<TABLE id=msgUN cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Ang Moh says HDB is very good!</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">4:45 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 9) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>1758.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=padlrt8 colSpan=2>They call him Mr White
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Mr Christopher White loves his local Sengkang library, the bread at local bakeries and the random minimart shops. The permanent resident is seen here with his Singaporean wife Melissa and their pet dog, Othello.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- story content : start -->HIS neighbours know him as 'Mr White', and not because his name is Christopher Paul White.
The Briton is one of the few 'ang mohs' - Hokkien slang for Caucasians - living in Sengkang's Anchorvale Road where until recently, it was rare to see a foreigner make his home so deep in the heartland.
'When I speak to my expat friends, they think it's weird I live in Sengkang since it's not a common expat location. But I love living here,' says the self-professed HDB heartlander.
Home for the 28-year-old is an executive HDB flat which he and his Singaporean wife, Melissa, bought in April last year for $290,000.
The couple, both sales managers, spent $25,000 on renovations to turn it into a cosy home.
On weekends, the couple go for runs with their dog, Othello, around the 'big, green open spaces' in their estate. They do their weekend shopping at their heartland mall Compass Point.
<!-- show media links starting at 7th para -->Mr White is a big fan of his local Sengkang library, where he goes regularly to borrow books.
'I also love the bread of local bakeries and the random minimart shops which sell weird plastic things too,' he says. 'Here, you really get the feel of what Singapore life is like.'
Before relocating to Singapore in 2006 when he became a permanent resident, the couple lived in Dubai for almost four years where property was priced beyond their reach. They paid $2,000 to rent an apartment slightly bigger than their current flat. The rent is now $5,000.
Home prices, they say, are a lot more manageable in Singapore. The monthly mortgage payments of $1,200 monthly is deducted from their CPF accounts.
They shopped and paid for their home online, and got a spanking new HDB flat 'relatively fuss-free'.
'We were lucky to buy just before HDB prices spiked,' says Mr White. Their flat is now worth $470,000 according to latest transactions on HDB's website.
But even at current levels, Mr White feels they remain affordable for the average newly-wed couple.
His parents currently live in Dubai, while his older brother and sister live in England.
'I'm the youngest of the three, but the first to own my own home,' he adds. 'It wouldn't have happened if I were in England. I think more countries should look at the HDB model.'
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>kojakbt@gmail
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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</TD></TR><TR><TD class="georgia11 padcell8" colSpan=2><!-- more than 7 paragraphs --><!-- show image if available --><TABLE class=padl8 width=154 align=right border=0 valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD>
Mr Christopher White loves his local Sengkang library, the bread at local bakeries and the random minimart shops. The permanent resident is seen here with his Singaporean wife Melissa and their pet dog, Othello.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- story content : start -->HIS neighbours know him as 'Mr White', and not because his name is Christopher Paul White.
The Briton is one of the few 'ang mohs' - Hokkien slang for Caucasians - living in Sengkang's Anchorvale Road where until recently, it was rare to see a foreigner make his home so deep in the heartland.
'When I speak to my expat friends, they think it's weird I live in Sengkang since it's not a common expat location. But I love living here,' says the self-professed HDB heartlander.
Home for the 28-year-old is an executive HDB flat which he and his Singaporean wife, Melissa, bought in April last year for $290,000.
The couple, both sales managers, spent $25,000 on renovations to turn it into a cosy home.
On weekends, the couple go for runs with their dog, Othello, around the 'big, green open spaces' in their estate. They do their weekend shopping at their heartland mall Compass Point.
<!-- show media links starting at 7th para -->Mr White is a big fan of his local Sengkang library, where he goes regularly to borrow books.
'I also love the bread of local bakeries and the random minimart shops which sell weird plastic things too,' he says. 'Here, you really get the feel of what Singapore life is like.'
Before relocating to Singapore in 2006 when he became a permanent resident, the couple lived in Dubai for almost four years where property was priced beyond their reach. They paid $2,000 to rent an apartment slightly bigger than their current flat. The rent is now $5,000.
Home prices, they say, are a lot more manageable in Singapore. The monthly mortgage payments of $1,200 monthly is deducted from their CPF accounts.
They shopped and paid for their home online, and got a spanking new HDB flat 'relatively fuss-free'.
'We were lucky to buy just before HDB prices spiked,' says Mr White. Their flat is now worth $470,000 according to latest transactions on HDB's website.
But even at current levels, Mr White feels they remain affordable for the average newly-wed couple.
His parents currently live in Dubai, while his older brother and sister live in England.
'I'm the youngest of the three, but the first to own my own home,' he adds. 'It wouldn't have happened if I were in England. I think more countries should look at the HDB model.'
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>kojakbt@gmail
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
