The Morning After

This morning I awoke with the realisation that I had handed in my notice the day before and had made a commitment to return to New Zealand by mid year.

After four years it is time to re establish ones roots and to do so before one qualifies for the pension.

So I leave a job that I have thoroughly enjoyed with the British Council, as well as the many friends that I have made in my time here.

Naturally there is a feeling of sadness but this is tempered by the reality that one day I would have to return and it is probably better to do so while being still  'hearty in mind and  limb'.

Today we ordered a new Dell laptop and I paid an unexpected visit to the dentist -  total cost well over $2,500!  This is the sort of thing that always comes out of the blue at a time when you are facing financial pressure.

I can also never work out why a one way airfare is so expensive compared to a return ticket? Singapore Airlines is no exception to this rule.

We will cope nevertheless, having been frugal in our habits during our time in Singapore.

On the subject of returning home I note in today's paper that the PM is hoping Singaporeans based overseas will realise the country's developments and economic growth particularly after the financial crisis and return home soon.

To be frank I doubt if this inducement will work to any great degree.  Many of the Singaporeans I have talked to yearn to live and work overseas but they are unable to do so due to family commitments.

Selling Condos

The market has been picking up so we decided to put our condo on the market.  Loh and behold within a month we had an offer we could comfortably accept.

This new reality makes life considerably easier as we consider our options for the future, unemcumbered by the need to sell a property.

As a seller one pays an agent 2% of the purchase price as a commission.  In our particular complex there have been several 3+1's sold during the past month but 2 bedrooms units such as ours (2+1 to use their popular title) are harder to find.

In the current market one aims to get over $1,000 per sq foot.  Unlike New Zealand, the property market swings in Singapore are far more pronounced.  Having bought in just before the start of the last boom we have made a nice capital gain over the three years of our occupancy.

The purchaser first secures a fortnight's option on the property and if still satisfied at the end of this short period, the sale is then confirmed.  Most settlement periods after eight to ten weeks after the sale confirmation.

As our buyer has since confirmed, this means that we move out mid June.  The Singapore property market is like riding a wave with larger peaks and troughs than one finds in New Zealand.  We were fortunate to buy three years ago before the last buying frenzy took hold. Fortuitously we are also not selling in a cycle of depressed prices.

Now comes the joy of packing up although in our case we have given the buyer all of our furniture.  To pack furniture and freight it overseas is simply not economically viable.