Rent a House in Singapore

The most stressful task for a person when he/she migrates to a new place temporarily or permanently is to find a place to stay. A place we can call home.
Finding a house is not easy, not anywhere in the world. But there are few things if followed and if understood, will make this task a pleasant experience.

First of all determine your budget as it the single most important criteria and then determine the place. Frankly with such efficient transport system I would not worry about the place but the locality is also important.
Housing is the major expenditure in Singapore. Many expats in Singapore find it so much costly that they share the house. 2 or more couples share a house and if bachelors even a single room is shared as a cost cutting measure.
First of all the there are 3 major type of housing structure in Singapore. It is better to understand the types so as to determine which would fit your taste and budget.

A HDB (Housing Development Board) is the most common type of accommodation facility. It is an apartment built by the government authorities for the citizens of Singapore. It is the most affordable type of housing in Singapore.
Types of HDB flats:
1. 2-Bedroom Flat: basically it doesn't mean 2 bedrooms but it means 1-bedroom and 1 living room and a kitchen (don't ask me why but yes its weird that they consider the living room as a bedroom too)
There are again Improved (I) version and a Standard (S) types differences usually 20-30sqm and maybe interiors vary.
2. 3-Bedroom Flat: 2-bedrooms, a kitchen and 1-living room. There are many variations to it as NG-New generation, Modified, Improved, Standard and so on. Not major differences but things as attached bathroom with a bedroom in NG, store room facility in Improved and no such things in standard.
3. 4-Bedroom Flat: 3bedrooms, kitchen and living room. The same variations apply here too.
4. 5-Bedroom Flat: 3bedrooms(not 4), kitchen, living room and store room. Similar to 4 bedroom flat but with a store room and a larger area of course.
5. Jumbo Flats: These are basically 2 flats combined, usually a 3bedroom and 4 bedroom flat combined. Combined as such there is a common entrance or gate and then again individual doors to each house. It is in my opinion built keeping in mind the joint families where 2 or 3 generations stay together.
The rates vary again not only depending on the type but also on the location. Any flat in CBD (Central business district) is usually 200-300$ more.
The rental rates usually start from 1500$ to 4000$ or even more.
And so if a couple rents a 3/4 bedroom flat somewhere near woodlands it would cost them around 1800-2500$. So the best thing they do is to share the house with another couple which would bring down the cost to 900-1200$. (Sharing again is each one's preference, choosing between cost cutting or privacy)

Condominiums:
These apartments are usually a gated community types. Private housing which are gated and few apartments share a common swimming pool, gym, club, tennis courts and basketball courts and so on.
The rental rates are obviously higher compared to HDB atleast by 400-500$ for each type.

Landed Houses:
Yes there are landed houses in Singapore. And consider them a luxury here thanks to the space constraint. Rental minimum starts from 3500$ and they are usually located in remote areas.

There are also Serviced Apartments which are for the elite group of people who earn atleast 15k per month or for the fortunate few whose company pays it for them. They are in literal sense a 5star hotel (housekeeping and all that stuff) leased for a longer duration. And there might be other types too which I'm not aware of but these are the major types of housing.

So coming to the renting part, it is usually through an agent. There are few rental agencies/property sites which help us in this process, of course for a huge fee, but we are helpless as its the rule.
You can either hire an agent who will exclusively search according to your interests keeping in mind your budget or you can search their websites and search for an appropriate house and contact the agent listed for the sale of that particular house.
The advantage for searching the house on the internet by yourself is that few times you are lucky enough when the owner of the house has hired an agent to search for suitable tenants. Yes, even the owner hires an agent to make the process easier. So when such a thing happens, the agent fee is handled by the owner and you are saved from that burden.

The agent fee is usually half the rent of a month for an years contract(usually 1 months rent for 2years contract and so on). For example you have agreed to rent a house for 2000$, then you have to pay the agent 1000$ plus taxes for 1 year contract and 2000$ for 2year contract.The agent fee is applicable every time you change your house unless you are lucky. Obviously there are exceptions where there is no agent fee and you directly handle it with the owner and fill some forms online and submit to the hdb authorities but im not sure of the process and neither would recommend.
Ok so once you finalize the house, then the agent will make you sign the tenancy agreement which states everything including rent, agent fees, advance and the tenancy duration. Double check it and be sure to safe-keep it till the end of the contract.

There is a 1month or 2 month advance you pay to the owner which is thankfully refunded. Sometimes the owner might insist on a rental advance too which can be negotiated. The rental is also paid every month in advance. That means you pay for the month first and then you get to stay.

