Help on which areas to start searching for Condo for couple

[Sat&Susan]

Hi,
We are a couple in our 30's moving to Singapore from London in Feb2012. Mrs will be working at Changi General Hospital, I will likely to be working in the city. So we are looking for somewhere to live for about a year, between Changi Hospital and the City, though we need to be closer to the hospital.

What areas are nice, with shops, food places, couple of bars, etc? I'm assuming the further east we go the cheaper. However I would need to be near a railway station in order to travel to the city. We only need 1 bedroom, with a Kitchen, lounge and bathroom.

P.s. how does the room classification work, ie what is 3+1?

[nutnut]

Hi,
We are a couple in our 30's moving to Singapore from London in Feb2012. Mrs will be working at Changi General Hospital, I will likely to be working in the city. So we are looking for somewhere to live for about a year, between Changi Hospital and the City, though we need to be closer to the hospital.

What areas are nice, with shops, food places, couple of bars, etc? I'm assuming the further east we go the cheaper. However I would need to be near a railway station in order to travel to the city. We only need 1 bedroom, with a Kitchen, lounge and bathroom.

P.s. how does the room classification work, ie what is 3+1?

Loads of condos around Changi General, also, near the MRT line, so maybe look at tanah merah and simei areas in east these are the most convenient there.

3+1 is 3 bedrooms and a "box room" in uk terms. A 2 bed property is probably the smallest you'll get in the east though, not many 1 bed places outside the city or the more expensive developments. Have a look at eastpoint green in Simei, its across the road from changi general and a mrt station as well as a mall being 5 mins walk from it and you'll get a 2 bedder for around $3K i think! I used to live over that way, it's very nice.

Give us some more information, budget, needs and wants for us to help you more. Maybe also search the forum to see the same question has been asked recently (definitely seen one about tanah merah by someone)

Good luck!

Nut

[Saint]

Hi,
We are a couple in our 30's moving to Singapore from London in Feb2012. Mrs will be working at Changi General Hospital, I will likely to be working in the city. So we are looking for somewhere to live for about a year, between Changi Hospital and the City, though we need to be closer to the hospital.

What areas are nice, with shops, food places, couple of bars, etc? I'm assuming the further east we go the cheaper. However I would need to be near a railway station in order to travel to the city. We only need 1 bedroom, with a Kitchen, lounge and bathroom.

P.s. how does the room classification work, ie what is 3+1?

The most obvious area would be Siglap/Upper East Coast Road area. Siglap has a few bars, plenty of eating places, 10 minutes from Parkway Parade for your shopping and a 10 minutes walk to the beach. Siglap doesn't have a MRT station on it's doorstep but don't make the mistake that you must live within staggering distance from one. Buses are just as good and Siglap is well served for to get you to most places including the City and Changi Hospital (number 10 bus goes to both).

A 3+1 means 3 bedrooms plus a storeroom/maids room

[Saint]

Also the nearest MRT to Changi Hospital is Simei which is a good 5-10 minute walk away

[nutnut]

Saint, I beg to differ, I have a 3+1 condo, it has 3 bed rooms, 1 box room (as we'd call it in the UK) and a maids room....

[Saint]

Saint, I beg to differ, I have a 3+1 condo, it has 3 bed rooms, 1 box room (as we'd call it in the UK) and a maids room....

99% of condos when they say +1 is as I have stated above

[nutnut]

Saint, I beg to differ, I have a 3+1 condo, it has 3 bed rooms, 1 box room (as we'd call it in the UK) and a maids room....

99% of condos when they say +1 is as I have stated above

I suppose it depends on who is advertising it, I have recently seen a few new condos coming up and the +1 tends to be an additional room. I guess this is down to those unscrupulous property agents again?

Fair point though.

nut

[the lynx]

Just to help up clear the air: -

Condominium - type of private apartment, with full communal recreational facilities (like swimming pool, tennis court, BBQ pit, etc).
Most of condominiums and Private Apartments come with good finishing, and usually have car park space, 24hrs security surveillance, intercom systems and sometimes even home automation systems. They start from as small as 450 square feet to as large as 8,000 square feet.

The types of units in private apartments and condominiums are
studio room units - A small apartment usually consisting of one main living space, a small kitchen, and a bathroom.
1 bedroom units
1+1 - 1 bedroom units with 1 maid / study room
2 bedroom units
2+ 1 - 2 bedroom units with 1 maid / study room (2+1)
3 bedroom units
3+ 1 - 3 bedroom units with 1 maid / study room (3+1)
4 bedroom units
4 + 1 - 4 bedroom units with 1 maid / study room (4+1)
Penthouses - A large residential unit located at the highest level of a building with a roof garden.
Maisonette - A 2-level residential unit in a building. The adjoining floors of the units are connected by an internal staircase in the house.

[Saint]

I suppose it depends on who is advertising it, I have recently seen a few new condos coming up and the +1 tends to be an additional room. I guess this is down to those unscrupulous property agents again?

Fair point though.

nut

It's call the bomb shelter in newer condos

For the purpose of this thread just try not cause confusion. When advertising a +1 it's going to be either a storeroom/maids room or a bomb shelter/storeroom, depending on the age of the condo

[nutnut]

Ok, I'll agree to disagree on this.

