21 year old male - where do I live?!

[benjiiiiii]

Hey

I am arriving into Singapore on the 21st, and am hoping to have an apartment sorted by around the 1st of October.

Currently I am liasing with a realtor to find myself a 1 bed property, but so far I am not impressed.

My budget is roughly S$4k, could do S$5k for an awesome flat.

So far my realtor has shown me (via photos) a 1 bed in District 9 (at Waterfront, which seemed to have mixed reviews), and an apartment in District 2 in Altez which looked nice, but furnishing would be minimal, and realistically I need a fully furnished flat (or as close to)

Does anyone have recommendations on location/realtor, or any particular tips for myself in this situation?

Many thanks

[taxico]

age and gender alone is not enough. where do you work? where do you want to live OR what type of area/environments do you want to live in? etc.

some people recommend staying in a Serviced Apartment for a month or two to make sure you find the most suitable place to move into...

i second that.

[JR8]

Start here...

'Where should I/we consider living?'
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic101985.html

[benjiiiiii]

age and gender alone is not enough. where do you work? where do you want to live OR what type of area/environments do you want to live in? etc.

some people recommend staying in a Serviced Apartment for a month or two to make sure you find the most suitable place to move into...

i second that.

Hey

I'm considering this at the moment but preferably would rather avoid it, but obviously if it's necessary I will do this

Here is the templae, apologies for not filling this out originally, I unfortunately missed it.

Priorities:
- your budget (approx range) S$4-5k
- your workplace/s (don't name names, just approx neighbourhood) - Chinatown MRT
- the size and/or type of property that you are seeking (#bedrooms, on-site facilities etc) - 1bed, w/ swimming pool
- will you have a car here? - No
- proximity to transport required. MRT-subway/buses/the airport/Malay border post (if so, which one). - Close to MRT-subway
- will you have any accompanying children needing to attend school? If so, age/s? - No
- are you looking at private (international/fee-paying, or local schools?) N/A
- will your employer being funding any fees; or will you, 'out of pocket'? I get 3 months paid upfront to use however I want (will use for deposit and agency fees, if applicable)
- is remaining within a national curriculum important; if so what nationality are you? N/A
- have you identified any such schools yet? N/A

Nice to have:
- will you need to be able to say walk to the local shops, a library, your doctor, a market, and so on? walk to local shops is definite priority
- access to any specific sport, social, and recreation facilities? - If I have access to a swimming pool, I dont need sport. Social would be a definite plus though.
- are you considering bringing any pets. If so what kind, and will they require outdoor access and/or exercise? No, but flat dependant I would like a dog
- are you considering bringing any parents/in-laws etc? Do they have specific needs (for example difficulty climbing stairs?) No

Your current home and commute:
- are you already a city dweller? i.e. Are you used to city-centre hustle and bustle, or would you hope for a bit more peace and quiet? Already a city-dweller so prefer busy.
- what is the size and type (apartment, house+garden etc) of your current home? At the moment I live in a 3 bed roughly 1200sqft but fully appreciate I will have to size down in SG and am fine with this.
- what are any current commute times like? tiny, but again, I don't mind a new commute. Moving country is not about keeping the same routine

I hope this helps. Again apologies for not filling this in first.

[curiousgeorge]

As has been said many times before, 1bed private places are extremely rare except for the newer shoebox studios of the last couple of years.

If you look for a 2bed place, you will get one for that budget in a very central and convenient area. There are many, many more 2bed so the price is oddly comparatively lower than 1beds.

Don't be too quick to dismiss places that are not near the MRT - the bus system here is very well developed.

And to be honest, if your apartment budget is 4-5k, then you'll be taking taxis most of the time anyway

[Akimbo]

Your budget is $4K for the flat? Wow that's some serious salary...

As curiousgeorge says, it's extremely rare to find studio rooms (good ones and also near to public transport)

I think from what you said, I'd suggest Farrer Park neighborhood, and get a condo, which would have a swimming pool. You can get a 2-bedroom apartment with that budget, and you still have the place all to yourself. You just have an extra bedroom that you won't use, that's all. There's one right beside City Square Mall. Can't remember what it's called.

Or just like what my friend does, find a low-rise place in the east, and rent the whole unit himself. Cost him arnd 3K I think, and it's pretty good. He brought his dog along. Public transportation is easy to use in Singapore, so I don't think it would be a hard choice for you. (check gothere.sg for the possible transportation for you to take)

And I wouldn't advice you to use agents to find a place. There's plenty of sites that offers it. You can find links to it in this site, or just google em yourself

[JR8]

So, if I might, for the sake of clarity this is how it looks boiled down.

Priorities:
S$4-5k budget, workplace/s: Chinatown.
Desired: 1bed, w/ swimming pool: Close to MRT-subway.
'Will have 3 months (salary) paid upfront to use however I want (will use for deposit and agency fees, if applicable)'.

Nice to have:
'Walk to local shops is definite priority
If I have access to a swimming pool, I dont need sport. Social [activities] would be a definite plus though.
I would like a dog

Your current home and commute:
'Already a city-dweller so prefer busy [neighbourhood].
I live in a 3 bed roughly 1200sqft but fully appreciate I will have to size down in SG and am fine with this.
I don't mind a ... commute.

