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Couple of renting questions and concerns

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Windward
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Couple of renting questions and concerns

Post by Windward » Thu, 07 Jul 2011 8:31 pm

Well, it'll likely end up being more than a couple, but why not start small?

Turns out I may be offered a job in Singapore over the next few weeks. It's a full-time gig so I'd be picking up the stakes and hauling myself out there. Once I realized that this was a possibility, it was time to do some research and reading and well...asking questions.

Right now, if everything comes to pass, it looks like my budget for accommodation will have a high water mark of S$2,500 a month. Of course, if it was less than that, I'd be even happier.

Almost all of the sites that I'm looking at show room rentals for that price. No offense to humanity on a whole, but I'd really rather not find myself in a place where I have a roommate again.

The gig would be in the Queenstown area.

What districts should I be looking in (and what sites and searches should I be using) if I want to find a whole rental?

It seems that HDB is my best bet, but here's the catch: I have two cats and as I understand it, those are strictly a no-go in HDB flats and I'd really rather not run afoul of the rules and regs.

Thanks for the guidance and help.

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JR8
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Post by JR8 » Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:28 am

Sounds rather like you have answered your own question.

- If you take your cats you likely have to live in a condo. You would also need to find one within your budget, as I can't really see two cats in a condo flatshare working out too well.

- If you don't bring the cats you have the option of HDB. I know a local that lives in an HDB and has a cat, but it never goes out. I don't think you could swing that while renting though as the landlord is going to make an appearance now and again.

Property sites. This one for starters. Or use the search button above/right to find others. This kind of broad question gets asked often enough so the suggestions are there.

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Post by Windward » Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:37 am

Hey, thanks for the response.

Yea, I know that HDB's are out of the question. Of course, I think that allowing dogs, but not housebroken indoor only cats is a bit weird, but hey...their country, their rules. No problem.

I keep doing what I can to find condos in the budget that I'm looking at, but almost everything seems to be some kind of shared option.

Sounds like I'll just keep poking around until I find a few places. How reliable for real estate are sites like craigslist over there?

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Post by durain » Fri, 08 Jul 2011 1:04 am

Windward wrote:How reliable for real estate are sites like craigslist over there?
i wont advise you to use sites like craigslist. they are a magnet for spam or 419 scams. you need to allow yourself at least 2 weeks in singapore and go view as much property as you can. without viewing, it is so difficult to get a feel of what you want.

good luck.

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Post by Windward » Fri, 08 Jul 2011 1:32 am

Right on. Much appreciated.

We'll see if I have that kind of time. I'd love to take a few weeks to get my feet under me and scope out where I want to call home.

Right now, they're talking about possibly starting within 2-3 weeks...which isn't a whole lot of time to get myself sorted here in the states and ready to head over.

Ideally the final interview will be "hey, we'll bring you over so you can get a feel for us and Singapore", but I'm not holding my breath.

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Post by JR8 » Fri, 08 Jul 2011 2:37 am

Windward wrote:Hey, thanks for the response.

Yea, I know that HDB's are out of the question. Of course, I think that allowing dogs, but not housebroken indoor only cats is a bit weird, but hey...their country, their rules. No problem.

I keep doing what I can to find condos in the budget that I'm looking at, but almost everything seems to be some kind of shared option.

Sounds like I'll just keep poking around until I find a few places. How reliable for real estate are sites like craigslist over there?
I think re: dogs, that only applies to 'lap-dogs'. And the owners of them are not going to let them off a leash or out of their sight as they would probably get stolen. Cats have less 3rd party appeal as there are so many strays around (but no stray dogs). Actually the latter point is probably the answer to the apparent conundrum, HDB don't want to get yet more stray cats from owners who refuse to give their pets the snip.

Property sites? Maybe try ., but also the parent site of this forum as suggested, and Google/search too...

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Post by Windward » Fri, 08 Jul 2011 2:45 am

It is a bit unfortunate that irresponsible pet owners ruin it for the rest of us, but that happens everywhere... c'est la vie. I take comfort in the fact that I don't have to leave my guys behind. They'll hate me after a 25 hour flight and 10 days in lockdown, but they'll get over it...maybe.

The search on this site has actually come up with the best results for condos so far. At least I know what I'm looking at in terms of type of housing and price. It'll help narrow things down a bit.

Now to just hold on for the ride and see if this job actually lands.

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Post by JR8 » Fri, 08 Jul 2011 2:54 am

Windward wrote:It is a bit unfortunate that irresponsible pet owners ruin it for the rest of us, but that happens everywhere... c'est la vie. I take comfort in the fact that I don't have to leave my guys behind. They'll hate me after a 25 hour flight and 10 days in lockdown, but they'll get over it...maybe.

The search on this site has actually come up with the best results for condos so far. At least I know what I'm looking at in terms of type of housing and price. It'll help narrow things down a bit.

Now to just hold on for the ride and see if this job actually lands.
Sometimes SGns only comply with basic social expectations by threat of large fines. But don't let me jaundice you before you've even got an offer confirmed, you'll understand soon enough if get to the Little Red Dot :)

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