HouseHunters International, Part 2

I spent the afternoon looking at apartments yet again. What fun! I saw six all told. Whew... exhausting! I'm learning so much about real estate here - like rentals are highly negotiable. January is the best time to rent as a lot of expats complete their contracts in January. Lucky us! Brand new buildings are the most negotiable because they're desperate to fill the space. Unlike buildings in New York owned by a single developer, many buildings are built by the government. Each apartment is purchased and then rented out so the various owners of each, individual unit are competing against one another to fill the apartment with a renter. The rents online are FAR pricier than the prices the realtor gives me.

All new apartments are required to have a bomb shelter. The government decided after the Persian Gulf War that the world is unstable and wanted to protect it's population. Most folks use the bomb shelter as the helper's room and some are so small that the helper has to sleep in a toddler-sized bed! If there are both a bomb shelter and a helper's room (rare!) then most people use the bomb shelter for storage. If something was to happen, I doubt anybody could actually get in the shelter because of all the junk in them. Nobody - I mean nobody - has "supplies" in case there's an attack.

Asians absolutely do not wear shoes in the house so there is always a big to-do at the front door about where shoes can be left. Most people have entire shoe closets for the entire family's shoe collection. A lot of times, these entry ways are also littered with stroller, scooters and bikes.

Apartments on the lower floors tend to have mildew problems because of the tree cover and extreme humidity here. The key to no mildew is to be above the treeline. 

Many of the helper's rooms are outside on the back balcony with no AC, just a fan wired into their room. Also on the balcony are things like the washer/drier, extra sinks or a gas cooktop so she can cook without the heat and smell going into the apartment.

As anywhere, location is key. Location! Location! Location! The closer to Orchard or a desirable MRT (subway) stop, the more expensive the square footage. The newer the building, the smaller the apartment, but the better the amenities like gym, pool and playground. Pools and health clubs mean instant friends and playdates.

Also, the +1 refers to the helper's space - not bathrooms - when looking at listings.

Of course, none of these places will be available in January if and when we come back. The idea is to get an idea what's out there to help us decide if we want to stay and get a leg up on the search if and when we come back.

The first place I saw was definitely the best location: Leonie Gardens. The condo is kind of half way between Orchard and the river which means easy shopping, commuting and dogwalking. It is older, but has been refurbished with a fabulous pool, health club - the works and, oh man, is the place nicely landscaped. So what's wrong with it? Well, for starters, it's next to a giant construction site. Of course, most of Singapore is next to a giant construction site. Heck, the place we're staying right now VIBRATES from the pile drivers next door. The view is also pretty lousy, but the with 2540 square feet of space, this 4+1 was perfectly livable. The outdoor space is definitely nicer than the indoor space. This place had an updated kitchen and bathroom, but they were still pretty ugly.

The next place was Teneriffe, a cluster house in Bukit Timah. Bukit Timah is maybe 15 minutes by car from Orchard, but of course, we won't have a car. I believe there is a shuttle to the MRT, but that defiitely adds to commuting time. The nice thing is that there is a lovely green area for walking dogs. The 5+1, 3121 square foot house was FAR cheaper than the ones on line. The cool thing about cluster houses are that they are individual homes. You have a car park and a small yard, but you get all the amenities of a really nice building - pool, health club and the like. 

The condo itself was REALLY nice. While the main living room wasn't all that big, the place was incredibly bright and immaculately updated. The 5th bedroom is most often used as a TV/playroom. There was storage galore with a helper's room, bomb shelter and extra storage in the car park.

The downside? Well, besides the location, the house is a massive bunch of stairs. We did that in Bronxville and it got old fast. Of course, the kids are older, but not quite old enough. I think this one is a no go even though it may be one of the nicest we can afford.

 

Maisie would have loved Gallop Gables, the next condo, simply because of the horse motif everywhere. This condo, also in Bukit Timah, is an older complex, but the apartments have been updated and there is a nice pool and playground. The 3+1, 2196 square foot apartment was simply too small though it did have a real yard, albeit tiny. Again, the first floor means mildew. 

Waterfall Gardens is not quite Holland Village and not quite Tanglin. I'm not quite sure where it is exactly, but it's not too far from town and the Botanic Gardens are fairly nearby. This is a gorgeous, fairly new complex. The 4+1, 2200 square foot apartment isn't any bigger than the apartment at Gallop Gables, but the space is used much better. The kitchen is fabulous and the bathrooms downright beautiful. There is both a helper's room and a bomb shelter as well as storage in the basement for each unit. Bikes can also be parked at the basement carpark! Wahoo! The facilities here were out of this world. The health club is like a gym you'd join and the pool is maybe the length of two Olympic pools. The views were also really lovely. This was one of my favorites though it's not exactly the best location. 

The Trizon is brand, spanking new as in they are still finishing the place. Wendy hadn't seen it yet so this was a first for us both. WOW! I mean - WOW! It's a bit of a distance from town kind of between Holland Village and Bukit Timah - no where near town really - nor a MRT stop. So there you have it - the BIG downside of this place is the location. The amenities were absolutely amazing and included two pools, two playgrounds, a basketball court,  a fabulous gym looking at water and outdoor massage tents! 

We saw a place on the 18th floor with two amazing balconies with views of the ocean (sliver view!) and the entire downtown area. The living room was small, but possibly usable. The kid's bedrooms and guest bedroom/playroom were small, but usable. The bathrooms were nice and the kitchen was lovely, though not all that large. There wasn't a lot of storage in this place. 

The selling point? The master bedroom. HOLY COW! This was a corner unit with FOUR STORY windows! FOUR STORY! The bathroom as the coolest I have ever, ever seen. There were two sinks with steps between them that led down into the tub. The shower also walked down into the tub. The view? Looking out the four story window at the city. Holy cow! If we didn't have kids and we had a car.... 

The Regency Park looks like an old space ship. It's an old complex, but pretty nice with a lovely pool, playground and HUGE green space for the kids or dog to run. The location is also pretty darn good, fairly close to Orchard. This was the biggest apartment of the day, a 3+1, 3175. I really wanted a 4 bedroom so there'd be a separate play area and guest room, but this place had a sunken living room with balcony, a large dining area and family area off the dining room (that could be a great playroom). The kitchen was huge and updated. The master had a walk in closet and dressing area! It was massive - though definitely old feeling. The views weren't too nice either. Still, if we could find the right renovated apartment, this might be a good choice.