If you owned a two-bedder condo unit, would you move back into an older (35+ years) 4-room flat, while your parents took over your condo? For YK, this switch was both practical and gave him peace of mind. And no, it\u2019s got nothing to do with pools or BBQ pits. Here\u2019s why he and his wife decided this was the right move for YK\u2019s ageing parents, and how it\u2019s given him an appreciation for the most ubiquitous yet underrated of condo facilities: the 24\/7 security team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It began with problems in YK\u2019s former home, his parents\u2019 flat<\/h2>\n
YK moved out of his parents\u2019 home in 2022, sometime after he got married. He moved into a two-bedder unit at Eunos with his wife and daughter. Whilst not one of the larger units (it was around 740+ sq ft), YK says it was just right for the three of them, and close to his parents\u2019 flat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
About a year after he moved out, YK\u2019s parents started running into trouble. It began with his father paying over $1,000 to purchase an unnecessary \u201cspecial filter\u201d for water. Barely a few weeks later, his mother was scammed out of $700 to purchase beauty products, which were sold to her by a door-to-door salesperson.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents are too trusting, they assume everyone is a good person. Last time when we were there we could play \u2018defence\u2019, but now we weren\u2019t there every day.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n While these were the two biggest expenses, YK says he\u2019s quite certain his parents have been \u201ceasy targets<\/em>\u201d for various schemes that they haven\u2019t told him about.\u00a0<\/p>\n He suspects they\u2019ve opened their wallets for the various durian sellers, teenagers selling ice-cream, and other salespeople who come to the front gate; probably paying whatever they\u2019re asked. He subsequently insisted that his parents call him before major financial decisions, but they rarely do so.\u00a0<\/p>\n Door-to-door sales are not the only problem. YK says his father is showing signs of dementia, which raises concerns for the future:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere have already been a few times my mum caught him wandering around the nearby blocks, because he forgot which one was the right one. Eventually, he\u2019d get home, but sometimes he could wander for half an hour.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n While at work, YK heard an anecdote from another colleague: his co-worker\u2019s mother, who had dementia, was stopped from leaving the condo by a security guard who recognised her. This planted the idea to have his parents move into a private property.<\/p>\n Moving in together wasn\u2019t possible in his two-bedder; so the family briefly considered selling and purchasing a bigger three-bedder. However, he changed his mind after crunching the numbers.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe were a bit unhappy about moving so soon after moving in, and after we did all the reno,\u201d <\/em>YK says, \u201cSo we had the idea to do a switch instead.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n YK says his family frequently went back to his parents\u2019 place anyway, sometimes staying over the weekend. In fact, his daughter sometimes stayed there days on end, as one of her close friends lives just one block away.\u00a0<\/p>\n More from Stacked<\/p>\n Last week we asked you how we could keep prime area HDB flats fair, and we got a good number\u2026<\/p>\n \n Ryan J<\/span> \u00b7 Likewise, his parents were also familiar with the condo unit, and they often visited, bringing food. As such, moving into his parents\u2019 flat presented fewer difficulties compared to the challenge of getting a bigger condo unit for the whole family.<\/p>\n YK\u2019s parents had no objections to moving into the condo as well; in fact, his mother preferred it, as it was closer to the MRT station. It was also not a big disruption, as YK says there are weeks when his parents stay over at the flat as well \u2013 so it\u2019s \u201cmore like cohabiting in two homes<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Ostensibly, his father\u2019s health condition was the reason for their moving. The 24\/7 security meant someone would notice if his father were ever wandering and lost. YK says there was already one incident, when a guard led his father back to the right block.<\/p>\n But the added benefit \u2013 which he didn\u2019t consider till now \u2013 is that his parents are \u201cprotected\u201d from random salespeople coming up to the front gate. There have been no further incidents of his parents being manipulated by door-to-door salespeople.\u00a0<\/p>\n His parents also like the improved privacy, and his mother enjoys that visitors now have to call before coming:<\/p>\n \u201cThere are certain people that I know she doesn\u2019t like to entertain, certain gossiping relatives and whatnot. I remember sometimes when they came, if the windows happened to be closed, she would tell us to keep quiet and wait till they go away \u2013 it was quite funny.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n But for the condo, they need to text her first to say they\u2019re coming. So she can just say \u2018not at home\u2019, don\u2019t come.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n When asked if his family misses the condo facilities, YK says there\u2019s virtually no loss, since they\u2019re just a few bus stops away. They still have their own key card, if necessary, and he continues to use the gym and pool in the condo.\u00a0<\/p>\n The only real loss is that the condo was just across from the MRT station, so getting to the train was a lot easier. Also, since the car is necessary for his wife\u2019s work, and he leaves before her, YK has to take a connecting bus to the station. However, he feels it\u2019s a small inconvenience for the peace of mind.<\/p>\n And as a final bonus, his parents\u2019 4-room flat is bigger than the condo unit. YK feels that, when his daughter gets married and is waiting for her own place one day, there\u2019s room for both her and her future husband. It would have been far less comfortable in the two-bedder.<\/p>\n For more homeowner experiences, follow us on Stacked<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nAn anecdote made YK consider condo living for his parents<\/h2>\n
![\"elderly](\"https:\/\/stacked-editorial.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/editorial\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/03141838\/elderly-talking-to-woman-1600x1120.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nMoving into his parents\u2019 flat made sense for many reasons<\/h2>\n
\n 14 Dec 2020<\/span> \u00b7
\n 0 comments<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nIn subsequent months, YK began to notice an added benefit of condo living; one that goes beyond the usual pool, gym, and tennis court\u00a0<\/h2>\n
![\"elderly](\"https:\/\/stacked-editorial.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/editorial\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/03142143\/elderly-walking-near-pool-1600x1120.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nThere\u2019s no \u201closs\u201d regarding the facilities either\u00a0<\/h2>\n