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Moving to SG in August 2014 - so many things to think about

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LivinginSG
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Moving to SG in August 2014 - so many things to think about

Post by LivinginSG » Sun, 25 May 2014 9:09 pm

Hi all

After ~1.5 years in HK, I'm relocating to SG. I'm hoping you'd be able to offer some advice on settling in

1. Finding a place to live - what are the pros and cons of using an agent? Are the prices on property websites reliable? Any tricks of trades of the agents that I'd need to wise up to?

2. Where to live? I'm torn between a few places - Orchard, Tanjong Pagar, Newton, other places on the green line. I'd be working in Raffles Place / Downtown area, but also keen to hang out in Chinatown area (I heard that's where the bars are) - Can anyone advise on neighborhoods that i should narrow my search down to? I'm looking for a 750 sqft plus flat, unfurnished for a single person. Prefer to be closeish to MRT. Keen on conservation house but flexible. Happy for gym + pool included if it's a condo. Budget = 3.5K (realistic?).

3. Aquarium enthusiast - anyone who enjoys fish keeping and aquascaping? Would be keen for like minded people to show me around to get a tank, plants, fish etc...

4. Arts and vintage furniture hunting - chinoiserie, colonial, peranakan, indigenous SEAsian, etc....any tips?

Let me know what you think. Cheers

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taxico
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Re: Moving to SG in August 2014 - so many things to think a

Post by taxico » Mon, 26 May 2014 9:47 am

LivinginSG wrote:Hi all

After ~1.5 years in HK, I'm relocating to SG. I'm hoping you'd be able to offer some advice on settling in

1. Finding a place to live - what are the pros and cons of using an agent? Are the prices on property websites reliable? Any tricks of trades of the agents that I'd need to wise up to?

2. Where to live? I'm torn between a few places - Orchard, Tanjong Pagar, Newton, other places on the green line. I'd be working in Raffles Place / Downtown area, but also keen to hang out in Chinatown area (I heard that's where the bars are) - Can anyone advise on neighborhoods that i should narrow my search down to? I'm looking for a 750 sqft plus flat, unfurnished for a single person. Prefer to be closeish to MRT. Keen on conservation house but flexible. Happy for gym + pool included if it's a condo. Budget = 3.5K (realistic?).

3. Aquarium enthusiast - anyone who enjoys fish keeping and aquascaping? Would be keen for like minded people to show me around to get a tank, plants, fish etc...

4. Arts and vintage furniture hunting - chinoiserie, colonial, peranakan, indigenous SEAsian, etc....any tips?

Let me know what you think. Cheers
3. big aquatic community (?) in singapore. fish shops all over, including some that sell extremely exotic marine stuff. websites and forums exist that will cater to most enthusiasts.

2. raffles place doesn't necessarily mean green line only i think. i believe the red line goes there too. IMO... chinatown + bars = love you long time
Aut viam ad caelum inveniam aut faciam

Dert42
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Post by Dert42 » Mon, 26 May 2014 10:50 am

I had a 175g mixed reef tank back in the US.
I would love to set up a tank here, but I've been worried about the temp swings in my condo. Nevermind the costs to run a chiller, the electricity to keep adequte lighting and pumps going would be significant I would think.

That's salt though. If you're talking fresh water, maybe you don't need as much lighting and temp control.

If that's your hobby though, when looking at apartments thinking about west facing windows and where you would place tank(s).

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Mon, 26 May 2014 11:20 am

I used to keep a salt water tank (150 gal) when I lived out in Seletar Camp before I bought my flat 16 years ago. I also kept salt water in the US before I moved here 31 years ago. I never crowded the tanks and kept a rudimentary setup that pretty much was ecologically balanced without the need for all the fancy stuff. I also lived in a naturally ventilated house with high 13 foot ceilings in Seletar so the temperature change was negligible but could drop a degree during monsoon season. However, I didn't keep live corals so if you are going that route it's going to get a heck of a lot more expensive. When I bought my flat I got rid of it, and have been cussing about it ever since but not willing to reinvest. :cry:
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

LivinginSG
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Re: Moving to SG in August 2014 - so many things to think a

Post by LivinginSG » Wed, 28 May 2014 6:38 am

taxico wrote:
LivinginSG wrote:Hi all

After ~1.5 years in HK, I'm relocating to SG. I'm hoping you'd be able to offer some advice on settling in

1. Finding a place to live - what are the pros and cons of using an agent? Are the prices on property websites reliable? Any tricks of trades of the agents that I'd need to wise up to?

