And we went and GOT IT. Like that in a snap. Can't believe we only just visited the showroom last week!! I'm still reeling from the excitement and thrill and reality from it all.
But of course, plenty of thought, research and math (by you-know-who) went behind this monumental decision of our lives. Check out this sweeetttttt artist's impression:
Twin Waterfalls @ Punggol
Our very own resort-style living in 2015!!! Even got angmoh posing in the photo.
Well, this concludes our house-hunting adventures (for now). I must say i'm rather satisfied and definitely excited with this purchase despite the last few emo/apprehensive-about-the-future/highly-strung days before this Saturday.
All my penny-pinching days for this very moment. Goodbye bank account, it's ok i'll see you gain weight again in the near future..we only just started filling you up anyway. But honestly, before today, all i could think about was SHIT I HAVE TO HANG ON TO THIS JOB. :S And other things like, what if our kids grow up spoilt and not hdb-friendly?? Coz as we all know from experience, communal, cramped-up and colourful (as in racial) living is good training for the soul.
BUT then, on hindsight, this aint' no private, exclusive condo where neighbours don't talk to each other/act atas/blah blah..the to-be neighbours are already excitedly planning to set up a FB group page and all - from the online forums prior to today. And from today's turnout, where i already met a NUS friend who bought the unit beside ours, it does seem that this is gonna be a friendly (and local coz no foreigners allowed for EC) neighbourhood!
Anyway, what I really wanted to pen down today was the entire rush of the morning's day's events. I'd say nothing - in terms of getting a house in SG - beats the experience of purchasing an EC in SG. I mean the entire process from hearing about it in the news/hdb website to finally putting your downpayment on the booking day itself is one rollercoaster ride for your heart.
11 Feb, last Saturday 2012 - Showroom viewing where we took opportunity to also estimate the distance from the MRT. And of course, showflat and model - which were obviously really fancy!
Two waterfalls, two swimming pools, two gyms, two spa alcoves, two clubhouses and two tennis courts, amidst SG's potentially most happening residential areas in 2015!!
Rooms aren't super huge, as per all new flats these few days, but i really love their living room/kitchen concept where walls are made of glass instead so the whole apartment looks so much more spacious and modern! Btw, all cabinets, oven, stove, flooring are all included, which is perfect for a hassle-free person like me. Now to choose our wall-paper themes and funky furniture!
Notice for Booking Day - just a week after showroom opening. Totally forces you to consider your options or maybe..impulse-purchase?!
We registered for balloting number immediately that day. Just get number first and leave it up to fate. Grab all opportunity for BTO, EC - whatever the gahmen throws our way! Our ballot number was 0217. No significance whatsoever, just a 'lucky draw' number determining our fate to reach the purchasing booth (in time).
18 Feb, Saturday - Booking Day. Procedure: Go temple pray at 9am. Reach before 10am to drop Ballot Ticket into Ballot Box. Announcer calls out numbers pulled out of box starting from 10am. When your number gets called, you enter the showroom area where there is a booth for you to purchase your unit immediately.
The atmosphere was SUPER INTENSE in the holding room at 9.30am. Turnout was nuts - way better than the Prive EC. But apparently more than half were Second Timers.
This was only the front half of the tent where the stage was! Double this to imagine the actual crowd.
The awesome thing about balloting for an EC is that 95% chance goes to First Timers. Which means, out of 720 units, only 36 units were reserved for Second Timers on 18 Feb. After these 36 units were snapped up, all Second Timers were invited to return on 18 March to purchase leftover units.
AWESOME OR WHAT. Virginity = Value. Like what the old folks say. I'd say we'd spent this golden privilege rather wisely! Anyway. So once the announcer started rolling, the entire tent stuffed with a few hundred people went silent. The air was electric with anticipation. The first number pulled out of the box was met with whoops and cheers for the lucky couple who machiam 中头奖. And occasionally a lady or a dude would let out an unrestrained yelp or woot when their number got called. When the number 0001 was pulled out of the box, the entire tent breathed a unanimous WHOA! and applause. LOL.
As usual, my penchant for getting picked at lucky draws remained characteristically disappointing. When the clock almost struck 12 noon, I had Deju Vu of the entire Prive EC balloting experience. By then i had started re-weighing the pros/cons/emo-level of walking out empty-handed again, or empty-banked. Seriously, tough winner.
Halfway through at about 11+am, the announcer proclaimed that the Second Timer units were all taken. Then the entire half of the tent left!! Our agent told us out of 900 applicants only 1/3 were First Timers. Plus he took a pic of the remaining units left in the showroom, which showed that miraculously, even after 2 hours, our preferred units were still untouched! *Hope revived*
Our number was picked at exactly 12.00noon at the point where my mum, WL and myself had been perfectly starved (having skipped bfast) and were a little bored and thus chatting..such that we nearly missed catching the number after the announcer read it twice!
We joined the queue leading to the purchasing booth where one by one, each couple by balloted sequence, flashed their cheques and locked-in their preferred unit. Behind the booth was a huge wall with all the units in their blocks, and everytime a unit was sold another announcer would proclaim " XXXX SOLD!" and stamp a bright orange sticker onto the aforementioned unit.
Huge wall behind booth. Lucky for the 5% Second Timer quota or else this would have been filled!
Damn exciting. We were deliberating between 2 blocks - Blk 28 and Blk 23 - couldn't decide even at the final moment just 10 people away.
Blk 28 had a 180 deg view of the pool but it was slightly smaller in floorplan and was the closest distance to opposite block face-to-face. And my mum liked the no. #16-28.
Blk 23 was slightly larger in floorplan and had more privacy coz it was far from the facing block, but didn't have full pool view - maybe about 160 deg? And everyone seemed to be snapping up Blks 22 and 23 while 28 was not very popular. And of course, there was price to consider. (For me at least, WL stated that in the long run a couple thousand wouldn't be significant.)
When we finally decided on the highest available floor for Blk 23 - #15-23 - just 3 people away, the announcer suddenly yelled "#15-23 SOLD!" and we nearly panicked!
Finally, we decided that One Three Two Three was a great number to have and so there we have it..
WE NOW OWN A THOUSAND FEET OF LAND IN THE SG AIR!!! :)
And my very first official pile of debt. Which, thanks to my very efficient bf, has been carefully calculated and meted out such that we would safely be able to clear without too drastic a change in lifestyle. *thumbs up to my excellent choice in life partner. hur hur*
Look, evidence of the intense research/math done - PRO-style in excel sheet calculation for 30 year installments with conservative assumptions to current income/lifestyle! @_@
Hokay, that's it for now. So many things happened since CNY that i haven't blogged about - like my dearest cousin who migrated to NZ 3 years ago who visited and stayed over from Dec-Feb at our place. Felt like girls night every night again the last 2 months! Also, next up would include my trip to USS last week with WL..like finally. Rollercoasters and adrenaline anytime. Bring it on!
Haha ok my social/family life has been rather packed and exciting since Dec. Can't say so for work though. :X But anyway, that's for later. Time to sleep after a super high day!!! :D