So if you are taking a house for 2000$ rent then your approximate cost while signing the tenancy agreement for 1 year would be:
Agent Fee                                               : 1000$
Rent                                                        : 2000$
Advance(refunded after lease period)    : 2000$
Total                                                       : 5000 $

The few sites which may be of use for your house hunt are: Property Guru, Stproperty, I property.
Happy Hunting

(This article is based on my personal experience and facts and figures are for explanatory purpose)

Pulau Ubin Islands Getaway

Pulau Ubin, a tiny island, the last kampung(village) situated north east to Singapore and is one of the places where you might get to see traces of what Singapore might have looked decades before.
It is one of the best & cheapest weekend getaways from the nerve wrecking city life and hustle bustle of traffic. So anyone who enjoys to catch a glimpse of the laid back life lest the amenities, this is a must place to visit.
A day would be sufficient to enjoy the island but there are facilities to stay overnight too. Though there are no specific luxurious hotels but few tents are set up and even one can setup their own campsite and enjoy a nice campfire with a bunch of friends.

How to get there:

Take a ferry from Changi ferry terminal or the Changi village. Make sure to go to the Pulau Ubin departure gate as ferry's to Johor, Malaysia also departs from the same ferry terminal. The ferry, a tiny bum-boat taking aboard 12-15 people.

Changi Point ferry terminal

Bumboat

The fare is around 2.50$ per person for one way and it takes less than 20 mins to reach Ubin Islands.
Don't worry its very safe and no need to carry passports. Just some ID would suffice, though no one really checks as it is a part of Singapore.
Bum-boats start from 7am to around 7.30 pm. Weekends are best to travel as there are lot of people traveling. Bum-boats don't start until they are full so expect to wait for a long time on weekdays or to shell out 30$ for a bum-boat for all by yourself.

Where to go and What to do:

The one thing most heard about Ubin Islands is the Chek Jawa. A small area or land which harbors multitude of ecosystems. The best ones being the Mangroves, Sea Grass Lagoon and Costal Hill Forest. Apart from nature once can also appreciate a cottage also called as the !st House in Pulau Ubin.

A board walk along the shore gives you a sight which is not to be missed.

There are many ways to explore the Island. The best way which I found is cycling. The best part is that there are numerous shops near the terminal which rent out bicycles for as low as 5$ and put in more money, you will be pampered to choices. For the aged and ones not so adventurous there a re guided trams and tours. You can even walk considering the weather is pleasant.

The best thing to do in Pulau Ubin is to be yourself and explore places all by yourself. Do not need to follow someone's tracks, make your own path. No traffic, not many houses. As of now there are just 3 families staying in the Island and except for them its just us the tourists and weekenders.

Do not be surprised when you do not find posh and convenient amenities as in Singapore. Remember to enjoy nature in its unaltered form.

Few things not to miss:
1. Do take a mosquito repellant or an insect repellant without fail.
2. An extra set of clothes if you intend to take a plunge into water.
3. Biscuits and Chips. Though eateries and pop up kiosks are available, but the locations aren't that convenient.
4. Get as many bottles of water as you can. If not be ready to shell out dollars every few min as you will be lot thirsty due to climate and also due to cycling.
5. Check this map before heading out.
 If you are not comfortable going all by yourself, search out for the guided tours on weekends.

DS-160 Step by Step with Instructions

If you have read my previous post regarding the checklist and the DS-160 guidelines, I am sure you must be ready to fill the form. It is a cake walk if you have the documents ready and are not faking anything but anyways I've listed out the things which would be required to be filled in the form.

Once you are here, select the location where you will be applying for the visa. For me it was in Singapore, so please select wherever you are applying. If you still want to learn more about the form, on the left side, 4 sites have been quoted as the things to be aware before filling. Feel free to go through them.
Once you have selected the location, you would be prompted to upload the photograph.
Immediately below you will find three tabs highlighted in red.(Start an application, Upload an application, Retrieve an application).
Click on Start an Application.

1. An Application ID along with the date would be given. Print it or note it down somewhere.
This application ID would be required for future references.
2.  In the same page you would be required to give a security question and answer. Choose an easy one for remembrance. You would have to furnish those details along with the application ID and the first four letters of you surname in-case you need to access your DS-160 anytime later.

