Property Market Commentary

5 Hard Truths About Being A Property Agent In Singapore No One Tells You

Everyone has an agent friend whom they’ve known from secondary school/army and is now seemingly leading a glamorous life. It’s almost a parody by now that a successful agent will be driving a BMW/Mercs/Audi, along with the regular social media…

• 1 Aug 2022
• 8 min read
• 6

5 Certain Property Predictions That Ended Up Very Wrong (No Thanks To Covid-19)

As Covid-19 was the most major event in the country (and possibly the world at the time), it’s inevitable that many of the causes below are directly or indirectly linked to the pandemic. We’ve often said there’s no good crystal…

• 26 Jul 2022
• 8 min read
• 0

Studies Show That This Feature In Your Home Makes You Happy

Curves are everywhere. From arches in the bedrooms, to kitchen islands, to the sofa in your living room – it’s a trend that seemingly has legs to stay for some time. Soft edges and curves do help to soften the…

• 26 Jul 2022
• < 1 min read
• 0

Why SERS Is Tough On Elderly Singaporeans And What Should We Do Beside 50-Year Leases?

Most Singaporeans consider the Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) to be a good thing. The recent SERS in Ang Mo Kio, however, shows it’s not always a bed of roses: older Singaporeans can suffer greater drawbacks from SERS, and it’s…

• 18 Jul 2022
• 6 min read
• 3

We Test Out A New Tool That Tells You What Your HDB Flat Is Worth: Does It Really Work?

It’s the most common query anyone has when it comes to buying an HDB – how much is the flat worth? Naturally, that’s a tough question to answer. While the majority of HDB flats do have the same layouts and…

• 15 Jul 2022
• 9 min read
• 2

Record $1.418 Million Dollar Dawson Flat: Was There Really Any Better Alternative?

SkyTerrace @ Dawson just set a new record for the most expensive resale flat, at $1.418 million. That begs the question: is the price unreasonable? As some readers are bound to point out, $1.418 million could fetch the buyer a…

• 13 Jul 2022
• 7 min read
• 5

From A Haunting Cemetery To The Next HDB Town: Why Bidadari Estate Was Transformed

The word Bidadari is actually the Malay word for “angel”, a derivative of the Sanskrit word *widyadari* which refers to an angelic being in Hindu mythology. Part of the cemetery site used to be where the Istana Bidadari was located too…

• 7 Jul 2022
• < 1 min read
• 0

10 Stunning Profitable Condo Transactions Bought And Sold In The Past 5 Years

Despite the big losses that we wrote about from those who bought in 2017, the reality is that the majority of people who bought back then would be really happy with their decision. Just look at the tables of losses…

• 6 Jul 2022
• 11 min read
• 0

5 Key Consequences Of Rising Mortgage Rates In 2022

The median interest rate for home loans is set to double in as little as six months, and it would seem the era of cheap mortgages is coming to an end. Apart from a predictable rush for HDB instead of…

• 4 Jul 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

What The Future Of Singapore Real Estate Could Look Like: 6 Exciting Predictions

Let’s imagine for a second that you are in art class and the teacher gave you this description to create: “A medieval painting of the wifi not working” How would you go about drawing that? As crazy as it might…

• 27 Jun 2022
• 9 min read
• 0

5 Mental Models To Rethink Your Property Investment Choice In Singapore

Some people call them mental models. Some call it frameworks. To me, it is simply a way to think about the world and the evolving situation. I adopt mental models as a way to focus on the important levers –…

• 20 Jun 2022
• 6 min read
• 1

Is It Really Mad To Pay $1 Million For A Woodlands HDB? We Find Out If There Are Better Condo Alternatives

I can’t help but notice that Singapore’s resale HDB prices have been performing inversely to the stock market (for the last few weeks at least). It was just earlier in May that a 5-room flat at City Vue @ Henderson…

• 10 Jun 2022
• 8 min read
• 1

7 Key Residential Towns To Know From URA’s 50-Year Plans + A Tour Of Singapore’s City Gallery

Truth be told, I’ve never been one that was too keen on exhibitions. But I must say that the URA has done a fantastic job with the exhibition (called Space for Our Dreams) that showcases the planning concepts and proposals…

• 7 Jun 2022
• 11 min read
• 0

Are HDB Flats Really As Unaffordable As Everyone Claims? We Look At 468,600 Transactions To Find Out.

With the fresh new record of a $1.4 million HDB flat being sold at Henderson, it has yet again sparked conversations about whether HDB prices are getting increasingly unaffordable. Which brings to mind a statement from the Ministry of National…

• 23 May 2022
• 12 min read
• 0

7 Highly Impractical Condo Design Features That We’d Be Happy To See The End Of

When it comes to condo design features, novelty can sometimes get in the way of practicality. There are features that have appeal just on the basis of being new or unusual. Give it a few years, however, and you might…

• 23 May 2022
• 6 min read
• 2

Record Breaking $1.4 Million HDB Costs Too Much? The Alternatives May Not Be Any Better

If you haven’t heard by now, a 5-room HDB flat at Henderson just broke the record for the most expensive HDB ever transacted – at a stunning price of $1.4 million. The unit is located in City Vue @ Henderson,…

• 21 May 2022
• 8 min read
• 8

5 Things Property Agents Are Not Required To Do (But Might Anyway)

Singaporeans expect quite a bit from their property agents, given the service fees they pay. You may be surprised, however, to learn how limited the job scope technically is; quite a number of services provided are not actually within the…

• 17 May 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

Why You Will Never Buy When There Is A Market Crash

The stock market is the only market where people run away when things are on sale.  A seemingly innocent sentence, but perhaps none truer than what is happening in the markets right now. Stocks, crypto, the shocking implosion of Luna…

• 13 May 2022
• 7 min read
• 0