Homeowner Stories

We Bought Our First Home On Carousell: Here’s What We Learnt

The digital aspects of Singapore’s private property market have grown to new proportions – from a time when people didn’t trust online listings, to today when you can buy a house by tapping on your phone. In this week’s property…

• 16 Apr 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

First Time Home Buyer Story: Buying A Condo After The 2007 Financial Crisis And Lessons Learned

It’s certainly been some time since our last buyer story, but nonetheless we have quite an interesting feature this week. This time, we look at the first-home purchase of Andy (not his real name). What’s unusual about this case is…

• 27 Mar 2021
• 7 min read
• 2

The Previous Agent Declined The Challenge of Selling This Freehold Landed Home. Here’s How I Sold It In 4 Months.

I got to know the owner of this landed home back in 2019 when I was marketing an inter-terrace landed home within the vicinity. But the owner already had another exclusive agent marketing it at that time. During that period,…

• 8 Mar 2021
• 5 min read
• 0

From An EC To A 999-Year Landed Home: How I Helped My Clients Achieve Their Dream Home

This couple approached me to sell their 3-bedder EC last year in 2020. Their EC was the Tampines Trilliant which hit the 5-year MOP last year. As a family of 4 – they were looking forward to move up to…

• 8 Feb 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

14 “Special” Spaces That Make A Place Home: What Makes A Home For You?

Recently, as I was looking out from my balcony, I realised many parcels of land in my neighbourhood that used to be empty are now all filled – either by construction sites or new BTOs.  Perhaps I was in a…

• 2 Feb 2021
• 8 min read
• 0

Here’s What I Learnt After Spending 2 Weeks To Earn A $300 Commission.

I know that real estate agents sometimes get a bad rep. People think we are pushy, too salesy and love to proclaim that “everything is a good buy!” pitch. And I don’t blame them. This happens partly because our incomes…

• 21 Jan 2021
• 4 min read
• 0

We Moved From A BTO Flat To An Executive Apartment: Here’s Why

If you’re old enough to remember the 1980’s, you might recall Executive Apartments (EAs) were all the rage of the time; you might call them the ECs of their day. These were even larger than 5-room flats, and may have…

• 9 Jan 2021
• 9 min read
• 0

I Sold My Freehold Penthouse Unit For $1.75 Million During The Pandemic. Here’s How.

In Dec 2019, after almost 9 years of staying in Gallery 8 – a small freehold development located in the East Coast area – we decided to sell and move on to the next stage of our lives. As my…

• 7 Jan 2021
• 9 min read
• 0

I Lost $19,950 Cancelling My BTO Application, Here’s What Happened

*Correction: November 4 2020An earlier version of this article misstated the loss of downpayment at 10 per cent, and not 5 per cent, as clarified with HDB. It was something our participant was not aware of, and it should have…

• 2 Nov 2020
• 7 min read
• 1

I Bought The Condo I was Renting; It Was My Best Move Ever

Singapore is a nation with 92 per cent home ownership, and most of us don’t rent. So when Erica and her partner moved into a two-bedder, it was intended to be temporary; they just wanted to get out from under…

• 24 Oct 2020
• 6 min read
• 0

Home Buying Stories #1: Buying A Condo At 25

Most Singaporeans imagine they’ll be in their 40’s – at least – before upgrading to a condo; and realistically speaking, this is the norm in Singapore’s private property market. Most of us are reliant on the proceeds from our first…

• 30 Sep 2020
• 6 min read
• 5

I Own Three Condos In My 40s: Here’s What It’s Like

For most Singaporeans, owning multiple properties is a classic “shake leg and collect money” scenario. This week, however, we talked to Jasmine (she prefers to exclude her surname), who explains how it’s anything but.  In her 40s, Jasmine owns three…

• 3 Sep 2020
• 8 min read
• 2

5 Questions with Kenneth Heng, Founder of The Open Home Network: Finding Fulfilment in Giving Back to the Community

Often we’re so caught up trying to figure our lives out that we fall into this endless habitual loop of self-preservation. A loop that’s spurred on by our high standards/costs of living here in Singapore.   Now if there’s one thing…

• 3 Sep 2020
• 8 min read
• 0

Shrinking HDB Void Decks: For Better Or Worse?

I forged some of my fondest childhood memories at the void deck. As an adventurous child, I spent many late afternoons there chasing the community cat around. It was a space I associated with freedom and safety, as it was…

• 29 Aug 2020
• 6 min read
• 3

How To Buy A Condo? Stacked Asks: Timothy Ho From Dollars And Sense

Letting you know how much a condo costs is easy – the hard part is figuring out how to actually get the money you need! For this reason, Stacked is approaching some of Singapore’s top opinion leaders in personal finance,…

• 10 Aug 2020
• 4 min read
• 1

Anything Is Possible Until It Is Not – The Dangers of Procrastination

“Am I on track?” is a question you should ask yourself at regular intervals. Knowing the money you have and where it is going is the core of a financial plan. And by the time you reach your 40s and…

• 22 Jun 2020
• 7 min read
• 0

How To React During Any Crisis – So You Can Thrive

I was a rookie real estate agent in 2008 – during the Great Financial Crash (GFC). I was only in my 2nd year in the business. I saw fortunes being made and lost during that crisis.  So, you know the…

• 19 May 2020
• 6 min read
• 0

My Contractor Almost Cost Me A $10,000 Fine – Here’s What Happened:

When Jerry Sim saw the contractor’s sketches, he was hooked: the proposed changes to the interior of his 1,400 sq.ft. unit seemed to practically double it in size. From wood beams taking full advantage of the high ceiling, to the…

• 12 May 2020
• 6 min read
• 0