BEDOK mommies club

Hi all
Just saw this thread on Bedok mums. I'm a FT working mum staying near Bedok South for 5 years. Was SAHM for 2.5 years and recently ended my 'tai tai' life (according to my hubby) ; p Have 2 kids - 5 yr and 3.5 yr.

Am now volunteering in Red Swastika for a space in 2009. Spoke to the principal. He said there's unprecedented "spike" in old boys/gals who registered this year that's why there was so few space left for 2B/2C. Hopefully it'll be back to normal next yr. If not, I'll be volunteering for "free" (sob sob). Hope to exchange info with the rest of the mummies here ; ))
 


My house is near Tanah Merah MRT. Unfortunately, it's 1.1 km from Red Swastika and also 1.1 km from Temasek. In the end we decided on RSS bcos we prefer more chinese environment. Hopefully it'll help my gal to improve her chinese. Also, the sch itself has a student care centre so if I can send them to student care if I dun have maid anymore. Actually volunteering is qt interesting. Last wk, I helped the kids make mooncakes.

Btw, anyone knows any good childcare in the east? My maid is going back for 1 month in Dec so I gotta get some help. PCF childcare I heard is not good i.e. hygiene level. My friend said every 1-2 weeks, they've HFM. So scary.
 
Iwg26,
Welcome to the club!
happy.gif

You mean your maid is taking care of both kids? Your gal is 5yo? Your second kid is boy or gal?

I'm old gal of RSS. Hope my gal can get in but she is only 2yo now.
lol.gif
 
Iwg26

there is a childcare at Simei (walking distance from Simei MRT) - Eileen childcare at Changi Simei CC...

my gal is there...i am rather satisfied with the childcare and the teachers are very passionate towards the children.
 
Iwg26, caymom

hehe, I have a theory
wink.gif


The old boys & girls of popular primary schools who have grown up & moved away to start their family are gradually moving back to Bedok for their kids primary school education.

Hence we continue to see demand in Bedok flats as well as spikes in phrase 2A in popular schools like RSS or Temasek
 
xuanpink
me too dun like maid i rather let them go sch learn more thing.

hippo
wow u manage to clear ah, so lucky, we din manage cos still had to pay stupid HDB 45k levy cos we bot new one. Appeal but fail and wasteed so much of the time dam piss. We had loan from OCBC dam high interest. ppl shift hse earn we shift hse lose somemore i sold at perk still cannot make it. Whole life like in debt quite stress

caymon
yes we cant take hdb loan anymore, if u bot new one have to pay levy lor

spagoh
yur kids at simei, so far ah? i saw tat sch many time cos i am a GRO at the cc.
i dun like the envi there cos lot of staircase
 
<font color="ff0000">Hippo,</font>
I think your theory is right!
happy.gif


<font color="aa00aa">Wendy,</font>
$45k levy??!!! OMG, so it's better not to buy new flats?
 
My gal is 5.5 yo and boy 4 yo. When my boy was baby and my gal 22 months, my maid was looking after both of them alone. She's qt good but I still worried as it's not easy to handle 2. Somemore my gal qt "violent". She'll suddenly hit the baby without reason. I think it's jealousy. So when my boy was 6 mth, I quit and stay home. Now they go to school half day, then in afternoon my maid cook, feed them and make them nap.

Caymon, if you're old gal, then sure your kids can get in. So lucky. Ya, I heard many parents move to bedok bcos of Temasek / RSS. My colleague said those 5 rm flat opposite Temasek asking for $100k above valuation.
 
Wendy

I older than you mah, worked for long long time liao. Hubby & I show hand, clean up our CPF lor
although I didn't pay levy, I spent $50K on renovation because condition of flat not so good. age of property almost 30 years old. maybe more worth it to pay levy afterall
 
<font color="ff0000">Iwg26,</font>
The prices are really ridiculous. I'm trying to get a unit near RSS but the sellers all ask for high cash. I can't fork out so much lor.

<font color="0000ff">Hippo,</font>
Even new flats still will have some bit of reno. I spent nearly $30k for my standard flat. Not sure whether the flat Wendy bought is premium or standard. If premium, then can save a bit on reno. I am prepared to spend on reno if I get resale flat unless the flat is recently renovated.
 
