Property Market Commentary

Love It Or Hate It: Singaporeans Weigh In On Common HDB Rules

HDB flats are a staple of Singapore living; but amid the rules and regulations to create a harmonious estate, some things aren’t well received. This week, we want to find out the main likes – and dislikes – of existing…

• 12 Jan 2023
• 7 min read
• 0
• 171

I Sold 3 Condos In My First Month As An Agent, But Nothing For 18 Months After: Here’s Why New Agents Need To Worry

With the property market being at a new peak, we’ve seen a familiar phenomenon; one that we also witnessed back in 2013: there’s a flood of new realtors looking to join the market. The Straits Times reported 4,487 new agents…

• 10 Jan 2023
• 6 min read
• 0
• 745

2022 Year-End Review Of The Singapore Property Market: Key Numbers And Trends You Need To Know

At the end of 2021, we expressed hopes that 2022 would see a return to normalcy. We shouldn’t have done that, because we jinxed it. 2022 ended up being even more volatile than the previous year, as we move from…

• 31 Dec 2022
• 9 min read
• 0
• 808

Our 10 Most Read Articles About Singapore Real Estate In 2022

As 2022 draws to a close, it’s time to look back and see which of our editorial pieces has really resonated with you, our readers.  And from what we can see, it’s probably safe to say that effort sometimes doesn’t…

• 30 Dec 2022
• 7 min read
• 0
• 103

Better Housing Policies For Singles? 4 Things We Wish To See In The Singapore Property Market In 2023

2022 was one of the toughest years on record for property buyers. Home prices reached record highs across the board, and it was pricey even to rent. Nonetheless, there were some silver linings, and both developers and government bodies were…

• 29 Dec 2022
• 7 min read
• 0
• 139

Should We Build More HDB Maisonettes? 5 Convincing Reasons Why

HDB stopped building maisonettes way back in 1995, but Singaporeans never got over their love for it. As we’ve pointed out before, a significant portion of million-dollar flats are maisonettes; and if Singaporeans are buying them despite the advanced lease…

• 23 Dec 2022
• 5 min read
• 0
• 1.1k

How Can War Affect The Price Of Your Home

Like the pandemic, no one could have predicted the onset of war in 2022. Just as things seemingly were getting better with vaccinations and travel, Ukraine was invaded by Russia on 24th Feb 2022. This rattled investors’ nerves and sapped…

• 23 Dec 2022
• < 1 min read
• 0
• 39

The Untold Mystery Of The Luxury Condo That Was Never Built In Singapore: The Ferrari-Themed Ferra In Orchard

Singapore’s property development scene has a nearly 100 per cent rate of successfully completed projects. It’s a rare occasion when a developer can’t follow through, or willingly abandons a project midway (and perhaps even more so when it’s with one…

• 22 Dec 2022
• 7 min read
• 0
• 528

The Trivelis DBSS Vs Clementi Ridges Issue 10 Years On: Did Trivelis Owners Really Lose Out?

Several years ago, the DBSS project Trivelis made the news, but not in a good way. Besides some quality complaints, the biggest issue was due to their newer neighbour next door. Buyers were miffed when a BTO project – Clementi…

• 20 Dec 2022
• 6 min read
• 1
• 940

The Story Of HDB’s Struggles With The DBSS: Why It Was Doomed To Fail

The Design Build And Sell Scheme (DBSS) was first introduced by the then Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan in 2005. It aimed to involve private developers in the building of public housing to offer buyers with higher incomes…

• 15 Dec 2022
• < 1 min read
• 0
• 286

Can Executive Condominiums Actually Be Unprofitable? 3 Interesting Points To Note From The Data

Last week we put out a list of the most profitable Executive Condominiums, that were sold right after the five-year MOP. Our plan was to put out a companion piece this week, on the least profitable ECs; and to be…

• 14 Dec 2022
• 5 min read
• 2
• 650

We Spoke To BCA To Clear Common Property Misconceptions In Singapore: Here Are 9 You Need To Know

Singapore has a high-quality built environment, so most of us don’t’ ponder questions like “what if my condo runs out of money?” Or “will the government kick out an incompetent management council?” These are questions to which we often receive…

• 29 Nov 2022
• 6 min read
• 2
• 431

A Fight Over The Sale Of An HDB Flat: 3 Interesting Takeaways From A Co-ownership Tussle

In recent news, we’ve heard of the struggle between a widow and her brother-in-law, over an HDB flat. Her husband had left his portion of the flat to her (30 per cent) after passing on. Her brother-in-law (who owned the…

• 22 Nov 2022
• 4 min read
• 0
• 476

Not Every Property Agent Wants To Sell/Rent Your Home: We Reveal 5 Reasons Why

Property agents are usually hungry for work, so it’s a surprise when they put you on the back-burner. This has been increasingly common in 2022, as the market is hot and agents are spoiled for choice of clients – and…

• 19 Nov 2022
• 6 min read
• 2
• 517

Why Singapore Property Is A Hotspot For The Super Rich: The Rise Of The Centi-Millionaires

At this stage of cooling measures, there’s growing concern that even Singapore’s stable climate might put off foreign property investment. The Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD) rate for foreigners now stands at 30 per cent; this is against a backdrop…

• 7 Nov 2022
• 5 min read
• 0
• 819

6 Reasons Why New 3 Bedroom Condos Could Get Smaller Yet

A recent report from Property Guru states that the size of three-bedder units has fallen; from around 1,700 to 1,800 sq. ft. in the 1980s, to around 1,000 sq. ft. today. It probably won’t surprise anyone that, as a general…

• 31 Oct 2022
• 7 min read
• 1
• 702

Singaporeans Share Their Frustrations About “Affordable” Public Housing: Here Are Some Of The Best Points From Reddit

There have been some split opinions on the affordability of HDB housing, following an infographic in the Sunday Times. Of late, the topic seems to hold two divergent opinions: the first that HDB is too expensive and these infographics are…

• 26 Oct 2022
• 6 min read
• 1
• 970

A Condo Built Specifically For The Elderly In Singapore? 5 Features We’d Like To See In Such A Development

Let’s face it: Singapore’s unofficial senior care body has become HDB. When it comes to housing for retirees, there’s an overwhelming assumption that most people can sell their private property and move into flats. That’s why HDB constantly has to…

• 25 Oct 2022
• 8 min read
• 2
• 1.2k