With the purchase of flat settled in July, we started our hunt for renovation IDs. Renotalk forum was my source of information and we shortlisted around 5 IDs. We went to all of them for a short dicussion and most quoted similar fees. So we selected based on our interaction and comfort level with the ID.
One was very sincere, even brought us to one of his completed projects but we felt he isn't very experienced. Another was whom we nicknamed "The Ah Beng" as he had quite an attitude during our discussion, especially when we opted for cheaper reno options. The 3rd was nice but it's the sales person only; their ID took a few weeks to contact us. The 4th didn't return our missed calls. So we chose the ID near my bf's place and who could "click" with us. He was fine with our cost-cutting measures and even gave ideas on how to save cost. Very easy going and friendly guy whom we felt have more experience than the rest too. Being greenhorns, my dad went with us to negotiate the price and managed to help us cut the prices further :)
The 1st round of 3D drawings have been submitted but not really what we had in mind, although I'd say it's quite nice for a flat with a moden zen theme. We want a homely Japanese theme and he doesn't seem to quite know how to achieve that. So now I'm researching on how to create that theme without digging deeper into our shallow pockets. National library, here we come!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Dream home
We've finally found our dream home!! Hooray!!!! (^o^)v
After 60 flat viewing over 4 months, we had almost given up on the search as the prices kept going north while condition of flats went south. I was getting tired and fed-up with the hunt and decided not to waste my weekday evenings after work to view flats, preferring to do so only on weekends when I could see the surroundings clearly and "feel the heat" of the afternoon sun.
There happened to be this unit advertised on Property Guru website with no photos of the flat, except the remarks "high floor, unblocked, greenery view". My bf decided to view it even though it's in the evening but I stayed at home. He fell in love with the unit immediately and arranged for a 2nd viewing on Saturday noon. I wasn't too keen when I saw the location of the flat on the map. It seems to be blocked by other flats and there's no LRT nearby. But I went anyway. And we sealed the deal within 2 hours on Sat!
I really like the unit. This was 1 unit that I didn't feel troubled about renovation, transport, amenities and privacy. It had the unblocked garden view we were looking for without the afternoon sun shining in yet the flat is bright. The place is quite well-maintained and their reno theme is similar to what we have in mind - Zen / simple. Besides the kitchen and toilet, we don't really need renovation in other parts of the flat. Even the lighting they have is what we have in mind. There's also a private entrance area, meaning we don't have to share a corridor with neighbours. In short, this is like the perfect fit, except for the hefy price tag.
After 60 flat viewing over 4 months, we had almost given up on the search as the prices kept going north while condition of flats went south. I was getting tired and fed-up with the hunt and decided not to waste my weekday evenings after work to view flats, preferring to do so only on weekends when I could see the surroundings clearly and "feel the heat" of the afternoon sun.
There happened to be this unit advertised on Property Guru website with no photos of the flat, except the remarks "high floor, unblocked, greenery view". My bf decided to view it even though it's in the evening but I stayed at home. He fell in love with the unit immediately and arranged for a 2nd viewing on Saturday noon. I wasn't too keen when I saw the location of the flat on the map. It seems to be blocked by other flats and there's no LRT nearby. But I went anyway. And we sealed the deal within 2 hours on Sat!
I really like the unit. This was 1 unit that I didn't feel troubled about renovation, transport, amenities and privacy. It had the unblocked garden view we were looking for without the afternoon sun shining in yet the flat is bright. The place is quite well-maintained and their reno theme is similar to what we have in mind - Zen / simple. Besides the kitchen and toilet, we don't really need renovation in other parts of the flat. Even the lighting they have is what we have in mind. There's also a private entrance area, meaning we don't have to share a corridor with neighbours. In short, this is like the perfect fit, except for the hefy price tag.
It's almost $20k above our COV budget! Do we have the extra cash to spare? Should we let go of this and find one more within budget? Finally we felt we could use the renovation budget for the COV and offered a price. But the sellers were quite firm on their price. While we waited for their decision, another couple came to view the flat so we went downstairs to wait. A while later, the seller's agent came down to discuss with us before returning to the flat to persuade the sellers. Finally they lowered the price by $2k (better than nothing!) on condition we let them stay 6 weeks after HDB completion. We agreed and the deal was done :)
The 1st appointment was on 1st July and the transaction completed on 26 August. So we're now officially the owners of a 5-room flat in Punggol. And deep in debts! hehe ;p
Can't wait to start renovation and move in in November!
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