We applied online for a BTO at Hougang Parkegde in January. At first, we were a little confused on how to apply online because it seems that there are too many steps to follow and we are not sure which one to start of with. Kata first time applicant kan.. We wanted to go down to HDB to make the selection but, thanks to my fiance's friend who guided him.
Two days before our Engagement Day on 12th April 2013 we had our first appointment with HDB. Nasib baik i'm on leave that week maklumlah nak tunang...nak kena buat last minute preparation...haha. So, our appointment was lambat gila in the evening at 5:25pm. I know that they will leave me with not much choices. And I think we were one of the last few to make the selection. I prayed that Allah will give me a unit at 473A which is facing Punggol Park because that is one of the reasons why we wanted Parkedge.
As I sat with my fiance waiting for our turn, I quickly just looked through the availability of the units on my ipad. And I was stunned because most of the units are booked! BUT.... I feel so lucky to get a unit that we wanted and without hesitation we quickly signed. My fiance always wanted lower floors but I told him that to get a better view of Punggol Park, we will need to stay on higher floors so that the trees won't be blocking our view. I wanted a unit on the 5th Floor at first but, it was booked already hence, we were left with no options but to choose 2nd, 3rd or 4th floor of Block 473A. So, I recalled my mum saying do not take 4th Floor because it is difficult to sell as the no '4' means something bad in Chinese. So, we both decided on Block 473A, #03-319. Not so high and also not that low and we will still have a view of Punggol Park!
The Block on the right is Block 473A. Unit #317 which is at the right corner is what I wanted initially but again, it was booked on the third floor so Unit #319 is our choice which is right next to them!
As you can see on the above picture, the carpark is just located behind of our flat! And, looking at the site map, they will set up a childcare centre just below our void deck. So, there will be someone who can take care of our kids while we are at work!
So again, I am talking about convenience. It is not only about the wind facing punggol park view or the childcare. We have other options like punggol, yishun and some other places but we settled for Hougang Parkedge because it is near to our parent's homes and we do not want to be deserted at one end. We are already familiar with Hougang and insyAllah if we have children, we can ask our parents to take care of the kids instead of wasting money to put our kids in school when they are still young. We also wanted Hougang cause it is more Centralized compared to Punggol so that we can get to our workplace without a hassle. KPE is just 5 mins drive from my home and 15 mins ride to his workplace.
The completion date will be in May 2016! I'm hoping that we will get our home very very soon!