Buying a home is the biggest financial commitment I have ever made in my life.

Buying a home at the age of 35 is a significant milestone in my life. It is also the biggest financial commitment I have ever made. It marks a turning point where I can live independently and have a certain lifestyle where I am happiest.

I started my home-buying journey about 2 months before my 35th birthday. As a single, I can only buy a resale flat upon turning the age of 35. However, it does not mean that I can only start looking for one upon turning 35. I planned ahead and started house hunting with my agent about 2 months before my 35 birthday.

I knew that finding my ideal home takes time. It takes a lot of time and effort to schedule viewings. Kudos to my real estate agent and classmate who painstakingly arranged 3 to 4 viewings every weekend (though not subsequent weekends) for close to six weeks. Over that duration, it’s safe to say that we viewed more than 20 flats across several neighbourhoods throughout Singapore. These viewings were primarily in Woodlands, Khatib, Yishun, Serangoon, Potong Pasir, Lorong Chuan and of course, Ang Mo Kio, my current residence.

When I finally chose Ang Mo Kio, my birthday was already over and I had all the forms and eligibility letters ready before committing my name to the new unit. I was ready. It was just a matter of finding the right unit at the right price before pulling the trigger.

This Ang Mo Kio unit I chose, was well maintained by a family of four who wished to upgrade to a condo unit. The original marble terrazzo tiles were remarkably preserved throughout the house despite an overlay of vinyl tiles in the living room. Some of the carpentry showed its age, having lived for more than 10 years. But otherwise, it was a pleasant and welcoming-looking flat. The only thing that I didn’t like about the flat were the louvre windows along the corridor. That had to go. Below are some of the images of the house before I bought it.

A short walking distance from the nearest MRT station, Mayflower and a nice well-maintained flat were the ultimate factors that made me choose the flat over everywhere else.

The flat was built in 1981, not too old. The official value of the flat assessed by HDB evaluators was S$380,000. The selling price was S$400,000. The S$20,000 difference had to be paid in cash to the sellers. HDB drained my CPF OA account, leaving S$20K, while the outstanding amount was paid through an HDB loan over a 25-year loan tenure. The loan repayment including the 2.6% interest rate is not too bad. Overall, I did not have to fork out a single cent from my monthly salary earnings as the CPF contribution rate is more than enough to cover the loan repayment (so long as I continue working).

It took a while for HDB to approve the sale. By January of 2023, the flat was officially mine. However, the previous owners of the flat required a 3-month extension of stay because their condo unit wasn’t ready. I was willing to give them an extension of stay, provided that they pay rent. They agreed as the rent rate I was offering them was reasonable and below the market rate. Thus, February became May and by then, I had the keys to my kingdom. I was ready for a major overhaul of the unit, down to the exact specifications as dictated to my interior designer that I sought during the 3-month extension of stay. To be continued.