Key collection for our BTO 5 Room on coming Monday. It has been a long and frustrating journey as I have been waiting for a chance to qualify for HDB - funny how a Singaporean citizen cannot buy HDB BTO if he marries a foreign wife and has to wait some time for PR status. I almost bought a resale HDB in the same area (and was introduced to the world of property agent rip-off culture) until I hit the jackpot with Sale of Balance Flats Nov 2013, for Anchorvale Isles. And now the renovation journey begins....... Due to frequent travel for work and much time to care for our baby princess, I did not shop around for too many IDs. All the research was done on renotalk based on what everyone says here. Actually I have never seen so much bull on a quotation till I got mine from the ID firm. But knowing the nature of the renovation business and the fees to expect, I was lazy to go into the details line by line and simply demanded they match my budget with a big "goodwill" discount. And hope i can squeeze for more freebies along the way (wishful thinking though)? Unfortunately the pricing for this ID is significantly higher so now I have to save on some big ticket things not on the quotation: 1) Electrical works 2) Plumber works 3) System 4 Aircon and installation 4) Fridge 5) Hob and Oven 6) Washing Machine As I am low on cash, I think it may be hard to take advantage of the aircon deals suggested here though. perhaps the greatest advantage of going to those Best Denki, Courts or Audio House is the ability to do credit card interest free instalments?? More updates next week.