Before there was such a thing as BTO flats, blocks of HDB flats were built BEFORE they were sold. Sometime in the 1990s, there was a massive oversupply of flats in Woodlands and Yishun. In response to the oversupply, HDB combined the many of the unsold units into jumbo flats, effectively halving the number of…

99 years, 999 years, and Freehold: Defining the terms A freehold property can be held by the owner indefinitely. A 99 year leasehold property reverts back to the state, upon the expiry of its lease. A holdover from the Colonial era are properties with 999 year leases. This is, for all intents and purposes, similar…

A lot of Singaporeans think of their house as a retirement plan. Come the age of 65, when we walk out of the office for the last time, we’ll need some sort of income. If the plan is to look at the house, then it’s logical to ponder which type is the real money maker….

One problem with property investment is that, unless you’re very rich and a big-time investor, it’s hard to practice. It’s not like small time fiddling with stocks, where you can afford to make several dozen bad trades before you smarten up. So for small time investors with, say, one or two places to let out,…

It’s not everyday you walk into a makeshift building, and walk out with a seven-digit bill that will take you 25 years to pay. But you know what? That’s exactly what happens at show flats – and to protect you first-time buyers especially, we’ve compiled the list of things to minimise regret. Be prepared before…

Property agents in Singapore have changed a lot of over the years. No longer do many wear “the uniform” (i.e. Polo T and a lanyard); and with CEA in charge, the days of quietly collecting commissions from mortgage bankers, interior designers, etc. are long past. But we notice they’ve developed a series of polite statements…

There’s been a lot of griping by HDB flat owners this year, and who can blame them? For years, we’ve assumed HDB flats are retirement assets – and now that bubble has been burst. Well don’t make the same mistake! Here are some resolutions to keep to for the new year: 1. You will consider…

Even though the en-bloc fever had mostly died out by 2018, there were still some notable en-bloc sales. This gives owners of old condos some hope, that developers are still interested despite rising Development Charges and taxes. More importantly, it gives future buyers some clue on which areas to keep an eye on; if a…

Cooling measures may be great for buyers, but they’re terrible news for some sellers – there’s little you can do if prices start to drop due to cooling measures, or if the economy tanks. Sometimes though, you have no choice and must offload your property, even if times are bad. When that happens, minimise the…

There are a ton of new launch condos out there right now, and you’ve to feel a little sorry for condo developers, who paid top dollar for en bloc and GLS sites only to have the government slap an extra round of cooling measures in July. In any case, 2018 has been a roller-coaster year…