We came from living in a house in the UK to moving into a
condo in Singapore. Here are my observations. Initially I was quite keen on a house because that is what I'm used to...
- There's a much wider choice of
condos
- The houses we saw were quite dated and old fashioned. Some hadn't been lived in for a while and were quite run-down. Also a lot of them were townhouses - eg 3 floors with no outside space. I found the houses to be quite expensive too - but of course, it depends on your budget.
- Quite a small point but I'm not mad about tropical wildlife! mosquitoes, lizards etc - we don't get those in the condo we're in because of the regular fogging (pesticide control)
- I feel that I and my children are really safe in a condo as they have security guards 24 hours a day although the crime rate is low here in Singapore
- Our Condo location is perfect for our school - I can walk to school with my son. Someone else mentioned location - it's definitely a consideration with two little ones - how are you going to get out and about?
- Also if you don't know anyone here in Singapore, living in a condo provides you with a community. We live in a very small condo block with no children! but that's a rarity. Most condos have a shallow childrens pool and a playground - sometimes indoors. And I imagine you'll get to meet other mummies and their little ones, and there might even be playgroups etc. If you live in a house, then you're restricted to your neighbours.
- One thing I couldn't do is live on a high floor in a condo - we're on the first floor.
- The one thing I do miss is having my own outside space - we had a big garden in the UK, but after saying that I find it a bit too hot here to sit and play outside for hours on end, so a condo suits us really well.
Hope this helps
Amelia