# May be moving to Singapore



## HonieB

Hi! My husband may be getting an assignment in Singapore and I have a few questions. We already know that Singapore is expensive (we're coming from the States) and we're not sure yet on what the expat pkg will be.

However, we are interested in having our kids attend the American school and since we'll, at best, have only one car, I'm wondering if that will necessitate us living close by the school. Is there any one area that most expats live?

This will be our first time relocating aroad so am also wondering what most people bring with them? Do you bring your own furniture? What do you do with your personal items such as family photos (we have TONS that would take up a lot of space), Christmas decorations, toys, etc? 

Are there any places that offer extracurricular sports (my daughter is into gymnastics and my son loves soccer and basketball)?

We've looked at some sites that show real estate in Singapore and we are wondering what a "terraced house" means and what's the difference between a bungalow and a house? Do most of you prefer to live in condo buildings with amenities? We prefer not to live in a high-rise building and would really like to live in something that was at least semi-detached, if possible.

Whatever information you can throw at us is appreciated as we are just starting to consider this opportunity. If I've missed any key points, please feel free add on.

Thank you!


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## TechnoWriter

Hi HB, 

You may wanna live in the North if you are thinking of sending the kids to SAS.
Namely Woodlands, Sembawang and Yishun area. Near the SAS are some terraced houses. 

If you choose to live closer to town where you social activity is likely to be, then the kids can still take the school bus or the public transport to school. Say if u live in Newton area, then the train ride might be 35 min to reach the School. Public transport is very efficient and safe in Singapore. 

Terraced houses means a row of houses side by side, joined together, with only a wall separating each unit. You will have a garden.
A bungalow is a unit by itself with area, so its not joined to any unit except for a fence. 

Best


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## kannon123

HonieB said:


> Hi! My husband may be getting an assignment in Singapore and I have a few questions. We already know that Singapore is expensive (we're coming from the States) and we're not sure yet on what the expat pkg will be.
> 
> However, we are interested in having our kids attend the American school and since we'll, at best, have only one car, I'm wondering if that will necessitate us living close by the school. Is there any one area that most expats live?
> 
> This will be our first time relocating aroad so am also wondering what most people bring with them? Do you bring your own furniture? What do you do with your personal items such as family photos (we have TONS that would take up a lot of space), Christmas decorations, toys, etc?
> 
> Are there any places that offer extracurricular sports (my daughter is into gymnastics and my son loves soccer and basketball)?
> 
> We've looked at some sites that show real estate in Singapore and we are wondering what a "terraced house" means and what's the difference between a bungalow and a house? Do most of you prefer to live in condo buildings with amenities? We prefer not to live in a high-rise building and would really like to live in something that was at least semi-detached, if possible.
> 
> Whatever information you can throw at us is appreciated as we are just starting to consider this opportunity. If I've missed any key points, please feel free add on.
> 
> Thank you!


Hi there, hope i can be of some help. 
Firstly, the cost of living in Singapore is not that expensive. It all depends on how you prioritise. 

The Singapore American School is located in Woodlands, north-western part of the country. If you are concerned about your children's transportation needs, i'd say live around that area. A car in Singapore is extremely expensive. It can range from $50,000 for a second-hand Japanese sedan, to $200,000 for a brand new Mercedes E200. 

Regarding real estate, i will say there are a few areas where expats tend to reside in. Holland Village, Siglap, the West Coast, and of course Woodlands. You can expect property prices in these areas to be much higher than normal. Alot of expats in Singapore choose to live in condominiums, probably because of its cheaper costs and the availability of amenities. 

A terrace house is similar to a bugalow, but is much smaller in size, and "connected" to the neighbouring units. It does not stand alone, unlike a bungalow. So normally, there would be a row of terrace houses. 

If there's any thing else bugging you, please feel free to ask. Hope i helped.


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## anneteoh

*Singapore offers Spacious homes*



HonieB said:


> Hi! My husband may be getting an assignment in Singapore and I have a few questions. We already know that Singapore is expensive (we're coming from the States) and we're not sure yet on what the expat pkg will be.
> 
> However, we are interested in having our kids attend the American school and since we'll, at best, have only one car, I'm wondering if that will necessitate us living close by the school. Is there any one area that most expats live?
> 
> This will be our first time relocating aroad so am also wondering what most people bring with them? Do you bring your own furniture? What do you do with your personal items such as family photos (we have TONS that would take up a lot of space), Christmas decorations, toys, etc?
> 
> Are there any places that offer extracurricular sports (my daughter is into gymnastics and my son loves soccer and basketball)?
> 
> We've looked at some sites that show real estate in Singapore and we are wondering what a "terraced house" means and what's the difference between a bungalow and a house? Do most of you prefer to live in condo buildings with amenities? We prefer not to live in a high-rise building and would really like to live in something that was at least semi-detached, if possible.
> 
> Whatever information you can throw at us is appreciated as we are just starting to consider this opportunity. If I've missed any key points, please feel free add on.
> 
> Thank you!


