1207Singapore Real Estate, Villa delle Rose condos, Apartments,  Rental Houses, Apartments, Condos, Homes Singapore Classifieds, Internet Property Advertisements published by: Asiahomes
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Subdivision rentals

For Rent:
3+1 ground floor with big patio $8,500.

upper maisonette $7,500. Some units do have greenery views, some have wall views (picture below).


split level living and dining areas. Stairs to upstairs to a big family area (picture below).  3 bedrooms in 2nd level.  One common bathroom and an attached bathroom with no bath tub, no shower cubicle in master bathroom.


Parquet flooring in bedrooms and family area.




Tel: +65 9668 6468 or judy@asiahomes.com

Villa delle Rose rentals at:

Jun 4 2000 house-hunting $6,500 rentals

Jul - Sep 2000 condos over 2,000 sq. ft

Sep 23 1999
house hunting

Case study:
Does the human resource manager act in the best interest of the expatriate?










Newcomer expat: Please contact Asia USA judy@asia
homes.com to help you get the best deal.

3-bedroom: 256 - 313 sq. m. Rental asked is from $7,000 - $8,500 in 2001.

Very popular with Caucasian families. Few units for rent. Ground floor has big patio and faces bamboo tress. Upper maisonette has 2 side windows in family area and living room to enjoy the tropical green forest of the adjoining Botanic Gardens. For rental, contact judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65 9668 6468.

Finishes: Living/dining - light brown marble. Bedrooms - parquet.

Some units have been renovated and look good.

Facilities: Swimming pool, children's pool, playground, BBQ area, covered car park, 24-hour security, clubhouse, tennis court and squash court.  No gym.

Occupancy Rate: Above 90%. Units are extremely popular with Caucasian families, being close to Orchard Road and being low rise.

However, there are no 4-bedroom units.

Competitors: Few maisonettes near downtown. Sommerville Park maisonettes rent around $6,500 - $8,500.

There are Sommerville Park townhouses for rent too. Elizabeth Heights, Beverly Mai and Paterson Towers have maisonettes.

Investors to note: Freehold.  Still a hot favourite of Caucasian families with the tropical forest ambience of the Botanic Gardens next door. No mosquitoes seen most of the time owing to frequent fogging with insecticide. Squirrels may be seen in the trees.

Advantages:

2-minute drive to  Orchard Road.  Vicinity of Farrer/Napier Road, Botanic Garden.

Big balconies. Separate living and dining areas. Plenty of space.

Next to the Botanic Gardens. Tranquil and green atmosphere.

3-minute drive to Holland Village.

Tropical forest ambience attracts many Caucasians who like the green environment. Lots of Caucasian children.

Many buses and taxis to downtown.

Upgraded pool and surroundings.

Low density.

Disadvantages:

Not within walking distance to the subway but there are so many taxis and buses off the main Napier Road.

Some units are dated,  but renovated ones are as good as new ones.

Usual expatriate complaint of lower floor maisonettes being dark and lacking privacy.


Renovated spacious master bedroom with walk-in closet. Outer wash basin and another one inside bedroom proper. Long bath. No shower stall. In certain lower maisonettes, the bedroom is very dark.

However, these are most popular with Caucasian families with small children as there is no need to walk up to the 3rd storey. 


Lower maisonette. Family area. An air well brings some natural daylight. Two bedrooms on one side of the family area. One has a balcony. The master bedroom is on the other side of the family area. 

No elevator to upper maisonette.

FOR RENT
December 10, 2001.

District 11.
4 bedroom plus maid's room.
Bungalow with big garden $6,500. 5-min drive to Orchard Road. Quiet cul-de-sac.   3000 sq. ft built in and 9000 sq. ft of grass land.

New kitchen and bathrooms. 3  bedroom, a maid's room and a store room. Ceramic tiled and window unit air conditioners. 

The rent is below market rent of around $15,000 in this Caucasian enclave.   Suits a couple with one child or no children.  An expat who wants a garden, not a high rise condo. You can install an above ground pool as the land is large.   Expats who are romantic will like this colonial bungalow.

Driveway and entrance to kitchen and living area.		Living and dining area with pastel coloured ceramic tiles and a big front garden.
Side garden leading to a big garden which can fit an above ground pool in the back. Colonial single storey bungalows like the one above have smaller bedrooms unlike modern massive detached houses.		Live in a historical house. Not many single storey bungalows in Singapore nowadays.

The above bungalow has been rented as at December 2001.  Pictures are retained for newcomer expatriates researching Singapore houses.

