A little background story before I continue - H and I applied for a BTO (Build-To-Order) HDB flat 2 years into our relationship because well, we felt ready to settle down and also, it only costs $10 to apply for one (LOL). But one thing I was very firm on before we paid the deposit and through the dating period was that - we will not allow ourselves to be tied down to this relationship because of this HDB flat. Which means that if we should (unfortunately) decide to go our separate ways, we will. And this flat application or the 5% deposit we paid with our CPF should never be any of the reasons to stop us from separating.
Why a HDB?
I was still flying with SQ then and we went to view show flats of DBSS (Design, Build and Sell Scheme) and EC (Executive Condominiums) and almost decided on applying for one of them... And then I started thinking waaaay ahead like, what if I stop flying (which I did)? Will we still be able to live as comfortably as today (that day)? And what if we have a child? All the numbers were clicking furiously in my head and I want to live comfortably. not having to worry about making ends meet or push myself to build a career on ground which I don't enjoy just to pay for the house. After some discussion with H, we decided to buy a BTO instead, at half the price of what a DBSS/EC would cost.
And today, I am extremely happy we made that choice because H's CPF contribution alone is enough to pay for the monthly instalment, and we will always have a roof above our heads. Thank you Universe! Our goal in 5 years is either to make the move into a private property or be the owners of a second property. We all need something to motivate us, yes? This is one of it.
So anyway, back to keys collection day! After our lunch at HDB Hub (please try the rojak and muah chee at the food court), we went to get our queue number!
Oh yes, I went there earlier for lunch but H reached even earlier so he went to pay for the fire insurance which costs a grand total of... $6.60. For 5 years. Super good deal omg hahaha.
It was also that day we realised that we have to pay Town Council a monthly fee of $65.60 (with immediate effect). That's WHEN I knew who's paying the workers who clear the trash and wash the grounds. All these twenty odd years of my life, my parents never told me. It's like, BAM, I'm finally a grown up with all these financial responsibilities.
Sorry for the digression. So the signing of the many sheets of documents inclusive of the waiting time took us around 1.5 hour and then we can finally head over to our new place to roll pineapple hahaha!
Here we are at our first home! :D
We opted out of everything we could possibly opt out from so our house was bare with no floor, no doors because I was 100% certain I wouldn't like anything provided by the developer as I'm quite particular about the design so it is best to start with a plain canvas!
There'll be some hacking of walls to be done (permit approved yay!) and overlaying of tiles because I don't like them glossy haha.
Will share more when we've made progress with the house renovation! ;)
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