Hi iwg
my parent n sis stay just next to Temasek, but i not buying tat area cos i wan a 4rm old model have corridor win i dun like anywya no unit selling oso leh. my nieces & nephew in temasek.

hi hippo
i not young oso leh, wif 2 kid all our saving really none, life in singapore really tough. we paid levy but oso need reno leh. bank interest dan high

hi caymon
mine is also standard and we too spend abt 30k for that hse cos at first tot will stay forever whose know..... sigh...
it depend on individual if to buy odl or new flat. cos for me i prefer new cos less problem wid ex seller, i dun like corridor window etc so happen ballot so i go for it and pay 45k. now a bit sort of regret cos of all the debt but ti nk of the travel i give in again.
 
caymom, wendy

yeah, my previous standard flat also spent around $30K. didn't recover renovation loan when I sold.

the main concern I had with buying resale was the remaining lease. If after living here for 30 years, the lease left 30 years only. Got resale value meh? even if buyer want to buy also difficult to get bank loan. Price sure drop. More like depreciating property rather than appreciating. I hope government will extend the lease by then

whereas new flat even if live there for 30 years still balance 60 years lease. no issue with bank loan & won't impact on resale value
 
<font color="ff0000">Wendy,</font>
I didn't want to spend too much on reno because not sure whether will stay in Punggol for good, but do this do that very easily snowball to $30k liao. My hb likes new flats too but he said can buy resale and renovate it nice nice. I saw my friends' resale flats look old on the outside but once step it.... wow... very nice.

<font color="aa00aa">Hippo,</font>
Yah, agree with you. I also dun want flats that are too old.
 
caymom

all the bedok flats are around 30 years old leh. The neighbourhood moved here since late 70s

unless you look at the Blk 94 A B C D series or Bedok Reservior View which are relatively newer
 
<font color="ff0000">Hippo,</font>
Yah I know.... I stayed here since I was borned. Hahaha... I'm as old as Bedok.
lame.gif
That's why in dilemma now. Hb also half-hearted in shifting since he prefers new flats. Last night I asked him again and he said to consider staying put for a few years. Sigh....

I also considered Blk 94 series because the environment is quiet and peaceful but my mom said the layout not good and very small. Did you view any units there? I heard the 5-rm units have 4 bedrooms.

<font color="aa00aa">Iwg26,</font>
How do you know so precisely that your house is 1.1km away from RSS and Temasek?
 
hippo / caymon,
i oso loved punggol envir and supermarket is jut opp but in Bedok near to both parent so pro and con lor. I prefer new flat becos too old flat the maintanence a bit bad lor

caymon
my hubby opp yur he so lookign forward to coem back bedok, cos he is sikc of driving inside the jam. do u bring yur kids back often? i see the kids travel wif us so poor ting so lose $$ i oso ave to shft back.
btw, teh legal fee for the bank is dam ex close to 6k faint...
 
Wendy,
I bring my elder gal home everyday and she has been sleeping very late and has problems waking up in the morning. She only sleeps when I sleep but I have to express milk at 11+ before I sleep. She will sneak out of the room when she sees me going out.
lame.gif


I am very sian of the jam too. This morning heavy rain somemore, jam like dunno what. Sigh... hb said maybe the traffic condition will improve after the road widening and completion of the Kallang expressway.... plus the new developments at Punggol coming up. I know what he mean lah, we shift to Punggol because it is supposed to be a high tech town blah blah blah... and it seems that it is finally going to materialise, quite pity to move away now. Well, I am not sure whether it is going to materialise but one thing for sure, it is more convenient to shift near parents and school.
 
caymom, Wendy

For my case, I have no choice. My parents refused to move.

Before I moved near my parents, I was stuck at home all the time too, no alternative caregiver even for a few hours. It was very tough!

That's why I decided to move house even though it costs us a lot. Sold house without recovering renovation, paid above valuation for current house & spend lots on renovation to overhaul the 30 years old flat.

Hubby very nice, understands my frustration so he agreed to move. It's definitely worth it because quality of life is different. Now I can go shopping, facial or catch a movie with hubby. My mom can help to babysit for a couple of hours
happy.gif



caymom

I didn't view blk 94 series. Didn't really like that cluster because there is only 1 bus to interchange & waiting time can be quite long sometimes. Too far to walk to main road. I got to rely on public transport on weekdays to bring my girl to enrichment classes, too inconvenient

Furthermore, it's beyond my budget. At that time, blk 94 series transacted price were around $380K whilst the upgraded 5 rooms were less than $300K. We didn't want to take bank loan so look for something more affordable lor
 
caymom

even if you don't shift, you still qualify for phrase 2A at Red Swastika
the only hassle is transport issue. Got to send kids to your parent's house in the morning, fetch home in the evening. Very tedious
 
Hippo,
My parents ever considered shifting to Punggol but after the upgrading, they like the greater space. They also think that my place is too quiet and ulu for their liking.
lame.gif


You got a point about the 94 series being inconvenient. Although we have a car, I dunno how to drive. I certainly need to have an accessible place for my own convenience. You are staying at the purple cluster of upgraded flats?

