After almost a year's effort of searching and researching, it is almost unbelievable that we are almost at the end of our journey - our quest of attaining our own cozy abode. We had been actively looking for a HDB since after our ROM on 12-12-12, and we have learned so much since then.
One of the first decision we had to make was of course, BTO or Resale. BTO, acronym for Built-To-Order flats, are new flats directly brought from HDB. So new, that in fact the flat's building components might still be in their ore, sand and clay form when the flat's being offered for sale. Although BTO flats are new, cheaper and a Singaporean's privilege, we had decided that we would go for a Resale flat.
Next, we decided that we are going for a 3-Room Flat, and thus began our education in the HDB housing system of Singapura. We narrowed down our desired location to the western side of Singapore, and realized that even in the same estate, 3-Room HDB flats' price range can be pretty wide. The lowest Valuation price we found was $272,000 and the terrible terrible thing ( to a pair of newly married like us) known as COV range from $25,000 to $50,000. That was when we learned about the different classes of 3-room flats, from 3I, 3S, 3NG, 3A to the so-called 3 Jumbo or 3 and a half.
We started our search from 3I units under $300,000 and was hoping for a COV of about $25,000 for a un-furnished unit, which proved to be an impossible task. We gave up somewhere in July 2013 and hopped onto the Sale of Balance bandwagon and balloted for Casa Clementi, a SERS project. We didn't even get a chance to choose a unit. But the month long break while waiting for our SBF result allows us to re-look at our expectations and market situation, and 3 days after receiving notice of our failed SBF bid, we found our home.
The valuation was a little higher then what we had planned for, but the COV is reasonable and the location's good. The unit itself is well-kept and clean even though it had never been renovated since sold by HDB 29 years ago. We discussed for a night after viewing the unit that evening and called the agent to arrange for the OTP the next day. We paid the deposit immediately and we were then on our way to owning our own home.
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| Floor Plan |
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| Living Room |
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| Common Room |
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| Master Room |
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| Kitchen |
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| Master Room Toilet |
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| Common Toilet |
