5km radius of city centre

[AusinSingas]

Hi

We are looking at moving over shortly and will live in a serviced apartment until we can find somewhere to live, hopefully within a month as we have two small children.

I'm finding the hunt for an apartment disheartening, what you get for your money is poor (compared to home) and hope that I can get some guidance into the right direction from this board.

We love the look of City Square Residences, however they appear teeny tiny for the $. This is in District 8. Is this a fair representation?

From looking at a map and reading lots of information on here, I've looked at the following Districts:

08 - Inner City living - Small apartments, lots of benefits (water play area / gym etc) - REALLY like this area from looking on the internet

Farrer Park - Like the look of around here

10 - One Tree Hill - Very $$$

15 - Katong - Looks good from the outside for $ / sqm but is this like the "Valley" dirty suburb of Singapore. Appears too cheap.

We don't care if it's ground floor or top floor, nor if it has a garden or balcony. I just want something semi new with a clean kitchen & bathroom and bedrooms (2) that aren't broom closets and would prefer nothing less than 120m2. I'd like to have a pool / gym and a playground for my girls if possible or the option to go for a walk / train ride and do these things.

Unfortunately I'm getting loads of rubbish places or that don't list how big they are or no price.

I sent off an enquiry to City Square Residences yesterday for a floor plan and an agent called me. I'd like to do as much leg work / research as possible before we get an agent.

If anyone could assist in places I can search, I'd really appreciate it.

{Thanks}

[you dont mention]

Budget?

Looked at tanjong rhu road?

Will you get a car (you think apartments are expensive, wait until you see the price of cars).

Nothing wrong with katong and can generally walk to east coast park.

Btw, this will probably get moved to living in singapore.

[SAE]

The first peace of advice that I and many others on this board will give you is to wait and see the properties when you get here.  There is very little point in stressing yourself out about areas and apartments until you arrive.  Rentals here work very differently to "back home" as most are viewed as empty units and when you find one that you like you will most probably be able to move in within a week.  When I first came here I stayed in a hotel with 2 kids aged 2 and 5 and looked at over 26 apartments in 3 days and moved into the most amazing place within 10 days - this kind of thing would have been impossible where I come from.  Oh and always negotiate your rental down, the price that is quoted by the agent and the internet is generally inflated to allow a certain amount of negotiation - i,e take into account : has the place been renovated recently, are the bathrooms in good nick, has the place been painted, are the curtains included and do they suit you - a lot of LL will change the curtains according to your taste etc etc.  

Ok to answer some of your questions: Inner city living is not that great for young kids as there is very little space for them to be running around outside the condo and there will generally be a lot of noise either from construction or from traffic, but then there is some people who will disagree - I guess I am just not a city person .  Farrer Park area there is a load of construction but there are some nice condos and depending on the location of the apartment within the condo you might not hear any noise.  Katong is in the East and is more local which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your personal opinion.  There is no bad area in Singapore BTW.  Why the 5km radius??? Most places in Singapore take 20 minutes to get to, its a pretty small country.  One of the things that you will have to consider is : will you have a car or two? , if you have one car will you use it or will your wife i.e. who will be reliant on public transport, this has a huge bearing on where you live - although on saying that taxis are reasonable and are easy to come by.  All condos in Singapore have the facilities that you are wanting, some better than others.  Older condos tend to be larger and not have the fishbowl glass effect of the newer places.  Good luck with your move!  

[AusinSingas]

Cheers that was quick!

Budget $5k so am looking at places a little more expensive so we can negotiate down.

I only say 5km radius for convenience and how I look at the property market at home in Australia. However, am open to options outside the city centre if there are facilities there to keep the family happy while I'm at work.

We do not live in the city at home so an apartment / villa / townhouse with a courtyard / somewhere for the kids to play would be great. No balcony's. Kids have a habit of climbing things and I'd like to keep my wife sane and wrinkle free. An apartment block with gym / playground etc would be great but not essential. Wow, my list of things is getting longer! Not so easy after all...

No car. Would like to use public transport so needs to be a 10-15min walk (max) to train station or close to a bus stop.

SAE great advice. Company is going to pay for us to fly in for a weekend and find somewhere to live. Agree that we need to view city condo with lots of extras but small space and compare to a more suburban residence for a larger space. Are you able to provide any insight to the places that you looked with your family?

My wife and I were always happy in the past to arrive in a country, then find somewhere to live, but now with kids, she doesn't think this is a smart idea and want's a little knowledge on areas / inclusions so she doesn't go insane home alone all day, which is understandable.

[SAE]

Your budget is pretty small if you want to stay in the city centre, district 9 and 10 are in the centre and you might find it difficult to find a place within your budget - you could look out East which is district 15 and 16 - there are shuttle buses /MRT (depends on where though) and public buses to the city centre, great shopping centres, the beach is within walking distance, condos are generally cheaper.  Tanjong Rhu Rd or Meyer Rd is a great place for families also the Siglap area is great - check out Bayshore, Costa Del Sol, Villa Marina, The Hacienda, Costa Rhu, Mandarin Gardens, Sanctuary Green, Casah Merah, Cote D'Azure - the best is to do a search using some of the property websites (do a search on google as I am not allowed to post here) and see what condos come up that appeal to you then come on back to this thread and ask more specific questions. I am afraid that I am biased though as I love the East coast - hopefully someone else can give more insight to the other areas.  As I said before all condos here have gym, pool (sometimes 2 or 3 of them) and playgrounds - most have balconies but you can get grills fitted so that your wife wont have to be on a constant watch for the kids - most LL's are ok with doing this. 
You say that your company is flying you over for a weekend - how long after are you planning on moving here?  I ask this as if you decide you like a place, put in a letter of intent with the LL and then tell him you will only move in in 2 months time, most LL's will try and find another tenant and you could lose the place that you want - the LL's want someone who can start paying rent straight away.   

