Property Stories

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

I Bought My First 1 Bedroom New Launch Condo: 9 Surprising Things I’ve Learnt That No One Tells You

No matter how prepared you feel, buying at a new launch can bring issues that catch you off guard. From inaccuracies in estimated costs, down to defects at key collection, there are a lot of steps where the unexpected can…

• 31 Mar 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

Disgruntled About My Walk-Up Apartment: A Homeowner’s Cautionary Tale

Walk-up apartments are a niche type of property that isn’t for everyone. While you do often have more interior space (and more freedom to renovate as you wish), the downsides are very obvious too. Alternately praised and derided for their…

• 30 Mar 2023
• 6 min read
• 2

Touring Cambridge Estate: Affordable Freehold Landed Homes In An Old School Neighbourhood (District 8)

When people say Singapore city centre, what comes to mind (or my mind at least) is usually high-rise buildings, super modern facilities and, well, sometimes a rather soulless environment. Hence, I was very pleased to re-discover the Carlisle Road landed…

• 26 Mar 2023
• 12 min read
• 0

“My Client Refused To Pay Me” The Realities Of Being A Property Agent In Singapore

Contrary to popular expectations, the life of a realtor isn’t just “potentially unlimited income” and getting to browse homes all day. In fact, we’ve done a detailed breakdown before of how much an average property agent probably makes, and if…

• 24 Mar 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

Our Painful $1.8 Million Condo Investment Regret: 5 Key Lessons We Learned

Almost everyone knows the old property rule of “location, location, location,” but that’s an oversimplification. It’s possible to have a property that’s in a great spot, but of the wrong layout or block to draw the best resale value. This…

• 21 Mar 2023
• 6 min read
• 0

Touring Jalan Senang: Attainable Freehold Landed Homes From $3 Million (But Near Industrial Area).

A while back, we toured Jalan Kembangan and some of its surrounding areas, but I guess readers just love the East, as the requests for landed tours of the area kept coming in! So today, we’re off to Jalan Senang…

• 19 Mar 2023
• 11 min read
• 0

We Paid Off Our HDB Loan In Cash: Here’s Why We Did It

Most people take 20 to 25-year loan tenures to pay off their flat, and they aren’t in a rush to do so. We’ve even encountered financial professionals who counsel against paying off the home loan faster than necessary, as it’s…

• 16 Mar 2023
• 5 min read
• 0

Touring Pasir Panjang Gardens: Affordable Freehold Landed Homes From $2 Million+

Note: the $2 million sales were in 2022 and 2021. Earlier when I did the tour of Elliot Road, a reader left a comment asking for more tours of smaller landed estates so when I passed Jalan Mas Kuning, also…

• 12 Mar 2023
• 10 min read
• 0

I Had To Evict A Troublesome Tenant: Here’s Why It’s So Important To Screen Your Tenants

If you’re an experienced landlord, you’d know that sometimes it isn’t always about the highest rent that you can get, but getting a suitable tenant that’s fuss-free. After all, what’s the point of having more money, but more headaches and…

• 11 Mar 2023
• 5 min read
• 0