Home hunt for Renting in SG
Hunting for a home for rent in Singapore is a big task. Because all homes are taken care by agents/brokers, it is hard to bypass them to get a nice house.
After checking out nearly 20 units, I finally got one 15 minutes away from office. Why 20 units??? I didn't choose a few because they were far or not suitable. If I liked the place, the owner found a better deal with some other tenant. Some units are taken away like hot cakes. Within minutes, somebody will bid and closed.
My daily routine in the past 2 weeks had been like this:
1) While in office, I would get phone calls from agents about a unit available.
2) Some agents would confirm for a viewing the same evening (by 8pm).
3) I would leave office and head towards the available unit.
4) Return home by 10pm.
Now that my hunt is over, I can understand the time consumed in hunting. Not just time; money too! The agent asks for 1/2 of one month's rent. If we are lucky to pick the first house, it is bonus money for the agent since he/she doesn't have to hunt for other units.
Comparing this with US, home for renting is so easy there - just look for 'For rent' in front of any apartment and you are sure to get a look at the unit immediately. Across the globe, when it comes to India, hunting a home for rent is tough which is driven by real-estate agents.
After checking out nearly 20 units, I finally got one 15 minutes away from office. Why 20 units??? I didn't choose a few because they were far or not suitable. If I liked the place, the owner found a better deal with some other tenant. Some units are taken away like hot cakes. Within minutes, somebody will bid and closed.
My daily routine in the past 2 weeks had been like this:
1) While in office, I would get phone calls from agents about a unit available.
2) Some agents would confirm for a viewing the same evening (by 8pm).
3) I would leave office and head towards the available unit.
4) Return home by 10pm.
Now that my hunt is over, I can understand the time consumed in hunting. Not just time; money too! The agent asks for 1/2 of one month's rent. If we are lucky to pick the first house, it is bonus money for the agent since he/she doesn't have to hunt for other units.
Comparing this with US, home for renting is so easy there - just look for 'For rent' in front of any apartment and you are sure to get a look at the unit immediately. Across the globe, when it comes to India, hunting a home for rent is tough which is driven by real-estate agents.
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