Which ISP to choose?

I've gathered by now that the Internet Service Provider scene in Australia is vastly different from Singapore so this post is a placeholder so that I do not need to jump all over the place for this information when I need it.

There is of course the number of providers. Whereas in Singapore, we rely on Singtel, Starhub, M1 and more recently ViewQuest and MyRepublic, Down Under, they have a multitude of providers, some smaller than others but purportedly offering better customer service.

There is also the matter of internet access speeds being slower than the norm in Singapore and paying more for it to boot.

Netflix has landed in Oz not too long ago and even if you're not a user of their service, you'll find this useful. Head over to http://ispspeedindex.netflix.com and type in the country of your choice. Link to Australia's report is here. Instead of trawling the Internet for information on which ISP is better, why not hear it from a company that is dependent on ISPs providing bandwidth for their business model?

Couple that with news that Netflix now has 2.5mil customers in Oz and it's not a bad standard to go by.

 Optus is currently ranked first, TPG is ranked 2nd and iiNet is 3rd.
Worthy of note though is this piece of news that TPG is taking over iiNet.
So to simplify matters, am just going to concentrate on the top 3 ISPs and hopefully they provide services wherever I'm headed.

Telstra picking up it's game in recent months but can it reach the pinnacle?

TPG - plans

iiNet - plans

Optus - plans / cable plans

It is a little mind-boggling. There are further options for addons such as phone lines, whether you want to call overseas with that phone line. Free calls to Australian numbers etc to consider.

Also to take note of data that is split into peak and off-peak timings.

So, should we get a home phone? Been doing fine without one in SG but things will be different in Oz, we're less sure of ourselves so perhaps channels of communication might be more important?

100 Points of Identification

When I first came across this term, not being familiar with it, I was kinda alarmed that to prove our identity Down Under, we would need to provide many sources of evidence. Luckily, a little reading proved that this was not the case.

Anyway, note to self that for the 100 points of identification for the visit to NAB to activate our account, we'll need;

1) Passport (MUST)
2) Either International driver's licence or a copy of our Visa.

Basically, each item that proves your identity, earns you points. I'm assuming the passport is worth 60 and the other document is worth 40. Anyway, it gets you over a 100.

Googled it and I was wrong.  Both worth 70 points, giving 140 points. Does that mean we're over-identified? Heh.

Star Wars @ Changi Airport

When I first found out about this, the date 12th November went down on my calendar immediately.

There's a Star Wars exhibit going on at Changi Airport as part of the festive year-end celebrations.

You'll get to see the X-Wing fighter at Terminal 3's Departure Hall.

When we were there, we learnt that if you wanted to put on a costume and get up close and personal with the X-Wing, you had to have a ticket. These tickets were given up at certain times. We were there at 2pm plus and were told that tickets would next be given out at 4pm.

Have a look at the TIE fighter at Terminal 2's Departure Hall. No queue here and the cordon is so much closer to the exhibit.

There's also a small display behind the X-Wing showing some models of Star Wars characters.

Chewbacca and Han Solo with the Falcon in the background.

R2D2

The display goes on all the way till 5 Jan, 2016, so if you're a Star Wars fan, head on down to Changi Airport!

Renting out the HDB flat

We had to make a decision sooner or later about whether to rent out our HDB flat or to sell it off.

On one hand it would have been nice to have nothing to worry about back in SG when we moved to Oz. What is there to worry about? A lot actually. Depending on how trustworthy your occupants are, there's always the question of what state they are going to leave your home in when they leave. Perhaps I am being too sentimental here but this abode has sheltered me well for the past 14 to 15 years and it would be great knowing that it's being well-cared for. Even more worrisome is the potential to fall afoul of HDB rental rules that could potentially result in the repossession of your flat. We are after all just leasing the flat from HDB as a form of home ownership.

