Here is What My Neighourhood Looks Like - Can Yours Beat It!

I sure can imagine. Was in hong kong before moving to the States.

Which area in Hong Kong it is? Especially #E selling for over US$1m?

Yep - I can beat it. Your neighborhood is as large as my whole town and maybe bigger.
All we have is:
Fresh air
Some of the cleanest water in the US (non-fluoridated!)
Ski resorts
Water recreation
Thousands on thousands of acres of wilderness and mountains
Gold and other metals - gemstones, agates and petrified wood
Hundreds of miles of hiking trails for the lightweights
Apple capitol of the world
Sunshine 300 days a year.

Sorry Derek - your neighborhood is my idea of a nightmare. I couldn't live like that. But I'm glad, since you live there that you love it. We all deserve to live where we love to be.

I have seen pictures of Hong Kong before - it is really beautiful along the water and I love all those amenities and 'concrete jungle'.

However, I would hate the elevators, or to live on the inside in the dark shady apartments -

I once dreamed of designing buildings like these that rotate so that they get sun all day long. Very depressing to live in the shade.

I would have to be on the top floor - can't stand anyone walking on my head.

I bet your views from the apartments are awesome.

I live on what is called the 'Toxic Corridor', because although I can only see one refinery across the bay from my window, there is a whole string of them in both directions.

In addition there is a WWII naval shipyard (an island) right next to me - so they say do not eat the fish here because it is full of metal.

However it is very quiet and beautiful. My complex is small buildings of 6-8 apartments in each for a total of 220 apartments surrounded by Eucalyptus trees.

We have intrusion alarms, vaulted ceilings, real fireplaces, bay view, decks, gym, pool, jacuzzi, clubhouse, private storage rooms, private water heaters and the complex is gated.

As for weather it is a little too warm for me, but we do have really good wind alot, and right now it is howling and screeching because we are going to have a rain storm. I love this except I do not understand why the windows don't blow in because the winds are so fierce. One of these days, who knows.

I don't have a picture of the complex but this is the view out my windows.

http://www.warriorforum.com/members/...ums-views.html

Click on First thumbnail to see large slide show.

So another concrete jungle in our city. Sometime I really afraid because of this as we are not leaving any place so that land can absorb water naturally.

Thats why I am missing those fresh natural air and fresh environment healthy for brain, body and soul.

The area is Hang Hau in Tseung Kwan O, it is a reclaimed area and which is near land that was used as a rubbish dump. There is nothing special about development E except that it has larger sized appartments from 1,200 to 1365 sq ft. (note that sq foot means building area in Hong Kong, the actual usable area is usually 70-80%). Appartment over 1,000 sq are rare and they cost much more per sq ft. Note that it does have a giagantic rooftop swimming pool and so it seems that it has a luxurious clubhouse. My own appartments are 884 and 519 sq foot respectively.

Sal, my remark was meant to be sarcastic. Most of the building there are interconnected so that I can get from A to D without crossing the road. It is a real concrete jungle. Even if I could replicate the living conditiong in surburban N. America by spending millions on a house, the city would still be full of smog during the day. It has years since anybody has seen a totally blue sky here. That is why many Hong Kongers want to retire overseas. But as far as the young are concerned, most want to come back to Hong Kong because the pay is often better for qualified professionals and there is little tax. Also, there is a lot of nightlife around here. But the big problem is that much of their earnings would be consumed by housing.

Here is another example just to show you how ridiculous the situation has become.



Here you are looking at probably the most expensive hectare of so of residential property ever in the world.

Going Once, Going Twice Sold...Asia's Most Expensive Apartment

There is a penthouse that sold for US$30M (marker w). The penthouse in question in located in the building that looks like an arch in the R lower corner. The whole place is on a giant shopping complex called "The Elements". Since this satelitte picture was taken, there had been more skyscrapers built on top of that shopping centre behind "The Arch". In fact, one is going on sale this week. They are asking $11M for a 2500 sq ft appartment. I just can't understand why would any extremely wealthy individuals want to live on top of a shopping centre with lots of restaurants and bars.

Now the rents for luxury appartments is only $3 per sq foot. Therefore the yield on rent is only between 1-2%. So many buyers/speculators would prefer to let the appartment go empty rather than to rent it out. As a result, when you drive by it at night, there are hardly any lights there as there are hardly any occupants. The big problem with our property bubble over here is that there is a lot of money coming in from China, of which a lot was obtained through questionable or ill-gotten means.

Derek

Derek - I didn't catch the sarcasm. Many people in the US actually love living in their cramped polluted little cities - I just figured you were a "city guy". I swear just looking at it and thinking of living there in the same thought is enough to drive me to suicidal tendencies. You'd think people worldwide would take vows to only having one kid per couple with things going to these extremes. Let the population fall off and return some of that cement rubbish to wilds.

You aren't alone in not understanding why the rich would live as they do. Over here you will see these magnificent mansions - with yards the size of a postage stamp. I can't imagine why anyone with enough money to own those homes would buy a home with no land. I'd rather have great land than a great home. With extreme acreage, a very humble abode can be heaven.

Yeah, got to admit, I missed the sarcasm too.

Sal, that sounds like my idea of heaven!

I can't show my "neighborhood" since Google maps and Microsoft whatever-its-called can't find it. I'm surrounded by trees and mountains and looooove it!

Actually, my neighbourhood looks much nicer than it actually is from the satellite image. For a start, the green "park" on the bottom left of the image is not open to the public.

Right now, we have got a big problem with a sewage like odour in our air. Apparently, this is due to stale air arising from a rubbish dumping ground nearby. The residents are up in arms about it but apparently, nothing can be done for at least 3 years.

Derek