Most people will eventually get married, settle down and start a family, though there are some who choose to remain single all their lives. Before they get married, it is time for them to start hunting for the most affordable Diamond Engagement Rings. There are four ‘C’s that you need to consider when choosing a diamond ring – Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat. With regards to cut, the round solitaire diamond has the most sparkle and is very common. There are other cuts like princess cuts, oval shaped, heart shaped, etc.

For clarity, grade D is more expensive than E and represents the clarity or clearness of the stone. Other grades may have blemishes that tarnish the clarity of the diamond. The more blemishes the diamond has, the cheaper it becomes and is less valuable. Diamonds also come in fancy colors like blue, yellow, pink, etc. The colors vary depending on where it is mined where South Africa is the biggest exporter of diamonds in the world.

Carat represents the weight of the diamond. It is obvious that 1 carat diamond is more expensive than say 0.5 carat diamonds. I used to follow my aunt around in Singapore and she was the one who introduced me to the features to note in choosing diamonds. I also owned a diamond cross bought in 1999 that comes with a certificate.

At some point in our lives, we will eventually start hunting for a home to stay. And it is more desirable to own a home than to rent from other people when you are staying away in a foreign place. I have had my bad share of renting from other people who want to control the time you come back late at night, the house rules, the unspoken dos and donts and not counting the secret sifting through your stuffs when you are out by the landlord. Not only that, you phones are tapped as well. So much for privacy and if you happen to own a computer like I do, the landlady wants to increase the electricity bill by S$30 extra.

So it was time for me to hunt a house in Singapore after 4 months of torture renting from my landlady. First and foremost, you need to get a real estate agent to help you in this after you have selected the area of your choice and one that suits your budget. I must admit that I was put in a desperate situation by my sister who co-owns the HDB flat with me. At that time, you cannot buy on your own merit but need to share with either a spouse or a fiance who are Permanent Residents in Singapore. You can read more on this in Recognizing a Good Real Estate Agent and don’t let the real estate agent pressure you into making a fast decision on the spot like my case. That idiot even counted 1 to 3 for me to decide before bluffing that it will be given to someone else. And I was desperate enough to fall into his trap and made a foolish decision which I regretted later on.

Well, the HDB flat in CommonWealth Drive has since been sold to my relief as it was located in a bad neighborhood. I did not scan the neighbors closely before making up my mind being a novice in house hunting alone. That was some experience that I don’t want repeated.