On the other hand, renting out the flat means having a passive stream of income. It means that there is less pressure to find a job immediately once we are in Oz. It also leaves a backdoor in place, just in case things down work out with the move. With properties as expensive as they are right now, if and when we have to move back to Singapore, would we even be able to afford a place then?

As of last month, we finally decided to rent out our home.

In no particular order, these were the issues that had to be tackled. Getting your place out there for people to rent - finding an agent. Deciding who you're going to appoint with your Power of Attorney (POA) and actually getting it done. Clearing stuff from the home. Collection of rental. Transferring of money to Oz account. Taxation issues. Applying for HDB permission to sublet out the flat.

Agent:
We called up, emailed and spoke to agents who were friends of our friends. The first agent I called, we got the number of one of the flyers we find so frequently deposited in our mailboxes. The 2nd I emailed one of the major property realtors in SG and obtained a quote for their services. The 3rd, was an agent our friends had used. In all cases, the fee for the agent is one month of rental for a 24 month contract.

I was worried about maintenance of the flat - did not want to deal with repairs and stuff from another country and the agencies told me that there was a difference. To rent out the place, I would need a property agent. To manage the place, I would need a property management agent. The latter would incur an additional cost on my part. I was quoted 10% by one company and 5% by another. That's quite a lot and I have to admit, by then I was wondering if it was even worth it to rent out the flat. Luckily, the 3rd agent we spoke to did not require any management fees. Is there going to difference in service standards and would we regret our decision later? I don't know but we'll see how it goes.


POA:
You will need one. It's in the HDB rules, along with a whole bunch of others for subletting out your flat while you are overseas. This meant looking and paying for legal services to do up the POA. Again, there was a wide range in the fees being charged. We managed to find a solicitor who was charging $160 per POA. Went to his tiny cubicle of an office, 10-15 mins and we were done. He would then fax the necessary to court and within a day or two, we received the POA in our mail.

Applying for HDB permission;
This step can only be done once the POA is done and after a tenant is found. It can be done electronically.

Not sure how the rental money is going to come in. Most probably through our bank accounts, which would necessitate money transfers to Oz. Good thing my Aussie bank account has been setup just that I'm still sourcing for a reliable and cheaper way to transfer money between accounts.

Banking matters

As the year winds down and we get closer to the move, more and more things keep popping up that need to be seen to.

One of the first issues that we've tackled is banking. After some research, we settled on National Australia Bank. For those that are interested, here's the link to the NAB Migrant Banking website.

It basically allows you to fill in an application (as pictured below - yes, it's a very long application)

Anyway, take note of the yellow highlighted section that, to apply for this account, you must be;
1) due to enter Australia to  migrate, study or work.
2) Plan to arrive in Australia within the next 12 months.
3) You have been in Australia for less than 6 weeks.

NAB's response time has been great. Within a day or two of the application, we had already received an email from them letting us know that our application was being processed and that they aimed to have the application completed within 5 business days.

True to their word, 2 days after the initial contact, we received instructions on what to do once we arrived in Australia. We could start transferring funds to the account but would be unable to make any withdrawals until we went over and passed the necessary identification requirements.

Documents needed?
1) Passport (original)
2) Printed copy of the PDF attached in the email
3) Details of new Australian address (temporary or permanent)
4) Australian mobile number
5) If using an ePassport, must bring along a printed copy of the visa grant letter and a copy of the boarding pass.

Lastly was a reminder to meet the designated banker within 6 week of arriving in Australia - where ATM cards and PINs would be given if needed.

2 days after that, we received further contact to setup Internet Banking. Included in the email was a unique NAB identification number that'll be needed complete the application.

5 days later, the 4th and last email so far arrived, letting us know which branch we had been assigned to. We did get to pick which suburb we were going to settle in and they then assigned their nearest branch office. Along came a reminder to complete the 100 points of identification before the cards and accounts could be activated.

And that is it. Bank account settled.
Now to figure out the best way of transferring money into the account.