IT & SHANGHAI REAL ESTATE
Archive for August, 2009
Shanghai Real Estate Agents
Aug 7th
Choosing a professional Real Estate Agency will save you quite some time and make your relocation process much easier. Hope this page can help you to find a good al estate agency when you relocation to Shanghai:
Fullhome Real Estate
Website: http://www.fullhomechina.com
Tel: 021-51150666
Joanna Real Estate
Website: http://www.joannarealestate.com.cn
Tel: 021-52285528
Phoenix Property Agency
Website: http://www.shanghai-realty.com/
Tel: 021-62404052
Utilities
Aug 7th
Utility costs usually the rental quotation includes a management fee. But this does not include utility costs such as water, electricity, gas, telephone and network. Generally speaking the cost of gas, electricity, and water would be USD100- per person per month if you are living in an apartment.
Electricity-Billed monthly, during 6am to 10pm, RMB 0.6 per KWH, during 10pm to 6am RMB0.3 per KWH. The fuse system may not be the same from your home country, so label each fuse box and make sure you know what to do when the fuse trips.
Water Billed monthly, Water must be boiled before drinking. Also popular are water dispenses with plastic water jugs on top that can provide drinkable cold or hot water at all times. The base unit can be purchased at any department and supermarkets, and many houses will come with one installed. Water containers can then be delivered as needed (usually through your com- pound management office).
Gas Billed monthly. Most kitchen burners use gas, and each of them has valves that should be carefully turned off when you leave your home for an extended period of time. There are three types of the gas supply in china: city gas, natural gas and bottled gas, depending on what type of accommodation you choose.
Telephone Phone lines are available everywhere, there will be a basic monthly fee of RMB25. Broad-band (ADSL) is available whenever there is a telephone line from China Telecom. There is a fixed charge for unlimited time use cost RMB140 per month. The ADSL broadband bill will be integrated together with the telephone bill from China Telecom. (See more detailed information on page.)
Cable or Satellite TV Most buildings are already connected to cable TV system, giving you even more Chinese channel. New and foreign compounds will have foreign channels like CNN, and BBC, and other channels in English, Japanese, French, and German via satellite TV. Individual satellite dishes are not legal, but are routinely sold and installed.
Property Types
Aug 7th
Property types in Shanghai include villas(别墅, Bieshu), apartments(公寓, Gongyu), serviced apartment(酒店式公寓, Jiudianshi gongyu) and old house(老房子, Laofangzi) available on the market in Shanghai. There are either owned by a private landlord or by the developer. A developer owned property is better managed but are also more rigid during the lease contract negotiation.
Villas - typically outside of Shanghai’s city center, these are the luxury complexes that come fully furnished and equipped with a community center, health club, and restaurant. They are usually gated communities in family- oriented locations and are closer to schools than they are to nightlife and entertainment. Many have children’s facilities on site. Some provide shuttle bus services to major shopping areas.
Apartments – a boom in development projects has been seen over the past few years. Overseas Chinese and locals have rushed in to buy, and then rent them out to foreigners with housing allowances. These apartments tend to be new, built within the last few years. They are spacious high rises with elevators. The apartments are sold “raw” and renovated by the buyer. Depending on the owner, some have high quality fixtures and charming wooden floors, and some have cheap tiles and flooring. If you like the complex, look at different apartments in the same building. The newer the building, the more likely you will have to deal with the noise of a neighbor renovating their interior. Some developments offer housekeeping, concierge service, and fitness facilities.
Old Houses – includes old villas, apartments and lane houses, foreigners and rich Chinese built graciously designed homes, notably from the 1920s to the 1940s. They are charming and heavily sought- after, especially by foreigners. Thus their prices reflect the heavy demand. Some are beautifully renovated, have quiet gardens, and make living in a bustling city a much more calming experience. However, aside from the unique charm, old building may still have some disadvantages like obsolete wiring, leaky plumbing, drafty windows, and the presence of vermin.
Shanghai Districts and Areas
Aug 6th
Shanghai is administratively equal to a province and is divided into 18 county-level divisions: 17 districts and one county.
But here, I want to introduse the business centers and residential areas in Shanghai: *click to get more information.
People’s Square (人民广场, RenMinGuangChang)
East Nanjing Road (南京东路, Nanjing Dong Lu)
Jing‘an Temple & West Nanjing Road (静安寺和南京西路, Jing’an Si and Nanjing Xi Lu)
Zhongshan Park (中山公园)
Hongqiao Gubei (虹桥, 古北)
Wujiaochang (五角场)
Xinzhuang (莘庄)
Century Avenue (世纪大道, ShiJiDaDao)
Caoyang (曹阳)
Shangnan (上南)
Qibao (七宝)
Hongkou Football Stadium (虹口足球场, Hongkou ZuQiu Chang)
North Bund (北外滩, Bei Wai Tan)
Caohejing (漕河泾)
How to rent a house in Shanghai
Aug 6th
STEP 1: Decision making
Relocating is never easy, when you want to move to Shanghai, how many budget you have, how large, property type, which district or specific area you prefer to live.
