Will We Start Seeing More 60-year Lease Condos Soon? There are two types of people who buy freehold properties, and they don’t realise they should hate each other. Not until the en-bloc meeting happens. You see, for some people, the benefit of a freehold condo is they think that… 14 Jan 2024 5 min read 2
Here’s Why You Should Consult An Architect Before Buying A Landed Home (Don’t Make This Same $18m Mistake) Sometimes, not being seen as a property expert is an advantage In a recent case, a buyer’s attempt to sue a real estate agency over an $18.6 million Good Class Bungalow (GCB) didn’t go well. The issue? A drainage reserve… 8 Jan 2024 4 min read 0
How Singapore’s New Rental Rules May Benefit Landlords (And Tenants) Sometimes, we need to remember who depends on who, when it comes to foreign workers. Domestic helpers aside, I’m also talking about foreign workers of the non-Sentosa-Cove variety. From Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, etc., we rely on foreigners for… 23 Dec 2023 4 min read 4
The Curious Case Of Multi-Million Dollar Coffeeshops In Singapore If anything will make me believe in Feng Shui, it’s coffee shops Take, for instance, this coffee shop which I frequent, which was sold for $40.5 million. To begin with, I personally disagree with most of the comments on why… 17 Dec 2023 4 min read 1
The Main Reason Why En Blocs Don’t Go Through.. Singapore’s most talented diplomats are wasted in the property market. When the government needs expert negotiators, they should be looking for the en-bloc specialists in property firms. Because if anyone can pull off even one successful en-bloc negotiation, they’ll have… 10 Dec 2023 4 min read 0
What Is The Impact Of The Upgrades To Bayshore? Well, there goes the seaview. For decades, the residents in the Bayshore Road cluster (three condos: Costa Del Sol, Bayshore Road, and Bayshore Park) have tolerated poor public transport access, and limited amenities, in exchange for one of Singapore’s best… 3 Dec 2023 4 min read 0
How The Inevitable Decline Of Petrol Stations May Affect Your Property In Singapore We tend to overlook petrol stations, when it comes to analysing real estate. The humble petrol kiosk is not something we look for, when scouting out the surroundings of a condo; and most brochures would never bother to mention these…. 26 Nov 2023 5 min read 0
Will New Upfront Property Agent Fees Scare Homebuyers Away? We have the solution to the co-broking problem (because hopeless optimism is still a kind of solution) 16 property agencies have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding, on how to resolve co-broking disputes. If you’re not sure why this is a… 19 Nov 2023 5 min read 0
Will Singapore Property Prices Drop In 2024? For Singapore’s property market, the writing’s on the wall for analysts and realtors alike. In an opinion that managed to surprise exactly zero people, Morgan Stanley has shifted its position on two key developers from overweight and equal weight to… 12 Nov 2023 5 min read 2
When My Condo Maintenance Bill Tripled: A Cautionary Tale For Future Condo Buyers The maintenance fees for Dairy Farm Residences are a “bit” higher than the original quote. Quoted maintenance fees are only an estimate, I get that. But when the difference is off by 150 to 200 per cent, it makes you… 5 Nov 2023 5 min read 5
What Would It Take To See Cooling Measures Lifted In Singapore It’s nice to see somebody is easing off their cooling measures But sadly it’s not us. This is happening in Hong Kong right now, where the added taxes on properties for foreigners has been halved to 7.5 per cent. Interestingly,… 30 Oct 2023 5 min read 0
Here’s How NOT To Sell A Condo… No way, not another lawsuit over KAP. I thought the issues with KAP Residences were settled, after the legal entanglements with the developer. Owners at KAP Residences were more than a little peeved, when promised tenants like McDonald’s and Cold… 23 Oct 2023 5 min read 0
How HDB’s New Penalty Is Changing The BTO Game Have you ever held a seat for a friend in a crowded food court? You know, the type of buddy who tells you “I’ll come back in a few minutes,” so you chope their seat despite the grumbling of people… 15 Oct 2023 4 min read 2
A Story Of A Singaporean’s Overseas Property Investment Gone Wrong (But Saved By The Law) Sellers at property seminars are more accountable than many would suspect. One of the criticisms I tend to hear about property seminars – both from investors and local realtors – is that there’s a lack of accountability. Caveat emptor applies,… 8 Oct 2023 5 min read 0
Are You Having Difficulty Achieving A RECORD-BREAKING PRICE For Your Home? The resale market isn’t the only thing that can overheat. From what I saw on Reddit, some property agents’ flyers are also raising the heat: Perhaps blatantly advertising your skills in raising home prices isn’t a great idea right now…. 1 Oct 2023 6 min read 0
These Homes Costs About The Same As A Toto Ticket: But Here’s Why Singaporeans Wouldn’t Buy Them Anyway They’d need a very different marketing strategy to make Singaporeans buy dollar-homes abroad. For those who don’t know, Japan isn’t the only place with super-cheap homes. Italy also has homes going for a single euro, and cities like Detroit in… 24 Sep 2023 5 min read 0
How Buying A Condo With This Agent Resulted In A Huge $380k Loss For This Buyer After all these years, the Option To Purchase still terrifies me. If there’s a reason I’ll never be a property agent (besides having the persuasive power of a neurotic pigeon, that is), it will be the Option To Purchase (OTP)…. 17 Sep 2023 4 min read 0
Why Are There So Many Millon Dollar HDB Flats Still? We’ve broken the record for million-dollar flats again, as of August 2023. Well, they did say National Day is a time to reflect on what makes us Singaporean; and at this point, million-dollar flats are on par with chicken rice,… 10 Sep 2023 5 min read 0