If you are ever looking for a house in Cheung Chau, I thoroughly recommend you seek out Kenneth…read moreYeung of Region Property Management & Agency Co.. Kenneth is a delightful fellow, who modestly claims not to speak English, but is in fact very good, so ex-pat buyers, you would do well to come to him. Kenneth is somewhat the kingpin of the Cheung Chau property scene, everyone knows him, and rates him highly. The properties he holds covers the full range available on the island, with properties to match all budgets. Ultimately, there is only so much property on Cheung Chau, and Kenneth seems to have them all covered! What I particularly like about the way that Kenneth works, is his liberal use of media. HK agencies are a real pain in the proverbial, when they offer detail on a property, but don't have any photos to show. As Cheung Chau is a bit of a trek to get around (there are no cars and Mrs L finds cycling unladylike), and Region Property has limited staff to tour around with you, Kenneth has made sure he videos all of his properties. This way, he can show you lots of videos and photos on the big screen in his office, without you having to step out in to the hot sunshine and schlep across the island, just to realise the proposed property is no good. Whilst I sing Kenneth's praises for his media use, do remember he is an estate agent, so can sometimes be flexible with the truth. For example, the smell coming through the housing estate is not "somebody's cooking" or "natural sea smells", and the noise is not "children playing", but in fact the smell and noise of the pig abattoir next door. Why do I suddenly feel that Clarice Starling is about to pop up?

If you are looking to buy a property in the Sheung Wan / Sai Ying Pun area, then I would thoroughly…read morerecommend you pay a visit to Kamson Property. They have a great selection of properties to buy or rent, especially at the lower price range, which, unless you are LKS, means most of us. You will be able to find properties on both their own website, or Squarefoot, but as with all agencies and websites, you may find that those advertised are long gone. Despair not though, the chaps at Kamson will have a library of alternatives for you to view. What I did like was their excellent English. There are so many agencies, especially the more local and/or the ones with lower cost stock, that do not speak any English. If you are in the market, I would recommend you ask for Terrence. He is a great agent (with excellent English), and really does listen to your needs and wants. If you ask him to set his research at a price, he will do so, not a million more than your budget. He can be a bit difficult to pin down, especially if you are trying to fix up a specific time to view, but this is often due to landlord availability. Do give them a try if you are looking to buy in their area.

As I planning to move to Sheung Wan in order to start my new career here last month, I searched a…read moreflat for rent online, and I spotted Kamson Property Agency on Yelp's comment, after left a quick message, and I was surprised that they answered me in very quick response, which made me feel good and professional. Then I decided to visit their office and go deep to looking for a flat that I can afford and fit my needs. The agent that was assigned to me, Brian, is a nice and gentle, also informative man that genuinely is trying to get me the flat that I want. After asked some questions and some quick searches, he managed to find a fit, a great one for me. After chatting with Brian, I've came to learn that they are setting a good standard in their field. The most useful and insightful I've come across, you can ask him about his opinions on property matters. After the whole process, tt's easy to understand why they having a good reputation. I highly recommend Brian as his English is excellent, provided professional properties details to me, which help me saved a lot of time! And of course, really appreciated his efforts and eventually found me a place that greatly exceeded my expectations, based on the preliminary searching we had done online. The entire process was handled smooth and professionally. Not just Brian, also their helpful staffs. So, if you're looking for an agency / agent around Central, Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun, They must be your first choice to ask for consultations.

Buying a property in Hong Kong can be a little bit of a minefield. For us mere mortals, who cannot…read moreafford one of the brand-new buildings offered by the larger chain estate agents, we are relegated to using some of the more colourful local agents, with old stock that is perhaps more suited to our budget. If you happen to be looking for a property in Tin Hau, I recommend that you go to Ngan Mok Street. Down this street there several estate agents, all of which hold a lot of reasonably priced stock in the area. Fion Li with Park View Property was particularly refreshing to deal with. She understood, and most importantly, followed our budget requirements. There was no addition of a few percent here or a few percent there. She looked for property at our budget. Of course when we were looking, many of the properties were not available to view immediately. We were able to make an appointment with Fion on the following day, and unlike many of the other agents, she was able to secure access to each of the properties on the day arranged. The only issue of having so many agents in a small area, is that they all hold the same stock - literally. So what was happening, was Fion was taking the keys from another agent to show us a property which the other agent would also be showing. As such, we ended up seeing many properties that we had already seen with another agent, and as is Hong Kong law, we were obliged to continue with the previous agent. Fortunately, Fion was very gracious about us turning down viewings. She must be quite used to this by now. Last note, Fion's English was very good, so we were able to communicate with relative ease. Again, a refreshing change to most local agents. I mean, how on earth do you hand signal, "are there any mortgage encumbrances on the property?"?

