When moving to TAiwan in the forseeable future, where can I begin to look and search for a Taiwan Real Estate Agent in Kaoshiung or “other cities” that will be my “guide” and assist me in locating a “home” to rent ? I would prefer a home to rent with more than 1 floor, and need to communicate in English because have many questions. Thanks
You can use the forums to get some basic questions like what to look for and what to avoid, out of the way.
If you or the SO is being transferred by your company to come here, they should take care of everything in terms of housing.
To answer your question, your best bet would be to start looking at listings on 591.com. Yes, it’s 100% Chinese, some Chrome translate can help a little, but most listings will have a contact person and sometimes it’s very clear whether they work for a real estate agency or not. Some listings may even have English details, in which, you know that the person who listed it may have some capabilities in English.
You can also check Tsuei Ma-Ma foundation for housing and community services.
The adress of the real estate agent I worked with in Kaohsiung is in the sticky of this facebook group (which is great for all kinds of information). She was very efficient and spoke near native english.
Thanks, can you tell me more about Kaohsiung, what is life like there, is it easy for a foreigner to live there ?
What is the environment like ? If a foreigner lived alone there would it draw attention. Is it safe to do so ?
Is Kaoshiung like … Taichung ? or Ching Shui ? or Tainan ? Thanks for help.
Someone who has lived in Kaoshung may give you more detailed answers. But I will throw in my two cents as a foreigner (I travel to Taiwan every year. This year I spent three weeks in Taiwan, including Taipei, Gaoxiong/Kaohsiung, Pingdong.)
Kaoxiong is very livable, and in some ways a nicer environment than Taipei. Downtown you will find newer construction, wider streets, real sidewalks, lots of consumer shopping. Nice big night market(s), University students, etc. And like any large city in Taiwan it is very “livable” because you have convenient access to modern shopping, food, healthcare, transportation, etc. The MRT in Kaoxiong is not as extensive as in Taipei. But the bullet train travels from Taipei to Kaoxiong, so you can get around the east side of the island easily.
Kaohsiung is safe in the same way all of Taiwan is safe. I drove around, and walked around with my little kids (at night, too), and felt safer than I do in many U.S. cities.
I have heard others say that you will want a scooter or a car in Kaoxiong because the public transit is not quite as good as Taipei.
Now, there’s a whole other topic of conversation as to what life will be like in Kaoxiong or any place in Taiwan. Are you a westerner? English speaker? (No Chinese language ability?) Then life could be difficult when you feel isolated.
People are generally quite friendly and don’t treat foreigners badly at all. You could have a nice life in Taiwan. But if you don’t have Chinese language ability you may need help with negotiating everything: contracts, leases, government bureaucracy, and everything else. And socially, will you be an outsider with no one to talk to?
If I’m wrong and you do speak Chinese, or if you have contacts and friends in Taiwan, then forgive my comments regarding language and social life.
Do you still have the name of that agent in Kaohsiung and would you be able to give it to me? I tried the sticky, but it is no longer connected.