Commentary

Inheriting An HDB or Condo? Here Are 5 Simple Guidelines To Help You Decide Whether To Sell Or Keep

Most Singaporeans aim to keep property “within the family”. It’s one of the main attractions of buying freehold after all; and your children or grandchildren have a tremendous edge, if they don’t need to pay a mortgage. However, while Singapore…

• 22 Jul 2021
• 7 min read
• 2

4 Ways Singapore Population Trends Can Impact Home Buyers

Despite the current trend toward bigger homes, Singapore household sizes are shrinking. Chalk it up to smaller families, fewer Singaporeans having children, and an ageing population. This matters to property buyers, as homes are long-term investments; and it’s worth considering…

• 16 Jul 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

Can Resale Condos Maintain Their Momentum For The Rest Of 2021?

First-time buyers and upgraders were hit by more bad news, for end-June 2021. It was expected that a return to Phase Two (Heightened Alert) might cool prices a bit, and buyers aiming at the resale market were hoping new launches…

• 15 Jul 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

Are Home Prices Finally Cooling Again In 2021?

2021 has been a tough year for buyers; especially first-time home seekers. We’ve seen prices rise in almost every property segment, from resale flats to condos to landed homes. The end of Q2 2021, however, may give buyers a glimmer…

• 5 Jul 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

Holland V Condo Price War (Hyll on Holland vs Leedon Green): Should You Jump In?

The Singapore private property market is on an uptrend, to the point where even new cooling measures are being considered. Despite all that, even in this supposedly strong seller’s market, some new launches are struggling. We recently talked about a…

• 25 Jun 2021
• 8 min read
• 2

An Inside Look Into Co-Broke Deals: 5 Things You Must Know To Help In Your Property Purchase

Have you heard of co-broking? It is basically a term that describes the sharing of commissions between 2 agents on opposite sides. If you are not an agent, perhaps this word might not be important to you. But if you…

• 23 Jun 2021
• 8 min read
• 1

How Hot Is the Singapore Property Market In 2021? Here’s My Experience From 3 Cases On The Ground

You might have seen the various headlines of how hot the Singapore property market is. The weird confluence of factors like a pandemic, construction delays, and the realisation that a bigger home is necessary in the new normal of WFH…

• 5 Jun 2021
• 5 min read
• 2

Will Landed Homes Continue Their Momentum In The Singapore Market For 2021?

The landed property market saw a strong pick up in Q4 2020. Back then, we heard plenty of market watchers speculate that landed prices had to come down soon; it just took time for Covid-19’s effects to bite.  Well, it…

• 23 May 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

4 Major Chinese Developers in Singapore: An Overview Of Their Performance So Far

Make no mistake, China is big in many ways. It has a population of 1.412 billion people, and it has the 4th largest geographical area in the world.  Comparatively, Singapore is ranked the 20th smallest country in the world (by…

• 15 May 2021
• 8 min read
• 2

Can Young Singaporean Home Buyers Survive The 2021 Property Market?

Singapore’s property market is booming, with resale flat prices at eight-year-highs, and private home prices rising for four straight quarters. Coupled with job worries over Covid-19, and construction delays, all of this poses a problem for young, first-time home buyers….

• 4 May 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

Why Are Singapore Property Prices Returning To Pre-Covid-19 Levels So Fast?

There’s been some recent buzz over a report by Colliers, predicting a return to pre-Covid-19 levels for Singapore property. Before we get too excited, this isn’t specific to Singapore’s residential property scene only; the prediction is based on real estate…

• 21 Apr 2021
• 7 min read
• 0

Are Properties Near Desker Road Investment-worthy? 5 Crucial Points To Know

While it’s not as flamboyant as Geylang, many Singaporeans may also know that Desker Road is a red-light area. But as areas like Bugis* and Keong Saik Road demonstrate, these locations can clean up over time. And when they do,…

• 14 Apr 2021
• 7 min read
• 0

The Trend of Commission Cashback – Why It Happens And Why It Can Be Harmful

This article below by The Business Times provided a look on the practice of commission cashback – or better known as agents sharing new launch commissions with their buyer. The reason this happens? Developers have to sell their units but…

• 4 Apr 2021
• 5 min read
• 4

PPVC Construction : Why It Matters For Investors (The Good, Bad, And Ugly)

Let’s roll back time to the year 2017.  You are a savvy property investor, and have realised that the property market has bottomed out. So you believe it is now the right time to start buying your investment property. You’ve…

• 3 Apr 2021
• 5 min read
• 5

Why Old, Strata Malls Matter More Than You Think

Queensway Shopping Centre, Katong Shopping Centre, Golden Mile Tower…these old malls are often disregarded, or even considered eyesores. When it comes to “important old buildings”, Singaporeans tend to think of shophouses or historic bungalows; the concept of an old strata-titled…

• 25 Mar 2021
• 6 min read
• 0

SERS: What Is It, Where Has It Happened, And What Are Your Odds?

The Selective En-Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) is often considered the next big “HDB lottery winner”, next to a central region BTO flat. In fact, one of the reasons many Singaporeans want a central region flat is because they believe there’s…

• 14 Mar 2021
• 5 min read
• 0

Why ABSD For Developers Needs To Be Tweaked And How It Affects You As A Home Buyer

Most home buyers are familiar with the concept of Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD) as it applies to them. What’s less commonly known is that property developers also have to pay ABSD; and this added tax shapes multiple decisions. From…

• 12 Mar 2021
• 7 min read
• 2

Humility Is The Greatest Investment Strategy. Here’re 5 Reasons Why.

I listened to the story with fascination as the property agent shared with me the story about how his seller turned down a record price for his unit. Why? Because the buyer had remarked that “the kitchen was ugly”. I…

• 24 Feb 2021
• 7 min read
• 0