Some information you want to know:
>> Shanghai Districts and Areas
STEP 2: Find an agency
Most real estate agency in Shanghai provides free services to help you to find a house, you should tell them your budget, property type, preferred property or area and your visiting scheduler. If you want to rent a serviced apartment, you can call their service center directly as well.
Some information you want to know:
>> Biggest Shanghai real estate agencies list
>> Shanghai serviced apartments
STEP 3: Visit the house
Real estate agency will make the proposal for you, which lists the properties you want to visit. Looking around as careful as you can and ask each question you want to know.
STEP 4: Bargain and sign contract with landlord and your agency
The leasing contracts have its officially recommended version, you can adding some extra clauses after negotiating with your landlord and agency.
You may bargain with landlord on the price and other extra conditions, such as repairing, renovation and property management fee.
STEP 5: Pay deposit and check in
Normally, you should pay the rent for the first month plus two months of rent as deposit before you move to your new home.
Remember, go to local real estate exchange center for contract registration, your agency can do it for you.
When you moving to your new home, mark all utilies(gas, water and power supply) number with you agency and landlord.
Some information you want to know:
>> Utilies fee in Shanghai
Shanghai Administrative Divisions
Aug 6th
Shanghai is administratively equal to a province and is divided into 18 county-level divisions: 17 districts and one county. There is no single downtown district in Shanghai, the urban core is scattered across several districts. Prominent central business areas include Lujiazui on the east bank of the Huangpu River, and The Bund and Hongqiao areas in the west bank of the Huangpu River. The city hall and major administration units are located in Huangpu District, which also serve as a commercial area, including the famous Nanjing Road. Other major commercial areas include Xintiandi and the classy Huaihai Road (or Avenue Joffre before Liberation) in Luwan district and Xujiahui (used to be translated into English asZikawei as how it is pronounced in Shanghainese) in Xuhui District. Many universities in Shanghai are located in residential areas of Yangpu District and Putuo District.
Nine of the districts govern Puxi (literally Huangpu River west), or the older part of urban Shanghai on the west bank of the Huangpu River. These nine districts are collectively referred to as Shanghai Proper (上海市区) or the core city (市中心):
- Huangpu District (simplified Chinese: 黄浦区; traditional Chinese: 黃浦區; pinyin: Huángpǔ Qū)
- Luwan District (卢湾区 Lúwān Qū)
- Xuhui District (徐汇区 Xúhuì Qū)
- Changning District (长宁区 Chángníng Qū)
- Jing’an District (静安区 Jìng’ān Qū)
- Putuo District (普陀区 Pǔtuó Qū)
- Zhabei District (闸北区 Zháběi Qū)
- Hongkou District (虹口区 Hóngkǒu Qū)
- Yangpu District (杨浦区 Yángpǔ Qū)
Pudong (literally Huangpu River east), or the newer part of urban and suburban Shanghai on the east bank of the Huangpu River, is governed by:
- Pudong New District (浦东新区 Pǔdōng Xīn Qū) — Chuansha County until 1992
Seven of the districts govern suburbs, satellite towns, and rural areas further away from the urban core:
- Baoshan District (宝山区 Bǎoshān Qū) — Baoshan County until 1988
- Minhang District (闵行区 Mǐnháng Qū) — Shanghai County until 1992
- Jiading District (嘉定区 Jiādìng Qū) — Jiading County until 1992
- Jinshan District (金山区 Jīnshān Qū) — Jinshan County until 1997
- Songjiang District (松江区 Sōngjiāng Qū) — Songjiang County until 1998
- Qingpu District (青浦区 Qīngpǔ Qū) — Qingpu County until 1999
- Fengxian District (奉贤区 Fèngxián Qū) — Fengxian County until 2001
Chongming Island, an island at the mouth of the Yangtze, is governed by:
- Chongming County (崇明县 Chóngmíng Xiàn)
As of 2003, these county-level divisions are further divided into the following 220 township-level divisions: 114 towns, 3 townships, 103 subdistricts. Those are in turn divided into the following village-level divisions: 3,393 neighborhood committees and 2,037 village committees.
About Shanghai
Aug 5th
Shanghai (Chinese: 上海) is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people.[5] Located on China’s central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People’s Republic of China with province-level status.
Originally a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew to importance in the 19th century due to its favourable port location and as one of the cities opened to foreign trade by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. The city flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business by the 1930s. However, Shanghai’s prosperity was interrupted after the 1949 Communist takeover and the subsequent cessation of foreign investment. Economic reforms in 1990 resulted in intense development and financing in Shanghai, and in 2005 Shanghai became the world’s largest cargo port.
The city is a tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as the Bund and City God Temple, its modern and ever-expanding Pudong skyline including the Oriental Pearl Tower, and its new reputation as a cosmopolitan center of culture and design. Today, Shanghai is the largest center of commerce and finance in mainland China, and has been described as the “showpiece” of the world’s fastest-growing economy.