I am prompted to reply as you seem keen to have some assurance about this move. I don't have all the answers but some knowledge about the variety of choice for the kind of homes you'd want to live in.

I like the terraced houses. There're two types - the listed terraced houses which are of 'nyonya' culture have rather imposing height, extremely spacious rooms, halls and an inner courtyard that's open to the sky. They stand in distinct rows - in China town, behind Orchard road and many other places. They give you a 'historic' feel and remind you of your expat status in Singapore.

The lower type of modern terrace houses are more like bungalows except that they join up. They're spacious too, and are structured in the same way as the listed ones but they're more American in feel. However, between these major differences, there're some other varieties. But all terraced houses will have gardens - front , back and perhaps at the sides for coner houses.

It will be most expensive to rent a bungalow - most of them are Asian Chinese-colonial types. They exude grandeur; detached, perhaps above ground and have a compound, perhaps a driveway. A few are fabulously grand and opulent.

Condos are convenient and in Singapore , they are gated and offer good facilities like swimming pools, sauna, jacuzzi, tennis courts, gym etc. I like the high floors as they're ecologically advantaged - lots of air, cool winds, mosquito free, quietness etc so you don't need air conditoning but perhaps fans.

Hope this helps. There're also the HDBs - if you can rent an executive HDB, they're spacious - 4 bedrooms, study, hall, dining area etc but you rub shoulders with the heartlanders - nice hard working locals who're very helpful and modest. This site will have a properties to let service, I'm sure.

Considering greenhouse emissions and carbon pollution, I always think SG is the perfect place for going green - bicylces should be great. The transposrt - buses and trains are superb - air conditioned too. Best thing I experienced was to live near school or place of work. It takes a few minutes to hop on to the 7 to 5 daily.

I don't know what your own expectations of living in SG are, but most people love it after getting used to the dot. It's one of the most convenient places on earth - I don't know about HK. In retrospect, it's one of the safest, and stress free country I've lived in - in terms of tax returns, council rates and whatever other admin duties encroach on one's lives.

I had an American student in one of the local schools I taught in. Her parents felt immensely proud to be in touch with the locals and she got on very well with friends and staff; standardwise, she immersed with more ambitious students with higher grades! I don't know about the international schools, but the local government schools have extremely high standards - from the curriculum to the extra-curricular activities. A low achieving local school will have about 98% A-C passes in Maths and Science and the national average for English is 87%; most schools aim for 100% of course. 

SG's local schools are strong in the extra-curriculum. They have parachuting, ethnic dances, sports of all kinds, Chinese ensembles, school band, orchestras, choirs etc. Where schooling's concerned, it depends on perhaps your long term plans too - whether you can afford Harvard or MIT or Singapore University etc. SG has some of the best educational instituitions - of world class standing.

The other reasons I will always personally go for local schools are the integration and linguistic factors. All the kids in local schools excell in several languages. It will be a plus for English speaking children to pick up Mandarin, Teochew, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay, Indonesian, Hindi, Tamil or Sikh. There's also the Lycee Francais of course.

Hope this is a window to SG schools. Give us a feedback on how you settle down and like or dislike the experience.


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## propertybryan

Condo might be a good choice as it offers you amenities and if you do not like High Rise, you can go for the low rise Apartments with full facilities. You can find a lot of such condo in the Holland / Tanglin Area. At the same time, a lot of expats live in these areas.


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## clicked

Hi! My husband may be getting an assignment in Singapore and I have a few questions. We already know that Singapore is expensive (we're coming from the States) and we're not sure yet on what the expat pkg will be.

However, we are interested in having our kids attend the American school and since we'll, at best, have only one car, I'm wondering if that will necessitate us living close by the school. Is there any one area that most expats live?

Most expats will choose to stay near MRT stations(one of SG public transport system).

This will be our first time relocating aroad so am also wondering what most people bring with them? Do you bring your own furniture? What do you do with your personal items such as family photos (we have TONS that would take up a lot of space), Christmas decorations, toys, etc? 

there many things you can get in Singapore. I will suggest you to bring stuffs that have memento values. else would have to take into consideration of the extra cost to bring in furnitures and stuffs.

Are there any places that offer extracurricular sports (my daughter is into gymnastics and my son loves soccer and basketball)?

you might Community Centres, whereby there are various activities and lessons conducted. however,unsure of gymnastics.

