Every day, 99.co picks a piece of property jargon to explain it. Today we look at holding power, and why it matters to property owners: The important concept of holding power In Singapore’s property market, “holding power” typically refers to the ability of a home owner to keep servicing the property loan and associated costs;…

Most tenants are very relaxed about what their landlord does. Too relaxed, in fact. But here are a few things that you need to call out your landlord on: 1. Entering the property without notifying you The terms of your Tenancy Agreement (TA) should state when your landlord can enter the property. If you are…

A lot of people say they’ll invest in property when they get rich, which is the wrong way around. You’re supposed to invest to get rich, not get rich and then invest. Here’s how to (safely) get into property, without millions in the bank: 1. As boring as it is, you must learn how the…

Renovation is supposed to be a form of “asset enhancement”. But does that mean you should renovate before trying to sell your house? Understanding how renovations affect sales The impact of renovations are not the same across all properties. Here are four broad situations to consider: The “worst house in the best place” scenario: The…

Every day, 99.co picks a piece of property jargon to explain it. Today we look at the lock-in clause, common to many bank loans: What is the Lock-In Clause? The lock-in clause (often just referred to as a lock-in) imposes a penalty for refinancing your home loan. With most banks, the penalty is 1.5 per…

Ever wondered what it is like being a property agent? In this series entitled Agent Success Stories, we sit down with agency leaders to find out their side of the story. From their humble beginnings to the challenges they have faced on the road to success, we learn that a career in the real estate…

HDB is piloting a project that could save us more disputes with Mal…uh, save lots of water. Here’s how it will work: HDB has is testing out a new UrbanWater Harvesting System. It will be used in Punggol Northshore Residences first, before being extended to two other housing estates. The system collects rainwater in a…

Every day, 99.co picks a piece of property jargon to explain it. Today we look at the painful issue of lease decay: What is lease decay? This refers to both the process, and effect, of a property that’s running down its lease. For example, a condo with just 30 years left on its 99-year lease…

Most Singaporeans know that they can use CPF to pay for their home loan, and…that’s it. But there’s much more to it than that: 1. Whether you use a bank or HDB loan affects how much CPF you can use When you take an HDB Concessionary Loan, you can borrow up to 90 per cent…

In the past, buying a car was pretty much a no-brainer. As long as you could afford it, you’d definitely get your own transport. But with ride-sharing becoming increasingly common, many Singaporeans are now choosing to completely forgo buying a car. Instead, these folks rely on a combination of public transport and Grab/GoJek to get…