'I left my condo vacant for 7 years': Here's what Singaporeans who stay abroad do with their homes hereWorkforces are increasingly global, and given our high levels of education and competitiveness, Singaporeans are quite in demand.
Given the short time span, it wasn't viable for MT or her husband to surrender their flat; but it also meant they wouldn't be living in it for those three years. MT says that: "We were lucky because my cousin was around to help with the tenants and whatnot. There were some issues definitely, one tenant spoiled the cooker, and another one got a complaint by the neighbour, for smoking and playing cards noisily at night. If we didn't have someone locally to help, I wouldn't have done it, as it's too difficult to handle these things when you're not around.
Toh also has spiritual reasons for this, as the family believe that leaving the home inhabited by strangers — especially for such a long period — removes the aura and sense of belonging. "The first couple of times I flew down to Singapore, talked to the property agent, and looked over the different tenants. I also came down twice a year to check on the state of the house. But it was getting too disruptive to my schedule, and it's expensive to fly down just for these things.""She's a Malaysian lady who runs a bakery locally, and she's really good: one time I came to check, and she showed me repainted the grouting between the bathroom tiles.
So the best solution is to let our own children use it, because no one will take better care of the house. And they can save money for when they move in and need to renovate. In return, my son is currently paying the maintenance for the condo.""I will probably sell it and get a resale flat closer to them then, maybe once we get any grandchildren. The money will be used for my own business and retirement, I don't want a bigger house.