News

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

How Property Developers Use Gold To Sell Property In China

Get a gold bar with your property purchase in China Imagine you’re in China right now, where the real estate bubble just popped. A bunch of companies have gone under, and the government is pretty nervous. They’re afraid that if…

• 3 Sep 2023
• 4 min read
• 0

How Property Valuations Quietly Dictate Singapore’s Housing Prices

I like to think of property valuation as a sort of fortune telling.  Sometimes, I think property valuation is less like a science, and more like throwing a deck of tarot cards at a ceiling fan, and then reading whatever…

• 27 Aug 2023
• 6 min read
• 3

10 Foreigners Owning 105 Properties: What Happens Next?

I could never sell a superlux property to anyone. By this I mean the cream-of-the-crop properties, like Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) and penthouses and the like. Even if I were a realtor, and I had a shot at such deals,…

• 20 Aug 2023
• 5 min read
• 0

This Man Created A Nice Community Corner In An HDB Void Deck, And It Was Shut Down. Why?

HDB projects becoming the “elevator music” of residential properties. You know the type of songs: you hear them playing in lifts, or call-waiting devices, or on any album by a boy band between 1990 to 2010.  Music that’s pleasant, inoffensive,…

• 13 Aug 2023
• 5 min read
• 0

Is It Still Worth Investing In A Condo Given The High PSF?

I was looking at some regrets on getting a condo on a Reddit thread lately, about whether a condo is still a good investment.  You can see it here. And reading through it, I noticed a few good points, but…

• 6 Aug 2023
• 7 min read
• 0

Is Singapore’s Property Market Slowing Down? What Top Developers Are Hinting

When buyers spy developer caution, they know their time is coming.  If you are looking out for a home and want to get an insight into the market, one of the best ways is to look at what the developers…

• 30 Jul 2023
• 5 min read
• 0