3. Personal Information 1:

a) Surname
(As listed in the passport)
b) Given names
c) Full name in native alphabet.
(Tick if it does not apply. Usually for Indians it does not apply)
d) Have you ever used other names (i.e., maiden, religious, professional, alias, etc.)
(Usually applicable to Indian Women who are married- Answer accordingly, but make sure if you have used other names, take a proof of it while attending for the interview.
e) Do you have a telecode that represents your name?
(Apparently Telecodes are 4 digit numbers which represent characters in some non-Roman alphabet names)
I am not sure whatever it means, but its a no for me and mostly for everyone.
f) Sex (Male/Female)
g) Marital Status
(one of these: married, common law marriage, civil union/domestic partnership, single, divorced, widowed, legally separated, other) 
h) Date and Place of Birth
Date, City, State/Province, Country/Region(as mentioned in passport) 
(Note: the format for dates are usually DD-MMM-YYYY but Americans prefer MMM-DD-YYYY, so kindly double check and furnish the details) 

You can either save the details, go back or continue to next. If filled properly, click continue. Remember, you can always modify the details till you sign and submit. So do not panic even if you fill anything wrong.

4. Personal Information 2: 

a) Country/ Region of Origin(Nationality)
b) Do you hold or have you held any Nationality other than the one indicated above on nationality?
(Yes/No)
c) National Identification number

d) U.S. Social Security Number
e) U.S. taxpayer ID number
(If you are an Indian or not a U.S citizen, it is usually 'no' for 'c,d and e')

Go ahead to next.

5. Address and Phone:

a) Home Address
(Street Address line1, line 2, city, state, postal code, country) 
(This is where you are presently residing, not necessarily your home country)
b) Mailing Address
If the mailing address is the same as the home address, simply say yes, if not mention the address in the same format as above.
c) Phone
(Primary phone number, secondary phone number, work phone number)
Primary phone number is usually where you are most likely to be contacted.

Secondary and work numbers are optional.
d) E-mail address
(furnish the one through which you would like communicating with the consulate, usually they will send the confirmation to this mail)
 Save for later or continue to next

6. Passport:

a) Passport/Travel Document type
(one of these: Regular, official, diplomatic, others- usually its regular)
b) Passport or travel document number
c) Passport book number

(Usually not applicable) 
d) Country/ Authority that issued passport/travel document
e) Where was the passport issued
(city, state, country)
Mention exactly as in the passport.
f) Issuance date
g) Expiration date
(Validity should be at least 6 months from your intended date of travel)
h) Have you ever lost a passport/ have stolen one
(yes/no) 
If yes then you need to provide the lost/stolen passport number, country which issued it and the reason behind it.
If no, continue to next.

7. Travel Information:

a)  Purpose of trip to the U.S.
(there are several categories, for tourism select ' temp business pleasure visitor B)
b) Specify
(B1/B2-business and tourism temporary visitor, B1-business/conference, B2-tourism/medical treatment: select accordingly)
c) Have you made specific travel plans?
If yes, provide the complete itinerary even if it is tentative, like date of arrival in US, flight if known, arrival city, date of departure from US, flight if known,departure city and the locations you plan to visit one by one.
If no, provide an intended date of arrival and duration of stay. Do not mention more than 3 months and if working then only mention 2 or 3 weeks according to the leave issued to you by your company.
make sure to put a date at least 1 to 2 weeks ahead from your scheduled or planned interview but not more than 2 months away.
d) Address where you will stay in the US
(same format as the home address, either it is at your relatives place or any hotel address where you intend to stay will suffice)
e) Person/entity paying for your trip
(self, other person, other company/organization)
If other person or company is paying, furnish their details like surname, given name, phone no., email, relation to you and address.
make sure it is believable, you cannot quote as your friend or distant aunt/uncle whom who hardly know is paying cos it would be suspicious and highly rare. preferably the other person should be a close family member or your own company.
Once done save or continue to next

8. Travel Companions:

a) Are there other persons traveling with you
(You should answer Yes to this question if you are traveling with family, as part of an organized tour, or as part of a performing group or athletic team. You do not need to list individuals who are traveling with you for the purposes of employment with the same employer.)
If yes then you need to fill these:
b) are you traveling as a part of a group or organization?
If yes, provide the group name,
If no, enter the persons details like surname given name and relation to you.
If there is no one traveling with you,enter no and continue to next.

9.  Previous US travel information:
  
a) Have you ever been in the US
(if yes mention the date arrived, length of stay and drivers license no. if ever held) 
b) Have you ever been issued a US visa
(if yes, then you have enter all the details including the visa number and if you have been ten printed previously)Ten printing is taking the fingerprints of all the ten fingers.
c) Have you ever been refused a U.S. Visa, or been refused admission to the United States, or withdrawn your application for admission at the port of entry?
(if yes, explain in detail in a box provided) 
d) Has anyone ever filed an immigrant petition on your behalf with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services?
(if yes, explain)  

If no, kindly continue. But remember, furnish everything correctly, they will know it if you lie.

