Moving in the new year from Australia

[Daryl80]

Hi All,

Thought I'd introduce myself and say hello, as we embark long term move to Singapore. Currently based in Australia,I'm seek your help on what will be the first of many questions. This one being where to stay. Using the template, my answers are below. But look forward to your thoughts and feedback. Cheers!

Priorities:
- your budget - Max $7,000
- your workplace - District 1
- the size and/or type of property that you are seeking - 4+ bedrooms, 3,000+ sqft (don't mind landed or condo)
- will you have a car here? - No
- proximity to transport required. MRT less than 700m away
- will you have any accompanying children needing to attend school? Child care for a 2 year old
- are you looking at private (international/fee-paying, or local schools?) - not presently
- will your employer being funding any fees; or will you, 'out of pocket'? - out of pocket
- is remaining within a national curriculum important; if so what nationality are you? Yes, but flexible. Prefer, Hong Kong or Australia
- have you identified any such schools yet? No

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? Yes
- access to any specific sport, social, and recreation facilities? No
- are you considering bringing any pets. If so what kind, and will they require outdoor access and/or exercise? No
- 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? Done both and don't have a preference, as long as above criteria can be met
- what is the size and type (apartment, house+garden etc) of your current home? 4000sqft home + garden
- what are any current commute times like? 15 mins

[JR8]

I searched on the property ads via this website on > Districts 1-15, 4/+ beds, condo, 3kft+, $7k budget. That yielded c50 hits, every single one advertised as 'POA'. Landlords/agents here really don't like to 'show their hand' it seems.

I searched my own modern 'zone 2' condo, and another condo I know well, and they contain no units over 1800-2000ft. This suggests to me that condo units larger than that might only exist in the very prestigious downtown/city developments, which are pitched at Asian tax exiles and the like, rather than anyone who works for a living.

Next up I searched (URA) on houses, within your criteria. Two districts came up again and again. D15, which you could call 'inner' East Coast, and much to my surprise D10, usually considered very posh.

D10 (to me) is rather barren, anonymous condos, street after street, and is is short of public transport. Apart from Holland Village (central) I find there's no sense of heart to the area. But that's just my impression. D15 might give you a bit more breathing space. Plus it's lower rise, and has the East Coast Park and seafood centres a stroll away. So, have a look at D15 (to give an idea: http://www.propwise.sg/singapore-proper ... ing-areas/ ), and see what you think, if it might work at a macro level. Further discussion on that district can follow if you think it could be a candidate...

p.s. Be alert to er, any 'Spamming agent scum' who send you Private Messages generously offering their help. Once you've finally narrowed down a search zone it would be preferable to get a contact via your HR, a colleague, or similar, (or indeed the sites sponsoring real estate agency), than someone loitering in the shadows here breaking the rules and out for a quick buck.


This site can be useful for pinpointing candidate property:
http://www.propertyhub.com.sg/component ... k,viewMap/

This one records contracts signed: https://www.ura.gov.sg/realEstateIIWeb/ ... rch.action and is searchable by districts/condo name etc.