question on apartment rental/car

[Juju]

I am moving to Singapore next month - single in my early 30s. I've lived in Singapore for many years in the past and I like it here. Buying a property is definitely in the works but in the interim, I'm renting an apartment. I would like a one-bedroom, ~1,000 sq ft condo/walk-up. I don't need nice condo facilities but being near town (~15 min commute max) is important. having nice restaurants, cafes, clubs nearby wouldn't hurt either. My budget is ~$4k/month max. a couple of questions:

- what's the most efficient way to search for an apartment in sg? do you go to a property agent (if so, which are the good ones) or do you go to property websites?

- I had a look at the property websites: roughly how much discount would you expect from the list price? or are the list price very close to the last price?

- is my budget realistic?

[GGirl]

Hi Juju

Yes, I'd say your budget is very do-able.  Going through an agent will definitely reduce the stress and panics you see on this board such as "I've signed a letter of intent, can I get out of it?", "When can I get my deposit back from the landlord?".  Sad to say that there is no such thing as a 100% good property agency company and it's down to the ethics and hard work of individual salespeople.  However the good news is that since the Council of Estate Agents became law in Oct 2010, the number of rogue agents has drastically dropped.  All the unqualified (no O-levels, no professional continuing development and those who've failed the CEA's exams) have been kicked out.

A good agent's responsibility is to work on your behalf and will know what's a realistic discount for a particular condo based on their access to past transactions for the block and neighbourhood plus the industry confidential databases of properties available (advertised and not yet marketed).  

[Juju]

Thank you, GGirl. are there any properties that you could recommend based on my criteria? max $4k/month (preferably 3.5k), 15 minute max commute from office in marina bay financial center, 1,000 sq feet 1 bedroom, close to restaurants/cafes?