Commentary

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

10 Craziest Property Flipping Transactions Within A Week (One Made $637k In A Day!)

Here’s one way to feel old: It has been a long 14 years since the Sellers Stamp Duty (SSD) was first implemented (which has no doubt impacted the Singapore property market significantly). For an entire generation of younger homebuyers, you…

• 16 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 I BTO In My Early 20s Or Wait Till Later?

With the constant inflation of BTO flats with every new release from HDB, young people like myself get more hard-pressed and wish that we could turn back time and submit those application forms much earlier in our lives.  I will…

• 8 May 2024
• 10 min read
• 0

Can You Make Money From Sentosa Property? Here’s What We Can Learn From The Profitable Ones

With prices at the recent The Residences at W slashed by over 40 per cent, there has been much talk and excitement about Sentosa properties again. But frankly for anyone looking at buying in Sentosa, they fill a very clear…

• 7 May 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

Where Have Freehold/Leasehold Condo Prices Dropped The Most In 2023/24?

Private properties have reached new heights of unaffordability in the aftermath of Covid; and with ABSD rates sitting at 20 per cent, it’s unsurprising that price is a bigger issue than ever. But this led us to ask: are there…

• 15 Apr 2024
• 5 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

Why Choosing The Right Condo Matters: A Real-Life Story Of Two $1.8M Investments With Drastically Different Returns

Given the high costs of owning more than one property in Singapore, you really only have one shot at making it a wise investment. Here’s a real-life example of how much the outcome can differ if you make the right…

• 18 Mar 2024
• 5 min read
• 2

This New Tampines Condo Owner Made Nearly $1 Million In Profit: Insights From Treasure At Tampines Sales So Far

When Treasure at Tampines first launched, it was one of those projects that captured the attention of many and divided the opinion of many too. Launched about a year before the onset of the pandemic in March 2019, it sold…

• 11 Mar 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

How To Decide Between A New Launch Or Resale Condo (From A Floor Plan Perspective)

Trends change, and the condo market is nothing if not subject to trends. From squash courts to bay windows, many things have come and gone since the first condo was built in the 1970s. And whilst it’s common knowledge that…

• 29 Feb 2024
• 6 min read
• 0

Where Did Home Prices In Singapore Grow The Most (And The Least) In 2023?

2023 was still a disappointing year for many home buyers, when $2,000+ psf became a norm for new launches, and HDB upgraders saw themselves increasingly priced out of the private segment. In hindsight, we can see that even the meteoric…

• 8 Feb 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

The Impact Of High Land Prices On Singapore’s Property Prices: How Land Prices Have Moved Since 1992

One of the main reasons cited by developers, as to why new launch prices are so high, is the price of land. We have an article that covers some of the details here. However, a common criticism we’ve heard from…

• 6 Feb 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

Can You Still Afford To Upgrade To A Condo In 2024? Here’s A Reality Check For HDB Upgraders

The tried and true way of getting a condo is to start with an HDB BTO flat, save every penny you can, and eventually sell it for a tidy profit and move up to a private condo; or at the…

• 2 Feb 2024
• 6 min read
• 4

Singapore’s Best And Worst Performing Property Districts Since The Pandemic: Here’s What We’ve Found

The times are changing, and it’s not just the pandemic that caused it (although it sped things up a bit). Amidst big moves like decentralisation, and Work From Home, the very idea of what constitutes “central” – and hence a…

• 30 Jan 2024
• 5 min read
• 1

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 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

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