But you can understand my confusion myself, what you are saying is that I used to live in a 3+1 (3 bedrooms and a bombshelter/storeroom) and now live in a 3+2 when I moved to my new property (3 bedrooms, 1 office/boxroom, 1 bombshelter/storeroom), which is weird to me and not how I understood it at all.

to the OP, best to use Lynx's explanation, mine seems to be an exception, although, may be best to try and get a floor plan of a particular condo before you move in so you can also see for yourself.

nutnut

[Sat&Susan]

Thank you all for your contribution so far (NutNut, Saint, Lynx) very much appreciated

Just to give you a bit more info:
-We have a budget of about S$3,000 a month
-I originally planned to look along the Green line (East West line) between Paya Lebar and Simei. This would enable the wife to get to Changi Hospital and myself to travel into City. If there are decent places closer to the hospital then great, but happy to go a little west.
-Saint, I understand your comment about using buses, but I wanted the quickest and most efficient method of transport. Not only for work, but we would try to do a lot of travelling on the weekend.
-We are unlikely to cook very much, so just wanted lots of places to eat and more importantly, a variety of food.
-Lots of shops would be useful, but more for buying day to day stuff, rather than big shopping malls.
-As it's just 2 of us, looking for 1+1 that is newish, hence nice and clean. If there is a lack of 1 beds, then we will look at 2+1
-We don't have to be right next to a station, happy to be 5-10 mins walking distance. I would think it would be quite busy and noisy close to the station.
-I will look at your suggestions so far: Tanah Merah, East Point Green in Simei and Siglap
-Description of a condo sounds great, but do people really use the tennis court, gym, pool, etc? Is an apartment pretty much the same type of accommodation without these extras?

So I hope I am not being too demanding...if I have a shortlist of 2 or 3 areas, I can then start searching! By the way, do most people hire an estate agent to find them a condo/apartment? I read somewhere that their fee is a monthly charge rather than one-off payment. Are they worth it, or can can you just use the internet?

Thank you once again for your help so far
S&S

[beppi]

-We have a budget of about S$3,000 a month

Not likely that you will find a dream place at that price. Better start thinking about where to compromise!

-Saint, I understand your comment about using buses, but I wanted the quickest and most efficient method of transport. Not only for work, but we would try to do a lot of travelling on the weekend.

With Singapore's efficiency and the short distances, buses ARE a viable option (especially if you want to have a seat during rush-hour).

-As it's just 2 of us, looking for 1+1 that is newish, hence nice and clean. If there is a lack of 1 beds, then we will look at 2+1.

One-room apartments or studios cost more than two-room ones. I never understood why anybody would want to pay more for less space ...

-We don't have to be right next to a station, happy to be 5-10 mins walking distance. I would think it would be quite busy and noisy close to the station.

And you will be sweaty and exhausted after 5-10min walk if you're not used to tropical heat and humidity. Most locals take a bus even for one stop!

-Description of a condo sounds great, but do people really use the tennis court, gym, pool, etc? Is an apartment pretty much the same type of accommodation without these extras?

There are (unbeknown to most, but I live in one!) private apartments that are not condos. They are rare, usually old and have no facilities.
But the bulk of Singapore's housing market (85% of all accommodation) is HDB flats - government housing. Next are Condos (10%), followed by landed property (i.e. houses) 3%.

By the way, do most people hire an estate agent to find them a condo/apartment? I read somewhere that their fee is a monthly charge rather than one-off payment. Are they worth it, or can can you just use the internet?

Agents monpolize most of the housing market, but are rarely worth what you pay them. They may save you time, but that's all. You can easily do it yourself.
Agent fees are freely negotiable, but many agents cheat their clients, so read the related threats on this forum and be careful!

[the lynx]

-Saint, I understand your comment about using buses, but I wanted the quickest and most efficient method of transport. Not only for work, but we would try to do a lot of travelling on the weekend.

With Singapore's efficiency and the short distances, buses ARE a viable option (especially if you want to have a seat during rush-hour).

I'd second that too! Buses are wonderful (really) especially when you need to get to places that are not accessible by MRT.

[Sat&Susan]

thanks for your help so far guys.

I will take your advice beppi and try not to be too demanding! Maybe i will look for a condo in an area where i can travel by bus. For me it is more important to be in a nice area with lots happening, especially somewhere with a lot of places to eat and things to do.

NutNut's suggestion for eastpoint green in Simei was good as it is right next to Changi Hospital (so we will look at that area when we are in Singapore) however there doesn't seem much around it

Also, like Saint's suggestion of Siglap. If it has many eating places and couple of bars, then happy to take bus rather than MRT station. However, I can't seem to find many condo's in the area, can anyone make any suggestions or websites that show them?

If anyone can suggest any other areas similar to Siglap? - lots of places to eat, couple of bars, more of an expat area, bus to changi hospital foremost but also city...?

thanks
S&S

[sanjivvohra]

Add Upper East Coast Road to your list.
Its a couple of bus stops away from Siglap (for the "happening" part), has good bus connectivity either way (Changi/ city/ MRT) and is relatively quiter.

Most places are 10-12 minutes walk to the East Coast Park across ECP for an evening stroll along the beach (we just love this!) or a bit of rollerblading/ cycling with the kids.