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Obsessed with Apartment Hunting?

I constantly saw myself having two apartments in my dreams, and I did find myself feeling insecure when staying in an apartment whose door may be easily opened, or accessible by other people. Luckily that was just a dream. 

A couple of times, I lived in a fancy house with a big living room, cozy bedrooms, and a garden. The house was so close to the street, and I could almost feel the rain with my feet if I wanted to. Pedestrians were literally outside my front window, which I did not like. Sometimes, I could climb down to reach the swimming pool, and so many kids were outside my windows.

In some of my apartment dream series, I was staying in an apartment close to where I lived before. It was an old city area close to Central, and restaurants were nearby. I saw a couple of people staying in my room or in my toilet. I felt frustrated. Not only that, but I did not want strangers taking up my space or invading my privacy. I got the feeling that I had another apartment in Hung Hom, and that apartment had a pleasant study room. Coincidentally, I had lived in that area for two years. 

Then in my weird dream last month,  I saw myself buying an apartment with shabby structures that I totally could not accept. When I woke up and looked around my “real” apartment, I felt I was blessed to have my current apartment but not the apartment I had in my dream. 

I’m not sure if I indulge myself watching the Location, Location, Location programme, so images of apartments manifest in my dreams.

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Location Location Location

​​愛上英國Location、Location、Location的節目,英國地大物博,買家可能想在另一個省買屋,而沒時間找屋。不少家庭看過許多樓盤後,卻未能下定主意,又或者未能出好價買下心儀單位,耿耿於懷。

香港主要以買入單位為主,由200多呎以至過千呎,但都是以同層居多,然而收看了數十集Location、Location、Location後,觀摩了當地買家的心態,是與香港人有別的。

不少英國買家不怕舊屋,想屋內多一點特色,而選擇維多利亞時代或1930年興建的房屋;花園最好向南、平坦而夠大,房間也要大一點,就算只是兩人居住,三至四間房就最合適。部分有子女的家庭會找有五間房的房屋居住。

現代買家都希望客廳和飯廳連為一體,方便照顧孩子、以及與家人和朋友連繫。

若花園有足夠空間,能夠設置辦公室、温室、客房或放彈床就更佳。

香港人多愛新樓,因為維修和漏水等問題出現的機率較少,部分新樓除外,但英國的房屋比較多元化,要深入認識是一盤學問。

倫敦的房價驚人,單位的大小只是較香港大一點,房間和起居室可以分布在兩層或一層半的位置,更可以連室外共用花園或獨立空地。

從前我分不出半獨立屋和獨立屋的分別,多得電視節目和錄像解說才了解更多。

一般而言,排屋比較便宜,半獨立屋或獨立屋比較適合家庭居住;cottage村舍的面積較少。單層平房未必得到民心,但我認為頗為方便。

閣樓改建為辦公室、房間、娛樂空間和貯物房也十分普遍。或許有一天我會尋找我喜愛的大屋!