Investing

Just 5% Of All Property Transactions In 2022 Were Unprofitable: Here’s 5 Interesting Learning Lessons

2022 was one of the hottest years on record for the property market. Housing supply was (and still is) at a critically low point, and prices rose across all segments despite cooling measures. It would seem as though sellers couldn’t…

• 9 Jan 2023
• 8 min read
• 0

7 Considerations To Make When Partitioning Your Condo For Better Resale Value/Rental Returns

A lot of newer condos come with “flexi” rooms, whilst dumbbell layouts are quite versatile. These make it quite easy to create an added bedroom, study, or other space; but before you go ahead and build the partitions, consider the…

• 27 Dec 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

If You Own An Investment Shoebox Unit, Here Are 5 Important Points To Note Before Selling In 2023

Right up to 2013, the single-bedder or shoebox unit was an in-demand property choice. It’s affordable to new investors, has a higher rental yield, and can be sold as an investment. But come 2023, the “selling” part is a much…

• 19 Dec 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

6 Things Foreign Investors Are Seldom Told About The Singapore Property Market

Singapore property is often advertised as a safe-haven asset, in a low-tax environment. Coupled with a history of continued price appreciation, and a high-quality built environment, it’s no surprise that our real estate finds its way into many foreign portfolios….

• 5 Dec 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

New Launch Vs Resale: Which Is More Profitable? We Look At 3,612 Transactions Over 5 Years

There are some untested sayings that have been in the Singapore private property market for decades. One of the more persistent ones is that new launches are better for gains; largely on the basis of “early bird discounts”, or that…

• 11 Oct 2022
• 6 min read
• 4

6 Essential Factors To Think About Before Buying Your First Rental Property

Some Singaporeans are fortunate enough to have an alternative home; these range from singles who can continue living with parents, to those who whose spouses already own a property. For this advantaged group, it’s possible that their very first mortgage…

• 14 Sep 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

Is The First-Mover Advantage For New Launch Condos Real? Here’re 4 Case Studies To See If It’s True

The “first-mover” theory holds that, if you’re the first to buy in a yet-to-peak area, you’ll see better capital gains. In theory, you would be buying before property values start to spike, in a classic buy-low-sell-high move. But depending on…

• 31 Aug 2022
• 8 min read
• 0

Prime Resale Freehold Condos Cheaper Than New 99-Year Suburban Condos: Too Good To be True?

The year is 2017, the market is on a bit of a slowdown and you decide this is the right time to buy an investment property.  You have always been a bit of a traditionalist, and you subscribe to the…

• 27 Aug 2022
• 9 min read
• 2

Buying A Home During Hungry Ghost Month: Does “Bad Luck” Translate To Lesser Profit?

As we enter into the Ghost Festival (7th month of the lunar calendar from August and usually lasts for a month till September), there will be just one question that buyers will be asking: Does buying a property during the…

• 8 Aug 2022
• 6 min read
• 1

5 Fast-Selling New Launches That Were Surprisingly Unprofitable Later (Some 0 Profitable Transactions)

Nothing charges up a condo show flat like a “selling fast” sign, or hyped-up news of how it sold out over a weekend. But as we’re about to see, not every condo that had a great launch ended up performing…

• 20 Jul 2022
• 8 min read
• 0

“I Lost RM 1 Million Investing in KL Real Estate”: 5 Key Lessons From A Singapore Investor Of 36 Years

We’ve all heard stories of someone who has invested in Malaysian property and got burnt. From horror stories of the estate not having enough funds to pay for a working lift, or to developers running out of money to leave…

• 14 Jul 2022
• 9 min read
• 14

6 Slow Selling New Launches That Became Profitable Later (More Than 90% Made Money)

A common marketing tactic in real estate is to slap “selling fast” on new launch websites. We tend to assume that what starts well will also end well – so any property that’s selling out quickly must, by conventional thinking…

• 8 Jul 2022
• 8 min read
• 2

10 Shocking Loss-Making Condo Transactions Since 2017 (The Last Market Bottom)

Conventional wisdom will point at the property market cycle and tell you that 2017 was the best time to buy in the last 5 years. After all, it was the lowest point in the residential property price index and for…

• 29 Jun 2022
• 14 min read
• 2

Avoiding A 20% Loss: 5 Important Lessons I’ve Learned Trying To Sell My Property In London

Last week, I shared the lessons I learned after making my worst investment decision to date: buying a new-build, Zone 1 London property. Thankfully, after almost 10 years on the market, I finally received an offer for it. Something I’m…

• 29 Jun 2022
• 7 min read
• 1

I Lost Over 20% On My Property Investment In London Over 9 Years: Here Are My 5 Key Takeaways

When we bought my London flat, my Mother and I had been comfortably settled in our family home for 30 years, and weren’t expecting to move anytime soon. As I had already been in the UK for 4 years (and…

• 22 Jun 2022
• 9 min read
• 6

What I Look At In An Overseas Property Investment: Reviewing 3 One Bedroom Properties In New York

Investing in overseas property can be a tricky thing. But one thing to err on the safer side is to look out for gateway cities. Or rather, places that are on their way to becoming gateway cities – to capitalise…

• 15 Jun 2022
• 14 min read
• 0

7 Useful Tips I’ve Learned Being An International Property Marketer: How To Start Investing In Overseas Property

I clearly remember the first time I felt invigorated to become a landlord and it was when I came across Robert Kiyosaki’s book, “Rich Dad Poor Dad”. This was a long time back when I was still a student (sidenote:…

• 13 Jun 2022
• 9 min read
• 0

Selling Your Home During Hungry Ghost Festival: Is It Any Less Profitable? A Look At 26 Years Of Data

You may have heard of the excuse used by agents to account for a slow-moving month in August: “Oh yes, it was the Hungry Ghost Festival, that’s why” For those who are unaware, the “Ghost Festival” (“GF”) falls on the…

• 8 Jun 2022
• 7 min read
• 0