Where to look for an appartment?

Hi there,

I will be moving to Suzhou in January 2013 with my husband who will be on a work assignment. We're now trying to find out which part of the city we should move to. As I don't speak Chinese, I don't think I'll find a job, so I would love to live in an area where there might be other expats. Or is the housing market in Suzhou so tight that we'll be lucky to find anything at all?
We'll visit Suzhou in mid-November to try and find a flat. Any advice on where to start looking would be very much appreciated.
Thanks a lot in advance :-)

Hello oakee.

Welcome to Expat.com! :)

I invite you to read this article on Accommodation in China.

You can post an advert in the Housing in Suzhou section as well. It could help.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Hi Oakee,

Concerning your situation, I would highly recommand you the Industrial Park(工业园区). I am 100% sure you'll love it! To be more specific, The area around Jinji Lake (金鸡湖)....With an awesome lake view as well as many expats, it's gonna fit you pretty well....

The following link may help you get an overview of the house renting in Suzhou. BUT, IT ONLY DISPLAY IN CHINESE
http://su.58.com/zufang/?final=1&search … urcetype=5

HOPEFULLY IT MAY HELP.....

cheers

Hi Aurélie and Toooooooony,

thanks for your advice!

Toooooooony, we'll definitely check out the Industrial Park you suggested, it sounds exactly like what we're looking for :-)

Cheers!

Hello Oakee,

Like Tooooooony said, SIP is good to live in. There are lots of apartments so you won't have any problems finding a place. Just be patient and view lots. I have had to view quite a few until I found the right one. There is also a subway so you can get around easily. And taxis are cheap, too.

If you need any more info or help then feel free to contact me.

Good luck :)

Maria

Thanks Maria for your input!

Take care,
Doris

I think the Industrial Park may be the convenient place, the public traffic and environment are also fine.

Hi I would also like to give some input about SND. We are not so high tech and big city as SIP. We do have nice supermarkets and also still have wet markets where you can buy live chickens and shrimps and haggle over the prizes. A white face can still turn faces in our area. We have the underground which make everything easily accessible as well. Unfortunately SND is now living a life in anonymity since most expats choose to go to SIP. However, we do have a nice compound with a very familiar feel in SND called Regent on the Park. One of the few who can boast of: in and outdoor pool, tennis court ,shuttle bus, soccer field(where parents and kids meet and play soccer every Saturday, basket ball field and an active neighborhood who arranges events on a regular basis. There are of course also other options like Golden curtilage apartments across from the Shanri-la, MingCheng - where we first started. Let me know if you want more information.

Hi Doris,

here a few aprtments I would recomend:
The royal lakefront; Lakeshore Garden; Horizon; The lakeside; Bayside; Marina cove Garden.
Last one is the best...don't know your budget.

If you need advice for real estate let me know...

All in SIP aound Jinji Lake...choose near to work if you can...


Cheers S.

(moderated: no free ads + could you please avoid copy/paste)

Hi everybody,

thank you so much for your valuable input!
I'm looking forward to coming to Suzhou next week and checking out your recommendations :-)

Many many thanks
Doris