Property Stories

I Stayed At Hmlet Cantonment: Here’s What My Actual Co-Living Experience Was Like (Not Great)

Is the co-living experience as pretty as this picture of the Hmlet Cantonment backyard below makes it out to be? Read on to find out! So I’m back again for the 4th and final part of this co-living series, in…

• 4 Jun 2023
• 9 min read
• 3

A Detailed Tour Of Joo Chiat And Katong In 60 Photos: Here’s Why This Charming Neighbourhood Is So Popular

I’m sure many of you readers also share this love for the neighbourhood or have heard this phrase from friends who firmly believe that ‘east side, best side’.  For those who cannot comprehend the mass infatuation, it’s tough to put…

• 29 May 2023
• 18 min read
• 0

My Honest Experience Booking A Co-Living Space: A Review Of Hmlet’s Booking Process

Note: this is not an advertorial for Hmlet as the stay was completely paid for by myself (not sponsored by Hmlet so you can rest assured that everything I write is wholly objective, based on my experience, and not a…

• 28 May 2023
• 9 min read
• 1

We Spend Our $3k Rent Budget (While Waiting For Our BTO) On Travelling The World Instead: Here’s How We Do It

Given the wait times for a BTO flat in Singapore, many Singaporeans have to look for alternative accommodation in the meantime. This usually comes in the form of having to stay at their parent’s/in-law’s place or having to rent for…

• 24 May 2023
• 6 min read
• 1

We Live In A Top Floor Penthouse: Here Are The Pros And Cons About High Floor Living

Great views, fresher air, a (theoretically) pest-free environment… it’s no wonder the higher you go, the pricier your home gets. But what’s it really like living at the literal top? Rather than just trust the sales pitch, we spoke to…

• 23 May 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

How I Picked My Co-Living Apartment: My Experience Booking Hmlet, Figment, & Coliwoo

Hello again! Last week, in the first unvarnished and objective article documenting the experience of co-living/moving out in Singapore, I compared renting and co-living and found that co-living made more financial sense for me. This week, we’re looking at the…

• 21 May 2023
• 7 min read
• 1

“I Regret Buying 2 Walk-Up Apartments” 4 Biggest Property Investment Regrets And What You Can Learn

Property investments don’t always go smoothly, but it’s often the success stories you hear about. In reality, not everyone manages to sell for a record gain after five years and upgrade; and not every rental property ends up being worth…

• 16 May 2023
• 7 min read
• 2

My Search For The Perfect Co-Living Company In Singapore: A Non-Sponsored Overview On Hmlet, Figment & Coliwoo

A few years ago, I moved back from the UK to Singapore. As all Singaporean Singles know, getting your own place when you’re unmarried is prohibitively expensive, due to the many BTO restrictions singles face. Since I’ve covered this in…

• 14 May 2023
• 9 min read
• 0

I Moved From A 9,000 Sqft Landed Home In Bukit Timah To An HDB Flat: Here’s What It Was Like

What’s the biggest home you’ve ever seen? If you’re like most Singaporeans, it’s probably no more than 2,000 to 3,000 sq. ft. But this week, we talked to someone who grew up in a massive 9,000+ sq. ft. home but…

• 11 May 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

My Aunt Cheated Us Out Of Our Property: An Expensive Lesson Learned On “Trusting” Family Members

There are many reasons for putting your property assets under another person’s name. In some cases, this is a transfer of the property so you can avoid Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD) on another home; in others, it might be…

• 9 May 2023
• 5 min read
• 0

Touring Everton/Blair Road: Freehold Conservation Landed Houses That Are Convenient But Not Near Schools

I’ve always been fascinated by conservation houses and would love to live in one. Of course, I don’t think that it would be possible, given that the ones at Emerald Hill started from about $10 million at the time of…

• 7 May 2023
• 12 min read
• 1

“I Lost My $10K Deposit And A 300% Property Appreciation” 4 Readers Share Their Missed Property Opportunities

Hindsight is 20/20, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it. From near-misses of bad investments to lost opportunities, we’ve asked people about their top “what if” investments. Here are some stories from investors who could have, or luckily…

• 5 May 2023
• 5 min read
• 4

I’ve Lived in A Landed Home In Orchard For 5 Years: Here’s An Insider View On What It’s Like

For most Singaporeans, living right in the middle of our legendary shopping belt is a dream. However, there are downsides we may not have considered; and with ongoing decentralisation, some may even say Orchard is losing a bit of its…

• 1 May 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

Touring Chip Bee Gardens: Freehold Landed Homes Among SLA-Owned Residential Near Holland Village

I’ve always loved the Chip Bee enclave of houses near Holland Village but assumed that they were all government-owned properties. One day, I was surfing the property portals and found a house in the area for sale! Apparently, not all…

• 30 Apr 2023
• 12 min read
• 0

Touring Kimsia Park: Freehold Landed Homes In Orchard Which Are Not As Pricey As You Might Think

When people think of Orchard Road, shopping and malls are the first things to come to mind. Landed houses, not so much. Even then, one would imagine that you would need to be a Crazy Rich Asian to afford a…

• 23 Apr 2023
• 10 min read
• 0

I Bought A 4-Bedroom Condo In Cash (And Paid ABSD) But Still Live In An HDB: Here’s Why

For many Singaporeans, moving from a flat to a condo is a big step up in life; and a four-bedder condo of 1,400+ sq. ft. is probably an even bigger dream. This week, however, we spoke to someone who –…

• 21 Apr 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

Touring Li Hwan Terrace: Affordable Freehold Landed Living From $3 Million In District 19

Whether you’re on Facebook, or reading an article from local publications, you’ll probably be overwhelmed by talk about how property prices are sky-high and increasing. This is especially so for landed housing (of which there’s only ~5% in Singapore). So…

• 9 Apr 2023
• 12 min read
• 5

Touring Cheng Soon Gardens: Freehold Terraces, Semi-Ds And Detached Landed Homes In D21

Cheng Soon Gardens is a freehold landed enclave in D21, just behind Toh Tuck and the Beauty World area. I thought it would be an interesting area to feature in today’s post as it contains all types of landed housing:…

• 2 Apr 2023
• 10 min read
• 6