We've looked at some sites that show real estate in Singapore and we are wondering what a "terraced house" means and what's the difference between a bungalow and a house? Do most of you prefer to live in condo buildings with amenities? We prefer not to live in a high-rise building and would really like to live in something that was at least semi-detached, if possible.

mainly,singaporean stayed in HDB - public housing.
bungalow is a low rise house by itself, terrace is a row of low rise of house aligned each other side by side.
condo is high rise with basic facitilies like swimming pool,gym,club house,some with sauna. of cos,you have to pay maintence fee for all these.

Whatever information you can throw at us is appreciated as we are just starting to consider this opportunity. If I've missed any key points, please feel free add on.

you might take note of the loan with purchasing a property, insurance for your family.


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## sunshine224

Hi,until you firm up on the package, the best is to pack light cos you can buy anything here. A lot of furniture we had in the UK would not fit into the places we rent here. Unless you have a huge house allowance, property here is also steep. And you have to be very careful whom you rent from. A trustworthy housing agent is very important. 

_However, we are interested in having our kids attend the American school and since we'll, at best, have only one car, I'm wondering if that will necessitate us living close by the school. Is there any one area that most expats live?_

Most expats live close to the central - Orchard/Tanglin or to the international schools. Most expats also live in condominiums or private property. Quite a number have ventured into big sized HDB flats again - close to other expats. A word of warning though - be careful not to rent a condo with shared facilities with people from countries not so big on hygiene cos in our previous condo at Woodlands, a family from a huge Asian newly rich country moved in, and went into the pool in their clothes, not swimwear, and threw their dog inside for a wash as well. When security was called, they said there was nothing on the books and board which says - No dogs allowed - in the pool. You will also have your hands very tied if you have neighbours as such because in private condos etc., the law and health enforcement unit - NEA - National Environment Agency in Singapore cannot do anything. At the condo we rented at Rosewood, there were book lice infestations all over the exterior of the condo, people hang mops dripping onto common spaces, and when the NEA was called, their hands were tied. They had no jurisdiction. The American school offers a good school bus service which covers islandwide, so no worries.

_This will be our first time relocating aroad so am also wondering what most people bring with them? Do you bring your own furniture? What do you do with your personal items such as family photos (we have TONS that would take up a lot of space), Christmas decorations, toys, etc? _

Unless for greatly sentimental value, dont bring things which takes up lotsa space until you know you would be staying for more than 2 years. Or it is a hustle moving. We left everything in storage and bought everything here. Also, unless you need warm clothes, dont bring them or they get mouldy easily in the heat and humidity. Everything goes mouldy here haha..

_Are there any places that offer extracurricular sports (my daughter is into gymnastics and my son loves soccer and basketball)?_

Tons of places for extra-curricular activities. No problem with that. Also, they may want to try new sports since it is warm all year long.

_We've looked at some sites that show real estate in Singapore and we are wondering what a "terraced house" means and what's the difference between a bungalow and a house? Do most of you prefer to live in condo buildings with amenities? We prefer not to live in a high-rise building and would really like to live in something that was at least semi-detached, if possible._

We will not live in landed property in Singapore because other than the Tanglin area, where there is a concentration of good size bungalows etc., the other places tend to be around high rise buildings. The weather here is super not conducive for gardening and there are lots of ants etc. Maintainence of grounds is also costly. Getting gardening help is expensive if you wish to get someone with steep knowledge of plants etc. Plus the most aggravating factor is you feel you live in a mole hole when your housing area is surrounded by tall high rise buildings. And you get no view, no air.

The most important thing to do is get a very reliable and trustworthy estate agent, and only rent from Singaporeans or people recommended to you. This was our experience. Singaporean in general are very law abiding and generous, if not reasonable landlords. There is a bias towards landlords in property laws here. We had a really interesting experience renting a condo from Malaysians Permanent Residents in Woodlands. This is how ridiculous things got - 
1)They asked to share the letter box (You take your posts, we take ours).
2) For 11 months, the only one of the air conditioners work in the condo. We had the master bedroom and loo facing sun for all the afternoon and the aircon there did not work. The landlord kept procrastinating fixing the aircon. The landlady lied about afternoon sun at viewing.
3) There were bugs inside and outside the condo. We had to throw away all our mattresses, soft furnishing because after two fumigation and upon advise from pest control experts, decided to be sure and sent all our things to be laundered etc. It was a nightmare. Until we threatened to sue for damages, the landlord agreed to pay only for fumigation. And he refused to let us off the lease.
4) After 10 months in the nightmare condo, we were prepared to have our deposit forfeited and moved out of the flat. A day before the handover, the landlord had a locksmith change the lock when our things were still inside. The police were called, etc. The landlord blamed his estate agent for changing the locks when the security guard stated the landlord was the culprit. The landlord was not arrested for breaking and entering. The laws here is crazy biased towards landlords and owners.