2. Where to live? I'm torn between a few places - Orchard, Tanjong Pagar, Newton, other places on the green line. I'd be working in Raffles Place / Downtown area, but also keen to hang out in Chinatown area (I heard that's where the bars are) - Can anyone advise on neighborhoods that i should narrow my search down to? I'm looking for a 750 sqft plus flat, unfurnished for a single person. Prefer to be closeish to MRT. Keen on conservation house but flexible. Happy for gym + pool included if it's a condo. Budget = 3.5K (realistic?).

3. Aquarium enthusiast - anyone who enjoys fish keeping and aquascaping? Would be keen for like minded people to show me around to get a tank, plants, fish etc...

4. Arts and vintage furniture hunting - chinoiserie, colonial, peranakan, indigenous SEAsian, etc....any tips?

Let me know what you think. Cheers
3. big aquatic community (?) in singapore. fish shops all over, including some that sell extremely exotic marine stuff. websites and forums exist that will cater to most enthusiasts.

2. raffles place doesn't necessarily mean green line only i think. i believe the red line goes there too. IMO... chinatown + bars = love you long time
So chinatown area bars are full of "working" girls? Is there a "West End London" sort of equivalent in SG?

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taxico
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Post by taxico » Wed, 28 May 2014 8:42 am

er... perhaps orchard road or marina bay area... i've not lived in the west end so i cannot draw good comparisons...

what are you looking for? singapore's quite compact and small, so commuting is usually not a big problem. there are interesting residential neighborhoods around/near chinatown.

are you looking to get liquored up nightly and stumble home within minutes? (honest question)

there are good bars scattered all over the island. some in less popular/crowded places.

some people prefer living away from the hub bub... which i assume is not you.

edit: i'm not sure if all chinatown bars are filled with working girls, but i certainly get that impression from (most of) the types of bars i see when i pass by/am in chinatown...
Aut viam ad caelum inveniam aut faciam

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Re: Moving to SG in August 2014 - so many things to think a

Post by Tanuki » Wed, 28 May 2014 10:41 am

LivinginSG wrote:Hi all

After ~1.5 years in HK, I'm relocating to SG. I'm hoping you'd be able to offer some advice on settling in

1. Finding a place to live - what are the pros and cons of using an agent? Are the prices on property websites reliable? Any tricks of trades of the agents that I'd need to wise up to?

2. Where to live? I'm torn between a few places - Orchard, Tanjong Pagar, Newton, other places on the green line. I'd be working in Raffles Place / Downtown area, but also keen to hang out in Chinatown area (I heard that's where the bars are) - Can anyone advise on neighborhoods that i should narrow my search down to? I'm looking for a 750 sqft plus flat, unfurnished for a single person. Prefer to be closeish to MRT. Keen on conservation house but flexible. Happy for gym + pool included if it's a condo. Budget = 3.5K (realistic?).
There are quite a few threads on the forum that include a number of items on peoples' wish list, including costs, nearby services, etc. Between those and the property web site that this forum integrates with, I'd think you have a good set of information to start out.

I probably mention it too often, but try to consider options like the bus system and not just the MRT. I'm a few minutes walk to the local MRT but I almost never use it, since the busses available are much more convenient for my needs. I have almost door-to-door bus service to the 2 offices that I sometimes work in. And I can sit down if I like, which is not often the case on the MRT. :wink:

As someone else noted, you probably shouldn't focus too much on the bars in any one area. There are clusters of them in many places with different moods and environs. Personally I like Robertson Quay a lot, and we sometimes take our dog with us to go to a happy hour. You may find out that your budget complains if you hit the bars a lot. I'm not on one of the lovely expat deals myself...

Good luck and welcome to the fray!

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