best way to land a hutong house in the northeast 2nd ring?

[dondiego]

Hi all, my girlfriend and I interested in finding a Hutong in the north east part of the 2nd ring: Confucius/Lama temple, Andingmen East, Dongzhimen/Beixinqiao area. Was wondering if anyone here is in the know for availability of this type of accommodation.

 

We are in the lookout for a 1-2BR, spacious, fully renovated hutong, in close proximity to public transport. Budget up to RMB 18,000.

 

Any input is greatly appreciated.

[abcdefg]

Maybe you should ask some real estate agents in that part of Beijing, if you haven't already.

 

I've always found just walking in and asking is better than trying to sort out these things over the internet. (Admittedly, I have no experience in Beijing.) 

[Lu]

I agree with abc. If you're not in Beijing yet, book a hotel in that general neighbourhood for the first week and look from there. If you're already in Beijing, just walk around and ask any real estate agent you come across (in 2010 they were all over the place, situation probably hasn't changed too much), explain what you want and have them show you houses until you find something you like. Also keep an eye on the expat mags and the classifieds on their websites, you might find something there. But make sure you don't commit to anything (and don't pay anything) until you have personally seen the house.

 

Good luck!

[Publius]

Something like this? But I'm not sure what you mean by Hutong. A Hutong is an alley, not a house. Or are you thinking Siheyuan? In that case, the rent will be much, much higher.

[dondiego]

Thanks for clarifying the correct use of the term, Publius. I'm clearly not about to rent a whole alley so yes, siheyuan would be more appropriate. Sad news about the prices. Seems like it's beyond my budget.

[roddy]

There's hutongs and there's hutongs. The old courtyards where you get the whole thing and live like an emperor - I don't even know how many of those there are any more, and they'll either be owner occupied or rented out to people who couldn't even tell you how much they pay in rent. However many of the courtyards became 大杂院 shared by a number of families and it could well be possible to find a self-contained unit that way - couple of rooms, small kitchen, toilet just down the road. 

 

It's fair to say your budget is well above average on here though. I'd have a look at listings on thebeijinger.com, identify a few agents servicing the top end of the market, and see what you can find. 

[Saxondale]

Plenty of independent agents on thebeijinger specialise in refurbished hutong houses: http://www.thebeijinger.com/classifieds/villas-houses-courtyards-rent