Briathrail // Albert 2MNG

3. You may tune out some of the clear “marketing language” on PropertyGuru / Rently / FB Groups. What are those? Some of them below.

• “Spacious room size” – this one is near meaningless. It only means the room is around normal specifications for that type of room. But up to what amount? A “spacious” room for a 4’11” petite Asian might not be the same “spacious” assessment from a 6’2″ chubby Westerner. So this one, you can safely ignore.
  
• “Quiet and peaceful environment” – unless the listing is in a high floor at a condominium apartment distant from any HDB building, this one IMO ain’t shit.
  
• “Walking distance to [X]” – this one is subjective. Do you walk fast or slow? Also, some things might be in the way, like roads with crossings or overhead bridges. Don’t trust the estimate. Most likely, the poster has used Google Maps for the estimate.
  
• “Excellent location close to [X] / Convenient [X] nearby” – this one is also subjective. For example, some listings boast an “excellent location close to coffeeshops and amenities”. Are those amenities OK with you? Like, if it’s either one of the major groceries (Fairprice, Cold Storage, Sheng Siong), sure it’s great. But some listings boast of “amenities” but it’s just a row of mom-and-pop retail stores nearby. Also,coffeeshops/eating houses are hit-or-miss. Some are great, some are just dying out slowly. It would suck if you found a place to stay next to a slowly-dying hawker centre.
  
• “Beautifully renovated house/unit” – again, very subjective. Renovation can simply mean they painted the walls and replaced some furnishings, then the agent/landlord called it “beautiful”.
  
• “Secure fast while available” – no shit, Sherlock.
  
• “Comes with Netflix” – wow, the owner is sharing their Netflix account.

So now you’re fully intent on hunting. What to do?

4. I suggest to alternate between PropertyGuru, Rently and Facebook Groups whenever you can, but not at the same time. For example, on the train going to work, you can stick to viewing listings at PropertyGuru, then at lunch break, do Rently, then at the toilet, sneak in some FB Groups viewing. Don’t burn yourself out with just one source.

Mark those listings you like as “favorite” or “liked” (or on FB Groups, save the post with the listing in a private list) during the day, then at night go scan and filter them one by one. Basically, develop a one-look criteria using your basic non-negotiables and strip out the optionals. Look at the post, and within 10-15 seconds, you should be able to suss out which posts deserve a second look later.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LISTING/S

So, you’ve spotted some good listings that look mighty interesting and you are itching to take a closer look at them. Now, these are for you.

1. Do not call anyone yet. Don’t be too eager to schedule a viewing after a day’s look at the post.This one I put first as a strong advice. Allow yourself the space to assess the listing first. When you see a post in any of the tools you used to find it, set it aside first.

2. Always look for or ask for the unit’s address and zip code first. This is Singapore, so every place can be viewed on Google Maps. If the listing does not have the exact address or zip code, then you can go ask the agent/poster for the details. But I suggest you do not express intent of viewing yet. Just ask, “Hi, I saw this listing for [X] in [tool]. May I ask for the zip code? Thanks!”, and very likely the agent/tenant/landlord will oblige – at the end of the day, it’s still something to them.

Armed with that information, scope out the area using Google Maps. This is to check out the place before you commit to any viewing appointment. See the place, then approximate their vicinity to anything you deem important. The things you might deem important to scope out are:

• Bus stops and MRT stations – these are super important, maybe the most important one to consider. You can do that with Google Maps, use the tools there to assess the walking distance between the place and the transportation options, albeit a rough estimate of it. Note, you don’t have to account for both, either one within proximity is great. Plus points if the listing is right beside an MRT station or has a bus stop directly on the building.
  
• Hawker centres / eating houses – these are secondary but also quite important. If they are near to your prospective unit, it’s a good thing – I mean, you’ll never cook everyday, and if you want a quick hot chow, the proximity of these places can be a godsend. Foodpanda/Grabfood is expensive for single people nowadays. But eating houses can be largely miss than hit. If the area has a walking-distance hawker centre with decent population and options, consider it a small plus. If the area has a nearby eating house with decent options, even better.
  
• Grocery / hardware / convenience stores – these are good secondary considerations too. Place may be nice but if you have to haul ass just to buy the weekly breakfast groceries or get new curtain rods, you might want to reconsider. Area’s good if there’s multiple groceries nearby. Especially if it’s a specialty grocer – for example, if you’re Indonesian, an area with a nearby grocery stocked with an abundance of Indonesian foods and snacks is a decent plus IMO.
  
• You can also look around the surrounding area and see if there’s anything you like as a person. Is there a mall nearby? Maybe you like pickleball, is there a court nearby? You like jogging around green spaces, is the place conducive for a morning/evening jaunt?

3. Take your time to decide if you’re cool with the listing details – e.g. the photos, the price being listed based on the area it is in, the area and the places you want to travel to. Area’s hashed out at this point, what about the other details? Now, you have to check the listing even further. It passed a quick eye check, it passed the location check, now it has to pass a brain and heart check.

What about the photos? These are the photos the poster deemed significant enough to sell people on the listing. Are you cool with it? Did the poster provide enough photos for you to get a brief assessment what the room is like? Do the furnishings look good?

What about the price? Is the offering commensurate to what they’re asking for? Is the location worth the price they’re asking? For example, let’s say you found a pretty nice rental unit in an HDB that’s walking distance from your workplace building, but the listed price is SGD 200 higher than the other listings you found in places that are 6-8 bus stops away. Are you OK swallowing that price?

What about the travel? Are you comfortable traveling from that place going towards your place of work? If you travel overseas often – is it easy to go to the airport from that location? For example, let’s say you work at the Central Business District. You found a cool unit listed with lots of good stuff nearby, but it is in Marsiling. Are you OK with the daily travel?

Or a more environment-centric example – let’s say you found a good listing for a condo unit that’s within your price point, and directly in front of a bus stop that is 8 stops away from your workplace, but it’s in a pretty busy place for expat nightlife near a main road in Dempsey Hill. Are you good with that location?

I suggest you hash it out with your needs first before even considering booking a viewing with an agent/poster.

Now that you have whittled your preferred listings down to a handful…

4. Once you are confident of the listing’s location and options, go ahead and schedule a viewing. As you have already checked off on a lot of the factors as either passable or willing to take on, the only criteria left is an actual in-person inspection. Again, DO NOT TRUST the photos in the listing. Those might have been outdated, doctored or not reflective of the actual state of the unit. Actual in-person viewing is a very important factor for your assessment.

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