News

Is $1.1 Billion For PropertyGuru A Good Deal?

What is so expensive, you can have US $1.1 billion and still find yourself coming up short? That’s what makes me scratch my head, when the grand-daddy of property portals has been cutting jobs and closing some units. The portal I’m referring to is…

• 25 Aug 2024
• 5 min read
• 0

Why Cash Over Valuation (COV) Doesn’t Matter Anymore

It seems concealing Cash Over Valuation (COV) isn’t helping to slow down flat prices anymore. First, we had a $1.73 million flat, and now a listing in Bishan Block 261 is pushing for $1.88 million. This is for a maisonette;…

• 18 Aug 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

Are Resale HDBs Really Unaffordable In 2024?

When it comes to housing, always rethink using the “a” word. By that, I mean affordability, which is the most dangerous thing one can say about Singapore housing. Bringing it up is bound to hit a nerve on either side…

• 11 Aug 2024
• 3 min read
• 0

Here’s How Much Landed Homes Used To Cost In Singapore (We Found An Actual Advertisement)

You’ve probably heard landed homes used to be cheap in Singapore; but maybe you didn’t realise just how cheap:  As a point of comparison, average landed home prices (resale) in District 19, where Serangoon Gardens is located, was $1,853 psf…

• 5 Aug 2024
• 5 min read
• 0

HDB Owners Revealed This Reason As The Main Obstacle To Upgrading In 2024. Shocking? Not Quite.

At what point has the average Singaporean said “High prices aren’t the problem in buying a condo?” Along with people who don’t like money, or a cai png stall with consistent pricing, this is right up there with things that…

• 28 Jul 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

A New HDB Record Price: $1.73m For A 5-Room Resale HDB At SkyOasis @ Dawson

What’s happened here, exactly? Did the former owners’ renovation involve imported Italian marble and melted-down bits of the British crown? Were the buyers unfamiliar with the concept of money? And how many more ads will HDB now have to put…

• 22 Jul 2024
• 4 min read
• 1

Unconventional Tactics Some Singaporeans Use To Save Money When Buying Property

Could you possibly spend $0 on renovations? That was my question to a friend of mine, who just bought a resale flat. This isn’t a new flat either: we’re talking 1970-something construction, and there’s still a squat toilet. Usually with…

• 21 Jul 2024
• 5 min read
• 0

96 Million-Dollar HDBs Sold In June: Who Is Buying?

Some time ago, I mentioned that prices of certain resale flats are likely to go higher because of the Plus and Prime flats. At least for the near term. So it’s not too surprising that the number of million-dollar HDB…

• 14 Jul 2024
• 4 min read
• 2

A Worrying New Property Scam May Be Coming To Singapore…

There’s a pessimistic saying that criminals are faster at adopting tech than governments.  I like to believe that’s not true, but my experience so far has taught me otherwise. Case in point: someone at Stacked recently had a family member…

• 7 Jul 2024
• 5 min read
• 0

I Wouldn’t Count Too much on ABSD-related discounts this year…

I wouldn’t count too much on ABSD-related discounts this year. If you’ve never heard of it, an ABSD discount is when a developer comes close to its five-year deadline for completing and selling 90 per cent of the units. If…

• 30 Jun 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

This Hasn’t Happened In The Singapore Property Market In 20 Years…

Zero bids for a GLS site, I never thought I’d see the day. This GLS site at Upper Thomson, next to Springleaf MRT station, has attracted a record-breaking zero bids from developers. This is a 53,729 sqm site, with a…

• 23 Jun 2024
• 5 min read
• 0

Another 2,000 New Homes To Come: What Does This Mean For Prices?

You know how Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman form the trinity of DC comics? We have something exactly like that in the property market, and it’s about to go big. URA is planning for close to 2,000 new homes in…

• 16 Jun 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

Does This Mean The Foreigner ABSD Is Going To Be Lowered Soon?

Why do we have so many new land plots for sale in prime areas right now? For those who have been keeping track of new land releases in Singapore, it may seem like  bit of a puzzle why the government…

• 9 Jun 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

The Costly Mistake Of Buying The Wrong Property In Singapore In 2024

The high cost of getting your property purchase wrong in Singapore. Do you need to wait a few more years to afford a condo? Or are you just unsure? Then you may just want to wait. There are people –…

• 2 Jun 2024
• 5 min read
• 0

Finally, The First HDB In Bukit Timah In 40 Years…

HDB seems locked in a constant battle with what Singaporeans call “the rich people areas.”  HDB seems to view enclaves – be it ethnic enclaves, or areas defined by a certain socioeconomic strata – as areas that need to be…

• 26 May 2024
• 5 min read
• 3

Will The New HDB Resale Listing Portal Really Cut Out Agents?

If I were a good property agent, I’d be pretty happy with the HDB resale portal. In fact, I’d want it to be bigger and have all the listings. Far from a threat of being “cut out”, the resale portal…

• 20 May 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

$2 Million Dollar HDB: Is The Agent Really To Blame?

If you have an unrealistic boss, ask a realtor how to cope. The often-overlooked benefit(?) of being a property agent is that, after a while, you learn to accommodate a wide range of delusions. Realtors have, for instance, the ability…

• 12 May 2024
• 4 min read
• 0

Is This The Right Way To Cut Property Agent Numbers?

One way to lower prices is to take out the middleman, right? It used to be a no-brainer for me. But over the years, I’ve been forced to admit that some middlemen (and related fee collectors) are indispensable. Like when…

• 5 May 2024
• 5 min read
• 0