Nur Fitri and her husband, Khaleeq, had been living as a traditional Malay family for over nine years. With the parental care duty falling on the eldest son’s shoulders Fitri had moved in with her in-laws in Bedok after her marriage. It was a fantastic arrangement as the couple’s two sons grew closer to their grandmother.
Cities Apart
Meanwhile, Fitri’s parents were living in Johor Bahru (JB), Malaysia. However, once her father passed away, her mother was living alone in JB. Afraid of her mother’s well-being, Fitri decided the best option was to have her mother live with her family in Singapore.
With two growing children and with Fitri’s mother joining the family, the couple needed a bigger house to accommodate the entire family. They also wanted to live close to Khaleeq’s parents, who were living in Bedok.
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"My eldest son is very close to her grandmother (Khaleeq’s mother). He can’t seem to be able to live without her," Fitri said. The couple needed a bigger house with more room to accommodate a three-tier family. With this plan in mind, the couple began their search on PropertyGuru.
Khaleeq, who runs his own engineering company, started by searching for the price range they were comfortable with and the area they wanted to live in. A former property agent his domain knowledge was extremely helpful.
"I only had only one criteria—the house had to be close to my mother-in-law," Fitri said. Thankfully, PropertyGuru allows users to search through hundreds of property listings based on categorized searches. The couple searched through various locations until they found the perfect spot – Bedok South Avenue 3.
A Four-room Heaven
It did not take very long to find the perfect home. As a multigenerational family—a husband, wife, two young sons, and an elderly mother—they needed a spacious house with at least four rooms. And that’s exactly what they found.
The four-room HDB flat was in good condition. The couple needed to get some renovations done to the space to make it more personalised. Luckily, Fitri’s brother works in the construction sector, he and Khaleeq did the work themselves so they were able to save money on renovation costs.
"As a family, it is very important for us to eat together. That is why we wanted a home with a spacious kitchen and dining area," Fitri says, who frequently cooks dinner for the whole family. "I don’t like to be alone when I cook, I like to talk to my family and chat while I’m cooking a meal. So I wanted an open kitchen."
As part of her family’s ritual, the family will gather around the dinner table before dinner and say their prayers before having dinner together.
With the new and bigger house, the family regularly host family and friends for gatherings and dinner, which include Fitri’s brothers and their families, as well as Khaleeq’s friends, who come over to watch football.
Another wonderful thing about the house is the peaceful and quiet surroundings. "This place has no noise, no commotion. It’s a peaceful place, which is what I always wanted," she said.
A Targeted Property Search
Finding the right house can be daunting, especially for a family looking to find the best home for their children and parents. PropertyGuru not only offers a wide selection of property listings, but also allows users to narrow their search based on their specific needs like location, price range, size, style and more.
"It’s dynamic mobile app and website is easy to navigate, and we found a number of options instantly," Fitri said. The PropertyGuru app also allowed Fitri and her husband to share photos and details about properties via their phones.
The best thing about the house is the location. The local market is around the corner, and accessible bus routes and other transport options that make it very easy for the family to travel.
Fitri and Khaleeq have a third child coming and the couple is looking forward to raising the newest member of the family in this perfect house. "I love this house so much, can I ever outgrow it? I don’t think so," Fitri said.
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