[jalanperak]

Where will you be working?

[AusinSingas]

Thank you. I'll look into those places and come back to here and ask you more questions, if that is alright. None of those apartments have come up in google so I'm obviously not being specific enough.

Looking at moving over beginning of April. I don't think we'll bother doing a weekend stopever if that's the case re: LL's. Company is putting us up in serviced apartment until we find permanent accommodation so that might be our best option, even if we come early and spend a week navigating the city before I start work.

I'll be working on North Bridge Street.

[I don't know]

about the facilities etc. at city square residences but the location is SUPER convenient.MRT at doorstep and City square mall (which is right next door) is great and has all kinds of shops-went there for the first time yesterday.But I suppose OP will have to see how kid friendly the condo is or if it is mainly for singles/couples.

[City Square]

about the facilities etc. at city square residences but the location is SUPER convenient.MRT at doorstep and City square mall (which is right next door) is great and has all kinds of shops-went there for the first time yesterday.But I suppose OP will have to see how kid friendly the condo is or if it is mainly for singles/couples.

Hi, am living in City Square Residences.  Lease is about to expire and rent is expected to double.  This is an awesome place to live and as previously mentioned is conveniently located.  Best part is that it is well away from the expat snob zone and you can't put a price on that my friend

[Where]

is the expat knob zone?

[SAE]

Thank you. I'll look into those places and come back to here and ask you more questions, if that is alright. None of those apartments have come up in google so I'm obviously not being specific enough.

Looking at moving over beginning of April. I don't think we'll bother doing a weekend stopever if that's the case re: LL's. Company is putting us up in serviced apartment until we find permanent accommodation so that might be our best option, even if we come early and spend a week navigating the city before I start work.

I'll be working on North Bridge Street.

BM, please stop deleting posts that would be helpful to this poster.  I have been posting on here for too many years to mention and feel that you are being a little bit quick off the mark with your delete button at the moment.

OP, do a google for the property names and put singapore in your search - you will come up with some websites that will be able to give you an idea of the details of each place.  If you do another search with property and singapore and guru you would get some more options.  Good luck! 

[jalanperak]

I'll be working on North Bridge Street.

That narrows it down a little bit :-)

Seriously, if you're going to be relying on public transportation (primarily the MRT), then the proximity to an MRT station is important, as is the distance between where you're living and where you're working. When I first moved here I didn't think there was such a thing as a "long commute," but I've since discovered how wrong I could be. I work near Fusionopolis and live in the Upper Serangoon area. It's a ten minute walk to the Kovan MRT station from my condo, about 45~50 minutes total on the MRT (changing from the NE line to the EW line at Outram), then a 10~15 minute bus ride from the Buona Vista MRT station to work. Total commute time is about 1 1/4 hours each way. If I drive or take a taxi it still takes ~45 minutes during rush hour, with some hefty ERP charges. Things will get a little better once the Circle line is fully open (there's a station right next to Fusionopolis), but I'm still planning to move to someplace that's closer to an MRT station and much closer to my place of work once my lease is up.

Depending on where you're working along North Bridge Rd, you could be close to the City Hall, Bugis or Lavender MRT stations. I'm not sure what you're looking for in a place to live, but you might look at condos that are close to the Novena, Toh Payoh, Tiong Bahru, Red Hill or Queenstown MRT stations. All of these are just a few stops away, and if you have to change trains, it's very easy at the City Hall station. Tanjong Pagar is also an option, and International Plaza has fairly large apartments, but this is a busy area and a pretty old area. I'd recommend visiting it before making a decision. I'd also recommend that you visit the Farrer Park neighborhood on a Sunday evening before you settle on City Square Residences  

[Over there]

is the expat knob zone?

In Orchard Towers

[Little India]

about the facilities etc. at city square residences but the location is SUPER convenient.MRT at doorstep and City square mall (which is right next door) is great and has all kinds of shops-went there for the first time yesterday.But I suppose OP will have to see how kid friendly the condo is or if it is mainly for singles/couples.

Hi, am living in City Square Residences.  Lease is about to expire and rent is expected to double.  This is an awesome place to live and as previously mentioned is conveniently located.  Best part is that it is well away from the expat snob zone and you can't put a price on that my friend

City Square is based in Little India which is one of the dirtiest and least pleasant places in Singapore.  Tons of condos all over Singapore.  I'd give it a wide berth.

[wouldn't do city square]

I wouldn't want to be in City Sq Res with two small children, I'd feel trapped.

Try some of the older condos along Farrer Road / Holland Road - yes busy and you'll have to take buses, but near the Botanic Gardens and Dempsey etc - all reassuring when you're new. No matter what, you'll want to be near other new expats so you can make friends. Before I get shouted down, they'll make other friends soon enough, but it's nice meeting people in the same boat at the beginning.

Or, if you're game, what about Thomson? You could look at the condos near Marymount? Or Bishan ones? Still pretty central, near Mactrichie but not too expat-y.

Have to say, I'd choose district 9, 10, 11 or 20 over the East Coast anyday. All the mothers of young kids I know who live in the East seem to spend all day out and about, only going back in the evening. Knackering, one friend even bought a baby food warmer that plugs into the cigarette lighter!

Get a bus map as soon as you get here and don't limit yourself to mrt stations, the system is very efficient and although we're only a 5min walk to the MRT, my husband uses the bus as it's quicker and more pleasant. He's NEVER have taken the bus at home and was wedded to his car before.