House Hunter's International: the Singapore edition

Moving to South Africa definitely took some adjustment after living in the USA. For one thing, after raising our family in much larger houses in New Jersey, we chose to move into a small garden townhouse with a tiny yard in Sandton. Moving to Valley Lodge was an adjustment we welcomed and enjoyed, but it was an adjustment nonetheless. 



But aside from scale, living in Sandton did not require a huge adjustment in terms of lifestyle. We still lived a somewhat suburban lifestyle near the action of Johannesburg (JGB), drove a car to get to where we were going, and did a considerate amount of entertaining and cooking at home.

But like New York, Singapore (SGP) is pretty much all-city which means an adjustment in everyday lifestyle in addition to scale. (For the record, we did look at actual houses with yards and enclosed garages in SGP as well as in JGP - they do exist -  but we have enjoyed care-free apartment living in South Africa with shared amenities such as pools and gyms. And since we are renting short time and not buying in SGP either, we are free to indulge more of our city fantasies and really step outside of our comfort zone, i.e super high-rise apartment living with a view.) But real city living brings with it more adjustments ...

Firstly in SGP everyone has a live-in maid. Neither Vince nor I grew up with a live-in maid nor did we have a live-in nanny or live-in maid when our children were young. While it is true that for all intents and purposes, between her evening dog-sitting and her three days a week cleaning and laundry service, Cecelia has been practically living at Valley Lodge, the fact remains that she still goes home nearby to sleep every night unless we are away. And she never ever cooked for us, did the food-shopping or ran errands for us.

However, the cost of finding a convenient sitter to walk the dogs when we are out of the apartment for the evening or kenneling them for an extended period of time when we are away from Singapore plus the cost of regular maid service once or twice a week totally trumps the cost of just having a live-in to do it all. Besides, many of the apartments we viewed did not even have an oven (!) and none of them had a dishwasher. They all however had a maid's room and bathroom. Sharing a small space with a non-family member will be a major adjustment. Having someone to walk the dogs and run errands however will be awesome!

Second adjustment, we are going to try to live in SGP without a car! Except for the Gautrain and the very limited Rhea Vaya, there really is no mass transportation to speak of in JGP, so everyone has a car. (Our only adjustment since moving to SA was owning one car versus four!) And with the security issues in JBG, walking as a way to get around the city was really not an option. You drive from your secure parking in Sandton to secure parking in JBG. I did walk to my local shopping center, but that is in Sandton, not JBG. They are putting in a Rhea Vaya line in Sandton that will connect to more places in JHB, but unfortunately for us that is too little and way too late.

In addition, cars are much more expensive to lease in SGP and there are zero security issues. Taxis are cheap and for the rest of the time, mass transportation is plentiful. And if you pick your neighborhood correctly, you can simply walk to local shopping centers and restaurants.

Changi Business Park

Luckily one of my favorite shows on the HGTV channel has always been House Hunters International (HHI.) Even before we moved to SA, I watched HHI like most people watch game shows. I played from home.

Now the way HHI works is that the expats-to-be are usually shown three properties in their intended city based on a previously determined wish list. View, space, proximity to work, schools, the beach, town, etc.

Our wish list was pretty simple. A space that is first and foremost dog-friendly; it must have at least two bedrooms and an office space; we would like some storage space; and most importantly, it must have a good location close to the airport and Vince's office and within walking distance to shopping and restaurants. After a few viewings, we quickly eliminated houses as a consideration. Much more space than we either needed or wanted.

Unfortunately that meant we also had to knock storage off of our wish list since the apartments in SGP really do not include the kind of storage and space we enjoyed in JGP. (Darn, I am going to have to do some more paring down of my clothes before we leave SA!) The typical apartment size also means we probably will not be doing much entertaining at home. To compensate, we added a sea view to our wish list. Yay! Back to the ocean at our doorstep!

After dog-friendly, our first consideration on choosing a location for our new neighborhood was proximity to Vince's office and the airport (his second office.) Since they are both co-located in Changi, that was easy. So we concentrated on Katong and the Eastern Corridor, an easy commute by taxi to both with a lively expat and local culture.

After seeing about 20 places altogether in four days, we narrowed it down to the following three apartments.

1. The highrise with killer views of the sea.

Plus side: Very good neighborhood close to amenities like restaurants, buses and shopping. Partially furnished. There is a private entrance from the elevator into a lobby and the living room with views of the water from all the balconies. But the dogs (and we) would have to adjust to using an elevator to get outside for a walk several times a day. And the pool and gym are small so we would have to join a club. (Not too much of a problem really as the Chinese Swimming Club with an abundance of space and amenities is just two doors down.)

wrap around balconies

with sea views

sea views from every window too!

sea view from the small but private balcony off the master bedroom!

2. Valley Lodge II. ground floor apt with wrap-around patio, and convenient green space. On the plus side, this would be so easy to move into and would mean little or no adjustment for the dogs. Open the door and they are outside for a walk. There is a huge pool and gym and a clubhouse. Down-side, not as close to amenities and it doesn't have that "wow!" SGP sea view.

3. Highrise with a view. also close to amenities. It has the most convenient location of all. It has a sea view from the living room's balcony but the apartment does not have a private elevator entrance. And it is completely unfurnished.

nice balcony

nice sea view from the living room

On HHI, the first thing the expats do is eliminate one of the choices. That was easy. #3. So now we are left with essentially what would make us happy (#1) versus what would make the dogs happy (#2).

And speaking of the dogs, here is another adjustment - this time for Lou & Serge though. Unfortunately for our canine heroes, along with other the other indignities of pet relocation, they have to spend at least 30 days in quarantine! While house-hunting in SGP, we decided to stop by and check out Lou & Serge's new temporary housing.

We were pleasantly surprised. Like their local kennel in JBG, the Sembawang Animal Quarantine Station was very roomy, the dogs can share a space, and there is daily recreation. Vince can stop by in December and bring Lou some toys, bring their favorite foods and treats and there is a special area set aside so that Vince can play with them when he visits.

nice and roomy and they can share a space!

there is an air-conditioned sleeping area and a screened in patio

fenced in recreation area for ...

... one on one play

Our decision? Stay tuned for the conclusion of House Hunters International: the Singapore edition ...