Property Market Commentary

This Korean Housing System Lets You Live Rent-Free: Could It Work in Singapore? (And Other Unique Housing Models)

Like Singapore, every country has its own challenges and hence its own unique quirks, when it comes to housing. These are of interest to local property investors as well: apart from the most obvious use cases (e.g., they intend to…

• 18 Jun 2024
• 7 min read
• 0

Why En-Bloc Sales Will Continue To Be Slow In 2024

If it’s been a while since your last en-bloc sale, you may be surprised at how much can change in a single decade. 2014 to 2024 has been an interesting time; not just because of Covid, but because of the…

• 12 Jun 2024
• 6 min read
• 0

Are 3-Room HDB Flats Still Affordable For Singles In 2024? Here’s The Reality

As younglings under 35, one of the major annoying topics among single friends is affordability when it comes to owning a resale flat in Singapore. “It’s so freaking expensive! And we will always get outbid by couples with dual income.”…

• 12 Jun 2024
• 8 min read
• 3

When Is Singapore Property The Right Or Wrong Investment For You?

Some people get frustrated when they ask us if they should invest in real estate, and we start rambling on for quite a bit. But as much as we’d like to answer with a quick sound bite or a few…

• 11 Jun 2024
• 7 min read
• 1

Can The Government Really “Take Back Your Home” In Singapore?

The Singapore government has significant powers to take back land, freehold or otherwise, under the Land Acquisition Act. Fortunately, this power has been used sparingly after the 1960s, when it was needed to build mass housing and reorganise the city….

• 6 Jun 2024
• 6 min read
• 1

5 Dirty Truths About The Singapore Property Market You Should Know About In 2024

While regulations on property agents have been tightened, there are a lot of players in this industry – from mortgage brokers down to the developers themselves. Everyone has a vested interest in something, and some of the deals between them…

• 27 May 2024
• 6 min read
• 0

This Homeowner Made $3.5 Million In 6 Months: Here Are The Biggest Property Flips Since 2006

There’s an old saying that your holding power determines your gains, when it comes to real estate. And while that’s true in the conventional sense, there are some exceptions – within the prime central region, high-end condos were once flipped…

• 21 May 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

Can Science Park Take Off As A Condo Site?

The Singapore Science Park is not the kind of place most people would think of as a place to live. Not that it’s unpleasant, mind you – it’s great as a tech hub. It’s just that the area is all business…

• 21 May 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

Is HDB’s New Resale Flat Listing Service Really Going To Help Homeowners Sell Their HDB?

With the addition of the Resale Flat Listing (RFL) service, the HDB has enhanced their Flat Portal to allow Singaporeans to list their own flat directly for sale. On the surface, this sounds like a great thing, as property portals…

• 13 May 2024
• 6 min read
• 0

Should You Buy Cuscaden Reserve Because Of The Huge Price Drop?

Cuscaden Reserve has been in the news of late, due to their big relaunch and price drop: we’re now seeing prices starting from $2,800+ psf, down from $3,327 – $3,830 psf in its initial pricing. This is quite a steep…

• 27 Mar 2024
• 8 min read
• 0

The Changing Attitudes Toward Chinese Property Developers In Singapore

When Chinese developers first entered the Singapore market, there was some skepticism involved. It didn’t help that, during the en-bloc fever of 2017, Chinese developers copped a lot of the blame for pushing up home prices (even though if you…

• 25 Jan 2024
• 6 min read
• 3

Are These Old Condo Facilities Still A Benefit Or A Burden?

When it comes to condo facilities, some trends come and go. You can even identify the age of a condo based on the sort of facilities it has (squash courts, anyone?) But while trendy facilities help at launch (and perhaps…

• 24 Jan 2024
• 5 min read
• 2

The Downside Of Buying A BTO Flat In Singapore: 4 Lesser-Known Challenges Of The 5-Year MOP

Many Singaporeans are aware of the main drawback of the Minimum Occupancy Period (MOP): ask around, and the most common response it’s “Oh, you can’t sell or rent out so you’re sort of losing money.” While that is one of…

• 23 Jan 2024
• 6 min read
• 2

The Rise Of Million-Dollar HDB Flats In Singapore: Is This Going To Be The New Norm?

Million-dollar HDB flats are still outliers, making up some one per cent of HDB transactions; and even those that are close to a million (e.g., $800,000 or $900,000) are hardly the majority. However, there’s no denying that these outliers are…

• 22 Jan 2024
• 6 min read
• 0

So When Was The Actual Best Time To Buy A Property In Singapore? Here’s A Look At What History Tells Us

“When is the best time to buy a property?” echoes as one of the most perennial questions in the world of real estate, often shadowed by the equally common “when is the best time to sell your property?” This week,…

• 2 Jan 2024
• 5 min read
• 0

2023 Year-End Review Of The Singapore Property Market: Key Numbers And Trends You Need To Know

Things are finally starting to calm down in Singapore’s private property market, with 2023 seeing the tail-end of the post-pandemic supply crunch. But for many buyers, complaints of high prices are still prevalent: private home prices may be flattening out,…

• 30 Dec 2023
• 7 min read
• 0

The Hidden Costs Of Property Selling: Unveiling The Real Cost Behind Agent Commissions In Singapore

Hang around on forums or in coffee shops (or anywhere in Singapore really), and you’re bound to hear complaints about property agent commissions. A common impression is that realtors hike up their commissions for even “simple” jobs, like listing your…

• 28 Dec 2023
• 5 min read
• 0

7 Surprising Hidden Residential Plots On The Master Plan You May Not Know About

Even in a country as strict as Singapore, it’s hard to rigidly apply urban planning. Somehow or other, buildings still end up in the wrong zones; perhaps due to timing issues (the zoning rules changed while they were still there),…

• 21 Dec 2023
• 6 min read
• 1