photos below and you'll have your answer.




Talked to my coworker (Jon, the guy in the picture) and a friend and they both agreed for an apartment this size it is good deal for $7,800 HKD ($1,000 USD). From talking to the agent, she said that in most cases, for apartments in this area, they would ask for about $9,000 to $10,000 because the size of the apartment is actually around 450 sq. ft. (living area). The only reason they're willing to rent it out for a lower amount is because of how dirty it is.

The owner had listed it at $8,300/month (with everything as-is), so I low-balled (HK way) the agent to $7,500... she became frantic and started saying the owner will not go lower than $8,000. Then my coworker took over and convinced her to lets try with $7,800 and request the owner to fix the sink and toilet in the restroom. Surely enough, we hear back from her in about an hour, saying the owner will accept $7,800 only if he doesn't have to fix anything because everything is supposedly to be working. I said alright, lets schedule a time look over the apartment again and sign the papers if I accept the terms.

Today, after having lunch with Billy and Daniel, Billy was kind enough and willing to check out the apartment and give me a second opinion. After walking in, his first words were "wow, pretty big space", then asked the agent if the owner was willing to sell. LOL... He then looked over the apartment, with the main focus in the bathroom and told the agent about how the water heater doesn't look that safe and the toilet is a bit scary. I walked into the shower to make sure that I can actually fit, and yup there's enough room. Upon stepping out of the shower, I noticed there's water on the floor next to the toilet... I told the agent to look at it and ask the owner again on whether they're willing to fix the toilet. After a few minutes of talking with the owner, sha-zham!! The owner agrees!!! woo hooo, now instead of fixing it, he's actually going to pay to replace the whole thing, which will cost him $1,800 HKD (only $230 USD, that's not bad). That definitely sealed the deal. I happily signed the agreement and went back to work. =) Plus they're willing to let me start the rental on the 15th of July, so giving me around 10 days to do some work before moving in.

There are definitely some things I need to do with the flat, but saving around $1,200 HKD/month (compare to other flats in the area), gives me plenty to spend. Here's my checklist:
Paint (Billy and I will paint it on Saturday): $1500 plus a good meal for Billy

Cleaning crew for 5 hours (emphasis on the restroom): $700
Fridge: $1300
Hot plate: $700
Wardrobe: $1000
Bed: $2000
Desk: $500
TV: $4000
Totaling around $12,000 ($1,500 USD) is actually not so bad since everything will be mine instead of paying more for some furnished place. =) I'll set aside another $500 USD just to be on the safe side ;)

I'm happy and reliefed that my search is complete. =D I will of course post some after clean-up photos ;)

Day 2

Since I forced myself to stay awake till 1am last night, I was able to wake up at 11am today!!! yay!!! I think I just might be able to get over the whole jet-lag issue... well, I never really had to deal with jet-lag whenever I go to Asia, it's usually when I go back, so I guess I won't have to worry about that for quite some time. =P

I walked so much yesterday that I decided to be lazy today and take the opportunity to ride the cable cars, which is actually a double decker bus that runs from one end of the island to the other. It was tons of fun at first, but the novelty wore off after about 10 mins, since there was really no one for me to talk to, other than myself. The goal for today was to have a quick look at all the neighborhoods where I might want to stay on a more permanent basis. Later on, I took a 2 hour walk from Sheung Wan back to Causeway Bay, which allowed me to better check out some of the areas to evaluate which one would be better for me. I think it's either going to be Wan Chai or Sheung Wan, now to find a real estate agent to show me some places in these 2 neighborhoods.

Empire Studios!!!

YAY!!! Finally found a place that's a good value and it's within close proximity to work (2 blocks) in Causeway Bay!!! So for this 230 sq. ft. gem, which they so called deluxe plus room, I'll be paying $10,000 HKD ($1282 USD) a month... holy shit, that's 'how big?' you ask? Yup, it is a cardboard box, but this little cardboard box comes with a microwave, separate bathroom (apparently some places have the bathroom in the room, separated by see-through glass ONLY), double (full size) bed and a sofabed, that's right a sofabed. This means if anyone wants to visit me in the first month, you can sleep on that sofabed! I'm really curious as to how they can fit all of that within 230 sq. ft... LOL
What? you're thinking about visiting me and crashing at my place? sure, provided you do my laundry while I'm at work. =)

Here's the link to Empire Studios (I think it's the name of a record company in the US???):
Empire Studios
Apparently they've got daily rates as low as $400 HKD/night, which is a great deal since most hotels in Causeway Bay runs for around $1000 HKD/night!

Here are the other options I've looked at which after extensive research are the best bang for your buck.
Regents Heights in Causeway Bay starting from $8,500 HKD/month
eTech Center Wan Chai starting from $11,000 HKD/month
Emperor Hotel in Happy Valley starting from $12,000 HKD/month

Where to live?

One of the hardest thing with my move is trying to figure out where do I want to live for the next 2 years. HK Island side or Kowloon side? Who can tell for sure where will be better? I think I've finally made a decision, and that will be to live on HK Island side, the reason being that I'm only going to be there for 2 years, so I should embrace and really experience what it's like to live in HK. Albeit that it'll be a little expensive, but I think I'll enjoy it more, who knows if I'll change my mind once I'm there? We'll have to see... =)

Living arrangements

Here's the plan for living arrangements:
When I first arrive, I'll be staying at a serviced apartment/studio (fully furnished with weekly maid service), then during that first month, I'll look for a more permanent arrangement, which will be through a real estate agent. Apparently the inventory is very dynamic, so if ya find a good diggs, ya gotta snatch it up pronto! I've been searching on one for the last 2 weeks and it's getting tiring, but I should be able to make a final decision on it soon!