Moving to Singapore - Advice would be greatly appreciated

[westcoast_canuck]

Hey everyone. I've been lurking around these boards for the past few weeks because I will be moving to Singapore for a new job in October from Canada and would like some advice on a few matters.

1) Rental property

I'm in the market for my own apartment, preferably SGD$1500 and under (emphasis on the under). I understand that studio apartments are rare and condo rentals are quite high at this point. I'd love to be able to use a swimming pool but I understand the limits of my budget so if anyone could provide me with links on some good property rental websites/services, I'd greatly appreciate it. I've tried to google a few sites but they seem to be limited to high end condo rentals that are out of my budget.

Primarily, I'd like to live alone (HDB flat or condo) but would also be open to sharing accommodations. Location wise, I'm open to staying anywhere in Singapore provided that there's adequate public transportation to the central business district.

So any links that cover these areas would be great.


2) Banks

I currently have an HSBC Premier account in Canada and I'm not too familiar if its status is transferable to Singapore. Regardless, what's the best bank to be with? I guess the factors for me would be the number of ATM machines located around the city and credit card perks/benefits. Is HSBC the way to go or should i go with a local bank?

I thought I had a few more questions but I'm drawing a blank. Will add more if needed. Thanks for any feedback that you may have!

[jpatokal]

A budget of S$1500 is very very restrictive for condo hunting these days. Your best bet is to share a room, you'll find the classifieds on this very board quite active:

http://classifieds.singaporeexpats.com/

As for banks, all the ones in Singapore suck, so you might as well stick with HSBC, as they have a few perks for inter-HSBC transfers and such. Their branch locations are a little limited, but you can use the ATMs of other smaller banks as well, so it's not too bad.