We had finally collected the keys to our very own home after a very long and agonizing wait. It was uncanny that my girlfriend had a premonition earlier in the year that we were going to collect the keys on her birthday. The funny thing was that we looked at the dates proposed by HDB and tried so hard to avoid the premonition from coming true. However due to work schedule and all, she was only able to make it on her birthday. And so…here I am writing an entry on how we went about our keys collection and the little ceremony we did for the door opening.

What to bring:

You will be receiving an email from HDB before booking for the key collection date and it will have instructions to guide you on what to prepare and bring for the appointment. So before the appointment:

• If you are taking an HDB loan for the flat purchase, you will need to buy the HDB Fire Insurance online at http://etiqa.com.sg/hdbfire
  Premium is $5.50 for a basic coverage of 5 years (You are able to select better coverages for a much higher premium which will then cover for your furnitures and fittings)
• Print or download a copy of the Certificate of HDB Fire Insurance and bring the certificate for the keys collection appointment as proof of the insurance purchase
• Bring along all applicant’s Singpass and 2FA devices (Mobile or token)
• Original Identity Card(s) of you (And partner)
• Original Marraige Certificate (Must be submitted on the day of keys collection to Sales Office) / Any form of evidence to confirm the marraige (In my case, I produced a receipt of the hotel banquet deposit)
• Bank passbook/statement or bank account number (To facilitate your application for GIRO payment of monthly loan installments. Applicants taking a mortgage loan with HDB and paying monthly loan installments partially or fully by cash must pay by GIRO)

You can read more on the documents and checklist at http://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/residential/buying-a-flat/new/buying-process/documents-and-checklists&rendermode=preview

What to expect:

• Reach HDB ahead of your appointment time slot that you have booked earlier and use the self-help machine to get a queue number (Select Sales > Scan your NRIC)
• HDB Officer will attend to you and explain to you about the payment and what documents you are required to sign
• If you are taking the HDB loan like us, you will be asked to confirm your current salary again and the number of years of loan repayment you desire. This amount will be calculated based on the purchase price of the flat + stamp duties and miscellaneous fees – CPF account(s) over the number of years of monthly loan installments at 2.6% interest rate.
  • We spent quite some time asking the officer to calculate for us the different years before deciding
• You will also be required to state the % split of the loan installments
• Lastly after all the required documents are signed, the officer will require you to make the Town Council Service and Conservancy Charges at Level 3 and to come back and show her the receipt so that she can handover the keys (For us it’s S$59.00 for 4-room BTO)
• Check that the number of keys issued is correct
• You can then have a choice to activate your water and electricity by applying for an account with Singapore Power on Level 2

After the collection of keys we went to celebrate by getting 1 for 1 coffee and a slice of cheesecake at Starbucks before making our way down to our new home!

For the door opening I took reference from a couple of blogs and sites mainly from http://bigtreeandkoala.blogspot.sg/2015/09/bto-door-opening-ritual-procedure.html and https://www.fengshuimastersingapore.sg/key-collection/

Things to prepare:

 

• 1 x Pineapple
• Uncooked rice
• Sea salt
• Dry tea leaves
• Green beans
• 4 x Cups of black vinegar
• 6 x Red packets containing 8 x S$1 coin inside (Each)
• 2 x 发糕 (We forgot to buy this)
• 5 x Seeded fruits
  • 8 x Red apples (平平安安)
  • 16 x Oranges
  • 1 x Punnet of strawberries
  • 1 x Packet of peaches
  • 1 x Packet of kiwi

Avoid pears as it sounds like separation in chinese (离)

Things to do:

• Mix the uncooked rice, sea salt, dry tea leaves and green beans in a container and sprinkle at the gates and main door before even opening the door
• Prepare your pineapple and ready to roll it in the moment you swing open that wooden door. Make sure you shout out well wishes and “Huat” as you do so
• Proceed to roll your pineapple all around the house and covering all the rooms while shouting out well wishes
• Sprinkle the mixture sparingly around the house. We started from the living room > master bedroom > other rooms > toilets > bomb shelter > kitchen > service yard. We also ensure that we throw the mixture high against all corners of the ceilings as well for well, maximum coverage
• When finished, place 1 x cup of black vinegar at each corner of the house
• Also place 2 x oranges and 1 x red packet at the 4 corners of the house
• In the center of the house, place 1 x 发糕 and the 5 fruits and 1 x red packet
• Place 1 x 发糕 on the stove (Or stove to be spot)
• Place 3 x red apples and 3 x oranges on the stove (Or stove to be spot)
• Place the remaining red packet in the center
• Leave the stuff for about 3 days and you can remove everything after that.
• The money in the red packets are to be spent on sweet things only to signify loving family (甜甜蜜蜜)

 

I personally do not believe in Feng Shui but we did this anyway for peace of mind and the fun of it! You can also try it out with slight variations as seen in many other blogs/sites.

We look forward to sharing our renovation journey.