10. US point of contact information:

a) Contact person/organization in the US
surname, given name and relation to the person/organization name and relation. You need to furnish the address and phone no. and email id of the contact person/organization.
(Your U.S. Point of Contact can be any individual in the U.S. who knows you and can verify your identity. If you do not personally know anyone in the U.S., you may enter the name of the hotel, company, or organization you plan to visit during your trip) 
Once completed, you can continue to next

11. Family Information: Relatives:

a) Fathers full name and DOB
b) Is your father in the US
c) Mothers full name and DOB
d) Is your mother in the US
(if any one present in US, specify the status/visa type) 
e) Do you have any immediate relatives, not including parents, in the United States?
(immediate relatives include fiance/fiancee, spouse (husband/wife), child (son/daughter), or sibling (brother/sister) ) 
if yes provide their name, surname, relation to you and US status/visa type.
You can provide as many as applicable
f) Do you have any other relatives in the United States?
even if yes, you need not provide their information.
 Proceed to next once info is typed

12. Present Work/Education/Training information:

a) Primary occupation
select from drop down and you may need to provide information about your employer, name, address, phone no, country, monthly income if employed, and describe duties.

13. Previous Work/Education/Training information:

a) Were you preciously employed
if yes, provide full details
b)  Have you attended any educational institutions at a secondary level or above?
(You must answer Yes to this question if you have ever attended, for any length of time, a high school/secondary school (or its equivalent in your country) or college, university, graduate school, a doctoral program, or a vocational program) 
if yes provide full details.

14. Additional work/Education/Training information:

a) Do you belong to a clan/tribe
b) Provide a list of languages you speak(you can add as  many as you know)
c)  Have you traveled to any countries within the last five years? if yes provide a list, add as applicable
d) Have you belonged to, contributed to, or worked for any professional, social, or charitable organization?
e)Do you have any specialized skills or training, such as firearms, explosives, nuclear, biological, or chemical experience?
f) Have you ever served in the military?
g) Have you ever served in, been a member of, or been involved with a paramilitary unit, vigilante unit, rebel group, guerrilla group, or insurgent organization?
Answer accordingly

15. Security and Background:
Part 1

a) Do you have a communicable disease of public health significance? 
b) Do you have a mental or physical disorder that poses or is likely to pose a threat to the safety or welfare of yourself or others?
c) Are you or have you ever been a drug abuser or addict?
Answer as yes/no

Part 2

a) Have you ever been arrested or convicted for any offense or crime, even though subject of a pardon, amnesty, or other similar action?
b) Have you ever violated, or engaged in a conspiracy to violate, any law relating to controlled substances?
c) Are you coming to the United States to engage in prostitution or unlawful commercialized vice or have you been engaged in prostitution or procuring prostitutes within the past 10 years?
d) Have you ever been involved in, or do you seek to engage in, money laundering?
e) Have you ever committed or conspired to commit a human trafficking offense in the United States or outside the United States?
f) Have you ever knowingly aided, abetted, assisted or colluded with an individual who has committed, or conspired to commit a severe human trafficking offense in the United States or outside the United States?
g) Are you the spouse, son, or daughter of an individual who has committed or conspired to commit a human trafficking offense in the United States or outside the United States and have you within the last five years, knowingly benefited from the trafficking activities?
yes/no

Part 3

a) Do you seek to engage in espionage, sabotage, export control violations, or any other illegal activity while in the United States?
b)  Do you seek to engage in terrorist activities while in the United States or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities?
c)  Have you ever or do you intend to provide financial assistance or other support to terrorists or terrorist organizations?
d) Are you a member or representative of a terrorist organization?
e) Have you ever ordered, incited, committed, assisted, or otherwise participated in genocide?
f) Have you ever committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in torture?
g) Have you committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in extrajudicial killings, political killings, or other acts of violence?
h) Have you ever engaged in the recruitment or the use of child soldiers?
i) Have you, while serving as a government official, been responsible for or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom?
j) Have you ever been directly involved in the establishment or enforcement of population controls forcing a woman to undergo an abortion against her free choice or a man or a woman to undergo sterilization against his or her free will?
k) Have you ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissue?

