OK, its not a penthouse, I exaggerated. Pardon my happiness.
It's a HDB BTO top floor corner unit that's my first choice! Wink.
First sign I noticed Lady Luck was blowing my way was my ballot queue number - it's around the 1/3 quartile? Not the best; but at least not the bottom of the queue like some of my neighbours...
Second luck factor was that most of the current HDB flat owners are in their 70s or 80s. Those ahead of me were definitely not out to take full advantage of their better ballot queue numbers like in regular BTOs. Older folks don't like high floors.
Kudos to HDB as the flat selection process was very transparent. There's a website where we can see the units being "booked" by those ahead me. I watched with incredulity and a sigh of huge relief as many were selecting the mid and lower floor units!?
Without the above luck, all the factors I can "control" and somewhat "influence" below will be for naught.
- I spent 6 years of my primary school in that area so I knew the 5 SERS replacement sites extremely well. That's the advantage of property over equities. Can see, and touch, and smell!
- I knew the meaning of 闹中取静 - seek sanctum of quiet in a busy marketplace. My first choice site was not the top 2 most popular sites in this SERS exercise.
For eg, I want to be situated
near a MRT station; not
next to one.
- I got do independent research. Many were getting their info at the coffee shops or at the lift landings. You know, similar to stock "investing" - like what stocks to buy, what you bought recently, got tips or not?
It's not surprising if an opinion leader says she will chose site X, most of her kakis will follow. It's fun to eavesdrop to their conversations.
When you buying your property, how many of you took a look at:
Master Plan 2014
- What would happen had I taken the stance that the place we are living in is not an "investment". Or 99 year lease is not "ownership".
Why bother on improving our craftsmanship on something we don't care about?
It helps to have the "correct" mindset from the beginning.
- What luck? I like the smell of sunshine on my laundry!
There are only 4 flats on a straight horizontal row on the top floor. They are all North-South facing.
However, the laundry yards are either facing East or West.
The unit I am eyeing is the corner unit with laundry yard facing the West setting sun - that's the arrangement of my current Tanglin Halt flat. Nothing beats first hand experience!
The corner unit with laundry yard facing the East was snapped up pretty early. It's facing another nearby block so I am guessing the owner wants to avoid the West setting sun. Lucky me!
My selection was 2:30 pm and on the morning; I got a mild heart attack when I checked at the HDB website at 12:30 pm - someone booked a unit on the top floor!
Lucky me again!!! This owner chose the 2nd unit with laundry yard facing the 3rd unit on the top floor!?
Hate the sun until don't mind others looking into your yard? OK, on the top floor not so bad. But for the lower units, this arrangement creates an air well that will never see the light of day unless the sun is directly overhead. Some of you may have experienced this effect in the newer BTO flats where its noon and the kitchen is so dark you need to switch on the lights?
Hey! I'm not complaining! I'm the first person in the queue after the lunch and I quickly made my selection. Top corner North-South facing unit with laundry yard facing the West setting sun. Ho say!
I tell you. Lucky as lucky does!
This post is a follow-up to my previous post:
My vision for SERS came true!
Singapore Man of Leisure (welcome to my blog; just google it!)