We have other houses for rent but good bungalows are usually above $8,000 rentals for districts 9, 10 and 11.  Tel: +65 9668 6468, email judy@asiahomes.com now.


District 17 (North-East Singapore)

A beautiful 2-storey semi-detached, renovated with marble flooring and good quality bathrooms with large spacious bedrooms in Harvey Avenue asking for $6,000 rent.    A big garden and long driveway for entertaining clientele.  6 bedrooms with an attic room to be used as a home theatre.   A short 10-minute walk to theSimei subway.  Breezy and tranquil.   A 20 minutes' drive to the Raffles Place offices.  This unit is under negotiation as at December 10, 2001.

District 15 (East Singapore) Semi-detached houses in the East Coast rents around $4,000. 2-storeys with a bigger garden than intermediate terrace house. Near the Siglap shopping mall.



East Coast intermediate terrace houses or townhouses have a small garden.  Rental is around $2,000 - $3,000.  Around 10-15 minutes' walk to the Tana Merah subway.

This unit is available for rent immediately.  Other houses for rent, goto:
East Coast houses around $4,000


OR  HOUSE HUNTING RENTALS

To get you the best rental package:
Tel: +65 9668 6468, email judy@asiahomes.com now.

Case study

Does the human resource manager act in the best interest of the expatriate?



"Surely, the human resource manager will look after the best interest of the expatriate," said Mr Jerio who had been looking for a waterfront 4-bedroom Costa Rhu condo with a $5,000 rental budget and had contacted me, an outside realtor.  I would not comment as I did not  believe this to be the case.

By waterfront, he meant that the unit really fronted the crystal green Kallang River.   See Costa Rhu pictures

His company realtor had shown him a few units.  He also made appointments and saw units himself.  An outside agent advertised one waterfronting unit in the Straits Times newspaper for $5,500.  However, the terms and conditions were not agreeable by both parties.

He contacted me via email after surfing the internet and found www.asiahomes.com. 

I had the same unit he had seen with his company realtor and with the outside realtor.   I was also an outside realtor.  The Landlord was willing to lease it for $5,000 provided the Tenant (the company) pays the air conditioning maintenance. 

I told him upfront that I could not co-broke with his company realtor as I would be getting 50% of the commission since this unit already had a marketing realtor.    In Singapore, co-broking meant two realtors sharing the agency commission, payable by the Landlord equally.

Mr Jerio asked me to talk to his human resource manager who was not too happy that the company realtor was not "consulted" and had insisted on me contacting the company realtor.  I said that the company realtor would get only 25% of the commission and I would get 25%. 

The company realtor phoned me.  I agreed to split the 50% equally with the company realtor. The realtor was dissatisfied as he could or should get 50% instead of 25% and went into a frenzy of accusations of collusion with the realtor who represented the Landlord to deprive him of his bread and butter.  It was really unpleasant. 

In the end, Mr Jerio did not get the condo.  It was rented out more than $5,000 within a week with no hassles by the realtor representing the Landlord.

Good properties are easy to rent. The expatriate must be aware of company policies.   Basically the following are four conditions for the newly arrived expatriate relocating to Singapore to find their ideal homes. 

1.  Some expats with the clout are free to use outside realtors and source the housing with any number of realtors.

2.  Some expats are greatly discouraged from using outside realtors like asiahomes realtors by the human resource manager.   In such companies, the human resource manager may or may not get a percentage of the commissions from the company retained realtor.  Many do get presents for retention of the realtor.  Some don't, depending on the integrity of the human resource manager.  All outside realtors must co-broke with the company realtor.   Therefore, this policy is not in the best interest of the expatriate tenant but it does give control for the human resource manager.

3.  Some expats can use company and outside realtors.  The company accepts the recommendation of the expatriate.  This policy is in the best interest of the expatriate.

4.  Some expats have to use a panel of company retained realtors but no outside realtors.  They can switch realtors within the panel but not outside.

Less than $2,500 rental budget.  For expatriates with less than $2,500 rental, many realtors will "co-broke" but the agent representing the expatriate tenant will have to get their agency commission directly from the expatriate.  This is usually half to one month's rent.  The agent representing the Landlord keeps the commission al to himself/herself.  Some do share in order to close the case fast. 

I hope this report explains the system of sourcing housing for expatriates in Singapore.   

Do check out your company policies to save you time and frustrations or to ensure that the company permits you to get your own realtor during your negotiations with the company.    Before it is too late.


If you have any queries, email judy@asiahomes.com, tel: +65 9668 6468, 254 3326, 254 2728.