UPDATE - The BEST place to live in Taipei

[color=red]A topic to all foreigners living in and facing relocatiion to Taipei[/color]

So, what is the best place to live in Taipei?

We heard about Tienmu, Wellington Heights and another Ex-pat area, but, what should be taken in consideration first before choosing your home (house or apprtment) for a longer period?

Should it be the shops around, the distance of the MTR, are some locations overprized, what about safety, clean areas etc.
is it true that houses are very difficult to find, which real estate agencies are reliable etc…

I would like to make this topic an [color=darkred]UPDATED guideline [/color]for all future ex-pats made by those who know best, you…

Thanks for all relevant information!

[color=black][url=http://tw.forumosa.com/t/lotus-hill-la-dolce-vita-in-taiwan/995/1 Hill[/url][/color]
:thumbsup:

[quote=“Maoman”]
[color=black][url=http://tw.forumosa.com/t/lotus-hill-la-dolce-vita-in-taiwan/995/1 Hill[/url][/color]
:thumbsup:[/quote]

The man said he was worried about safety. How can one be truly safe with you out there beating the bushes.

Of course I jest. But you should know that, while comfortable and cheaply luxurious, Lotus Hill is hell and gone far.

I like Mucha. Close enough to get anywhere in the city within 20-25 minutes and surrounded by mountains.

YongHo/ChongHo/Pancioa are cheaper by half, but are urban sprawl.

Good luck.

And beware The Gustav of Lotus Hill. He’s gonna get ya, yes he is.

Could someone compare Wellington Heights with Lotus Hill and list the + and - of each if possible…?

Imagine that I should be able to spend 3500 US$ a month for a house, would that influence the location?

I’ll rent you my place and throw in a scooter. :wink:

Damn man, you can move into the Presidential Palace for that kinda cake. You can buy the town of TaiDong for that kinda scratch. Or a small, slightly used island (if you don’t mind the occasional SAM site) for that kinda luchre.

I realy have no clue if I should (eh…my company :notworthy: ) pay that amount for a house on a good location. But a 25Sqm appartment for 16.000NTS is way too small…

I received some prices from a local guy who works for an agency telling me that prices for a “western style” house are starting at 2.500 US till …6.000US$ :astonished:

I am not looking for a 6 bedroom, 4 bathroom thing, but at least something like 250 sqm big with 3 normal bedrooms and 1 bathroom.

If less expensive, they may even put a SAM site near the house… :slight_smile:

My apartment in Lotus Hill is 160 square metres (48 ping) and I pay 20k, plus 2.5k monthly parking, plus 2.3k monthly maintenance/security fees. The health club costs extra too. My apartment came unfurnished, but I know there are furnished ones available. It takes 45 minutes to get into town during rush hour, but only half an hour normally.

It all depends on what you want. If you want trees and clean air and don’t mind the commute, go for Lotus Hill, but if you’re like Woody Allen who can’t survive outside of Manhattan, then go for something nice in a highrise downtown like on the tree-lined Renai Rd. or Dunhua. Da An Park offers your Taipei’s equivalent of Central Park. Or if you want prestige, places in Xinyi District near Taipei 101 have the cachet these days. And something nice between downtown and suburbs is Dazhi which caters to the nouveau riche. Go for a riverfront highrise that affords the Taipei skyline and a $180 cab ride to anywhere downtown.

I have a 4 story house in Ying Ge for 15k including security and parking. :slight_smile: But then again, I don’t need snivilization…cept for happy hours. :slight_smile:

i dont think there are any good places to live in Taipei… some western style homes off Minchuan E. Rd sec 4. but u will pay $2500+ USD/month, cause western style apartments rare here.

Western have nice bathroom, luxurious wall to wall carpeting or beautiful hard wood floors and big windows as well as nicely decorated architecture (interior and exterior) and drywall interior for walls.

Most apartments here are just concrete rooms mashed together.

The only advice i can give is DO NOT LIVE anywhere less than the 3rd FLOOR MINIMUM, otherwise bugs, rats and whatever else will crawl up very frequently to your apartment.

Thank you. This is exactly the kind of advice newbies like myself need.

More, please. :notworthy:

Consider your commute. Time is money. Where’s the job? This will help people advise you.

Also, how important is it to you and your family to be near other high-income expats (Tianmu, Tianmu) and the American School (Tianmu), as well as the best imported goods (Tianmu)?

Or would walking to work be ideal?

Or do you want pleasant, clean air (and a long commute)?

Actually, you want to factor in flooding during typhoons, too. Definitely 3rd floor on up. Top floors get hotter in summer. Very high floors sway more in earthquakes, and be sure to check whether the building has a steel skeleton as opp. to only reinforced concrete. Check also for fire doors, emergency lighting, and multiple exit methods in case of fire. Fire safety here is notoriously poor.

Except for the commute…

I like living where I live now, smack dab in the middle of downtown within quick walking distance of the Zhongxiao-Fuxing MRT station.

Lotus Hill is just apartment blocks. Nice ones, but apartment blocks none the less.

You’r talking over 100000NT a month, so get a house in a nice community of houses. A suburb of Xindian City called Ankeng has a lot of these communties. One called Taipei Chinese City (Taipei Huachen) has some really nice independent houses.

Brian