Late 20's social couple; where to live?

[hollry]

Hi everyone,

I am new to the Singapore Expats forum, so please forgive if this is not the correct place to post this. I am hoping to get advice on areas my partner and I should look to rent.

Priorities:
- your budget (approx range): $3,000 to $3,400 per month
- your workplace/s (don't name names, just approx neighbourhood): downtown & raffles place
- the size and/or type of property that you are seeking (#bedrooms, on-site facilities etc): 1 bedroom condo, with appliances
- will you have a car here? no
- proximity to transport required. MRT-subway/buses/the airport/Malay border post (if so, which one): 5-10 min walk to MRT or buses which will take us to work
- will you have any accompanying children needing to attend school? If so, age/s? no kids, so I have removed the other related questions.

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? Would like to be close to a supermarket and/ or restaurants /food shops
- access to any specific sport, social, and recreation facilities? hoping to join social netball or something similar
- 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? Current city dweller, with about a 15 min bus ride or a 30 min walk (3 km)
- what is the size and type (apartment, house+garden etc) of your current home? 2 bedroom place, no out door space.
- what are any current commute times like? 30 mins in the morning/ 15 mins home

Additional facts
- we are 26/27, looking to socialise, would like to be in an area which allows for easy transport connections, we will probably have a lot of visitors!

I have a few questions:
- how should we approach finding a property? Is there one site we should search? Also I have heard that you need an agent to find place?
-we have 2 week paid accommodation- will that be enough time to find somewhere? (in Sydney it can take 3-4 weeks to move in).
- any tips for meeting new people? Anyone know of mixed sports teams?

Thanks so much!
Holley

MOD NOTE: Post split-off from sticky to make own thread.

[the lynx]

Hi everyone,

I am new to the Singapore Expats forum, so please forgive if this is not the correct place to post this. I am hoping to get advice on areas my partner and I should look to rent.

Priorities:
- your budget (approx range): $3,000 to $3,400 per month
- your workplace/s (don't name names, just approx neighbourhood): downtown & raffles place
- the size and/or type of property that you are seeking (#bedrooms, on-site facilities etc): 1 bedroom condo, with appliances
- will you have a car here? no
- proximity to transport required. MRT-subway/buses/the airport/Malay border post (if so, which one): 5-10 min walk to MRT or buses which will take us to work
- will you have any accompanying children needing to attend school? If so, age/s? no kids, so I have removed the other related questions.

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? Would like to be close to a supermarket and/ or restaurants /food shops
- access to any specific sport, social, and recreation facilities? hoping to join social netball or something similar
- 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? Current city dweller, with about a 15 min bus ride or a 30 min walk (3 km)
- what is the size and type (apartment, house+garden etc) of your current home? 2 bedroom place, no out door space.
- what are any current commute times like? 30 mins in the morning/ 15 mins home

Additional facts
- we are 26/27, looking to socialise, would like to be in an area which allows for easy transport connections, we will probably have a lot of visitors!

Based on your budget, your travel requirements and your work locations, you can try Joo Chiat/Marine Parade/Teluk Kurau/Katong area. Some walk-up apartments or small condos are rented for about SGD3k plus but without swimming pool and other typical condo facilities. You can get direct bus rides to the city or even MRT (if you take trains from between Paya Lebar to Kembangan station on East West Line, or Mountbatten to Dakota on Circle Line). Some people I know even cycle to their office in Downtown or Raffles. Plenty of nice restaurants and supermarkets, both local and expat type.

These areas I mentioned above are from East side. If you prefer West, you can try renting in a HDB in Duxton (not sure if it will be over your budget), or even Tanjong Pagar area (a little bit older but cheaper). Condos in that area like ICON will be too expensive. You can consider Chinatown or Telok Belangah area. It won't be as fantastic as East area but the proximity is a plus point. And Sentosa Island is closer from those area.

I have a few questions:
- how should we approach finding a property? Is there one site we should search? Also I have heard that you need an agent to find place?
-we have 2 week paid accommodation- will that be enough time to find somewhere? (in Sydney it can take 3-4 weeks to move in).

Don't worry about it. Most places are available for immediate lease. Two weeks should be just nice for you to scout for places to move in.

- any tips for meeting new people? Anyone know of mixed sports teams?

I don't know about mixed sports, but this forum has Wednesday Night Drinking Club, Friday Night Drinking Club, Sunday Brunch and The Weekenders, among other events that are organised by regulars of this forum's social segment.

Thanks so much!
Holley

MOD NOTE: Post split-off from sticky to make own thread.

[rarkins]

If you're going from a 2 bedroom apartment to 1, then beware that Singapore has some *really* small 1-bedrooms. I recommend that you think about what minimum size you need (in Singapore most talk in square feet not meters) and make sure you're not being shown apartments below that before you go visit anything. Otherwise you may have a day of visiting shoeboxes once you arrive.

If you're working in Raffles Place and Downtown then you'll probably be satisfied by social places within walking distance of those or between those and wherever you live. i.e. maybe don't place too much priority on "action" immediately on your doorstep if your work is well placed already and your choices are limited by budget.

If you can confirm your minimum size requirements and perhaps a little more specific than "downtown" then I can maybe suggest some specific condos that match. Actually right now I can't think of anything with reasonably sized 1 bedrooms except Valley Park condo on River Valley Road. If your budget is a bit more flexible, of course there will be more choices available.

If budget is $3k+ and lease term is 2 years, I think that still means you won't have to pay any direct agent fee yourself (by convention, the agent who helps you find your apartment will get a half month's commission from the landlord's side). I would recommend that approach, as a good agent could even line up even 10 available apartments for viewing on the day you arrive and drive you to them. Even with a good agent though, you definitely want to keep researching and asking questions yourself like you're doing. FYI agent referrals/advertisements are part of this website's services so I'm sure they'd appreciate your business if you don't have one already.