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Dear all, Anyone can tell me which is the best shopping centres to shop in Batam?? What do I need to take note if I am going there?

So we have checklists for buying a new car, and why not one for a new home? I've consolidated what I have previously written here, so everyone can benefit and also contribute and some of the info comes from other bros. Before we even go into the list, there are some basic things to do: - make sure everyone in the family agrees to this purchase, and whether it's for investment or as a home - check your financials well and get a large enough budget to buy and for renovations or other costs - do your homework! Check the online property forums, buy and sell places and see what your money can buy and which regions suit your needs best So, now onto the buying process Is it going to be landed, a flat or a condo? Some of the general principles which apply to all three types: Is the home paid for or is the seller still in debt and not bankrupt How many owners are there, and any divorce in process. Who is the legal owner or executer of the property if the owner is deceased? Is it tenanted and when does the lease run out Can you break the lease How old is the place. As a general rule, most places under 10 years can do without major renovations and you can use the piping, aircons and wiring. Most places above 20 years old will need more extension renovations - freehold, 999 years or Leasehold (how many years left) - location - is it within 1km to a primary school and how many places are there - sun direction - North South is the ideal - developer matters too - some are cheap and use poor quality materials - neighbours - good ones to whom you can entrust your keys, psycho ones, and nosy ones - visit the location at different times - if you go over a weekend it's usually quiet and the traffic is light, so see at at peak hours and see if there's any choke points and if the streets around it become very noisy or is there a school or some place that attracts a lot of noise - amenities eg market, food places, 24 grocery, petrol station, postbox - near work - near a clinic or GP - MRT, bus or good roads etc to work, school etc - wind : how well ventilated it the place - how high is the place - the interior of the place, can you salvage the parquet floor for example - TV reception - is there a fibre / home line (will cost $288 to run a new fibre line for example) - where is the mains and the PUB meter located - do you have the plans for the electricals Items specific to an apartment: - the shape of the unit, any odd unusable corners, how square is it - how many units are there? Is it going to be too crowded over the weekends to swim? - what are the amenities? Sometimes too many water features, landscaping or pools will mean higher costs to maintain - pools: regular shape? Good for swimming laps or merely for wading? Any lifeguards? - maintenance fees - sinking funds - more units will mean more people to share costs. Small developments will need larger contributions to fix items like lifts, repainting costs etc - number of lifts, is it private - ratio of parking lots to units and the number of visitor lots - number of entry and exits, side gates - how much power is there? As a rule, you need a minimum of 45A and up - any provision shops? - who runs the place? which security company do they employ? - get a copy of the house rules - eg no moving in hours and are there a lot of AirBnB listings? Items specific to houses: - plot ratio and GFA - zoning and potential developments of the area - who was the designer or builder and are they still around - cul de sac - land size, is it square or narrow, can you expand the built up area? (remember to account for set back if you do more than A&A) - soil analysis - is it reclaimed land - fengshui : water, wind and mountains etc - at a junction - noise level in the neighbourhood - any new developments - renovations or reconstruction can continue for years around the place - is there going to be enbloc or a new road running through the area - if the homes near you are going to be replaced by flats, the roads can be much busier - parking - flooding / ponding - any religious building around you or a popular eatery that attracts a lot of visitors eg illegal parking during peak periods and noise levels - any piped in gas... so you don't need to use gas tanks - any retaining wall, and is it near a 24 hour gas station - noise and fumes - is the place close to electrical plant or substation - how much power is there? Single Phase or Triple Phase (most modern terrace houses will have a triple phase 63A main DB, which can support the needs of most homes, even those with a swimming pool) Don’t forget to check for termites and mossies. How windy and well ventilated the place is. How wide is your lane and even the type of roof and tiles used. Bring a builder along to give you an idea of renovation costs.. But before you even look around, do the financials first. Make sure you have a loan approved in principle and also enough cash for the renovations with a 20 percent buffer. Then bring the check book for every viewing. A basic renovation for a landed place can go from 2-300k, and for a A&A you might be looking at twice that. Adding a new roof 50k, and a new floor around 150k. A tear down? It can be 600k and up and these costs don't include furniture or fittings. Time is the other factor you have to budget in. Add 20% to any schedule, especially if you are doing it around Chinese New Year or Christmas. Be detailed in your planning, for example: If you are doing a rebuild, make sure you work with your builder and neighbours. A small road - like the Countryside one, yes that 'wide' road, may not be able to take a full truck or a cement mixer coming in. And with such a long road, you need to coordinate with the entire road of owners, so they clear the road such that the truck can come in. Trust me, it's not a given nor an easy task. If a car gets scratched... be prepared for an ugly scene. So also check that your contractor is registered and has insurance. One of your neighbours might own a limited Maclaren that your builder just happens to nick whilst transporting your tiles into your plot... Are there any other persons building in the same area, maybe you two can work together and save cost on building materials or if the other person started first, they can share some of their experiences Is there space for your builders to park? Is there good road outs of your estate or are you reliant on a single exit which can get very clogged up during peak hours? Here's a BCA owner's checklist guide Finally, I would like to start that I'm not an agent. I'm just trying to share since others have helped me before and I'm giving a little back so everyone can benefit. But YOU and you alone need to get that info you need. No one will spoon feed you and there's no charity. You find those good deals, with the aid of a good agent. Look at as many areas as you can, and take your time. But timing is everything and sometimes, that dream home just pops up and you have to be ready. You snooze and you lose... Good luck! BCA Homeowners Guide.pdf

Hi, i looking to buy a few plain Hanes Beefy-T tee shirt to replace my old ones. Anyone know which department stores/shop still selling them? Thanks.