Will there be a case that too many people qualify for phase 2A? Those who stay nearer will have priority right?

Actually, I am fetching my kid to and fro now. It is indeed tedious even with a car. The morning jam can drive me crazy. My hb is also very tired since he is the one driving.

At least your hb is understanding, I can feel greater relunctance from my hb each day. Sigh.
 
caymom

after phrase 2A, there is phrase 2B (parent volunteers & grassroot leaders), then phrase 2C (always ballot for popular schools)

I think 2A is as good as guaranteed. You can call up MOE or the school to enquire their past statistics
 
Hippo,
My 4-year old son is attending Phonics opposite Tanah M MRT (on the hill where there're landed properties). It's pretty good & popular so must register 1 year in advance to g'tee a place. He also started soccer at a field behind Temasek Pri.

Caymon
Phase 2A is guaranteed cos MOE doesn't cap the no. It's only at 2B (parent volunteers) that they cap the nos. Say if there's 80 vacancies at after 2A, there half (40) will go to 2B and half (40) will go to 2C.

Btw, I'm in opposite situation from U. My parents live in Punggol and I live in Bedok. And they refused to shift here cos they say the flats r old. In any case, my mum doesn't like look after my kids so it doesn't matter if she stays near me. So that's y I got a maid. Otherwise, can't work or go out at all.
 
Iwg26,
Thanks for your confirmation.
happy.gif


Actually, I want to stay near my parents also because they are staying nearer to my workplace. I can also fetch my gal home on my own if I am staying nearby. Now, if my hb works late, I have to wait for him unless I take cab home. Besides, we are seldom at home. It is only a place that we sleeps so if it is nearer to my mom's place and my gal's future school, it is convenient for all of us.

My parents refused to shift because they say Punggol too new, not as lively as Bedok.
lol.gif
I think they are just too comfortable and used to the environment liao.

I thought of having a maid initially to help my mom since she is taking care of my two kids. The maid can also help with my household chores which we are barely coping now. Weekends are hyper busy with the housework and kids.

However, my mom said nono for maid and we can't possibly leave maid alone at home. We thought of engaging partime cleaner but that will mean we have to stay at home to watch her while she cleans unless we trust her totally. My hb said if we have to watch the cleaner, might as well we do it ourselves.

If we stay nearby, my mom can pop over to watch the partime cleaner during weekdays. Then we can spend more quality time with our kids and bring them out during weekends.
 
igw26
we exactly opp u, can understand teh frustration
which part of bedok u at my parent at bedok south next to temasek.

caymon
well mu hubby only one driving too, so he extreme tired, he feel wif the road widthening it not gog to help too cos ppl are all buyign car and more flat coming up in punggol too.so u oso every morning drop by bedok? ur mum at which area? my IL at blk 28 i brign my elder back daily and her sch is at east coast. someime gettting her up in the morning is hard cos she sleep late too. it seem bot our girl sama sama my girl follow me ard so i can do hsework till she sleep by then i alry half dead.
i did regret shifting do to the debt but really very convenient

my mil too reject a maid so I had no choice to send my elder girl to cc. we fight wif her so hard to release my elder girl she insist she can handle 2 which I dun wan cos myself and hubby alry got problem how cna she alone right so best is to send to cc.

last time we choose punggol is bedok they had apply for SK but later give up after thwy visit us say they dun like new estate so quiet and ting so ex, so end up we alone there

hippo
yes i agreed wif u, near parent we will have at least more time. we oso tot of after shift over soemtime can leave the kid at parent place then we 2 cna go dinner or a break, really veyr tiring since my 2nd girl no more pte life alry.
personally i feel more secure staying near them in case of any emergency. for eg in May my elder girl had high fever i stuck wif 2 at home in Punggol and GP wan me to send my elder gal to kkh A&E and IL out of town in KL tat very moment i nearly go crazy.
me too never recover back reno for both side and lost levy, paperwork cost but still decide to coem back

for sch in future, i no so worried at the moment, cos kid still young and I dun really mind to send them to normal sch as logn they can study. Currently my hubby and I are active in community work so we heard we are qualify under dunno which part of 2A phase
 
Wendy
community work in CC & RC? should be under phrase 2B, same phrase as parent volunteers


Iwg26
Is your boy with 'I Creative Learner'? Teacher Jane?


caymom
we had a cleaner lady for 4 years before we moved. We passed her our house keys so she can pop over while we are out Very hard to find trusted cleaner lady. That's why we didn't engage another since moving here
 
Hippo, my boy is under teacher Jane. Qt good. Your kid is also with her?

