Property Stories

57 Incredibly Interesting HDB Facts To Know On Singapore’s National Day

We wish all our readers a happy National Day. On this 57th year of independence, we can congratulate ourselves on having one of the highest rates of home ownership in the world – at almost 90 per cent. A lot…

• 9 Aug 2022
• 13 min read
• 0

You Can Buy A House In Italy For Just €1. Is It Too Good To Be True?

The idea to sell homes for €1 (approx. $1.40) supposedly began in Southern Italy, sometime in the 2010s. Since then, however, the trend has spread, and there are offers for these even in the north of Italy. We’ve also seen…

• 8 Aug 2022
• 8 min read
• 1

Touring West Coast Landed Estate: 999-Year Landed Homes That’s Less Crowded And Near Many Schools

In response to another reader’s request, I went down to West Coast to tour the landed houses there. This is an area that I’m quite familiar with, as my Mother has been working there my entire life. I remember when…

• 7 Aug 2022
• 11 min read
• 0

Touring Gerald Mugliston Estate: A Freehold Landed Estate With No Parking Problems (Spacious Too)

Gerald Mugliston Estate is a popular area, as it’s had the most requests I’ve received to tour it so far! And, after visiting the estate, I can see why: it is a nice, spacious and quiet landed enclave in between…

• 31 Jul 2022
• 13 min read
• 3

I Spent 24 Hours With Migrant Workers In Singapore: A Behind The Scenes Look At The People That Build Our Homes

Buying, renovating, and moving to a new home can be one of the most stressful periods of your life. The uncertainty of securing a BTO or even a resale condo, to the anxiety of working with a renovation ID (oh,…

• 25 Jul 2022
• 10 min read
• 3

Touring The Springside: A Freehold Self-Contained Landed Estate With Not A Tall Building In Sight

This week, I headed over to the Springside area to have a look at the freehold landed houses there. A 532-house enclave developed by Kallang Development, it is located along the beginning of Sembawang Road (right after Upper Thomson Road…

• 17 Jul 2022
• 10 min read
• 4

From EC To District 10 Condo: How A Couple’s Property Investment Decision Evolved

Would you pay off an Executive Condominium (EC) in full, or buy a District 10 condo on loan? They’re vastly different approaches to real estate, and you might think we’re talking about two different buyer profiles. However, that’s the journey…

• 11 Jul 2022
• 5 min read
• 0

Touring Yunnan Gardens: Attractively-Priced Freehold Terrace Houses At $1,000 Psf

In Singapore, the smallest landed houses (usually terrace houses) are often the cheapest if we look at price quantum, but they can be pretty pricey when we look at the price per square foot (PSF.) For example, at MacPherson Garden…

• 10 Jul 2022
• 10 min read
• 0

Touring Pavilion Park: More Affordable Freehold Landed Living With Great Protected Views In Bukit Batok

The freehold landed houses at Pavilion Park have been on my watchlist for a while, as Pavilion Park is one of the few freehold estates in Singapore where you can still get a semi-D for around $4 million. A few…

• 3 Jul 2022
• 9 min read
• 4

Single, Under 30 And Renting: Why And How These 2 Young Singaporeans Are Making It Sustainable

In a previous piece, I explored why we seemed so averse to renting and it was really interesting to see the widely differing opinions on Facebook and Instagram. It was the clearest indication of the different age groups on these…

• 27 Jun 2022
• 7 min read
• 5

Buying An HDB At 24: The Inspiring Story Of Lisa And Her Struggle To Provide For Her Family

Adulting is never easy, especially when circumstances don’t give you much choice. Today’s story is a really special one as we’ll be touching on a Singaporean’s journey and the challenges she faced when she bought her first HDB flat at…

• 25 Jun 2022
• 11 min read
• 1

Why I Bought A 3Gen HDB Flat Instead Of An Executive Maisonette For My Family

In a perfect world, everyone will have a generously-sized home, affordable, and maybe even the capacity to practice filial piety, all while planning to grow our family within budget. It’s every Singaporean’s dream, right?  But here’s the reality: big homes…

• 17 Jun 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

Why I Chose To Rent Instead Of Buying A Home In Singapore

Growing up, I lived in a HDB flat my parents owned. During all the social studies lessons we had (you can probably tell my age from this!), I was taught that a home you owned was always an asset to…

• 13 Jun 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

A Landed Home For Just $750K? It’s Possible, But There’s A Catch. We Tour Fuyong Estate To Find Out.

Today’s landed estate tour is probably going to be our most controversial ever. Fuyong Estate is a collection of terrace houses, semi-Ds, and detached houses that is just a stone’s throw from Rail Mall. But here’s where it gets intriguing….

• 12 Jun 2022
• 14 min read
• 1

My Journey As A Single Homebuyer In Singapore At 35: How I Bought Selegie House

For singles to buy a home in Singapore, it is frankly a bit of an arduous process. As a quick summary, you aren’t able to buy a BTO flat unless it’s a 2-bedder, and in a non-mature location. Even if…

• 8 Jun 2022
• 9 min read
• 0

Touring Island Country Villas: Spacious Landed Living Next To A Lush Forest (And Monkeys) For About $2.6 Million

Island Country Villas is a landed estate at Old Upper Thomson Road and Casuarina Walk which comprises 58-60 99-year leasehold semi-detached houses, and was developed by UOL Group in 1999 (with leases starting from August 1995). Usually, I’d choose bigger…

• 5 Jun 2022
• 10 min read
• 0

NFTs, Guilds & Coins: We Spoke To A Crypto Enthusiast About His Thoughts On The Metaverse

As someone who has invested $19k of her own money into the metaverse, I am naturally bullish about the space – even if recent events in the crypto space have been anything but convincing! I don’t confess to being an…

• 30 May 2022
• 8 min read
• 0

Touring Villa Verde: Affordable Terrace Houses For About $2 Million In Choa Chu Kang

I’d been meaning to check out Villa Verde for some time because well, for a landed house in Singapore, it’s “cheap” (or shall we say less expensive?) Coincidentally, someone left a comment on my article about the houses at Loyang…

• 29 May 2022
• 10 min read
• 10