Property Market Commentary

Here’s How The Sellers Stamp Duty Has Affected Boutique Condos

Have you ever wondered why things in limited quantities are so weirdly appealing? Just attach the word “exclusive” to any product and it seems to take on a whole new light.  So much so that entire businesses are built upon…

• 29 Oct 2020
• 7 min read
• 0

Are Luxury Or Mass-market Condos Better Investments In Singapore?

There are two conflicting theories we often hear in the Singapore private property market. The first is that luxury condos, such as those in prime areas, are better investments: they’re scarce, in high demand, and see better appreciation. On the…

• 28 Oct 2020
• 6 min read
• 0

How Covid-19 May Have Ended Up A Boon To Resale Flats

HDB resale prices and volumes have seen a sharp rebound as of Q3 2020. After almost seven straight years of decline, it seems as though resale flats may have found their way back into home buyer’s preferences.  Here’s how the…

• 26 Oct 2020
• 6 min read
• 0

Why Are Landed Home Sales Hitting New Highs Despite Covid-19?

If you’re like most people, you might guess the most expensive property segment – landed property – will fare worst in the downturn. After all, who would buy a bungalow or Semi-D in Singapore’s worst economic situation to date, right?…

• 20 Oct 2020
• 5 min read
• 2

We Evaluate The Truths Behind 4 Common Property Sayings

The Singapore property market is awash with sayings and platitudes. Some old favourites include “If you want to see a more expensive house, come back to view this one tomorrow,” or “Selling this will be easy, people who stay on…

• 16 Oct 2020
• 8 min read
• 0

How Do The Additional Relief Measures For Developers Affect Home Buyers?

As of last week (9th October), property developers were granted another six-month extension to complete their projects. This is a second round of extension, with the last one being in May – altogether, property developers now have a full additional…

• 14 Oct 2020
• 6 min read
• 0

How Have The 2015 Batch Of Executive Condominiums Performed So Far?

In 2012, the first of the 2015 TOP bunch of Executive Condominiums (ECs) went up for sale across the island. It was a bit of a tough time, as 2011 had seen a slew of cooling measures (ABSD introduced); and…

• 9 Oct 2020
• 7 min read
• 2

Why Do Banks Even Bother Trying To Sell Home Loans With Higher Interest Rates?

You’ve called around to different banks and gotten all their interest rates, and now you have one burning question: why?  Why do some banks even bother trying to sell home loan packages, with interest rates way higher than all the…

• 8 Oct 2020
• 6 min read
• 1

How Much Must You Earn To Pay Off Your Property By 50?

Here’s a thought that will make any Singaporean heart turn cold: working past 50 to pay off a housing mortgage. Could you really still be attending 10 am presentations, and typing mind-numbing reports in your mid-50’s, all because of that…

• 6 Oct 2020
• 7 min read
• 0

Why Are Private Home Sales And HDB Prices Rising Despite The Recession?

From all the property news you’ve read, you might be inclined to think real estate is pandemic proof. As of August, new private home sales in Singapore are up for a fourth straight month – according to URA data, 1,307…

• 5 Oct 2020
• 6 min read
• 0

Neighbourhood Of The Week: Queenstown (District 3)

Queenstown is the first satellite town in Singapore. The entire concept of having a “self-contained” township, with its own council, amenities away from the city, etc. It all started here, as far back as the 1950s. In fact, Queenstown is…

• 2 Oct 2020
• 5 min read
• 0

The Underrated Advantage Of Paying Your Home Loan In Cash

Paying in cash when you can use CPF? There must be a method to this madness. And indeed, there’s a small demographic of home buyers who service that monthly loan out of their own pocket – even if they could…

• 29 Sep 2020
• 7 min read
• 0

New OTP Re-issue Restrictions: What Does It Mean For Property Buyers?

As of today (28th September 2020), the URA has put a stop to the re-issuing of an Option To Purchase (OTP) to prospective home buyers. We can’t call it a sudden move, as just last month the URA was already…

• 28 Sep 2020
• 5 min read
• 0

Neighbourhood Of The Week: Bishan (District 20)

Bishan had a bit of a rough start, back in 1983. At the time, some Singaporeans swore off the area entirely, due to superstition; present day Bishan used to be Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng, one of the largest…

• 23 Sep 2020
• 5 min read
• 0

The New Norms Of Singapore’s Property Market In 2020

In the past two decades, Singapore’s property market has gone through a series of ups-and-downs; from a slew of new cooling measures, to worries about falling resale flat prices.  If the last time you bought a home was in the…

• 22 Sep 2020
• 8 min read
• 0

EC vs Resale Flat: How Much More Can You End Up Paying?

Google ECs versus resale flats, and you’ll encounter any number of sites warning you that resale flats have poor appreciation compared to executive condos. This is actually true. We’ve said in previous articles that, for over almost a decade, resale…

• 21 Sep 2020
• 7 min read
• 0

Do Resale Properties Really Cost More To Renovate?

If you’re choosing between a new launch and a resale property, you’ve probably heard the saying that “the resale will cost more to renovate”.  The theory is that, because you need to hack up the previous work, there’s added time…

• 19 Sep 2020
• 6 min read
• 0

Neighbourhood Of The Week: Bukit Timah (District 21)

Bukit Timah is the neighbourhood for the upscale nature lover / family own stay type. This is a prime area, where landed housing and private condominiums outnumber HDB flats.  Unlike Orchard or the CBD however, Bukit Timah is a green…

• 16 Sep 2020
• 5 min read
• 2