Beyond the Central Region: Best Places For Expats to Live in Singapore

Welcome to Singapore. Known for its political stability, multicultural and multiethnic demographic, Singapore grew from a tiny fishing town into a bustling financial hub that is a magnet for talents regional and international. A growing pool of expatriates flocking into the lion city only means one thing: real estate is heating up and getting more competitive. For those that have just recently received job offers to Singapore, fret not. Here’s a rundown of the best areas for expats to reside in Singapore.

Kanebridge spoke with a rising real estate agent in Singapore, Denyse Chong for her insights on these trends in Singapore.

District 9: Orchard, Cairnhill, River Valley

Not only are the properties in these areas near to the Central Business District (Raffles Place, City Hall etc), it also boasts Singapore’s famous Orchard Road Shopping Belt! Cafes, restaurants, eateries, and groceries are easily accessible when you need them, and work is only a short 20-minute commute away! Within District 9, River Valley would be my personal favourite. The Riverfront Lifestyle promises a very chill, relaxing environment that you’ll be excited to come home to after a day of work.

District 10: Bukit Timah, Holland

Expats with children will most likely bookmark this district as this is the place you’d want to be when considering education options for your adolescents. It is surrounded by elite junior institutions such as Anglo Chinese School, Raffles Girls, Nanyang Primary, to name a few. It is also home to the Singapore Botanical Gardens where you can bond with your family over picnics. It is slightly farther out than Orchard, but even then, reaching the CBD will take you no longer than 30-mins.

District 3: Queenstown, Tiong Bahru

Tiong Bahru is known for its “quaint little vibes” with walk-up apartments, shophouses and local coffee shops. You’re also inbetween either CBD, or the Telok Blangah offices. For some weekend fun, you can easily pop by Sentosa’s beach clubs for drinks.

What is the community vibe like in those areas you have recommended?

Depending on where and which part of those areas, it can be pretty fast-paced, especially during rush hours. More so for the dwellings along the Orchard stretch. Foot and vehicular traffic can get quite heavy at the end of the day.

Rivey Valley is a nice quiet neighbourhood. You would meet fellow expats at the cafés in the area having brunch on weekends after walking their dogs, or fellow neighbours going for a run or cycle along the Singapore River.

Queenstown and Tiong Bahru presents more of a local vibe with more public housing located in the area, compared to D09 and D10. If you’re looking to immerse yourself into local culture, this area can be very interesting too!

What is the ideal age of a property to purchase in those regions?

Depending on your budget. If it’s within your financial means, purchasing a BUC (building under construction) property/brand-new property directly from the developer will be better as there are lower risks incurred from progressive payment. You are also at lower risks amidst a hike in interest rates as your loan would be disbursed progressively and not in entirety. Alternatively, you can also consider projects that have just obtained completion, so the wait is less, and you can move in immediately.

If you’re in need of larger living spaces, I would recommend going for slightly older developments (10 years of age and above) as you would get more liveable space for the same amount of beds and bath layout. However, this is location subjective. Finding an older development may also command a higher premium than a developer’s new release due to prevailing PSF prices.

Should I rent or buy outright? Are there any significant barriers to entry for purchasing a dwelling in Singapore?

If you’re here for a short but good time, renting would be a better way as you get to explore a variety of properties during your stay here.

Barriers of entry for purchasing a property include the upfront cash on hand required amounting to 25% of property price, as well as the additional buyer stamp duties foreigners would be required to pay, above the property price, at 30%, payable in cash. This represents a huge quantum.

Freehold or Leasehold?

It should be pre-requisited on what your goals are. If you’re purchasing and intending to pass the property down to your children, I would say freehold. But if you’re intending to invest, leasehold is equally competitive. The returns on investment may even stand to be better than a freehold property too.

Is it more popular to stay within the city? (Or is staying within the city fringe an upcoming trend, if so, why?)

While I believe it used to be popular to stay within the city due to close proximities to the office, nowadays, staying within the city fringe is getting increasingly popular as well. Furthermore, City Fringe property prices are much lower than that within the Core Central Region (CCR). Our Public Transportation is reliable and cost-efficient. This allows for more expats to rent at city fringe places for bigger spaces at the same budget. (An equivalent 2-bedroom rental in the city would translate to renting a 3-bedroom in the city fringe). It is a consideration for Expats to want to “detach” from work by returning to their home slightly further away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

You may wish to contact Denyse for further assistance if you’re looking to relocate to Singapore for work.

Denyse Chong

(65) 97116664

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A historic Barbados estate with a 300-year-old villa and 11 acres overlooking the Caribbean Sea is now for sale with a guide price of $22.5 million.

The seller is Kit Braden, chairman of the U.K. branch of French beauty empire L’Occitane Group, whose family has spent every winter for the last 13 years at the island property, known as Fustic Estate.

“It’s very much a family house,” Braden said. “We love having a lot of people there. It’s a collection point to keep everyone together.”

The main villa dates to 1712, though it’s been reimagined and expanded substantially over the years.

It spans 13,000 square feet and features seven en suite bedrooms across three wings, as well as expansive verandas, stone courtyards and rows of louvered doors in gay Caribbean pastels.

In the 1970s, when the home was owned by Charles Graves—brother of British poet Robert Graves—it was reimagined by stage designer Oliver Messel, one of the foremost theater designers of the last century. Messel expanded the home, added a lagoon pool with a natural waterfall and other theatrical features, according to Braden.

“The whole place is a little bit magical,” he said.

The home sits about 350 feet above the water, and surrounded by lush gardens that slope towards the water.

“We look down through our garden—which is about 12 acres of tropical gardens and palm trees and wonderful old mahogany trees—onto the Caribbean,” Braden said.

He and his wife first saw the property on New Year’s Eve 2013, during a quick trip from where they were staying in Grenada.

The couple spent an hour walking the perimeter, some of it still untouched jungle, in the pouring rain.

“By the time we got back, I had fallen in love with it,” Braden said.

His wife, however, wasn’t so sure. But in Braden’s telling, a second visit in sunnier weather with two of their children brought her around.

“She had to be talked into that it was a jolly good idea; now she absolutely loves it,” he said.

When they bought the property, the edge that runs along the waterfront was a jungle, so they cleared the ridge and transformed it into gardens.

They also bought an additional sea-level parcel with two beach cottages, giving the property direct access to the water and the town below via a five-minute walk.

The property also has a 15-person staff, a reflecting pond, an outdoor pavilion suitable for yoga and a commercial grade kitchen that can serve more than 100 guests, according to a brochure from Knight Frank, which posted the listing in March. They did not provide further comment.

For Braden, the property is special because of its natural beauty, its proximity to the town of Saint Lucy and its history—which dates way way back to when the island of Barbados was first formed via tectonic activity.

“It was basically tectonic plates that collided about a million years ago so the seabed is the top of the hill,” Braden said. “We’re on coral rock.”

As a result, Fustic Estate includes an extensive network of caves that were likely used by the Arawaks, a Venezuelan fishing tribe that followed the fish to these islands about a thousand years ago.

“If the fish were good they’d camp here,” Braden said. “There’s evidence that they stayed there in those caves, they lived there in good winters.”

Now it’s someone else’s turn to live on the land shared by Arawaks, the plantation owners of 1712, Charles Graves and the Braden brood.