Moving Out and Coliving, A Local's Perspective

Singapore Jul 21, 2021

Humans of Hmlet: Local Singaporean moving out at 21? That’s the case for Evan Koh, a final year SMU student.

Meet Evan Koh. Currently in his final year at Singapore Management University (SMU) and building his career in investment banking, Evan is ambitious and loves his independence.

From the get go, Evan exudes confidence and a quiet drive as we talked about the ways he’s spent his time in this pandemic – socialising with family and close friends, cycling, boxing, and also lots of reading.

Evan's travels, pre-pandemic

It’s been almost 4 years since he moved out of his family home into Hmlet Portofino. For him, the move was a mark of independence and a way to live for himself – not the typical trope of a Singaporean son. In fact, Evan truly believes that gaining independence has to start at a young age, like during university, for example.

“I felt it was about time for me to be independent”

The Transition Phase

Fortunately, the early part of Evan’s move was easy peasy. He wasn’t met with resistance or apprehension from his parents when he brought up the desire to move out. His family was actually supportive!

He describes that the not-so-smooth part about the whole transition was probably doing his own laundry and cooking. His workaround? Ordering in, like many other Hmlet members.

Hmlet Portofino

Life, Post Move

Pre pandemic, Evan was big on eating out and socialising with friends. For Christmas in 2018, he threw a party at Hmlet Portofino’s lounge and invited other Hmlet members in the building to join in the festive mood.

It was a night where his worlds collided. Being able to mix his old friends and new member friends so seamlessly,  he shared that this was probably his favourite memory in his life at Hmlet so far.

A Hmlet-organised Christmas party in 2019 in same Hmlet Portofino lounge

Of course the pandemic changed the course of lifestyle. Apart from going out less, the uncertainty of the future meant more room for introspection and a lot more reading. He shared that his life right now, is pretty much on pause.

The Future

At this point, 24 year old Evan is sure that this is the right move for him (pun intended). He started his journey based on a feeling when he turned 21, “I felt it was about time for me to be independent”.

And while the future is still murky because of the pandemic, one thing’s for certain is that he’s enjoying the space he created for himself, on his terms and on his time.

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Evan’s not the only Singaporean who’s taken the leap. I’ve recently moved out of my family home too and wrote about it.

If you’re itching for a change, or crave for your own space, the good news is, you don’t have to go all in all at once. If you need a “trial run” of sorts, Hmlet offers homes at Hmlet Cantonment where you can choose to stay for a month or shorter. You also have the option of 3 months minimum or 6 months if you choose a Hmlet Home in Singapore.

Get in touch with us and speak to our friendly sales representatives to see our spaces for yourself! There are no obligations and you get to really picture yourself living life at your own pace.

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Fizah Hatman

Marketing Manager at Hmlet. Keeping up with pop culture, the news and TikTok.