Should You “Sell One, Buy Two”, Or Just Buy A Bigger Condo Unit? With a bumper crop of resale flats hitting the market, and prices rising across the board, it seems the Singapore private property market is in upgrading mode; and so much for the coronavirus. This inevitably brings up the upgrading trend… 12 Dec 2020 7 min read 4
Can Singaporeans Really Afford Their Properties During Covid-19? Last year, MAS issued cautions as new launches grew, side-lining resale units. Then the re-issue of Options To Purchase (OTPs) came to an end, ostensibly because it could contribute to “property fever”. As of yesterday, MAS has directly advised prudence… 8 Dec 2020 6 min read 0
How Do We Deal With The “Unfairness” Of Prime Region HDB Flats? Before you fork out $20,000 or $30,000 in Cash Over Valuation (COV), you should pay close attention to what National Development Minister Desmond Lee has been saying. Amid various discussions on Covid-19, mortgages, and help for the construction industry, the… 1 Dec 2020 5 min read 0
What Should You Check When Buying A Tenanted Property In Singapore? You’ve found the ideal property that’s five minutes from work and the children’s school, but there’s just one issue: a tenant is living there, and his lease only expires almost 10 months from now. That’s a long time to wait… 29 Nov 2020 7 min read 0
6 Key Steps To Take When Right-sizing Your Property So the children have moved out, and you’re sick of cleaning up your huge 1980’s five-room flat / three-storey bungalow / humongous condo. Or perhaps it’s time to cash out and retire early or retire well. Whatever the case, you’re… 25 Nov 2020 7 min read 0
Why You Should Rethink Any Expensive Property Investment Seminars By now, you’ve probably seen the YouTube ads warning you about declining HDB flat values; or the older ads claiming you can own multiple properties with no money down. Most recently, a certain education company has come under fire for… 21 Nov 2020 8 min read 6
How Can An Old Condo Be A Better Investment? “Lease decay” is the buzzword that never seems to go away. On the HDB end of things, it leads to constant complaints that you “don’t really own your flat”. In Singapore’s private property market, it leads to comments like “99-year… 17 Nov 2020 7 min read 2
Singapore’s Major Integrated Developments: A 5-year Update The term “integrated development” is bandied about quite a bit in the Singapore private property market. Often, it’s confused with mixed-use developments, or as just a condo with a few shops. In actuality, an integrated development is one that combines… 15 Nov 2020 8 min read 0
How Does 2020’s Low Interest Rates Impact Your Property Purchase? If you have been on the lookout for a home this year, you’ve probably heard this many times by now. Now is a good time to buy, as the costs of borrowing money is so much lower. Put simply, a… 12 Nov 2020 6 min read 0
What’s Driving The Aggressive Bids For The Tanah Merah And Yishun GLS Sites? Given the current Covid-19 crisis, you’d think developers would want to play it safe. After all, who would dare to make aggressive bids for Government Land Sales (GLS) sites, when we don’t know how the market will look a year… 10 Nov 2020 7 min read 2
Is It Time To Refinance From An HDB Loan To A Bank Loan? After almost seven years of consecutive decline, the HDB resale market seems to have turned a corner. They hit a 10-year high as of Q3 2020; and there’s a good chance the momentum will continue. Perhaps you’ve been tempted into… 5 Nov 2020 7 min read 0
Neighbourhood Of The Week: Yishun (District 27) Yishun is one of the most meme-worthy neighbourhoods in Singapore. It’s nicknames include “The Devil’s Ring” and to date, it’s the only neighbourhood to have inspired a website entirely about its strange happenings. It’s also one of the rare non-central… 1 Nov 2020 5 min read 0
Margin Calls: Possibly The Most Overlooked Risk In High-quantum Properties You could say that the Singapore private property market has left many people puzzled. Despite Singapore seeing its worst recession in over 55 years, home sales and prices are rising across the board. HDB resale flats are at a 10-year… 30 Oct 2020 5 min read 0
Working From Home: 3 Ways To Add A Working Space Into Your Home You could say that working from home has been an unintended perk from the miserable Covid-19 situation. It has been a little more than 6 months (where has all that time gone?) since circuit breaker measures were first introduced, and… 22 Oct 2020 7 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 7 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
4 Practical Ways To Use Supply And Demand For Property Research Supply and demand – it’s basic economics. It’s the reason why Hermes can sell $10,000 Birkin bags (which may sound incredulous to some), and yet still garner a long waiting list along with a booming resale market. Or why certain… 10 Oct 2020 8 min read 2