newbie

[jordan23]

hi,

I apologize in advance because I am sure many people have already asked these questions.

My financee and I will be relocating to Singapore from US in March and need some advice regarding apartment/condo.

Below is my wish-list and please let me know if they are realist given my budget
- budgest: 2000 - 2500 SGD (I need to save money for wedding so on a tight budget; I was appalled by some people's budgets here )
- room: we prefer not to share, so either a studio or 1 bedroom; non-HDB if possible
- commute: Office is on Orchard road and I hope commute doesn't take more than 30 minutes
- areas/districts: please give me some suggestions so i can narrow down my search

Thank you all for the help in advance!

[Strong Eagle]

Double your rent budget and you will begin to have the necessary budget for the housing you think you want.

[zzm9980]

Double your rent budget and you will begin to have the necessary budget for the housing you think you want.

You could also increase it by 50% and double the commute; that would give you a few more options.

[the lynx]

hi,

I apologize in advance because I am sure many people have already asked these questions.

My financee and I will be relocating to Singapore from US in March and need some advice regarding apartment/condo.

Below is my wish-list and please let me know if they are realist given my budget
- budgest: 2000 - 2500 SGD (I need to save money for wedding so on a tight budget; I was appalled by some people's budgets here )
- room: we prefer not to share, so either a studio or 1 bedroom; non-HDB if possible
- commute: Office is on Orchard road and I hope commute doesn't take more than 30 minutes
- areas/districts: please give me some suggestions so i can narrow down my search

Thank you all for the help in advance!

Not possible. You really should live in HDBs for that figure if you really need to save up for the wedding. And live in HDBs far away.

I assume your office is near Orchard MRT, then you should consider living in HDBs either in Toa Payoh (I'm not sure if you're game to live in a very local setting), Braddel, Bishan, AMK and all the other areas along the North South MRT line (you should consider Woodlands at your budget too).

If your office is accessible by bus, consider HDBs in Marymount, Whampoa/Balestier area as well. Or use gothere.sg maps to figure it out yourself.

Most HDBs are 2-bedder at least, very unlikely you can get a studio. Forget about condo at all in your case.

Good luck. Try checking out the places I've mentioned and figure out the routes to your office.

PS: Other posters above are right about the budget bit if you're sticky to your requirements.

[x9200]

If you show some persistence you should find a reasonable 2BR condo in the range of 2.5-3.0 but not within 30 min traveling distance from Orchard, unless you travel by motorbike.

[jordan23]

Thank you all very much for the responses. I guess my wish-list was a bit unrealistic....but that's why i needed to ask

Doubling the rental budget means it takes up almost 50% of my salary. plus i have to pay my mortgage and student loans here in the states. I guess I need to look a bit further out.

I will look into the areas you all mentioned.

[jordan23]

If you show some persistence you should find a reasonable 2BR condo in the range of 2.5-3.0 but not within 30 min traveling distance from Orchard, unless you travel by motorbike.

thanks for the response. what areas would you suggest?

[jordan23]

hi,

I apologize in advance because I am sure many people have already asked these questions.

My financee and I will be relocating to Singapore from US in March and need some advice regarding apartment/condo.

Below is my wish-list and please let me know if they are realist given my budget
- budgest: 2000 - 2500 SGD (I need to save money for wedding so on a tight budget; I was appalled by some people's budgets here )
- room: we prefer not to share, so either a studio or 1 bedroom; non-HDB if possible
- commute: Office is on Orchard road and I hope commute doesn't take more than 30 minutes
- areas/districts: please give me some suggestions so i can narrow down my search

Thank you all for the help in advance!

Not possible. You really should live in HDBs for that figure if you really need to save up for the wedding. And live in HDBs far away.

I assume your office is near Orchard MRT, then you should consider living in HDBs either in Toa Payoh (I'm not sure if you're game to live in a very local setting), Braddel, Bishan, AMK and all the other areas along the North South MRT line (you should consider Woodlands at your budget too).

If your office is accessible by bus, consider HDBs in Marymount, Whampoa/Balestier area as well. Or use gothere.sg maps to figure it out yourself.

Most HDBs are 2-bedder at least, very unlikely you can get a studio. Forget about condo at all in your case.

Good luck. Try checking out the places I've mentioned and figure out the routes to your office.

PS: Other posters above are right about the budget bit if you're sticky to your requirements.

I grew up in China, so i am ok with living with locals i guess. What are the biggest differences between condos and HDBs besides price and amenities?

