Backlogs 01 - July House Hunting

May 2007

Back in late May to June, the dinosaur and hulk started to look for a nest to stay in. In Singapore's context, you have two main options:

1) Private Apartments
Condominium projects are plentiful and come in all sorts of variety. However this is a pricier option. For our first nest, it would be financially sound to choose one that would allow us to continue to lead the lifestyle we desire without being bogged down by large loans and high maintenance fees.

2) Public Housing
In other countries, subsidised government housing usually equates to dingy, dilapidated, dull and cramped buildings in various states of disrepair and neglect. Not in Singapore. (not to overly commend the brilliant administration, but given the vast resources and legislative power the ruling party has [read citizen savings from CPF and taxes and the Land Act], it is only right that they give us housing of decent quality). Subsidised public housing in Singapore is more affordable for the masses, and minor flaws aside, is of reasonable size (comparing with the likes of Hong Kong) and quality (no glass bottles in the walls like Taiwan).

For public HDB housing, house hunters can either purchase new units from HDB directly, or purchase from previous owners from the open market as resale flats. There are some restrictions with buying new flats, and with a balloting scheme in place, you may not get the unit you desire or consider the most ideal. Obviously, with resale units, you do get a better choice of the exact location, floor level, size etc.

Alright..enough boring talk about HDB regulations and background (oh if you want to talk about regulations, I can draft pages and pages of it :P ).