Commentary

Will Rich Foreigners Still Want Your Prime District Condo In 2022?

As of December 2021, there’s been an ongoing debate on whether Singapore property is still attractive to foreigners. Some believe the answer is a definite no, with stamp duties hiked by a whopping 10 per cent; yet others point to…

• 29 Apr 2022
• 5 min read
• 2

The Case Of A “Matrimonial” Bukit Timah Home: Why A Woman Was Denied A Share

There was a bit of a surprise this February, when a lady was denied her one-third share of a property after a divorce. This was after an appeals court ruled that the house did not constitute a matrimonial asset; an…

• 20 Apr 2022
• 7 min read
• 2

Are Property Valuations A Hidden Culprit In Rising Property Prices?

An often overlooked, but important, element of home loan financing is the valuation. For anyone buying a resale private property, the valuation can impact the initial cash outlay, the stamp duty, and which bank gets chosen. But is the hunt…

• 15 Apr 2022
• 4 min read
• 0

23.8% Senior Citizens By 2030: How Singapore’s Ageing Population Will Affect Physical Real Estate

We recently came across this article in Straits Times with quite eye-opening statistics on Singapore’s ageing population: The proportion of Singapore residents who are seniors is estimated to double from 16 per cent in 2021 to 33 per cent by…

• 13 Apr 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

Resale HDB Flat Prices Reach A Record High For Q1, But There’s Hope For Buyers Yet

Let’s start with a bit of bad news for homebuyers: resale flat prices ended Q1 2022 at a record high. This is, in fact, the highest we’ve ever seen in around a decade – we’ve even beat the previous peak…

• 11 Apr 2022
• 5 min read
• 1

Fab Or Fail: We Rate These 7 New Condo Trends Of The Past Decade

Every now and then, a developer tries something new that takes off – then before you know it, every other developer is following suit, and you have the makings of a trend. But how practical are these? Will they go…

• 30 Mar 2022
• 8 min read
• 0

Is Housing In Singapore Still Affordable To The Average Singaporean In 2022?

Home prices are at record highs in 2022, and now we face the threat of higher interest rates; we’re not surprised that home buyers are starting to get anxious. This leads us to that old battleground of divisive opinions: how…

• 29 Mar 2022
• 7 min read
• 0

The Housing Struggles Of Singles Below 35: Should We Be Easing Restrictions?

Homes for singles continue to be a hot topic, on sites from Reddit to coffee shop talk. Of late, we’ve seen discussions about lowering the age requirement, as mentioned by Member of Parliament Pritam Singh (check out a Reddit discussion…

• 19 Mar 2022
• 8 min read
• 0

Japan Vs Singapore: Why Japan’s Zoning Laws Make Sense And What We Can Learn

It’s no surprise that space constraints are a major factor in Singapore. However, Japan – while admittedly bigger – often has the same issues, with most of the country consisting of islands. And as Singapore’s population grows, and we seek…

• 16 Mar 2022
• 6 min read
• 2

Should You Pick A Property Agent Based On The Type Of Car He Or She Drives?

If you hang around social media long enough, you would have seen it – the supercars, the high-end watches, and other displays of material wealth. And more often than not, it comes from… drumrolls Property agents. (And maybe some financial…

• 14 Mar 2022
• 7 min read
• 4

8 Shady Real Estate Practices To Look Out For In Singapore

As a whole, Singapore’s real estate scene is much improved from decades ago; some of our parents probably remember when the rules were more like suggestions than laws. But while the rise of CEA has weeded out most of the bad…

• 12 Mar 2022
• 8 min read
• 0

Will My HDB Flat Be Worth $0 When The Lease Expires, And Should We Change Things?

Probably one of the biggest questions most HDB buyers have is: what happens when the 99-year lease is up? Does it just go down to zero? Or will you have an option of extending the lease? A recent discussion on…

• 9 Feb 2022
• 7 min read
• 9

Is 2022 The Best Or Worst Time To Upgrade From An HDB Flat?

Looking ahead in 2022, one question is likely to stand out: is it a great time to upgrade, given record high resale flat prices? Or is it, conversely, the worst time to upgrade, given that property prices are high across…

• 8 Feb 2022
• 7 min read
• 0

5 Property Types That May Be Most Affected By The New Cooling Measures

We previously looked at how various buyers and sellers are affected by cooling measures; but what about property types? Will landed homes, for instance, be affected more than condos? And is there a wider impact on resale than new launches?…

• 17 Jan 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

Why 4,580 Homeowners Have Negative Cash Sales Despite High Property Prices

The CPF Board said this week that around 4,580 Singaporeans couldn’t refund the full amount of CPF they used for housing, after selling their property. This number was higher than around 3,960 people the year before, and around 3,380 people…

• 11 Jan 2022
• 7 min read
• 0

6 Major Property Trends To Watch In The Singapore Property Market In 2022

With the start of the new year, some first-time homebuyers in Singapore are understandably nervous: home prices are at record highs across the board, and it’s uncertain if late cooling measures from last December will have a significant impact. At…

• 8 Jan 2022
• 9 min read
• 2

From A HDB Undersupply To Interest Rates Hikes, Here’s Why The New Cooling Measures Were Necessary

There’s been much talk and chatter around the new cooling measures. Understandably so, as housing is always such a touchy topic for many people. So far there have been lots of contributions and viewpoints on how the new cooling measures…

• 4 Jan 2022
• 3 min read
• 0

Top 10 Most-Read Stacked Articles in 2021

As the year draws to a close (and I think I speak for everyone when I say that it’s been an eventful one). Given that 2021 started with reports of a more contagious strain of the virus in South Africa,…

• 30 Dec 2021
• 8 min read
• 0