The Home We've Been Looking Forward To

[morning dew 0]

Oh, the seller really kind, try to take more pics then.

[pinkpetter 0]

heh heh morning dew... it's after some haggling.... They are ok.. but not really kind la. But ok people.

[applefreak 1]

you mean the seller already vacated the flat?

then why don't they allow you to bring contractor

so that once completion is done, you can start renovation immediately

[pinkpetter 0]

applefreak>> eh they are the "play safe" kind and they allowed us to take the keys this once. The flat was vacated a long time ago wor. mmm Anyway we asked for early completion and will most likely get it so not that bad. heh.

[applefreak 1]

actually if you have decided on a contractor liao can bring up to take measurements

i understand the need to play safe lah

just that if they can allow you access might as well make full use of it :notti:

[pinkpetter 0]

hahah I know what you mean. then can get all the stuff ready once complete start work right? LOL sounds exciting la

[mmycheng 0]

What do you mean by 'complete'? As in the deal?

I understand your excitment... I also had my 'kan cheong' moment during my reno proces but I have since learnt to take it easy... if not really in a big hurry then don't rush too much lor... otherwise create undue stress.

[pinkpetter 0]

What do you mean by 'complete'? As in the deal?

I understand your excitment... I also had my 'kan cheong' moment during my reno proces but I have since learnt to take it easy... if not really in a big hurry then don't rush too much lor... otherwise create undue stress.

yup. Haven't complete the deal yet. but I'm excited to see the flat vacant!

[ahockz 1]

take your time to find your "right" ID. i sent more than 20 emails . . . I also removed a lot of items, send them, most reply standard package(just cancel them fro my list). Some quote a lot of stuffs i do not want, got even one sent mi a quote that belong someone else(guess he too busy, so can prepare mine and sent what he had done b4 whic similar as mine to me).

[pinkpetter 0]

take your time to find your "right" ID. i sent more than 20 emails . . . I also removed a lot of items, send them, most reply standard package(just cancel them fro my list). Some quote a lot of stuffs i do not want, got even one sent mi a quote that belong someone else(guess he too busy, so can prepare mine and sent what he had done b4 whic similar as mine to me).

Agreed. I sent out so many... Some I even resend after their initial quotation was done wrongly... But it still came back a second time wrong. Haiz. And SOME WAYYY above other peoples.. like 10k above. I just tot that they really didn't want to to do mine so I ignored them. looking for people is so ma fan.

[mmycheng 0]

Agreed. I sent out so many... Some I even resend after their initial quotation was done wrongly... But it still came back a second time wrong. Haiz. And SOME WAYYY above other peoples.. like 10k above. I just tot that they really didn't want to to do mine so I ignored them. looking for people is so ma fan.

Yeah, normal lah...many of them want to earn more from you so they will add all those extra things which you don't need, hoping you will fall prey to impulse buys...take your time to find one you are comfortable with and don't be afraid to say 'no' to stuff you don't need.

Initially, my ID also gave me suggestions on various things that will 'beautify' the house more but at the end of the day she understood my needs better after communicating with one another for some time. If you are on a budget and prefer practicality over aesthetics, then just stick to your guns.

[applefreak 1]

what i did to cut through the process is prepare a detailed list of items to be done

i list down everything that i wanted done include the material and dimensions of carpentry items and send it out

that's one way of getting a correct quote

same goes when you do electrical appliances shopping

if you go into a shop and ask for washing machine

chances are they will try to push the most expensive model i.e. the one they earn most commission

but if you step into a shop and ask for a particular model and make

they know you've done your homework and won't try to ketok you

Edited October 27, 2008 by applefreak

[pinkpetter 0]

Went to visit the house today!!

The very long and big kitchen we don't need...

The retro toilet.. look at the windows...

The big hall which is going to be bigger when we level out the balcony...

The "fantastic" flooring in the living room

The horrid ceiling in the balcony. The rest of the ceiling in the house is very nice. Becos there aren't glass windows in the balcony, the paint there is subjected to the weather 24/7 so it became like this...

The storeroom which we have never seen...

The MBR

The bedroom which we need to erect the wall for.

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

Yeah, normal lah...many of them want to earn more from you so they will add all those extra things which you don't need, hoping you will fall prey to impulse buys...take your time to find one you are comfortable with and don't be afraid to say 'no' to stuff you don't need.

Initially, my ID also gave me suggestions on various things that will 'beautify' the house more but at the end of the day she understood my needs better after communicating with one another for some time. If you are on a budget and prefer practicality over aesthetics, then just stick to your guns.

Agreed! And some use "scare" tactics to get us to do some things. So must really do homework to see which are real advice and which are just tactics. I've finalised my stuff to do liao. Now is to find one close to my budget at least... Last run. And 1 month to go before the keys jingle in my pocket. *getting ready the guns* Sadly my skin very thin ... haiz really need to grow thicker skin. URGH.

what i did to cut through the process is prepare a detailed list of items to be done

i list down everything that i wanted done include the material and dimensions of carpentry items and send it out

that's one way of getting a correct quote

same goes when you do electrical appliances shopping

if you go into a shop and ask for washing machine

chances are they will try to push the most expensive model i.e. the one they earn most commission

but if you step into a shop and ask for a particular model and make

they know you've done your homework and won't try to ketok you

Thanks Applefreak. I also learnt to do that liao. At first when I didn't... ALL kinds of quotes with all kinds of prices came in. After actually speaking to one or two and understanding what the different terms mean I managed to be more specific in what I wanted... AFTER getting more advice from you guys ... My family and I finally worked things out. PHEWWW...

[pinkpetter 0]

Haiz today really received a (long due) quote that included the ID's OTHER customer's quote... and the other quote was full of refunds. really win liao.

[mmycheng 0]

Haiz today really received a (long due) quote that included the ID's OTHER customer's quote... and the other quote was full of refunds. really win liao.

I think it's a busy season for them and they all cannot manage with so many enquiries i think. Just add that to your reject list lah.

I remember I went to 5 different ID companies...

2 of which the designs I liked and had a good feeling about (of which 1 of them i selected eventually)

1 quoted very quickly but didn't get a good vibe from salesperson

1 didn't reply after 1st round discussion when they found out my budget was too low for their liking

1 didn't even reply despite waiting for 1 month and sending 3 reminders (a very popular company somemore!)

1 left the original company i approached for a quote, took my contact to his new company and quoted me from there...after 2 weeks, he emailed me with another quote from another new company! Win liao...

So don't worry pinkpetter, we all have our 'experiences' with IDs...i hope some of them are reading this and learning that service and first impressions are very important...Anyway, IDs are aplenty out there...throw a stone and you can knock on a door so just continue searching and let go of those cannot make it ones...