For many, buying a property in the Mui Wo area on the south side of Lantau Island, is potentially a…read moregood idea. For HKD8-10million, you can pick up a wonderful three story plus roof terrace village house, in one of villages behind the Silvermine Hotel. If you do find yourself in the position of buying in Mui Wo, I would thoroughly recommend Findley Leung Realtors. They have a couple of shops along the road beyond the bus terminus from the ferry pier, and have really cornered the market for properties in Mui Wo, Pui O, and Cheung Sha. What was particularly refreshing was the attitude of the staff. I really did feel as though they were making an effort to help me find a property that I would buy, rather than just trying to flog me what was vaguely similar on their books. I was very well looked after, to the point of being driven around to view properties. On HK island, it's all about the walking - ugh! The local and legal knowledge of the staff was also excellent. Most of them live on the island, and couple of them are actual "natives" and entitled to village land, so they know all the nuances of buying villages houses. It's great to have this insider knowledge, as there is so much speculation as to rights and access to village land, that it feels worryingly difficult to buy, when in fact it is quite simple. Ultimately, if you are looking to buy in South Lantau, you will most likely come to Findley Leung, as one of the only (and probably biggest) realtors on this side of the island. I found them particularly good, I hope you do to. With their staff taking off a lot of the stress, you should only need to think as to whether or not you really want to be living the island life!

Buying a property, anywhere in the world, can be a stressful experience. Fortunately, there are a…read morefew good agents out there who are fighting your corner (as well as that of the vendor), and make this stress a little more bearable. Janice Chan at Y&C Property is one such agent, who has this particular calm and easy going nature bout her, that makes her a pleasure to deal with. Based in Tin Hau, so dealing with only properties local to that area, the agency is one of many nestled in the patch around Electric Road near the MTR station. Many of these agents share properties, but it seemed that Janice had access to some that were exclusive, which is great as it doesn't waste everyone's time with repeated viewings. It also meant that she had keys accessible or contact with the landlord, so we didn't have to wait at each property for some other agent to let us in. Janice also respected the budget and didn't try to weasel a few thousand more dollars out of every viewing. Frankly, is I say a million, I mean a million, not one and a half! Her English was reasonable, not the best, but passable. Unfortunately her colleagues were a bit like walking potatoes, but that might have been a language barrier. One thing that Janice did which I found a bit irritating, was the order of the viewings. Rather than organise the viewings around geography, so for example you go to the furthest one and work your way back, she would organise the viewings by some other random format, which meant we would go to and fro doubling up our walkabout. In the HK heat, it's not very pleasant. Otherwise, perfectly nice folks to deal with. Do check them out as their stock does seem to be that little bit different to everyone else's.

Fairview Park Property Management building is the office of the estate management. This management…read moreoffice consist of administration, accounting, shuttle bus service, security, maintenance and customer service office. They manage the largest low-rise residential development in Hong Kong. As each house comes with its front and rear garden. It requires security to patron the estate 24/7, covers 12.5 million sq ft, and over 5000 houses. The management building is a unique architecture located north of the Central Lake (an artificial lake), which is the biggest artificial lake in Hong Kong. Around the lake is a 700-meter Lakeside Path which is a good place for jogging and walking dogs. At the side of the Central Lake, you will find Country Club, Church and Community Centre,l, Children Playground, Fire Station, Park, Open Stage and Car Park. As a resident, the management office is where we pay management fees, register/renew parking permit, contact security or customer service. It's also the closest washroom by the playground. It is convenient to visit Fairview Park. There are shuttle services to and from Yuen Long, Sheung Shui, Tsing Yi, Central, Hung Hom and Tsuen Wan.

Deciding upon the place you're going to live for the next year (at least!) is never easy. It…read moreshouldn't be because you'll be there for a year! When it comes to finding the right place, on Southern Lantau, there are few places that do it better than Home Solutions. The estate agent has clients all across the beaches from Mui Wo, to Pui O, to Cheung Sha, as well as all the villages in between. They are also one of the only expat agencies in the area - for those non-chinese speakers out there. My girlfriend and I were looking for a new place a couple years ago and we were intrigued by the idea of living in the charming town of Mui Wo. We entered Home Solutions and were introduced to an agent named Sharon. After our first conversation I found Sharon to be an agent that actually listens to what we want and need. Almost immediately we were taken to three different homes that suited our budget and other requirements - one of which we loved. We inquired about that one and instantly struck up a negotiation with the owners, through Sharon. The fact that both Sharon and I are alive today, after our constant questions, demands, and such is a testament to the patience and professionalism of the woman. If it was me dealing with someone like me I'd hang up the phone in a heartbeat. That's just one of the reasons why I'm not an estate agent. By the end of the back and forth Sharon managed to get both parties to sign the contract with smiles on our faces. An agency is nothing without its agents. Home Solutions has the property, it has the agents, and it has my business if I ever think about moving to south Lantau again.

I know Yelp isn't as big here in HK as it is back in North America, but I've gotta give these guys…read morea shout-out and their first Yelp review, just in case any fellow relocating expats take a look here when searching for an agent. I highly recommend Paul Hoosang as his English is excellent and he found my wife and I a place that greatly exceeded our expectations, based on the preliminary searching we had done online. The entire process was handled professionally and seamlessly, including arranging the utilities set up on our behalf. If you're looking for an agent to take the stress out of finding a new rental in a new city, look no further!