In any case, we are always stunned at how little buyers get for their money in major international cities - hundreds of thousands of dollars for places that have features like a sink in the shower, washers and dryers in the kitchen (one person folds clothes on the countertop, while the other chops carrots), or no elevator (in a 20 story tall building). We were excited and nervous to do our own little version of House Hunters in Hong Kong.
I am happy to report that we'll be able to live in a place that has plumbing fixtures in all the normal places. Here's a quick recap of a few of the places we saw...
Small Apartment, Convenient Location
The very first place we visited was a three bedroom, 2 bath apartment located right across the street from Hong Kong International School, where Lydia will likely go. It was a fairly new building and the apartment had recently been renovated from top to bottom. It was beautiful! Dave was impressed that it even came with flat screen TVs in a couple of rooms.
Behind what looked like a wood paneled wall, was a "secret room" (the third bedroom), which is the sort of thing that we would have thought was really cool as kids (okay, we still thought it was pretty cool).
Unfortunately, we weren't sure that we could fit beds in either of the non-master bedrooms. And, other detractors were that the living/dining area was small and the kitchen was in a weird location.
Gorgeous Interior, Limited Amenities
We visited a place not too far from the first that was signficantly larger and was in perfect conditon. It had been redone, but never lived in - the wood floor sparkled, the walls were crisp white, and the kitchen was amazing. It was the only place we saw that had a kitchen that opened to the living area. I loved it.
The exterior of the building, however, left a lot to be desired. The white buildings had turned to a dingy grey. The club house, pool, and playground were all small and in not-great shape. There was a huge, steep hill leading down to the bus stop, which could be an issue since it rains a lot. And, we saw very few kids running around. Unattractive Exterior, Lots of Space and Amenities
One of the final places we visited was further south than the other locations. The roads to get there were windy and narrow. Each building looked like a dark grey concrete block and each showed signs of being 20+ years old - sort of looked like the projects, minus the graffiti (this picture is actually quite flattering).
However, the apartments we viewed had more space and better layouts than other places. The balconies were large with fantastic sea views. The amenities included a huge new outdoor pool, new large playground area, lots of exterior places to play, a great gym, and several indoor play areas. Kids were everywhere.
So, what will we choose??
Since rents continue to fall, we are waiting until Dave gets back to Hong Kong to make the final choice. We are leaning very strongly toward the last place I described (it's called The Manhattan - perfect for K-Staters!). But, I'll keep you posted. No matter where we choose, our door will always be open to visitors!!
Pick 3! Pick 3! I always need to yell at the TV which place I think the people should pick. Seriously, #2 looks so wonderful but the lack of kids would turn out to be such a downer. This is so much fun getting to open a few doors into Hong Kong living!
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