\nOf all the tasks you have when moving to Singapore, finding the right home is the most important. Getting it right can mean the difference between having a wonderful expat experience and one that is so-so. Whether you\u2019re dreaming of a resort-like oasis, a funky urban pad, or a spacious family home, you need to put in a bit of time and effort into the search. This handy guide will help you tick all the boxes along the way. Happy hunting!
\n1. Choose a housing type
\nMost expats live in modern condominiums or condos. These apartment developments are mostly high-rise, and allow residents access to shared facilities such as a pool, gym, barbecue area, playground and gardens. Cluster houses are a series of attached, or semi-detached houses, that take up little land space, but can rise to four- or five-storeys high. Again, residents will often share facilities within the development. A landed property is a fully detached house on its own land. It may or may not have its own pool.
\nIf you\u2019re looking for something historic, shophouse living could be for you. These are narrow, small terraced houses in inner-urban areas. If you\u2019re thinking of staying long-term, it may be worth trying to secure one of the much-admired Black & Whites. These charming colonial houses date back to the early 1900\u2019s.
\n2. Choose an area
\nYour choice of area will be influenced by the type of home you\u2019re seeking. If you\u2019re looking for a landed house with a garden, for example, you will probably need to look in suburban areas. If you\u2019re happy to live in a condo, you\u2019ll be able to look at inner-city areas. If you have children, you\u2019ll consider the location of their school, although reliable school bus services are making it easier for kids to commute from nearby areas.
\nNot sure where to start? Your best source of information will be other expats. Log into expatgogo and use the Ask an Expat feature to discover the most popular expat areas and why other members choose to live there. Most of our members live in one of the areas below;<\/p>\n
Orchard Area \u2013 Central to a wide variety of restaurants, shops, entertainment and transportation links.
\nTanglin \u2013 One of the most sought after areas, Tanglin features landed houses with gardens and low-rise condos that are great for families. Also home to the wonderful Tanglin Mall.
\nHolland Village \u2013 The village has a few great shopping strips with family-friendly restaurants aplenty. Features popular condo developments and a choice of landed houses in quieter streets.
\nNovena \u2013 A convenient location that offers good value for money. Has several high-quality condo developments and excellent transport links.
\nBukit Timah \u2013 An older neighbourhood with a good selection of semi-detached homes for those looking for a bit more private space.
\nCity Centre \u2013 Choose from luxury high-rise condos in the Marina Bay area and older developments along the Singapore river.
\nRobertson Quay, River Valley \u2013 Popular with younger expats with lots of cafes and late-night bars and clubs at Clarke Quay.
\nSentosa Island \u2013 A scenic island suburb that boasts white sand beaches and a luxurious (if expensive) resort lifestyle.
\nWoodlands \u2013 This long-time American enclave offers roomy homes and easy access to shops and restaurants.<\/p>\n
3. \u00a0Find an agent and negotiate
Of all the tasks you have when moving to Singapore, finding the right home is...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-property-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p75ss1-5Dq","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":112849,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/13-semi-d-houses-up-for-sale-by-hakka-association-for-38m\/","url_meta":{"origin":21664,"position":0},"title":"13 semi-d houses up for sale by Hakka association for $38m","date":"December 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\r The price works out to around $2.93 million for each house. Image: Google Fong Yun Thai Association, the umbrella body for three Hakka clans in Singapore, has put up 13 strata-titled semi-detached homes at Eleven @ Holland\u00a0for sale via an expression of interest with a guide price of $38\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":97430,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/singapore-luxury-home-prices-up-11-5-percent-in-first-half-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":21664,"position":1},"title":"Singapore luxury home prices up 11.5 percent in first half 2018","date":"September 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\r View of luxury apartments in Singapore. Leading the growth in luxury home prices, Singapore, along with Tokyo, bucked the trend of falling prime prices across the world, as prices of luxury homes within the city-state rose 11.5 percent in the first half of 2018, reported Singapore Business Review citing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":80683,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/bungalow-of-elderly-widow-duped-by-ex-tour-guide-on-sale-for-over-35-million\/","url_meta":{"origin":21664,"position":2},"title":"Bungalow of elderly widow duped by ex-tour guide on sale for over $35 million","date":"February 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\r The sprawling 31,882 sq ft site (pictured) could be redeveloped to accommodate 11 landed homes. (Photo: Savills Singapore) 2F Gerald Crescent, a sprawling single-storey bungalow in Seletar Hills that has been the subject of much controversy, has been put up for sale by tender, with an asking price of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":107583,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/upper-changi-road-site-up-for-grabs-for-16m\/","url_meta":{"origin":21664,"position":3},"title":"Upper Changi Road site up for grabs for $16m","date":"May 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\r The freehold landed residential redevelopment site is zoned as \u201cresidential, three-storey mixed-landed\u201d under the 2014 Master Plan.\u00a0 A freehold landed residential redevelopment site at 537 Upper Changi Road has been launched for sale via expression of interest (EOI), carrying a guide price of $16 million or $1,051 per sq\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":81660,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/expected-home-price-hike-driven-by-record-land-sales\/","url_meta":{"origin":21664,"position":4},"title":"Expected home price hike driven by record land sales","date":"March 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Record bids for land sites in Singapore are expected to drive future prices of private homes. Private home prices in Singapore are anticipated to rise further in the future on the back of record sums offered by developers for government land and en bloc sites, according to Knight Frank\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":100672,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/colliers-appointed-to-lease-manage-183-heritage-black-and-white-bungalows\/","url_meta":{"origin":21664,"position":5},"title":"Colliers appointed to lease, manage 183 heritage black-and-white bungalows","date":"October 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\r View of a stately black and white bungalow in Adam Park. (Photo: Colliers International) The Singapore Land Authority has appointed Colliers International to lease and manage 183 heritage black-and-white bungalows located at various neighbourhoods in Singapore. Ranging from 800 to 13,200 sq m, the restored bungalows feature colonial designs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21664"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21664\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nGo to expatgogo\u00a0and use the \u2018Ask an Expat\u2019 feature to gather recommendations for good agents in your chosen area. You can also find a list of preferred property agents on PropertyGuru. You want a knowledgeable agent who is happy to show you a selection of properties in your price range and let you know how negotiable the asking price is.
\nPropertyGuru has data on recent rentals across Singapore. You can also see the price trend (per square foot ) for the area you\u2019re interested in. This information is crucial to your negotiations. If a landlord is asking for a price that is higher than the current market average, you can ask your agent to negotiate a lower price. Once a price is agreed, your agent will submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) on your behalf and you will pay one month\u2019s rental to secure the property.
\n4. Sign the tenancy agreement and attend the handover
\nOn the day you sign, you will need to provide a cheque for the security deposit, which is usually equal to two months rent. On the day you move in, you and your agent will fill in a condition report. This will be compared to a separate condition report that will be completed when you vacate, and the landlord has the right to deduct expenses for any repairs required. It\u2019s therefore really important that you check the condition of the house and ensure your agent takes photos.
\n5.\u00a0Move in and enjoy
\nTime to embrace your new life in Singapore! When you sign up to expatgogo,\u00a0you can ask other expats for recommendations for schools, restaurants, stores and everything else your new neighourhood has to offer. We\u2019ll also keep you up to date with the latest events and happenings in this amazing city. See you online!
\nThis article was written as part of a content partnership between PropertyGuru and expatgogo.
\n
\nSource : proppertyguru.com.sg\/Property Market
\nRead more…An expat’s starter guide to renting a home in Singapore<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"