Property Market Commentary

Do We Really Need To BTO Still? 8 Outdated Property Practices That Need To Change In Singapore

We have seen perhaps more change in our real estate industry over the past decade, than in the past 30 or 40 years. From higher stamp duties, to a transformed resale flat market, there is a lot to process. At…

• 22 Aug 2022
• 9 min read
• 4
• 495

China’s $90 Billion Property Crisis: 4 Important Lessons We Can Learn From In Singapore

China’s developer crisis has wiped out around US$90 billion in market value, and home prices there have fallen for 11 straight months. It’s often a shock to the public when this happens to property developers – there’s an image of…

• 19 Aug 2022
• 6 min read
• 2
• 873

We Reveal 4 Truths About Property Agent Commissions That You Need To Know

Property agent shenanigans are much more toned down these days, thanks to the Internet/social media. It also helps that buyers/sellers are much more educated than before, and are able to provide more resistance. However, this sensitive issue can still prompt…

• 18 Aug 2022
• 7 min read
• 0
• 1.5k

Your Condo Management Or MCST Can Affect Your Future Profits: 7 Must Know Tips To Deal With Issues

Singaporeans have a bad habit of ignoring the condo MCST, until it’s way too late. Sometimes they only take an interest when they suddenly hear about an en-bloc attempt; or when something happens that directly affects them (e.g., a side-gate…

• 9 Aug 2022
• 8 min read
• 1
• 1.9k

57 Incredibly Interesting HDB Facts To Know On Singapore’s National Day

We wish all our readers a happy National Day. On this 57th year of independence, we can congratulate ourselves on having one of the highest rates of home ownership in the world – at almost 90 per cent. A lot…

• 9 Aug 2022
• 13 min read
• 0
• 1.2k

You Can Buy A House In Italy For Just €1. Is It Too Good To Be True?

The idea to sell homes for €1 (approx. $1.40) supposedly began in Southern Italy, sometime in the 2010s. Since then, however, the trend has spread, and there are offers for these even in the north of Italy. We’ve also seen…

• 8 Aug 2022
• 8 min read
• 1
• 225

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
• 4.9k

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
• 427

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
• 12

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
• 913

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
• 891

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
• 567

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
• 120

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
• 503

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
• 523

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
• 382

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
• 278

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
• 600