[x9200]

If you show some persistence you should find a reasonable 2BR condo in the range of 2.5-3.0 but not within 30 min traveling distance from Orchard, unless you travel by motorbike.

thanks for the response. what areas would you suggest?

Bukit Batok. There are definitely condos in this area within the said range. If you are lucky you may also get one near MRT, i.e. Guilin View.

http://condo.singaporeexpats.com/rent-s ... UILIN-VIEW

Generally closer to MRT, more expensive it is

[the lynx]

hi,

I apologize in advance because I am sure many people have already asked these questions.

My financee and I will be relocating to Singapore from US in March and need some advice regarding apartment/condo.

Below is my wish-list and please let me know if they are realist given my budget
- budgest: 2000 - 2500 SGD (I need to save money for wedding so on a tight budget; I was appalled by some people's budgets here )
- room: we prefer not to share, so either a studio or 1 bedroom; non-HDB if possible
- commute: Office is on Orchard road and I hope commute doesn't take more than 30 minutes
- areas/districts: please give me some suggestions so i can narrow down my search

Thank you all for the help in advance!

Not possible. You really should live in HDBs for that figure if you really need to save up for the wedding. And live in HDBs far away.

I assume your office is near Orchard MRT, then you should consider living in HDBs either in Toa Payoh (I'm not sure if you're game to live in a very local setting), Braddel, Bishan, AMK and all the other areas along the North South MRT line (you should consider Woodlands at your budget too).

If your office is accessible by bus, consider HDBs in Marymount, Whampoa/Balestier area as well. Or use gothere.sg maps to figure it out yourself.

Most HDBs are 2-bedder at least, very unlikely you can get a studio. Forget about condo at all in your case.

Good luck. Try checking out the places I've mentioned and figure out the routes to your office.

PS: Other posters above are right about the budget bit if you're sticky to your requirements.

I grew up in China, so i am ok with living with locals i guess. What are the biggest differences between condos and HDBs besides price and amenities?

Nothing else. Price and privacy (security, gated, pool, gym) are the biggest factors.

x9200's advice is good. You can consider those areas if you're ok with commute.

[zzm9980]

If you show some persistence you should find a reasonable 2BR condo in the range of 2.5-3.0 but not within 30 min traveling distance from Orchard, unless you travel by motorbike.

thanks for the response. what areas would you suggest?

Also check the East half of Geylang, between Aljunied MRT (West) and Paya Lebar MRT (east) (closer to Paya Lebar), Guillemard Rd (south) and the MRT tracks (north).

They're in the range x92 mentioned, and also a lot are newer but also small). Just be aware the western half of Geylang is the 'red light' district. May not bother you, but you may not want your fiance walking around at night. It's not unsafe, but she'd probably get the kind of attention you wouldn't want her getting, and possibly people (from mainland China and India) assuming she's there to 'work'.

[jordan23]

thank you all for the suggestions!....what do you suggest i do next? I will take a look at the property websites and also contact some agents. Any good ones to recommend?

How long is the lease usually, 2 yrs? and in general, which landlords are more amenable, condo or HDB, or really just depends on the persons?

[x9200]

Landlords are evil and agents are evil. The phrase Good RE agent is in Singapore an oxymoron. Cheaper the rental gets, more evil they are. HDB/condo, no different. Yes, I am exaggerating and stereotyping but not that much.

Jordan, there are tons of post on this subject, please do some basic search, will-ya? Read for example one of the lengthy sticky thread in the sub-forum Staying, Living in Singapore.
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic60579.html

[jordan23]

Landlords are evil and agents are evil. The phrase Good RE agent is in Singapore an oxymoron. Cheaper the rental gets, more evil they are. HDB/condo, no different. Yes, I am exaggerating and stereotyping but not that much.

Jordan, there are tons of post on this subject, please do some basic search, will-ya? Read for example one of the lengthy sticky thread in the sub-forum Staying, Living in Singapore.
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic60579.html

ok.thanks

[dilnise]

thank you all for the suggestions!....what do you suggest i do next? I will take a look at the property websites and also contact some agents. Any good ones to recommend?

How long is the lease usually, 2 yrs? and in general, which landlords are more amenable, condo or HDB, or really just depends on the persons?

It's pretty impossible to rent a place ranging from 2000 to 2500 for areas near Orchard. I suggest paying more for rental near your workplace and to save travelling time and transportation cost on daily basis.

Perhaps you could narrow down your search and look for an agent to source for you or continue browsing on property websites.

My company is working with a property agent for our expats accommodation in Singapore. I can do a referral if you have yet to get a property agent in town.

Cheers..