Posts

Which real estate agent to use for Park Island?

Which agent is the best for Ma Wan / Park Island is a question I get emailed many times. When looking for an apartment on Park Island you can simply come over and visit one of the many estate agencies on Ma Wan. You will see they list apartment in their shop windows, both for rent and for sale and they will give you their recommendations. There are also a number of good websites you can use to get an idea of availability and prices. But as with every type of service, there are some agents who really do add greater value than others. The following property agents have been recognized for their quality of customer service, honesty, and expert knowledge of the Park Island estate and the Park Island property market. Tim Hung - Midland Realty Email: tim.km.hung@midland.com.hk, alucardhkm@gmail.com Phone: 68088950 Website:  Midland Realty - Tim Hung Bruce Lai - City Resort Property Limited. Email: cityresort@yahoo.com.hk Phone: 97183169, 92213207, 94525000, 34

Schools on Park Island

There are a wide range of schooling options either on, or near Park Island. In Hong Kong many local parents are fanatical about getting their children into a "good" school. To me a "good" school is one where children can learn in a fun, free environment, whereas for local Hong Konger's the concept of "good schooling" is more focused on study, rote-learning, and "good grades". Many Chinese parents are interested in schools that have a "disciplined" approach to stufy. Meanwhile, many expat parents want to have a school that offers children an enjoyable schooling, with exposure to Chinese language. Parents who have chosen to move their family to Park Island typically are  already doing a great thing for their kids, by ensuring that have cleaner air, and open space to run around and play in a nice, save environment. There is a nice blend of local and ex-pat kids on Park Island, so kids are likely to be exposed to both Engl

What will Hong Kong Property Prices do in 2015?

Image
Well, if we could accurately predict the future we of course would all be retired millionaires by now. But I think a very basic question Hong Kong property investors have to be asking themselves is what is the outlook for Hong Kong property prices in 2015.  On the one hand we have strong demand for property, and very low interest rates. On the other hand we have cooling measures in place, the possibility of interest rates rising, and among other things, political unrest in Hong Kong due to the Occupy Central movement, and the desire of many Hong Kong citizens for true democracy. If I had to make a guess I would think that overall, prices will keep rising in 2015 in Hong Kong. I can't see interest rates rising at all until late 2015, and even then they will rise only very very slightly, if at all. Property cooling measures are very unlikely to be increased, and they are more and more being "priced in" which means that eventually, when they are removed, the remova

New Park Island Bus Schedule - proposed connection from Park Island to Mongkok

Image
There is currently a proposal for a new bus connection to Mongkok being considered. If you support this proposal, please do attend the meeting on 19th August 2014. If you are unable to make it please express your support by sending an email or fax, noting your apartment address.

CLP Hong Kong pushing for Ma Wan to have an electric car charging station?

Image
I heard an interesting item of news this week, being that CLP is considering building an electric car station on Ma Wan. Apparently a bunch of Government-type folks with notepads, maps, cameras etc were on the Ma Wan recently considering a site. If anyone has any more details on this please post it here or let me know. I know residents of Park Island have proposed electric cars for Park Island as an option from time to time (and personally I would support this). I wrote to the Transport Department asking for any information, and got little more than a "The case is currently under study, and will reply to you as soon as possible" response. Hong Kong Electric Vehicle Charging Station

Centa-City Hong Kong Property Index.

Image
A few people have emailed me noting that according to the Centa-City Hong Kong Property Index, Park Island was the largest gainer in terms of price increase over the last month. I have checked to confirm this and it seems to be correct. Here is a snapshot of the overall Hong Kong Property market price graph: CCI Hong Kong Property Index And here is the data for Park Island property prices: As we can see, Park Island prices jumped a massive 16.02% over the last month. Transactions for Park Island are at a yearly high for the month of July already (according to agents I have spoken to), and July is of course still has a few weeks to go, so it seems July will have the largest volume of monthly transactions over the last year. Basically what has happened is that the standoff between sellers who refused to reduce prices in light of cooling measures and increased stamp duty, and buyers who refuse to buy due to these increased transactions costs, has ended. Buyers, it seems ha

Luxury resort plans for Ma Wan old village

Image
Many Park Island residents have heard, "from someone who heard", that there might be plans for a luxury resort and marina at the Ma Wan old village. I'm going to provide a little more information on this. It is my understanding that there are indeed plans to build such a resort on Ma Wan, along with quite extensive plans to develop (with appropriate conservation and restoration) the Ma Wan old village. The development of the resort and old village are scheduled, at this stage, to take place between 2016 -2019. I will provide more details in due course, but for now I wanted to show you where the resort will be. Location of proposed luxury resort and marina on Ma Wan The location marked with the red star is the area where Government approval has been given for the development of the resort. Apparently, approval requires the resort to have no more than 400 rooms, and requires, among other things, the developer to provide "sufficient road transport