Anyhow, you need to stay on top of things. There are many prpoerty owners in Singapore from places where gang laws prevail. So to play safe, only ever rent from Singaporeans and ensure you have a truly reliable house agent or you may be up to some interesting experiences.

It is not all bad here. In fact, Singapore is generally an easy to live in place and shopping etc here is quite good. There is also a network of people who recycle things - google "freecycle Singapore" and you could get or pass on things to friendly folks. Take all the necessary precautions with strangers and join expat/local clubs for same interests etc. It is a fun place to live and plenty of things to do, places to eat and visit.

All the very best with moving.


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## Kirsten178

Singapore is not expensive, it always depends on one's lifestyle. I am an expat myself and I must say among all the regions in Asia I'm being relocated at....Singapore has the most culture and family-friendly environment.


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## smartpost

East area like bayshore and east coast are good locations too.


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## happening to us

One thing, don't bring family photographs the humidity will ruin them


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## ryanho

HonieB said:


> Hi! My husband may be getting an assignment in Singapore and I have a few questions. We already know that Singapore is expensive (we're coming from the States) and we're not sure yet on what the expat pkg will be.
> 
> However, we are interested in having our kids attend the American school and since we'll, at best, have only one car, I'm wondering if that will necessitate us living close by the school. Is there any one area that most expats live?
> 
> This will be our first time relocating aroad so am also wondering what most people bring with them? Do you bring your own furniture? What do you do with your personal items such as family photos (we have TONS that would take up a lot of space), Christmas decorations, toys, etc?
> 
> Are there any places that offer extracurricular sports (my daughter is into gymnastics and my son loves soccer and basketball)?
> 
> We've looked at some sites that show real estate in Singapore and we are wondering what a "terraced house" means and what's the difference between a bungalow and a house? Do most of you prefer to live in condo buildings with amenities? We prefer not to live in a high-rise building and would really like to live in something that was at least semi-detached, if possible.
> 
> Whatever information you can throw at us is appreciated as we are just starting to consider this opportunity. If I've missed any key points, please feel free add on.
> 
> Thank you!


hi HonieB 
i,m ryan from singapore. propnex real estate agencies. i,m helping expats who will coming to singapore for assignment. my services is in rental of condo unit in singapore. 

if you like your kids attend the American school. what i can say is best Chosen is ''heritage view''

located along Dover Rise which is minutes away from the Dover MRT station and popular expatriate's hangout. Academic institutions in the immediate vicinity include
united world college singapore,Anglo Chinese Junior College, Raffles Junior College and the National University of Singapore amongst others 15min drive to down town

condo buildings still is the best for expats be'cos of the maintain like wise

rental range is about 2bedroom $3600~3bedroom $4500~4bedroom$5000 Fully Furnished or Partially Furnished

anything you like to know more? dorp me a note here


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## rosalho

*moving to singapore*

Hi Honie

Welcome to Singapore! 
Generally if the move is work-related, the company will assist in engaging a relocation mover.

EDUCATION: how old are your children? there are a couple of international schools such American School; United World college; 

Housing: House is a general term we used in Singapore. Bungalow is a stand-alone building having own garden, gate, either single or double storey building.
Terrace houses are linked houses in a row, separated by a wall.
We too have high rise apartments or condominium (comes with amenities such swimming pool, gym, tennis courts). Besides these most of us citizens stay in Public housing (commonly known as HDB flats).

As for personal items it would depends on personal preferences and the place you are going to live not forgetting cost to ship them over.

Other items to note include: financial matters -tax, legal, travel docs, etc.
do write if you need other details. i do my best to revert.
hope that the above is of help to you.

thank you. i look forward to hear from you soon
[email protected]




HonieB said:


> Hi! My husband may be getting an assignment in Singapore and I have a few questions. We already know that Singapore is expensive (we're coming from the States) and we're not sure yet on what the expat pkg will be.
> 
> However, we are interested in having our kids attend the American school and since we'll, at best, have only one car, I'm wondering if that will necessitate us living close by the school. Is there any one area that most expats live?
> 
> This will be our first time relocating aroad so am also wondering what most people bring with them? Do you bring your own furniture? What do you do with your personal items such as family photos (we have TONS that would take up a lot of space), Christmas decorations, toys, etc?
> 
> Are there any places that offer extracurricular sports (my daughter is into gymnastics and my son loves soccer and basketball)?
> 
> We've looked at some sites that show real estate in Singapore and we are wondering what a "terraced house" means and what's the difference between a bungalow and a house? Do most of you prefer to live in condo buildings with amenities? We prefer not to live in a high-rise building and would really like to live in something that was at least semi-detached, if possible.
> 
> Whatever information you can throw at us is appreciated as we are just starting to consider this opportunity. If I've missed any key points, please feel free add on.
> 
> Thank you!


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