Housing prices in Singapore are hefty. Laying down massive savings for a house is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your life.

If you spend days and nights mugging for your PSLE/O Levels examinations, shouldn't you also spend more time researching on your perfect house?

Here's a few pointers to take note of when you are selecting a house:

1. Location

We know that the closer to town a house is, the more expensive it gets. That all comes with the proximity to the CBD. But depending on whether you have your own transport or take public transportation, a wise choice can mean savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Taking Public Transport

If your preferred mode of transport is public transportation, a development further away from the city centre but nearer an interchange/MRT/bus stop can trump a house which is nearer to town but more inaccessible by public transport. The choice between a straight 30-minute train versus having to change buses/trains to get to town is pretty obvious in terms of convenience. And a lot of time saved.

Driving a Car

If you are lucky enough to own a car, you can consider developments which are closer to expressway slip roads. In our heads, we usually only measure the travel time on expressways. We discount the fact that navigating from the expressway to our destination can add up to more than 15 minutes of travel time due to traffic lights. The extra five minutes on the expressway you shave off by living nearer to town could be written-off by the the 15 extra minutes you take to navigate the small roads to your house.

2. What's in the vicinity?

If there are wide expanses of open land in front of your development, congratulations. You get an unobstructed view for a few years. But in a land-starved Singapore, that would soon turn into dusty construction sites for something else.

If you want a good unrestricted view, you can consider high-rise developments which are built next to landed properties. Chances are slim for the owners there to give up plots of land for re-development. Sea-views will definitely come at a premium; a cheaper alternative 'water-view' option would be developments near Punggol Waterway, Bedok Reservoir, Yishun Avenue 1 or Teban Gardens.

It is important to study what is near your place too. If you like eating out, having coffeeshops and a mall nearby would be a boon, but you will have to endure the noise and human traffic in your area. If you like some peace and quiet, a park would be ideal but also be prepared for bug invasions now and then.

3. Orientation.

Should the house face north, south, east or west? It's all down to personal preferences. Some people hate east-facing flats because the morning sun wakes them up and heats up the house early. Others detest west-facing flats because they come home to a house that feels like an oven in the evening. How about a north- or south-facing flat then? Well, there may not be enough sunlight to dry your clothes.

4. High or Low?

For the majority of folks living in HDB flats, choosing which floor to stay on is also a study of preferences.

For high floors, it is obvious that it gets windier, but also dustier. On busy work-mornings, people living on high floors also have higher chances of getting into the lifts on their first attempt. Their low-floor neighbours may have to wait for one or two lifts before they can squeeze in.

But when it is time to get home from work, staying on low floors mean your lift rides are way shorter or you could just take the stairs. And of course, if there ever is a blackout, we know who will be getting more exercise.

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