Areas in Singapore that suit families

shodge · Post by **shodge** » Mon, 16 Nov 2009 6:07 pm

We are a family of 4 moving to Singapore. We have 2 young children (2 & 8wks) We are looking for locations that would suit us. We would be looking for a condo and will be relying on public transport to get around. My husband will be working on the Marina Casino. We would love to live near parks and shopping areas (groceries etc) Where would you receommend?

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Mon, 16 Nov 2009 6:39 pm

Well, there are children in every housing estate/condo in Singapore. Take you pick.

xtasy010 · Post by **xtasy010** » Mon, 16 Nov 2009 6:50 pm

If you give high priority to a location with good amenities near-by, arguably a mature public housing estate such as Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Hougang, Queenstown, Bedok would be a good choice.

durain · Post by **durain** » Mon, 16 Nov 2009 8:36 pm

to be honest, everywhere in singapore is a good place! everywhere is family friendly coz they are everywhere. what is important is your viewing to get a feel of the location and the surrounding.

one man's mansion is anothe rman's mud hut!

aargon · Post by **aargon** » Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:05 pm

Queens condo in Queenstown... next door to the MRT, International Schools all nearby, only 5 stops to Raffles MRT (where the casino is) and very family oriented. On the flip side it has a large Japanese community staying there....

amarettoSour · Post by **amarettoSour** » Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:39 pm

aargon wrote:Queens condo in Queenstown... next door to the MRT, International Schools all nearby, only 5 stops to Raffles MRT (where the casino is) and very family oriented. On the flip side it has a large Japanese community staying there....

I've just moved across the street from Queens, and I have to agree.. nice area to live. the MRT and bus stop is literally 2 mins walk, there is a small grocery shop downstairs and IKEA is just around the corner.

ksl · Post by **ksl** » Tue, 17 Nov 2009 2:10 am

amarettoSour wrote:
aargon wrote:Queens condo in Queenstown... next door to the MRT, International Schools all nearby, only 5 stops to Raffles MRT (where the casino is) and very family oriented. On the flip side it has a large Japanese community staying there....
I've just moved across the street from Queens, and I have to agree.. nice area to live. the MRT and bus stop is literally 2 mins walk, there is a small grocery shop downstairs and IKEA is just around the corner.

I wouldn't even give it a thought! Singapore is so small, what's the problem.....don't tell me I have seen it when the locals want to get the closest parking spot to the shopping mall

WTF. Never give the finger in Singapore, it's illegal...I gave two

But 1 is a no no

rosborn · Post by **rosborn** » Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:05 pm

firstly congrats on your move. Singapore is a fantastic place for families (I personally believe). We also debated bw areas and dwelling types and I have to say unless you have a big budget to get a house with pool, condos can be a fantastic place for families. Access to a playground, pool, tennis etc is great. We use the pool and playground every day. Not all apts are large though and it will depend what you are used to. I suggest seeing a range of dwellings (condo vs house vs cluster house) to see what the right balance of space and facilities is for you.

If moving to a condo, take a look around to see whether there's lots of expats...depending on your preferences that could be a good or bad thing. Our condo has all nationalities but we tend to gravitate toward other aussies, english, europeans and americans. Our condo social circle has become very important to us an our kids. Other friends in condos have not made one friend and this would feel quite isolating.

If you get a house with no pool, you may want to consider joining a 'country club'. If you can get in, several offer $4K+ per year membership.

We selected River Valley to live because of the proximity to cafes / restaurants / shops and the city (for a short commute). There are kindys nearby as well as many activities for kids (ballet, art etc)
We can see the casino from our condo.

In addition to East Coast (which would probably also be good for your husband's commute), lots of expats live around Holland Village, Tanglin, Bukit Timah which are all lovely but further from the city (longer commute) and the Marina.

In terms of houses, unless you live out or pay rent > $10K per month (although it;s coming down!!) I get the sense that most of them have a courtyard sized outdoor space unless you have a good budget.

So, with housing, invest several days getting driven around to different areas and get a feel for access to parks, playgrounds, cafes (etc, whatever is important to you) kids activities (like gym, swimming etc). See some different housing options (condo vs house) and of course check out the public transport. SMRT website has a journey planner tool to let you check the commute. Think about what's important. For us for instance, although cabs are cheap, we wanted walking access to cafes/wine bars/shops/park.

We live in condo called Aspen Heights and while what we live in is small (1800 SF) we use the facilities all the time with our little kids. We sacrifice space for convenience.

Anyway, one last tip is that rents have fallen because of the recession. Some agents and landlords are in denial about this because of rents being high for some time and also because this thing called 'saving face' where they do not want to cave in negotiations. Be prepared to bargain hard or walk away. For instance, if it's listed for $10K, offer 7-8K and see where it goes. I think there's plenty of stock so don't be fooled into signing.
Also, if you aren't certain about your choice, ask for a 1 year lease (most are 2). You may have to pay a little more for it but gee it's nice to have a year to work out where you really want to live instead of 2. Lastly, and most importantly, make sure your lease (if 2 year) includes a 'diplomatic clause' that allows you to get out of it if your/your husband is transfered away/loses job etc.

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

drakka · Post by **drakka** » Mon, 23 Nov 2009 9:43 pm

most of the city is fairly built-up. parks in central area would be fort canning park, would be good to look around fort canning. nearest is VisionCrest, though that is not that near shopping centres. altenative is to look around UE square/River Valley area or Mount Sophia area. 8@Mount Sophia, Nomu, Cathay Residences are useful choices to consider

Charlene0527 · Post by **Charlene0527** » Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:57 pm

message not valid

seizetheday · Post by **seizetheday** » Wed, 02 Dec 2009 2:40 am

No soliciting allowed here.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Wed, 02 Dec 2009 6:52 am

seizetheday wrote:Hello!
Generally, expatriate families are everywhere, especially so, residing in condominiums..as foreigners can buy condo & apartments >6floors..other than those renting, the rest would be owners.

When did that change? It was greater than 4 floors for as long as I can remember.

TinyK · Post by **TinyK** » Mon, 28 Dec 2009 8:26 pm

Hi Shodge!
u mentioned that your hubby will be workining for Marina Bay Sands Casino. My hubby was recently offered a position with them & we are so confused abt whether to accept or not. Would be moving from Central Europe with our 18mth old. Can u offer some advice on what helped u make the decision to take the plunge & or experiences since you've been there?? I tried to msg u pvt but it wasnt allowed.

mrHomeLook · Post by **mrHomeLook** » Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:54 am

i think the heartlands are really good. these include areas like queenstown, marine parade, kovan etc. welcome to singapore

therat · Post by **therat** » Fri, 08 Jan 2010 2:32 pm

Area that I don't recommend.

1. Geylang - Red light district

This is Singapore public transport (MRT) map. So that you had an idea where is where.

http://www.sbstransit.com.sg/images/tp_ ... _large.jpg

SINGAPORE EXPATS FORUM
Singapore Expat Forum and Message Board for Expats in Singapore & Expatriates Relocating to Singapore