spent a week in SG, now I have questions

[soon-to-be expat]

We just got home from a one week trip to SG. My husband had to go on business (he will be transferred there) and I got to tag along to check out the place.

The company provided us with an estate agent who took us around to see some apartments, but I was not very happy with him. We had planned to look at housing areas, neighbourhoods etc, to see what they were like, what shops/markets were there and what the public transport was like, and then maybe see a couple of apartments just to see what they are like and what we could get for our money. instead, the agent took us to see 8 apartments in one day, needless to say we only saw the interior of the places, the pool and facilities, and were rushing from one place to the next with no time to see the area. He also didn't seem to listen to what we said we wanted, but rather presented us with a bunch of things 'that expats normally want'.

So first question, is it ok to just look for another agent and not contact this guy again when actually move there? A friend of my mum's has a brother who's been living in Singapore for 30 years, and he recommended an agent to us. We would rather deal with her the next time, and not contact this chap anymore. Is that ok or is there some sort of a 'code' or rule that you can only deal with one guy?

Second question, what is a 'wet market'? I've read about shopping at wet markets as the veggies and such are supposed to be much cheaper. We didn't get to see a single market because of our agent, and he only pointed out the cold storage supermarkets to us (another one of those 'expats want this'-things).

And lastly, which condos in the area between Clementi and Holland Village can you recommend? My husband will be working just south of Jurong East MRT, and I'm hoping to get a job either at one of the universities, or there's a possibilities I might have to travel into the city centre for work. So somewhere in the Clementi Area would be nice, Bukit Timah as well if we can afford it, but no further east than Holland Village.

Thanks for the help!

[Guest]

Hi,

I'm a Canadian expat in Singapore. Change agents, please! There is no obligation to be honest. He showed you a few places but did not do a good job so drop him. If he had spent days or weeks showing you places and then you switched agents that would be a different matter. An agent who listens to you is ultimately going to get you a place you enjoy.

A Wet Market is an outdoor (covered over but often not in an enclosed building) market. At home in Canada we usually call them Farmer's Markets. The veggies are cheaper for sure and you can haggle a bit as well. The big supermarkets (you mentioned Cold Storage) have a good variety of fruits and veggies as well but they are priced higher. You'll have to get used to local veggies and fruits if you want to save money. Veggies like broccoli, squash and button mushrooms are way overpriced as expats usually want them. But, the local veggies are wonderful and I rarely eat the others anymore.

If you want to check out some condos in the areas you mentioned, try this website for some available places. I actually used an agent from this company and she was fantastic.

Good luck and hope I was able to help.

Tyler

[Soon to be Expat Myself]

Thank you both for your e-mails. Come to think of it, my real estate agent was very much like what the lady has described. Being a guy with only a day allocated for house hunting, I failed to notice that. However, I just rented a place near Orchard MRT and hopefully it was a good decision.

Tyler, an unrelated requested. I am currently a New Yorker who recently got his Canadian residency. Given the result of our election in the USA, it was a great idea. I am very excited about becoming part of Canada and someday becoming a Vancouver resident. As I am moving to Singapore for now, I would love to get myself involved in organizations related to Canada and meet Canadians. Is there a venue that you recommend? Are there get togethers that I can come to? By the way, I am a professional with a large MNC.

Thanks for your help!

[Guest]

Hey there NY, soon-to-be-Canuck,

Let me be the first to welcome you to Canada! I'm sure you'll love Vancouver once you finally move there. The surrounding areas are absolutely beautiful.

There is a Canadian organization in Singapore called the Canadian Association. You can go to their web address at http://www.canadians.org.sg/ . If you play ice hockey their is a league here so bring your gear! Or, if you are into curling there is also a curling league.

Another, and better in my opinion, way to meet some local Canucks is to come down to The Beedroom Bar (http://www../). This is the only Canadian bar in Singapore and is full of Canadians and Singaporeans every night. Phil, the owner, also shows NHL games on the big screen. Could be a bit of a problem if the NHL and players don't settle soon though.

Hope this helps you out a bit. Singapore is a great place and there are tonnes of expats around.

Tyler

[Guest]

Hey NY,

Sorry, don't know what happened to the web address for the bar. Here it is again. I also noticed I spelled it wrong! Sorry. It is called The Bedroom Bar. Web address is www..

Tyler

[Guest]

Hello again NY,

OK, so there seems to be some problem with the web address I am trying to give you. Perhaps this site doesn't like the words in the web address because they sound like something they are not? No matter. If you go to the Canadian Association then there is a link to the bar's website I think. Alternatively you could send me your email address and I could send you the link that way.

Sorry about that. Seems to be some over-excitable security people on this site. I admit that the name of the bar sounds promiscuous, but it is not. Let this be your first introduction to Singaporean censorship! It certainly will not be your last encounter.

Cheers,

Tyler

[joop]

Hi Tyler,

Greetings.

The web link is a banned link as there were instances of spamming cases here earlier in the forum where some persons actually came in to spam the site on the web link, so now the link's 'blocked'.

[Ruby]

I have been here for only three weeks. My husband has be transferred as well. We are in the prossess of looking for a condo to. We have 4 agents at the moment but my husband's company did not appoint one so I am not sure if there is some code.

A wet market is where they sell fruit, vegies, chicken and fish and it is all very fresh. They are found around most HBDs. Other supermarkets are Fair Price, Cold Storage, Econ Market, Market Place and Jasons. I have found that Fair Price is cheaper and you can get most things. Although Cold Storage does deliver if your order is over $165.00.

When we go and look at condos we take our digital camera with us and I tend to take notes on each Condo so we can assess each one when the agent is not around.

Good Luck!

Ruby.

[passerby]

My God Ruby! 4 agents! I do pity the three agents who would not be closing the deal for you! They won't be paid a single cent for their efforts, time, money and especially opportunity cost! An agent will not be paid anything if he is not the one to seal the deal for you.

Have a heart Ruby. Pick one agent you favor most and leave the rest to search for opportunities elsewhere while it's still early! Or perhaps you'll be paying the unsuccessful three some tokens for their time spent? In which case, my sincere apologies for the above.

Happy house hunting anyway!