The Neighborhood

Here's what the area looks like:

Views from the Main Bedroom window

To the right of the window are shophouses:

To the left is a condominium and the mall which has a link to the MRT station:

View from the Living/Dining/Kitchen window

The Rental Process: Part 3

After viewing eight (8) apartments in what basically amounts to just one day, we've decided on where we will live for the next year and a half. Here's how we arrived at that decision:

Pros
- nicely decorated (in my opinion)
- secure
- diagonally across a mall with a supermarket
- 35 minutes to the office including walking
- has a built-in oven
- separate washer and dryer
- ample closet space
- modern bathroom
- near an MRT station (one entrance is through the mall)
- very short walk to the bus stop and a small hawker center

Cons
- main bedroom is facing northwest
- no other furniture aside from the bed, closets, and desk with chair
- only one small bathroom
- no kitchen counter
- not enough space for a sofa in the living area

The pros outnumber the cons, but more importantly it was the only unit that I got excited about and Earl loves the location. It was a win-win situation for both of us, but what made us decide quickly were the following:

- some apartments are gone as soon as they're listed so we didn't want to get too picky. We might end up with something worse because we were waiting for something "better."
- having seen eight (8) flats, we believe that we have a pretty good idea of what others will look like. Six (6) of them, for example, all looked more or less the same.

Of course, time will tell whether the cons will overwhelm the pros.

Living/Dining/Kitchen Area

Bathroom

Main Bedroom

Guest Room