Wendy,
I live opposite the market. It's qt convenient. Near MRT and market. And when there's warehouse sale at Expo, we just hop on the bus/mrt. 1 stop away v convenient. Maybe now the kids r still young, sch not so important. When they're JC/sec school, then gotta stay in more convenient place as they need to take their own transport.
 
<font color="ff0000">Wendy,</font>
Your parents sabo you ah.
lol.gif
My parents also wanted to move to Punggol initially. They ever suggest my siblings to shift to Punggol as well but they do not want. In the end, my parents decided to stay put.

I will drop by Bedok every morning on the way to work. If traffic is good, we can reach as fast as 20min. If traffic is bad, we will take around 45min. If we stay in Bedok, we will have more time in the morning.

<font color="aa00aa">Hippo,</font>
Good that you have a cleaner that you can trust. Since we are doing hseowork on our own, we really close one eye and things are getting messy at home. See already very sian.
 
Iwg26

I called to enquire before. Haven't decided.

Teacher Jane is good in what sense?
Do you see improvements in your boy's English?

Thanks for sharing
happy.gif
 
I stay near Tanamera condo.
The program is good and teacher is patient but firm. For 1st 5 mths, they learn the consonants and vowels (aeiou), both sound + write. Aft joining 1 mth, my son at 3.5 yr (he's born in dec) could write his name. They do flashcards every wk. Initially the words on flashcards are single words like chocolate, cheese, milk. Then it became phrases like "a bell on a bat". We parent + the kid need to be v disciplined bcos the tr will check if they do their hmwork and learn the flashcards every wk. I was v stress w my older gal cos she is not so disciplined so I gotta b firm w her. My son is the "on" type. He'll do in hm wk in advance & surprisingly he can remember most his flashcards. At k1, the kids do speech bubble i.e. read rhymes and write a speech on their own. By k1, under the rigorous prog, they should b able to read and write qt well. My gal at k1 now can read simple stories on her own.
 
caymom

have you considered the block opposite Anglican High ?
I viewed 2 units there before. Quite good, no blockage. But not updgraded yet. I prefer upgraded unit, no need to suffer the dust & noise during upgrading.

Overall transacted price seems still quite reasonable from the transacted price published at hdb web site.

Blk 94 series is very expensive. Point blocks still selling rougly the same price as last year leh, maybe increase $20K, not a very drastic increase


I cut & paste from hdb website

Flat Type : 5 Room
HDB Town : Bedok

Blk
1) 94D Bedok Nth Ave 4 11 to 15 127.00 1993 $450,000.00 Aug 2007
2) 97 Bedok Nth Ave 4 21 to 25 123.00 1978 $342,500.00 Jul 2007
3) 98 Bedok Nth Ave 4 16 to 20 123.00 1978 $320,000.00 Jul 2007
4) 99 Bedok Nth Ave 4 21 to 25 123.00 1978 $375,000.00 Aug 2007
5) 99 Bedok Nth Ave 4 16 to 20 123.00 1978 $338,000.00 Aug 2007
6) 112 Bedok Nth Rd 01 to 05 117.00 1978 $290,000.00 Sep 2007
7) 112 Bedok Nth Rd 01 to 05 117.00 1978 $300,000.00 Jul 2007
8) 118 Bedok Nth St 2 06 to 10 123.00 1978 $350,000.00 Aug 2007
9) 90 Bedok Nth St 4 01 to 05 117.00 1978 $295,800.00 Aug 2007
10) 91 Bedok Nth St 4 01 to 05 117.00 1978 $295,000.00 Jun 2007
 
Hippo,
Yes my gal now K1 also in the same prog but under another teacher at siglap. In terms of location, Tr Jane is better for me bcos her house is within walking distance from my house. U can consider as it's really effective - definitely can ready by K1. I've few other neighbors from this prog. So far qt satisfied. Tink it really prepares for P1.
 
Wendypooh - ya indeed very far...but bo bian. we cldn't find a childcare centre we like ard Bedok. The Marine Parade - Aspiration has no vacancy anymore so we enrolled her in Simei lor.
There is lift that stopped on the childcare floor so didn't have to climb many staircase except the internal staircase that lead them to the next fl for KI and KII.

