Property Stories

We Moved To A 38-Year-Old Executive Maisonette: Here’s What It’s Like To Stay In An Old EM In Jurong West

When Winnie (*not her real name for privacy reasons) and her husband were looking for a home for their future family years ago, their top priority was a place with at least three bedrooms as they wanted to have kids….

• 25 Nov 2022
• 7 min read
• 0

Touring Gentle Villas: District 11 Landed Living From $3 Million (Near Novena MRT)

Imagine living with this cityscape just a few minutes walk from your main door! Gentle Villas is a landed enclave in District 11, built by Far East in 1995, that first came to my attention during the COVID lockdown. It’s…

• 20 Nov 2022
• 10 min read
• 2

Touring Paya Lebar Crescent Landed Estate: Freehold & Leasehold Homes From $2.3 Million

This week, we’re doing a tour of Paya Lebar Crescent and its nearby streets. I’d actually been to the area a few years ago, when taking my Mom on a jaunt down memory lane (she lived nearby when she was…

• 13 Nov 2022
• 10 min read
• 0

Touring Elliot Road: A Freehold Landed Estate Very Close To Siglap MRT Station

East Singapore seems to be rather popular with our readers, given the number of requests we have had for tours of the area. To date, we’ve seen Bedok Walk, Siglap, Frankel Avenue, Eastwood and Opera Estate, just to name a…

• 6 Nov 2022
• 11 min read
• 2

I Regret Selling My HDB To Upgrade To A Condo: 4 Homeowners Share Their Story

To most Singaporeans, upgrading is seen as the “natural” thing to do if you start earning more, or your flat appreciates. We probably don’t need to go over the reasons, as there are hundreds of agents waiting to explain to…

• 5 Nov 2022
• 6 min read
• 8

I Regret Moving From A Condo To A HDB: 5 Elderly Homeowners Share Their Biggest Regrets

As the Singapore population ages, comfortable accommodation for the elderly will be a crucial issue. To date, however, the one-size-fits-all solution we’ve applied is “let them sell their property and buy a smaller flat.” But it’s good to look deeper…

• 1 Nov 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

Touring Braddell Heights Estate: Freehold Landed Homes Near 2 MRT Stations

Have you ever seen a property ad that is in, say Holland Village, but is marked as Lorong Chuan on PropertyGuru? Well, I’ve seen, like, hundreds of such ads and always wondered why Lorong Chuan was the default address when…

• 30 Oct 2022
• 9 min read
• 0

Why I Bought Jervois Mansion As My First Home: My Journey As A First Time Homebuyer In Singapore

I’ve always thought buying a home was a very straightforward process.  First, you determine your budget. Then, you come up with a list of ideal homes, narrow down the list through pros and cons, and then decide on which you…

• 28 Oct 2022
• 7 min read
• 0

“It’s Sleazy But It’s Freehold” What It’s Really Like To Live At The Infamous Orchard Towers

Famed for sex and violence, Orchard Towers is one of the spiciest parts of Singapore. It’s even more surprising that it’s located in the very heart of Orchard Road; and it begs the question: would you put up with the…

• 27 Oct 2022
• 9 min read
• 0

Touring Kovan Landed Homes: Affordably Priced From $1.7m, Well-Connected And Bustling

While I’ve toured quite a fair number of landed estates in Singapore, Kovan has eluded my radar so far. And so when a reader asked about it, it only made sense for me to put it down as my next…

• 23 Oct 2022
• 11 min read
• 8

I Nearly Bought A Condo With A Ceiling Leak & Depleting Sinking Fund Issue: Why MCST Problems Need To Be More Transparent

Of late, we’ve had questions from a reader about the MCST system in Singapore; and about how it’s a little opaque and unfair. If you’re a foreigner or have bought property overseas, you may be struck by how little information…

• 17 Oct 2022
• 8 min read
• 16

Touring Westwood Park: More Affordable Landed Homes From Under $2 Million In The West Of Singapore

When a reader asked for a tour of Westwood, I must confess, I sighed. (No offence to anyone living there!) After viewing several 99-year landed estates, I’d noticed that parking is usually in short supply and was dreading the endless…

• 16 Oct 2022
• 10 min read
• 0

A $3.5 Million Budget And 4 Options To Choose From In Bukit Timah: Here’s What This Buyer Picked For Their Family Home

M & W have got it all planned out for their kids. As they are alumni of both ACS and SCGS, they naturally wanted their kids to follow in their footsteps and go to the same schools. Well, that is,…

• 15 Oct 2022
• 7 min read
• 0

I Tried Renting Out My Own Home In Singapore: Here’s Why I Would Never Do It Again

A common complaint is that property agents charge too much for handling “simple” rental deals; and it has to be said the rising GST rate doesn’t help either. As one landlord found out however, finding your own tenants can devolve…

• 12 Oct 2022
• 6 min read
• 11

Touring Siglap Landed Estate: A Freehold, Charming, Spacious & Peaceful Village With Old-Singapore Vibes

A few weeks ago, I toured Frankel Avenue and found the area to be charming and quaint. Although on the price side, it’s not that affordable, given the size of the houses. Several readers asked me to do add-on tours…

• 9 Oct 2022
• 12 min read
• 2

We Moved From A 3-Room Tanglin Halt HDB To A Dakota Breeze BTO: Our Covid-19 New Home Journey

Tanglin Halt, which went under the Selective En-Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) in 2014, was for many the iconic HDB neighbourhood. As one of the five districts of old Queenstown, Tanglin Halt was one of the longest surviving HDB estates, rivalling…

• 6 Oct 2022
• 9 min read
• 0

Touring Westlake Gardens: Scenic Freehold Landed Living At MacRitchie Reservoir & Near Famous Schools

Have you ever dreamed of living next to a lake (okay fine, in Singapore’s context, reservoir)? Well, if so, you should head over to this particular small estate, Westlake Gardens, which is right next to MacRitchie Reservoir with just under…

• 2 Oct 2022
• 10 min read
• 0

A Landed Home For Just $780k? Touring Jalan Chempaka Kuning & Bedok Walk: Landed Estates With A Lot Of Character

We seem to have a lot of readers who love the East lately, as there have been quite a few reader requests for landed tours in the East! And so today, I’m heading over to Bedok Walk for my weekly…

• 25 Sep 2022
• 14 min read
• 7