[JR8]

You're spoilt for choice really. Which inadvertently makes suggesting places harder.

Just be aware of the 'core D9/10/11' residential zone* which is very expensive. Move away a few MRT stops and you'll see prices rapidly dropping off.

Have a play with the property search function above, and see what you find. If you find something that might work, a neighbourhood, or condo, then you can note it in this discussion here and people should be able to suggest any pros and cons.

Happy shopping!




* Roughly: Orchard Road corridor, surroundings, and beyond the north end of Orchard.

--- Be aware that this discussion is going to be like chumming the waters in shark-central. I expect you're going to get 'super-friendly, maybe I can help you' Private Messages from agents: Beware!
QED - and even some who come directly into this topic. Note: a posters Date of Joining/Post-count... look at their post history and their favoured/pet topics.

[benjiiiiii]

Hi all

Based on some of the responses here, maybe I have gone into this search with too-large a budget. Can anyone suggest appropriate budget? I understand that that may be akin to saying 'how long is a piece of string', but at the same time a rough indication of what is considered reasonable in SG would be helpful

I will use today to research apartments, and will post back here accordingly.

Many thanks !:)

[babydust]

The ARRIS @ Tanjong Pagar. Stayed there before. It's great.
It's quiet and yet convenient. Altez is new but with $4-5k you can get a reasonably nice bigger apt. I stayed in The ARRIS and not alot of people know about this small development right in the heart of the CBD. If you like quietness, this is the place to consider. It's about 700m from Altez!

[Akimbo]

Well Benji, would you like to stay with flatmates, or would you like to stay by yourself? That's the question.

4000 is a good budget to find your own place, meaning no flatmates, just you and the unit (no matter how many bedrooms), and you can get a big unit if you go outside of the city for a bit (and the city is Orchard, Raffles, Clarke Quay around that radius)

I believe a good enough budget (with flatmates) would be somewhere around 1200-1500 if you want to live in a condo. (with amenities such as pool, gym etc)

700 - 1000 if you live in an HDB (public housing, you can probably go to the local sport complex for gym)

The price would go towards the higher range depending on the proximity of the MRT I reckon, but these would probably need to increase by 300-500 dolars more if you choose to live in the more central area.

HDB-wise, usually the landlord wouldn't let any pets, condo would be better. But you can check with the landlord on that.

Your best bet is usually to find other like-minded individuals to rent the same place as you are, and split the rent! I can PM you the website I used if you like...

[benjiiiiii]

Hey Akimbo

I haven't decided yet really, prefer to live alone however unless the property was amazing.

Condo I think it has to be over HDB as I've read stories about visitors in HDB etc not being looked upon too favourably.

If you can PM me that website, that would be fantastic!

Many thanks

[JR8]

Based on some of the responses here, maybe I have gone into this search with too-large a budget. Can anyone suggest appropriate budget?

How is the budget derived?

If it's a employer's housing budget, above and beyond your salary be aware that often they are a 'use or lose' allowance.

1-beds seem to be quite unusual here. In general terms living alone is not expected and for locals is actively highly discouraged! So the margin to aim for a 2-bed might be less than you think, and it will open maaaany more options. For minimal increment you might be able to get yourself a spare bedroom/home office type set up.

[benjiiiiii]

Hi JR8

The salary is out of my own paycheck, roughly 35%. I'm used to paying high ratio salary:rent from London and was told SG is the same, but maybe this is incorrect.

[JR8]

Hi JR8

The salary is out of my own paycheck, roughly 35%. I'm used to paying high ratio salary:rent from London and was told SG is the same, but maybe this is incorrect.

Ah I see.
There are plenty of cheaper options, 'but they come at a price', as such

With your sort of package I don't think you should consider HDB, at least not now. They don't allow pets, and tend not to have any facilities (gyms, swimming pools). Plus, er, you know, expats don't tend to lease HDBs... you're going to be like the sole white newbie who is flat-hunting in the Bronx or something... why not mitigate the culture shock, start with a 2 bed condo, and once you've settled in for the lease term see how you feel about going local.

If you were to be satisfied with a 'zone 2' location, maybe a 30 minute commute, you could tick all your boxes on a condo for $4k, easy. We have an almost brand new 3-bed, walk to shops/MRT etc, full-facilities etc condo for that. But note: If we were just off Orchard I'm sure it would be double++.

Ironically I'd probably be willing to pay a premium to live 'anywhere but somewhere on or near Orchard'; you get like that after a while here...

p.s. I'm not sure about buying a dog here, though I can understand families who bring existing pets. They're not a part of the local culture. The climate is brutal on them. If you're at work 12hrs a day it's not kind on a pet being locked up alone like that. There's little facility for taking them for decent walks/runs. All in all I'd suggest against it.

-- That the Management Office at our place are threatening owners with having their dogs 'debarked' [sic, and damned sick too!] tells you about all you need to know about the local attitude towards dogs...