theodoros

HELLO FROM GREECE!

really pleased to be moving to lovely singapore in a couple of weeks along with out twin boys ,working for the for the next 4 years.

we plan to rent an HDB flat maybe 3-4 bedrooms to accomodate us.
our budget is 3.500-4.000 $SG.

we need some info.

A- which areas are well connected by bus or MRT with NUS?
B-is our budget OK for a partly furnished flat?
C-is satellite dishes allowed on HDB's to watch some european sattelites?
D-anyone cares to give us some contact numbers of agents to help us out locating an ideal flat?
E-how much money is needed to secure an HDB?(deposits, rents in advance, ......agents fee..how much they charge tennants??..etc..)


thanks in advance, we will be happy to give info for greece..
god bless you all.

theodoros

zachary

Hi,

A- which areas are well connected by bus or MRT with NUS?
You should live in Clementi area if you really want to be very close to NUS. However, Clementi is not too near downtown so if you want to be nearer to downtown, Tiong Bahru will be a good choice and it is still not too far away from NUS.

B-is our budget OK for a partly furnished flat?
Your budget should not be a problem if you are planning to rent an hdb flat in Clementi but will be tight if you are looking at a condominium or hdb flat in Tiong Bahru. You will need to check with the agent as the rent in Singapore has skyrocketed a lot the past one year.

C-is satellite dishes allowed on HDB's to watch some european sattelites?
I do not see many people using satellite in Singapore. Our cable company, Starhub do provide a lot of international channels. You may want to check http://www.starhub.com/portal/site/CableTV.

D-anyone cares to give us some contact numbers of agents to help us out locating an ideal flat?
Here is one for you. +65 9100 3000 and look for Yane.

E-how much money is needed to secure an HDB?(deposits, rents in advance, ......agents fee..how much they charge tennants??..etc..)
It will be better if you check with the agent.

Have a great time in Singapore. It is a very lovely city........!!!

Zac from Singapore. PM me if you need more info about Singapore

theodoros

thank you so much dear zac.
its so handy to have such help.

do you know if the HDB flats come with a big storage space or a maids room as we have so much baby stuff!

is it common to locate 3-4 bedroom HDB's;

kind regards theodoros

ps==hows the weather right now;

Kooky.

Hi Theodoros, sorry I don't know much about HDBs, but I can tell you that there is no satellite TV in Singapore. The govt likes to control what we watch.

The weather? Much the same as always. In summer it's incredibly damn hot, humid beyond belief and rains almost every day. In winter (now) it's a couple of degrees cooler, and rains almost all day, every day.

BTW you MAY be able to get an older condo or small house (probably unrenovated) for 4k, if you are prepared to live out of the action. I know I've seen your name on one local forum but I don't know if you've found this one yet: www.singaporeexpats.com It has a great property database, lots of information and listings.

Welcome to Singapore!

zachary

There are a lot of 3 bedrooms HDBs but rarely 4 bedrooms. However, usually there is a space for storage (the size could varies).

katongkaren

Weatherwise, the NE Monsoon has just started and typically it rains for several days at a time but is relatively "cool" compared with other times of the year (as low as 24 degrees in the evening).

Beg to differ with Seasider re summers. They are usually mainly dry with the showers from time to time (as per NEA website). Having said that, this year has been really rainy during the summer (global warming? go figure).

Singapore also catches the SW Monsoon around May, June (can vary a bit). So all in all there's a fair bit of rain.

Take a look at the following link for current rain locations and tons of stuff about Singapore weather on NEA website

http://www.nea.gov.sg/cms/mss/rainareas/rainareas.html

Hannah

Maybe you should look at a condo. For your budget you should be able to get a really nice place with a pool for the kids to splash around in. FYI, I just finished renting a 2 bed unit in a condo, with a pool for 1.2k. Singapore has just seen a property boom so prices have gone up. A rough guide of the prices of a condo is 2 bed 1.3k - 1.7k, 3 bed 1.6k - 2.2k, 4 bed 2.1k - 3k. As long as you stay out of the central area you can get something for these prices.

Best place to look is the Straits Times. They have properties to rent every day (More on a Saturday) Deposit is usually 1 months rent and agent fees depend on whether you sign for 2 years or 1 year. The landlord should split the agent fee with you so for instance if you sign up for 1 year you usually pay the agent 1/2 a months rent. If you sign for two years you pay the agent 1 months rent.

