3-6 Months in Singapore

[ivygirl]

We are an American family (kids are 3 and 5) and are considering a 3-6 month stint in Singapore. My husband's fairly large US company needs to get a presence established in Asia (open an office, figure out if they're going to manufacture here, hire salespeople). We're trying to figure out if this is something we want to propose. I've been SE Asia city surfing and Singapore seems to be the far easiest place to start a business and bring a family short-term (we have travelled pretty extensively around SE Asia). Some questions:

1) I'm assuming we'd have to go the Serviced Apartments route? Any suggestions for places that are 3 bdrm and > 1500 sq feet. Proximity to the airport is probably the critical factor, as he will be travelling all around Asia. Can you ever rent a place and have them furnish it, or would that typically not work (are leases long-term?). I'm not thrilled with the idea of a condo rather than a house but I know that's the likely answer.

2) I don't think we'd enroll the kids in school since the stay is short (and we'd be back home for kindergarten). Would there be other social opportunities for the kids?

3) If we lived in a community closer to the airport (East Coast?) would be need a car? I'm assuming it's a rationale driving climate and westerners can drive themselves rather than hiring a driver, is that right?

Thanks for any responses!

[ev-disinfection]

Hi IvyGirl,
Please watch this video, of how Singapore is like...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw7toyYrqjs
in 1957.


Use the "Search property" tab above....
Near the airport, hmmmm East Coast...which is near the beach too.
You should consider a condo there,
But if you need a furnished house for 6 months, be prepared to pay more.
You can send your email enquiry to enquiry@singaporeexpats.com ,

Local transportation is good, buses, taxies, mass rapid trains...
You can also rent a car and drive yourself around...

Post back here more often, there are many Expats here who will give useful comments / response to your quires...

In fact, i suspect, that is all they do.....

Well, if you do get out here, welcome to Singapore..... Enjoy your stay.

[ivygirl]

Thanks very much for the reply. I've done quite a bit of searching on-line (on this site and others), but the thing I can't figure out is whether any come fully furnished and for a shorter stay than a year. So what I'm seeing is Serviced Apartments that are small and expensive and regular condos that are more reasonable...but can you get you them furnished? So confused!

And is it easy to rent a car for the day, just when you need it?

Thanks!

[x9200]

Thanks very much for the reply. I've done quite a bit of searching on-line (on this site and others), but the thing I can't figure out is whether any come fully furnished and for a shorter stay than a year. So what I'm seeing is Serviced Apartments that are small and expensive and regular condos that are more reasonable...but can you get you them furnished? So confused!

And is it easy to rent a car for the day, just when you need it?

Thanks!

1. 3-6 month lease for a condo apt. is not that common. Typically it is one year or more but I guess extra money can help a lot. The question is how much extra.
2. Serviced Apartments are not necessary small but are always much more expensive. Not sure about East Coast area but within Orchard and such there is plenty of big ones - eg. Fraser Suites or Shangrila Serviced Apts. But expect the price well above 10k. You may also get condo apt. get it unfurnished and rent or even buy the furniture. Still will be cheaper than a serviced apt.
3. I have never tried to rent a car in SG but there is plenty of rental companies. Not sure about walk-in rental.

[jpatokal]

Rental apartments in Singapore are nearly always fully furnished. (Of course, depending on the owner, the furniture may consist of blue plastic sofas and soggy chipboard closets from IKEA...)

While landlords generally refuse new leases of less than a year, one thing you can do is take over an existing lease from somebody who's leaving. This way you get a normal rent, a happy landlord, and you get the good karma of saving the previous tenant's ass too. Keep an eye on the Classifieds.

Having a car is not necessary in Singapore, but it will make your life easier if you have kids. The driving culture here is fairly sane, especially compared to the neighbors, but may still take a little getting used to.

[heikal]

We are an American family (kids are 3 and 5) and are considering a 3-6 month stint in Singapore. My husband's fairly large US company needs to get a presence established in Asia (open an office, figure out if they're going to manufacture here, hire salespeople). We're trying to figure out if this is something we want to propose. I've been SE Asia city surfing and Singapore seems to be the far easiest place to start a business and bring a family short-term (we have travelled pretty extensively around SE Asia). Some questions:

1) I'm assuming we'd have to go the Serviced Apartments route? Any suggestions for places that are 3 bdrm and > 1500 sq feet. Proximity to the airport is probably the critical factor, as he will be travelling all around Asia. Can you ever rent a place and have them furnish it, or would that typically not work (are leases long-term?). I'm not thrilled with the idea of a condo rather than a house but I know that's the likely answer.

2) I don't think we'd enroll the kids in school since the stay is short (and we'd be back home for kindergarten). Would there be other social opportunities for the kids?

3) If we lived in a community closer to the airport (East Coast?) would be need a car? I'm assuming it's a rationale driving climate and westerners can drive themselves rather than hiring a driver, is that right?

Thanks for any responses!

3) you'll need an international driving license if not a converted SG license to drive (correct me if im wrong) if your stay is not for long, might not be worth the hassle, but again, if you have kids and move about fairly much... you can hire drivers, but payment will vary greatly, are you providing transport (i know of places that offers long term monthly leases), and will you be paying drivers monthly or not?

2) if the kids are not going to school, just sign them up for some month long activities, group cycling, group painting, horse riding, music classes etc.

1) only worth it to get serviced apt for anything more than 3 months if its a co lease. otherwise, there are many houses and condo's available at negotiable rates for short term leases. landlords will definitely be happy to rent units out as long as their mortgage is covered. i know of a family who mentioned their companies will be looking for places for husband's replacement once they leave sg and they can recommend landlord's unit. everyone's happy that way, even if you don't have such replacements, landlords won't know and he can easily find replacements in this market climate, otherwise rentals wont be going up in the past 6 months.

[ivygirl]

2) if the kids are not going to school, just sign them up for some month long activities, group cycling, group painting, horse riding, music classes etc.

any ideas where to find out where month-long activities for kids are? and it's good to know someone is encouraging about finding a short-term place that isn't teeny and super overpriced (I'd rather not have a Serviced Apartment b/c i'd like to get a mad anyway). THanks for the info!

[5Andy5]

3. Renting a small car for one month shouldnt be more than 1500S$ (depending on your negotiating skills), probably taking a taxi all the time is cheaper.

The Mighty Minds publisher published a book called "fun Singapore" and it contains probably all the attractions your children might like.

[mumfromOz]

hiya...

taxis are definitely cheaper than renting but with a 3 and 5 yo maybe you'd feel safer having them in car seats while travelling even if here short term...