Dollars and Sense recently published a blog post titled “Here’s the salary you need to earn to determine affordability of these homes in Singapore”. The writer of the article has the good intention to show readers what type of housing they can afford based on their monthly salary. However, income is only part of the whole picture when it comes to deciding whether you can … [Read more...]
4 things buyers wish they knew before buying a property
The radio is playing Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” when an email from a blog reader popped up on my screen, “Property Soul You’ve Got Mail.” It’s another message about a home buyer’s remorse. Every week there are so many messages on disappointment and regret after buying properties. They all go like this: “I wish I had … before I bought …” “Why didn’t … [Read more...]
Do you know what you are buying?
Once when I was conducting the How to Buy Good Quality Properties 1-Day Workshop, I showed some property launch newspaper ads to illustrate how deceiving they could be (for one every unit doesn’t come with a beautiful wife and two lovely kids). During the break one of the participants came forward and asked to take a close shot of one new launch print ad. He explained that … [Read more...]
Should I buy or rent?
A friend recently moved from one rented home to another. The family of four is still staying in a condominium in the east side of Singapore, but this time a better one - it is newer, bigger, and asking for lower rent too. According to the latest SRX Rental Market Flash Report, rents for non-landed private rentals in October 2015 has fallen 5.7 percent from a year ago. … [Read more...]
Why developer defects is the worst nightmare of off-plan property buyers
Residents of Trivelis, an 888-unit Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) project in Clementi, are disappointed about the quality of their new flats. What happened to Trivelis after TOP? Owners who collected keys to their new units since January complained about defective stove knobs, rusty dish racks, stain-prone kitchen countertops, poor quality laminate flooring, … [Read more...]