Part 4

a)Have you ever sought to obtain or assist others to obtain a visa, entry into the United States, or any other United States immigration benefit by fraud or willful misrepresentation or other unlawful means?

Part 5 

a) Have you ever withheld custody of a U.S. citizen child outside the United States from a person granted legal custody by a U.S. court?
b) Have you voted in the United States in violation of any law or regulation?
c) Have you ever renounced United States citizenship for the purposes of avoiding taxation?

This is almost the end of the questionnaire and you just need to upload your photograph if you did not do that in the very beginning.
Once you do that you need to confirm the photograph and then you will be redirected to review all the information you have provided. Check carefully as even at this point you can edit the details if necessary.

Once you have reviewed and checked everything perfectly, you can sign and submit the form. Be sure to read the terms and conditions.
You would be redirected to the confirmation page where you can print it and can request to send the confirmation to you mail ID.

Once you sign and submit the form, you are not allowed to modify any details.
It is only after you submit the DS160 form and have paid the visa fees, you are allowed to book an appointment date for the interview if applicable. 

Check this to know what to expect at  the Visa Embassy/Consulate on the day of your interview: Visa Interview.
 

DS 160 Checklist - B1/B2 Visa Category

This post is for everyone applying for a US visa (non-immigrant) for the first time. As I've already submitted a form and attended the interview, I am particularly sharing this to ease the pressure buildup in these kind of procedures.

Disclaimer:
I am not an immigration lawyer or a consultant helping or guiding in form filling, but I'm here just to share what information I have and what I find appropriate. Please excuse me if you find any faults or flaws.(Every human is flawed so am I).

My knowledge is limited for US consulate in Singapore, so I would rather focus on what I know. Being an Expat in Singapore, I don't qualify for ESTA and I ought to go for an interview. For the Singaporeans who are eligible for ESTA, these steps wont be necessary.

1. To apply for a Visa to the USA from Singapore, you need to apply it through US Embassy in Singapore.
2. The page directly takes you to the non- immigrant visas and then you need to click on the Apply for a US visa link. You would be prompted to answer if its your first time applying for a visa or not. 3. Answer accordingly and then you would be redirected to a page which would allow you to choose the visa type(Immigrant/ Non-Immigrant)- Non-Immigrant if you are applying for a tourism visa.
4. You will next be redirected to this page.
5. Before going ahead with the 'Apply for a Visa', be sure to check out the Non-immigrant Visa Information provided in the website which includes Visa Types, Visa Fees, Bank and payment options, DS-160 information, Appointment wait times, Photos and fingerprints, Visa waiver programs and Security regulations.
6. Please go through the entire things listed, as its always good to be self informed.
7. Once you have read these things, I am sure you would be ready to fill the form.

Checklist before filling the DS-160:
First and foremost, fill out the form in your free and relaxed time as you do not want to make any mistakes. These things take time and most importantly patience, so gather the checklist and then sit down with a cup of coffee.

[DS-160 can be paused any time and can be saved and filled later (if you have to, any number of times), but I prefer to do this in one go]

1. Passport (Current and all old passports)
2. 2"X2" passport photograph.(Cheap way to take passport photographs in Singapore)
3. Travels plans/ Itinerary (If any)
4. Previous US visits. (If any mostly in the past 5 years, dates and visa types)
5. Last 5 years travel history to other countries. (Old passports may come handy for this)
6. Resume/ CV and Degree Certificates.(Past and present employment history and educational qualifications are to be filled in detail)
7. US contact details (their visa type, residential address, employment and relation to you)
(If applicable, even if they are sponsoring you or not)
8. Parents DOB and residence.
9. Finally a positive mindset, serene surroundings and a 'Do it' attitude.

Few commonly aroused doubts:
1. You need not book a flight before you obtain a visa. In fact even the Embassy website encourages you to book a flight once a visa is confirmed and not before.
2. A tentative itinerary with tentative dates is sufficient, no need to go ahead and book the hotels. It will never impact the visa outcome.
3. Be true about what you are filing, there should be no discrepancy. The more honest and straightforward things you fill in the form, the more confident you would be to face the Visa Officer(VO).
4. Make sure to save the application before submitting it, it would help you to go through what you have filled before the interview.
5. It is not compulsory to have a sponsor. If you have sufficient bank balance, you can self sponsor your trip. Nothing guarantees a visa.
6.  Even if you are applying as a family or as a group, each individual has to have a separate DS-160.

Once you are ready with the checklist, go ahead and fill the DS-160 form.

Check my other post DS-160 Step by Step with Instructions & Visa Interview.