We are finally moving to our place permanently this week right before Christmas after we bought our house last year but didn't get to move in due to the Covid situation.

We are currently (temporarily) crashing at our parents in law place during the entire period of Covid which we have gotten used to the surrounding in the past 12 months so we feel pretty sad about leaving but at the same time, we feel excited about moving into a new environment and area which would allow us to roam and explore.

We managed to rent out our place during the interim of Covid for a total of 9-10 months to a fellow Singaporean family who had to seek a temporary shelter also due to Covid that forces most renovation to be suspended back then.

We scored some rental income for a few months while they scored a temporary place where they could crash until their renovation is completed.

I see that as a win-win for both parties.

The other reason why we are choosing to move at this time is also that we have used our new address for the primary registration based on the distance category and we have to fulfill that requirement before school starts in a couple of days' time.

Moving D-Day Countdown

Moving is among one of the most stressful events simply because there are just so many things to pack and unpack - that's when we realized we should have heeded Marie Kondo's advice but the realization is too late by the time we noticed just how many craps we have stored all these time.

There is also other logistical preparation such as informing both sides of the management (sometimes they have loaded maximum capacity for the day, so we can only choose for other days), and then there's the mover which we have to liaise with.

There is also the reinstallation of the internet broadband and utilities, amongst other things to consider.

Change is also not always easy to deal with and adapt to, especially when you live with young children who have to adapt to a new environment, go to a different school, and meet a new friend.

While our elder son is enrolling in a new school (the primary one) anyway, the younger one had to change his kindergarten school to somewhere that's nearer to home. There'll be two rounds each of the new schools, new uniforms, new teachers, new parents chatgroup, new orientation, etc that we have to complete before school starts in January.

Where We Are Moving To

We bought a resale private condominium in district 4 for those who are curious where we are moving to.

We have previously stayed for the large part of our post-marriage years at the central area, before moving to stay at our parents in law place which is a bit more towards the dempsey area. We had previously considered on areas where we were more familiar with but because of the affordability we decided to venture a bit into the south.

Who knows what could happen next, we might be moving again depending on circumstances in the next few years.

Renovation

We didn't spend a lot on renovation this time round as we had bought a resale.

There was also no intention to spend a huge chunk on the renovation as we wanted a simple home that we could live comfortably.

I'll share a little bit more about where we bought our furniture and why we chose them so once we have furnished and cleaned up the house after we move in.

Our renovation is mainly spent on the parquet wood varnishing and replacement of the window ledge, window grills, changing of balcony ceramics, painting, and hacking of the fixed fittings for the master bedroom bed.

If anyone of you is interested in looking for a reliable contractor for your own home, you may DM contact me. I have been using him for all my renovation and other home works, including pipes, hacking of bathtub, electrical wiring, ceiling wall, water piping, and leaking for the past 5 years. He is basically my go-to person when there are issues with the house.

Did Valuation Drop?

I think one question which many readers are curious, including myself honestly, is whether we could get a better deal had we bought our home this year during the pandemic rather than last year before the pandemic.

I was also curious myself so I checked three times - one during the onset of the pandemic back in March, another time in June, and the latest one just last week in December.

There was only one occasion back during the depth of the pandemic in March where I could find a similar deal like the one I had last year. In the other two instances, many of the prices that are displayed are higher (or they are at a similar price PSF but at lower floors). During the depth of the pandemic back in March, I also found a rather good deal that was within my ability to finance in one of the District 10, but that quickly snapped away.

In other words, sentiments towards property play are still strong and there are still many buyers lurking around for deals. If you don't believe it, just head down and look at the recent new development deal demand at The Linq (Beauty World).

I think the low-interest rates environment we are in today has a lot of roles to play here.

Conclusion

I'll share a bit more after we have moved and settled in at our new place and surroundings.

Personally, we are pretty excited about moving in and are continuing to explore areas which we can go for breakfast, supper, and even exercise.

I'll be looking forward to a new 2021 and we hope the world is in a better condition and place to live in once 2021 kicks in a couple of days' time.

Signing out for now.

Thanks for reading.