Commentary

12 Reasons To Be Happy (Or Scared) About The Singapore Property Market In 2023

2022 was a wild ride for the property market, and for the world in general. From a new war in Europe, to record-high interest rates, to new cooling measures. There are definitely some bumps ahead in the coming year, but…

• 21 Dec 2022
• 9 min read
• 1

Will Property Prices Remain High In 2023? Here’s Why A Property Undersupply May Prop Up Demand Despite The Economic Uncertainty

Every five years, there should be a cycle of en-bloc sales where property developers replenish land banks, and put up new developments. The last bout was in 2017; so why aren’t we seeing a major one in 2022? Compounding the…

• 12 Dec 2022
• 8 min read
• 0

7 Useful Questions To Ask Your Property Agent Before You Buy Or Sell Your Property

Most of us know the routine questions to ask a realtor, such as “how long have you been in the industry,” or “where was the last place you sold,” and so forth. These questions are so common that most realtors…

• 7 Dec 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

6 Reasons Why You May Want To Avoid A Friend/Family As An Agent

It’s a common enough practice in Singapore: you have a friend or relative who is a property agent, so you’d feel bad not asking them to manage the buying or selling of your home. But what happens when something goes…

• 30 Nov 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

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

Cheapest Condos And HDBs In Singapore: Here’s How Much Prices Have Risen Since 2020

With private home and resale flat prices rising across the board, is a cheap home even possible in 2022? It’s a tough year for first-time home buyers, and even HDB upgraders have been slowly starting to be priced out. Here’s…

• 28 Nov 2022
• 4 min read
• 0

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

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

33 New Launch Condos Near Their ABSD Deadline In 2022/23

With the new condo supply at a current low, the chances of a discount are slim in 2022. But if there’s one thing that could still pressure developers into discounts, it would be the Additional Buyers Stamp Duty. While this…

• 10 Nov 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

A Surprising Lack Of Bids For Bukit Timah And Hillview GLS Sites: Are Developers Less Confident?

The bids for two land plots at Bukit Timah and Hillview were a surprise to market watchers this week. These mid-sized plots in proven areas were expected to draw substantial developer attention; especially with new launches seeing continued demand and…

• 8 Nov 2022
• 5 min read
• 0

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

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

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

Is A HDB Flat Oversupply Inevitable In The Future? What Happens When Our Parents Generation Passes On

Given the demand for HDB flats over the pandemic period, HDB has ramped up production of new flats in 2021/22, and we’ve seen flat prices reach their highest in close to a decade. In light of the present situation, it…

• 20 Oct 2022
• 6 min read
• 3

4 Ways URA’s New Move To Curb Shoebox Units In Central Areas Could Affect The Singapore Property Market

The last time URA moved to curb shoebox units (one-bedder units, generally defined as 510 sq. ft. or smaller) was back in 2018. At the time, the impact was only for developments outside the central area. If you want a…

• 19 Oct 2022
• 5 min read
• 0

The Real Effect Of Loan Curbs On The Singapore Property Market: A Quick Look Back At History

One of the most dreaded policy tweaks by MAS is loan curbs – restrictions on how much you can borrow. In almost every round of cooling measures, we’ve come to learn that nothing makes buyers shrink back more than a…

• 18 Oct 2022
• 4 min read
• 2

Are New ECs Still Attractive After The New Cooling Measures?

After the December 2021 cooling measures, the general consensus was that Executive Condominiums (ECs) would be more attractive. At the time, we broadly agreed with the sentiments (even though it was more to do with rising prices across the board…

• 17 Oct 2022
• 6 min read
• 2

“I Ended Up A Tenant Of My Old Home” How 3 Singaporean Homeowners Are Dealing With The New Cooling Measures

The 15-month wait-out, from the September cooling measures, was one of the most stunning last-minute shifts we encountered. Several Singaporean homeowners were caught unprepared; these range from those who had just sold their condo units (and are now forced to…

• 12 Oct 2022
• 5 min read
• 1