One thing in your favour is that agents and landlords usually want you in as soon as possible. You can book into a hotel and spend a few days looking at various apartments.

One more thing is that foreigners aren't supposed to rent HDB units, or rather the other way round, HDB owners aren't supposed to rent to foreigners. They get around this by locking one of the rooms and pretending they still live there but it's all a bit messy, better to stick with a condo.

Have a great time in Singapore, I was there for 7 years and loved it!

theodoros

hi and thank you all for the kind info.

made us really sceptical as to whether to rent an HDB place......
:'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

fact is that with 2 very active...8 month old babies we will need a big place with loads of storage space for baby gear, toys etc..... and probably a maids room..... and a guest room for members of our families to visit us..
you know greek families!!!!

from our research online the condos rooms... look pretty tiny !!

we are also wondering if its better to get a live in maid or a part time cleaner lady to come and help us out 2-3 times a week....

we always lived alone.... so having someone around all the time will be strange and maybe make us feel uncomfy.... .
the help- on the other side - will be greatly appreciated.....

any advice here; is phillipino ladies the ideal choice as the kids are being brought up billingual...


the work will be close KENT RRIDGE CAMPUS, so please advice us as to which areas nearby .. shall we focus on.

they are giving us 2 weeks accom at a nice hotel so we have some time to look for a place....

do you think that xmas/nye, is 'slower business' and people leave for hols etc..?


awating your thoughts!
kind regards theodoros

ex reg

Don't worry about the weather, you can't change it anyway and it's OK.

If this is your first posting overseas then think carefully about a maid.
Get the wrong one and your life will be difficult.

We always steer clear of Phillipina maids. A local maid for three days a week is not easy to find and make sure you don't get a temp maid from overseas. These are generally illegal being as they are then working for two employers. It is done by some though.

Plenty of choice for accomodation within a 15 minute bus ride or 5 minute MRT ride of NUS. NUS used to supply accomodation for some of their staff. Check if they still do.

HDB is usually max 3 bedroom. No seperate maid's room in these.

Agents usually confine themselves to a number of districts or areas so when you arrive look up the Classified in the Straits Times

4 bed HDB is called Executive condo.
Pretty sure there aren't any around NUS.

A 3 bed condo will usually have a maid's room available in addition to the 3 bedrooms.

I'd say 2 weeks in a hotel while looking for accomodation is quite short but you may be lucky.

The condos in Pandan Valley are oldish and iirc the rooms are quite large.
Because of their age they may be slightly less expensive than similar condos but decoration may not be great. Not on an MRT line though.

Agents usually confine themselves to a few districts or areas so when you get here look at the Straits Times and choose a couple of agents in and around NUS and talk to each of them before you decide on one although you can choose more than one if you like.
I think the above poster is confusing when saying who pays the agent. I think if the rental is above S$2500 pm then the owner pays the agent in full.

You can find some online maps of Singapore, certailnly Google Earth has a good map and there are some others.

Also google some Property agencies and accomodation to give yourself a feel for what's available and the cost.
REnts have risen sharply though.

Kooky.

Hannah, would be very interested to know which areas those rental rates refer to, as they seem very low. We're currently on a month-to-month as our landlord is planning to destroy our lovely old Geylang shophouse We're not District 9/10 people but we do need easy access (without car) to Suntec.

Agree with karen - we didn't have a dry season this year - but when I say it rains in Summer, I mean lightish showers, not the heavy downpours currently coming through my roof.

Pandan Valley is a good place to look. Nice one, ex-reg.

Theodoros, I recommend starting with a legal part-time cleaner through personal recommendation or an agency. I pay mine S$50 for 4 hours, and she comes in twice a week and does all the cleaning and ironing. My house is quite big.

theodoros

thankyou all.
seasider do you have any contact numbers of a reliable agencies to locate a maid?
whats their commision like?


regards theodoros

Kooky.

My lady who has been with me about 3 years came through http://www.firstcare.com.sg/ Fees are on the site.

This one advertises on a reputable local forum (mentioned above) http://www.flexihomeservices.com/ although I've had no dealings with them.

There is also http://www.income.com.sg/domestic/ My cleaner now gets contracts through them and their rates seem low but, from what she tells me, the tasks she is SUPPOSED to do are limited (she's very flexible and will do others).

This one has also been around quite a while http://www.amahsonwheels.com/ although it seems relatively pricey.