I'm sorry I wasn't able to post this sooner but, I just had a layover in HKG and went over to Stanley for lunch, shopping, and just to satisfy my curiosity, to talk to real estate agents about rentals. I spent 45 minutes with the agent right on the waterfront in Stanley, who showed me several dozen different choices for rentals around Stanley, Repulse Bay, and up the hill just east of the Aberdeen tunnel, at a development called the Hong Kong Parkview. All are nice areas that have a lot of expats, are less crowded than the rest of HK, and are on the windward side of the island, so there's not nearly as much air pollution. I didn't have a chance to check on schools, but the agent said the airport could be reached 24 hours a day, in an hour to an hour-ten, using buses, with one connection.
The agent came up with an average cost for a 900-1200 square foot apartment (which includes a portion of the lobby and the hall) as 43,000 HK dollars, or approx. $5500 US. The average 1800-2000 square foot apartment that a family of four might need, was $7000-$8000. The total up-front cost to move into the smaller apartment, exclusive of any furniture costs, would be approx. $19,460 US.
When I asked him about these costs, he said I didn't need to worry about it, because every company pays these costs for their employees. When I told him that my company wouldn't pay them, he actually laughed. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I worked for one of the 200 largest companies in the US - it was just too embarrassing.
For those of you who were foolish enough to bid this POS, these might be areas you want to look at. Along with Discovery Bay, just south of the airport, they would be one of the few areas that I think my wife might consider living in. Of course, until the company tells you where you're going to need to report to work at, you can't make any decisions on where to live, and how much you'll need to spend to get decent housing. All's I can say is good luck, and God bless.
12-19-2023