Another mummies' precious darling in The Aspiration - Marine Parade childcare? Dun mind can share? We are thinking of enrolling my boy (now 5mths) to the childcare when he is 18mths. A bit kiasu hor to register a place for him now?
 
Hippo,
I also prefer upgraded unit. My mom suffered 3 years during the upgrading... luckily I got married just before the upgrading started.

Thanks for pasting the info of the past transactions. 94 series is indeed too ex. I'm quite keen in 97, wanted to view one unit but the agent quite yaya... said the owner wants to sell at least $450k.

I was considering 112 too. There's one unit (low floor) that advertised for few consecutive weeks already. The first time I saw it was $410k, this week became $375k. But I think it is blocked front and back. With the church and carpark nearby, it may be rather noisy... maybe not so nice afterall.

118 also not bad. If it is high floor, maybe will not be blocked by the surrounding flats? Did you view any units from this block?
 
118 is the only block in the purple cluster with additional room added during MUP. So its floor area is bigger than 111 & 112. 118 is very windy on higher floor. This block is higher than the rest, can't remember exactly how many floors but definitely more than 15 storey.

The layout is exactly the same for these 3 upgraded blocks. Blk 120 also exact same layout but not upgraded yet.

112 asking $375K still very expensive leh. 2 units transacted in that block, low floors, $290K & $300K only. I viewed 3rd & 6th floor units at 112 last year. 6th floor ok, not block by car park. 3rd floor is too low, directly facing car park, no privacy leh

I was keen on blk 97 too. That block quite nice, can see aeroplane. But asking price too high so we didn't pursue
 
Hippo,
Thanks for sharing your views.

Yah lor, I was shocked to see the asking price for the 112 unit. I think the owner also realised that his price is unrealistic so every week has been slashing the price.

I just counted the no. of floors for 118, 19 floors. Indeed quite high. It has balcony too, looks quite nice on the outside.

Blk 97 can see aeroplane? Sounds like the view is fantastic. I noticed that it has full height windows. Did it undergo some sort of upgrading?
 
certain facing units at blk 97 can see aeroplanes. There was no upgrading last year. Asked the agent, he didn't know whether the block would be upgraded. Lift is slow though

I like 118, away from main road not so noisy & no blockage. But no units selling at the time I was looking for a flat. Do you know that all 5 room flats of the same layout as 112 have no store room?
 
Hippo,
Oh no... I hate slow lift. I remember those old lift can really kill me at times when I am rushing for work.
crazy.gif


You mean 112 has no storeroom? I thought all units should come with a storeroom.

118 floor area kinda bigger than what I need. If I want high floor, may have to pay nearly $400k. Dunno whether it is worth it.
 
not only 112. All those 5 rooms with similar layout (same batch built by HDB) have no store rooms. Blk 90, 91 ,111, 112, 120 etc etc. Only 118 has a utility room added during upgrading so can serve as store room
 
Hippo,
I suddenly recall my cousin used to stay in a 5-room flat without storeroom. The living room is squarish, master room facing the hall while the other two rooms at a corner with door facing door. Is the layout something like that?
 
So far I only came across 2 types of 5 rooms layout in Bedok. Either point block (4 units per floor) or 'Door to Door' (2 units per floor)

5 rooms door to door units with balcony are all without storeroom. 3 bedrooms are together at a corner with a short corridor. If you view one unit, you probably view them all

All these flats built around the same period late 70s. The newer ones like Blk 94 series would have different layout

have you viewed any flats so far?
some of the flats condition very bad. Really original, small mosaic tiles in kitchen
 
Hippo,
Hahaha... my mom's house used to be 'original' too. She got rid of those small mosaic tiles when she did a reno end of last year. Actually, I dun really mind original as long as the price can be negotiated lower. If the condition so bad and still ask for sky high prices then not worth it. The reno for such a big unit could cost a bomb.

I have not viewed any yet. I wanted to see 112 unit but the moment I heard it is low flr (and asking $400k), I changed my mind. I also wanted to view one unit at 97 (high flr) but owner asking for high cash and agent said if no budget better dun view. I can't stand his 'yaya' attitude so pass it as well. I am now thinking of viewing one unit at 118.
 

caymon

not really lower price even for original condition. I saw the unit at blk 97, original mosaic tiles still asking $10K above valuation. I also viewed a unit at blk 120, floor tiles broken, door broken, asking $5K above valuation. Agents will tell you - you are buying the location, not condition of the house. They expect you to renovate anyway
I sold my flat before buying, not sure about the 6 months period

what is the asking price for 118 now?
 
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