Property Market Commentary

11 Proposed Developer Changes To Help Homebuyers: A Breakdown + How It Affects You

URA is proposing some amendments to the venerable Housing Developers Rules. This set of laws covers a whole range of topics, from the way properties, are marketed, to the way you book a new launch unit. We will be going…

• 12 Jan 2022
• 8 min read
• 2

Why 4,580 Homeowners Have Negative Cash Sales Despite High Property Prices

The CPF Board said this week that around 4,580 Singaporeans couldn’t refund the full amount of CPF they used for housing, after selling their property. This number was higher than around 3,960 people the year before, and around 3,380 people…

• 11 Jan 2022
• 7 min read
• 0

4 Reasons Why Alexandra May Just Be The Next Hottest BTO Launch Site

Getting a good BTO flat location is a proven windfall; and demand for PLH sites, even with all their restrictions, is proof of that. For homeowners, the site at Alexandra ticks all the right boxes; and it’s already being discussed…

• 6 Jan 2022
• 5 min read
• 0

From A HDB Undersupply To Interest Rates Hikes, Here’s Why The New Cooling Measures Were Necessary

There’s been much talk and chatter around the new cooling measures. Understandably so, as housing is always such a touchy topic for many people. So far there have been lots of contributions and viewpoints on how the new cooling measures…

• 4 Jan 2022
• 3 min read
• 0

Top 10 Most-Read Stacked Articles in 2021

As the year draws to a close (and I think I speak for everyone when I say that it’s been an eventful one). Given that 2021 started with reports of a more contagious strain of the virus in South Africa,…

• 30 Dec 2021
• 8 min read
• 0

23,000 BTO Flats Launched In 2022: What Does This Mean For Home Buyers?

HDB has decided to ramp up the supply of BTO flats in the coming years. This will ostensibly avoid situations like the present, where some first-time home buyers feel squeezed out: they keep losing at the BTO flat ballots, but…

• 24 Dec 2021
• 5 min read
• 0

Biggest Winners And Losers Of The New Property Cooling Measures: Which Side Are You On?

The much-anticipated property cooling measures have struck, as of 16th December 2021. As the smoke clears, it’s become apparent who comes out on top of this; and who ends up having to uh, “review” their real estate plans for the…

• 22 Dec 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

Why Are Some Property Listings So Damn Terrible?

Recently, Sneaky Sushii highlighted a problem that property portals have struggled with for years: terrible property listings. You know the ones: grainy images, almost no details about the unit, sometimes even wrong information. It’s almost insane to think that in…

• 10 Dec 2021
• 7 min read
• 0

Why The 2 Pine Grove Plots Are The Next Property Sites To Watch

There haven’t been many Government Land Sales (GLS) sites in 2021, so almost any plot is likely to draw developer interest. However, the recent launch of two adjacent sites, at Pine Grove, may be the ones to watch – while…

• 10 Dec 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

5 Lesser-Known Upcoming Residential Hotspots In The Singapore Property Market

While the usual prime spots remain unchanged (Orchard Road, Marine Parade, etc.), fresh developments have drawn the spotlight to other neighbourhoods as well. There are some upcoming property hotspots, which have flown under the radar so far. For investors or…

• 9 Dec 2021
• 8 min read
• 0

The Future Of Digital Real Estate And The Metaverse: Should You Invest?

The Metaverse is the latest buzzword, with some investors now rushing to buy digital real estate. As with most novelties, the current buyers are trying to get in on the ground floor – purchase while the public is still skeptical…

• 6 Dec 2021
• 7 min read
• 0

Are HDB Upgraders Over-Leveraging In Today’s Hot Property Market?

According to JLL, the number of HDB upgraders moving to condos is currently up over 21 per cent from last year. The idea of a condo-buying spree, in the midst of a pandemic, seems worrying; and perhaps it should, given…

• 4 Dec 2021
• 7 min read
• 0

The Untold Impact Of Golden Mile Complex Conservation On En-bloc Sales

On 22nd October this year, the unthinkable happened: Golden Mile Complex, long assumed to be next for demolition after Pearl Bank, was slated for conservation. A win for Singapore’s architectural milestones to be sure; but with regard to property investors…

• 18 Nov 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

We Asked: Is The New PLH Model Fair? Here’s The Collated Response From 175 People

The PLH model is one of the biggest changes we’ve seen to the housing market, since the first cooling measures. When news of the new model came out, we ran a poll on whether or not our followers felt certain…

• 4 Nov 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

4 Possible Locations Of Future Prime BTO Flats Under The PLH Model

With the evolving Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model housing, we’ve cleared one barrier to having more central/prime area flats. One thing is quite clear: prime doesn’t just mean expensive. So the first project to be launched under the PLH…

• 2 Nov 2021
• 6 min read
• 2

New Launches Near The 5-Year ABSD Deadline In 2021: Will We Be Seeing Developer Discounts?

As condos come close to their five-year ABSD time limit, homebuyers and investors start to pay more attention. There’s every chance that, with a handful of units left, the developer will decide to give deep discounts rather than pay a…

• 29 Oct 2021
• 6 min read
• 4

How Does Having Fewer Big Property Agencies Affect Homebuyers?

It was just in 2017 that OrangeTee and Edmund Tie & Company announced a new joint venture called Orange Tee and Tie (OTT) to form the third biggest property agency in Singapore with more than 4,400 agents. How things have changed…

• 23 Oct 2021
• 7 min read
• 0

Breaking Down The Costs Of Development: Is Property Development Unsustainable In Singapore?

There’s a common misconception today that property developers are the cause of higher property prices in Singapore. After all, it seems obvious that developer pricing is the main factor in a condo’s cost. Perhaps that may have been true in…

• 19 Oct 2021
• 7 min read
• 2