Homeowner Stories

“We Calculated Our Interest Payment Alone To Be $110k In 10 Years” Why We Chose To Pay Off Our Home Loan Early

Most Singaporeans resign themselves to paying off a home loan for 25 to 30 years. In most cases, the home loan is the last loan to be repaid, due to the lower interest rate (and maybe because CPF can be…

• 23 Jun 2023
• 7 min read
• 2

I Bought My First Condo At 30 And Renovated It For Just $14k: Here’s How I Did It As A Single

The simple truth about home ownership in Singapore is that for most, it takes two parties. Barring shoebox units and the smallest flat, most Singaporeans would struggle with the cost if they had to bear it alone. This is, like…

• 17 Jun 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

We Had A Strict $45k Reno Budget: How We Rebuilt Our Run-Down 18-Year-Old HDB Into A Cosy Home

Located in Punggol, the 18-year-old resale HDB bought by couple Becky and James (*not their real name for privacy reasons) was initially in quite a bad condition. The floors in the living and the rooms were cracking, which made it…

• 14 Jun 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

5 Biggest Regrets After Renting In Singapore: Real-Life Experiences Shared By Tenants

It goes without saying that most landlords in Singapore are a happy bunch right now. Rental rates have been soaring, and the demand is still seemingly going strong (although yes, mortgage rates are at a high too). But as the…

• 7 Jun 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

How An Avid Baker Couple Created A Cosy HDB Home With A Dream Kitchen

Colin and his wife (@therollyjollyhome), like many couples, initially set their sights on applying for a BTO (Build-To-Order) flat. However, despite their hopes and efforts, fortune did not smile upon them, and their journey through the BTO/SBF route ended in…

• 5 Jun 2023
• 8 min read
• 0

I Stayed At Hmlet Cantonment: Here’s What My Actual Co-Living Experience Was Like (Not Great)

Is the co-living experience as pretty as this picture of the Hmlet Cantonment backyard below makes it out to be? Read on to find out! So I’m back again for the 4th and final part of this co-living series, in…

• 4 Jun 2023
• 9 min read
• 3

Inside A 52-Year-Old HDB Makeover: How A Couple Created A Stylish Parisian/Hampton Home With $48k

After a 10-year long stay in their Woodlands BTO, Kathy (*not her real name for privacy reasons), and her spouse (@maison.hv) decided it was time for a change. For their new home, it would have to be centrally located, accommodate…

• 31 May 2023
• 7 min read
• 0

My Honest Experience Booking A Co-Living Space: A Review Of Hmlet’s Booking Process

Note: this is not an advertorial for Hmlet as the stay was completely paid for by myself (not sponsored by Hmlet so you can rest assured that everything I write is wholly objective, based on my experience, and not a…

• 28 May 2023
• 9 min read
• 1

We Spend Our $3k Rent Budget (While Waiting For Our BTO) On Travelling The World Instead: Here’s How We Do It

Given the wait times for a BTO flat in Singapore, many Singaporeans have to look for alternative accommodation in the meantime. This usually comes in the form of having to stay at their parent’s/in-law’s place or having to rent for…

• 24 May 2023
• 6 min read
• 1

We Live In A Top Floor Penthouse: Here Are The Pros And Cons About High Floor Living

Great views, fresher air, a (theoretically) pest-free environment… it’s no wonder the higher you go, the pricier your home gets. But what’s it really like living at the literal top? Rather than just trust the sales pitch, we spoke to…

• 23 May 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

We Spent $45k Renovating Our Second Home: How We Saved On Costs By Using Our Existing Furniture

Are you someone who would rather start entirely fresh if you are moving into your second home? Or would you prefer to save on costs as much as possible (and maybe for sentimental reasons), by bringing over as much of…

• 22 May 2023
• 8 min read
• 0

How I Picked My Co-Living Apartment: My Experience Booking Hmlet, Figment, & Coliwoo

Hello again! Last week, in the first unvarnished and objective article documenting the experience of co-living/moving out in Singapore, I compared renting and co-living and found that co-living made more financial sense for me. This week, we’re looking at the…

• 21 May 2023
• 7 min read
• 1

“I Regret Buying 2 Walk-Up Apartments” 4 Biggest Property Investment Regrets And What You Can Learn

Property investments don’t always go smoothly, but it’s often the success stories you hear about. In reality, not everyone manages to sell for a record gain after five years and upgrade; and not every rental property ends up being worth…

• 16 May 2023
• 7 min read
• 2

How This Korean/Singaporean Couple Created A Stylish Mid-Century Modern Home With $45k

There’s definitely a lot to love about living near Orchard, but then again, it’s not for everybody. “Orchard was not on our list of neighbourhoods we were considering for our first home,” Y and A (@myjibcode) shared. She said they…

• 15 May 2023
• 11 min read
• 0

My Search For The Perfect Co-Living Company In Singapore: A Non-Sponsored Overview On Hmlet, Figment & Coliwoo

A few years ago, I moved back from the UK to Singapore. As all Singaporean Singles know, getting your own place when you’re unmarried is prohibitively expensive, due to the many BTO restrictions singles face. Since I’ve covered this in…

• 14 May 2023
• 9 min read
• 2

I Moved From A 9,000 Sqft Landed Home In Bukit Timah To An HDB Flat: Here’s What It Was Like

What’s the biggest home you’ve ever seen? If you’re like most Singaporeans, it’s probably no more than 2,000 to 3,000 sq. ft. But this week, we talked to someone who grew up in a massive 9,000+ sq. ft. home but…

• 11 May 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

My Aunt Cheated Us Out Of Our Property: An Expensive Lesson Learned On “Trusting” Family Members

There are many reasons for putting your property assets under another person’s name. In some cases, this is a transfer of the property so you can avoid Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD) on another home; in others, it might be…

• 9 May 2023
• 5 min read
• 0

A 20-Year-Old Tampines Condo Gets A British-Inspired Transformation Into A Cosy Home

With a strong sentimental value behind their stay in London, it’s only natural that Peishan and James decided to bring along the ambience to their home renovation. “I’m from Singapore and James is from the UK. We met in London…

• 8 May 2023
• 8 min read
• 0