In July Rob and I left the kids with the Grandparents and headed to China to find a place to live for the next few years!
Upon finding out we were moving to China, my physical therapist made me promise I would go home and call the TV show "House Hunters." I love that show so I told her I would check it out! During my research I learned that the people they choose for the show are already in escrow/have a contract with a house. They then find two other houses in their search criteria and basically fake the show because they have already chosen their home - super LAME. (I haven't watched the show since).
Here is my version for our own entertainment...
We saw many many different homes. I'll pick three of our favorites to highlight here. Everyone has been surprised when they see our housing options. Not the bungaloo in the trees that they imagined :) China will definitely have it's challenges but housing most likely will not be at the top of that list. If I didn't know any better I would think half of these houses were in Anytown USA.
The first major decision was whether to live in the city or the suburbs. We looked at both and figured we would "know" where we were supposed to be.
Pros of City living
- more immersed in culture
- kids become public transportation savvy : buses/subway
- close to Chinese language dual immersion school we like
Cons of City living
- city living with 20 million people - no solitude
- far from #1 school choice
- apartment living - no yard for kids to play/ride bikes
Option #1
Embassy House
(nope, it's not a cloudy day - we call this pollution! Yikes!)
Loved, loved, LOVED this apartment! It was by far the cleanest, most updated of any we saw. Biggest one is only 3 bedroom so all the kids would share. Great facilities - pool, spa, library, gym. Any tiny tiny yard outside will small toys for kids.
Option #2
Rose and Ginko Villa
(Can you imagine my BOYS in this room??)
Besides the White formal living room this house was Great! Closest to style of homes we have lived in in the past. A little more remote - on the edge of the suburbs so farther commute for Rob but fairly close to #1 School choice. Great pool and trails for kids bikes around neighborhood. It is semi-detached so it shares one wall with neighbor. Small yard but that is typical in China. Lower end of budget! Couldn't get them to show us more in this neighborhood.
Option #3
Yosemite
There is a problem when the people trying to find you a home are paid by commission and know your budget and know that your company is footing the bill. They try to show us the most expensive - high end of our budget homes, and don't understand why we ask them to show us something smaller. This was by far our favorite neighborhood. The clubhouse was the newest and cleanest and had everything! Plus it is literally across the street from the kids School in the suburbs. Grocery within walking distance. We really hoped to find a home in this neighborhood. Every home they showed us had the same floor plan. The landlords will paint and do many things at your request before moving in so ignore the nasty paint color :) This house was huge - like almost 7,000 sq ft huge. We walked in and Rob made a comment about "The Shining" movie and the house wasn't the same after that :)
So which one would YOU choose??? I'll show you our choice tomorrow...
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