Hi guys, My Sofa cui until cannot cui already. But i am quite clueless in where to get good design sofa. Mid range ones will do. Besides those IMM furniture mall anyone here got recommendations?

Hi everyone, Anyone heard or been to Bukit Tinggi? Well, it's really a nice place. Opposite Genting.Nice place to bring your family and friend for a short holiday. You can check it out at the website below: http://www.btresort.com.my/

Hey guys, been thinking of going back to catching crabs (not the sexually transmitted disease). Anyone know of any good locations? used to go sembawang jetty.... but the crabs kenna catch until almost extinct liao :P

Where to buy cheap and good engine oil? Any Brand or Place to recommend?

Pls recommend a good place for meetup that serves beer and cars can park right infront/besides, so can drink & appreciate the cars. I can only think of Dempsey Hill, any other good breezy/scenic places?

around Lau Pat Sat area...? anyone?

https://youtu.be/KTWI1gMU2VY

Hi all, want to bring my kids kite flying this weekend... where's a good place??

Chinese New Year is coming in 2 days time. A lot of places have put up Chinese New Year decorations since last month to spice up the festive mood. They can be seen in many places, especially shopping malls. Which place/s do you think has the best Chinese New Year decorations this year? What do you think of the modern designs decorations for the recent years?

After seeing some of the seniors comments here, I decided to give WA a try. Just came back from an awesome trip from Western Australia, I must say it is trip I will never forget. Lovely place, with nice people, nice beaches, nice mountains and breath taking landscape of the nature. Thought I share the highlights here for all to view. Went to: Perth: Blue Boat Shed, Casino and Kmart Shopping { https://watravelblog.com/attractions/crown-casino-perth/ } Fremantle: Rottnest Island (Must Go), Kaili's fish market and harbour Lancelin: Beautiful stop over at Verge 301, and of course Lancelin Sand Dune for sand boarding. { https://watravelblog.com/attractions/lancelin-sand-dunes/ } Burnbury: Wildlife Park( great chance to have lots of contact with kangaroos ) Mandurah: For the wrong reason though, son got sick, sent him to the hospital there (waiting time is like 3 hours just to take a blood test) Busselton: Busselton Jetty of course! Dunsborouh: Whale Watching (not so nice though), Sugarloaf (Must Go), Cape Naturaliste lighthouse Augusta: Cape Leeuwin and Hamelin Bay (for their wild stingrays which swim to the shore line) { https://watravelblog.com/attractions/cape-leeuwin-lighthouse/ } Margaret River: Chocolate factory, animal farm, winery and lots of drive around { https://watravelblog.com/attractions/sunflower-animal-farm/ } Denmark: Green Pool, Elephant Rocks and Valley of Giants and Albany: Two People Bay, The Gap, Natural Bridge, Blowhole, wind farm and Emu point {https://watravelblog.com/attractions/things-to-do-in-albany/ } I missed Esperance and Pinnacle as I really did not have the time to go so many places. Anyway, I created a website to pen down all my adventures, tips and advice. Still in the making so only 10 pages or so. More to come when I have more time to write down. https://watravelblog.com/

Or share your views on fine dining restaurants? eg, the most expensive 1 or the most romantic 1?

Anyone know where the best and most economical place to park for going to Hong Lim park this afternoon is? Not too far as my kid might be with me.

Hi, need to check with you guys, where is the better place for chinese food along the NSH? don't like the food stall in R& R. 1) yong peng: lots of coach stop over there, how is the food there? take the south exit or north exit? 2) Ayer keroh or Ayer hitam, can not remeber, was told there is a restaurant in the overhead bridge. any other recommendations? Thanks

I guess I sound like spamming, but I've been here a while, enough post so that I don't appear as a spam account, no? But, anyway, since pretty much all of you have cars, you can try out this place, whose biggest problem is accessibility: http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/papa_palheta/ The coffee is really quite good. Very little sourness and bitter aftertaste, though I've tried only two beens (Indonesia something and Papua New Guinea). Also, pretty cheap for such good brews, $3.50 (it's actually tip based, you don't even have to pay anything, but please don't be an anus, mmmkay?)

Used to watch EPL outside st James .. Think it was the biggest screen I can think of. As it's known anything cheap doesn't last In sg. It has folded .. We skip the pubs and bars coz most of the clubs do telecast. So any makan spot to watch the games? Any sharing would be appreciated. Tks

ok, my new job will be in raffles place and I m having difficulty trying to source for a season parking lot. I believe there are old threads on this in the past, but i need up to date info so that i can apply for the season parking. anyone can advise?

Of recent, my area the multi-storey carpark has more empty lots compared to yesteryears. As I usually come back home late at night, I fully comprehend the full strength of the cars parked. And no, this is definitely not Chinese new year period ppl drive out to Malaysia. Been noticing since couple months back. Any similar sightings at your carpark?

as above

Where is the best place to buy blu-ray movie in singapore? i know alot people prefer buy online, but i prefer buy in the shop. and how to know/ check when play it, that the blu-ray is not just copied from dvd.

Anyone any idea? Thinking of number plate starts with E

fellow bros, anyone has any place in mind for the repair of PS4 after the warranty is over? Thanks in advance!