So what is the most important thing about property? Location, location, location.
There is no doubt that the developments in Novena are of top premium when it comes to location. Other than its proximity to the city area, there are 3 sizeable shopping centres at/near to the Novena MRT station. Novena is also a hub for all the hospitals, which I discussed details in Novena Medical Cluster.
I love developments along Moulmein Rise & Sinaran Drive, for their proximity to Novena MRT and its amenities. What makes them even more attractive are …

There is certain buyer behaviour pattern in the local property market. As a buyer in a private residential transaction in Singapore, one does not need to pay commission to the agents (commission is given by the house seller). Therefore most buyers will always engage the real estate agent advertising for the house which they intend to buy.
Of course, a home buyer may say, why should I specially appoint an exclusive agent while I am not paying for the commission? Please take note: A buyer not paying commission to the agent …

You might have noticed the beautiful row of shophouses from 292-310 Balestier Road, which are sitting opposite to the Balestier Point. They were built in 1926 by a female developer named Madam Sim Cheng Neo. You are able to see the Chinese inscription “Sim Kwong Ho”.

Though these shophouses have been slated conservation status, the existing trades and business cannot fully reciprocate the true nature of the architecture. Value Hotel Nice took over 302 Balestier Rd as budget hotel, while other shops operating as sanitary fitting and wares, interior design, and F&B.
I …

I promised to share with you more on Uncle A’s investment.   Uncle illustrated 2 shophouses he invested recently.
Shophouse 1 in Iskandar
The first one is a 3 storey shophouse in the new Iskandar site in Johor Bahru. He bought it at RM $650k. The shophouse unit obtained TOP at end 2008, but he delayed the take-over till middle last year. The reason being that the shophouse is located in the new township, and he would want the developer to take maintenance of the unit till the last minute if possible. …

I am grateful in setting up this keithyip.com. It has given me the chance to know many of you. Blogging is not easy; especially I have to squeeze out time on the content and the research. When time is really tight with market turning so heated, I sometimes find myself splitting between viewing, meeting up new clients, and blogging. And it takes lots of discipline in keep going.
And the discipline comes from the support of you:  Kelvin, Mr. Tan, and Mark gave me a ring just to tell me how …

Walking along the Kim Keat Road gives me a sense of nostalgia and laid back feel. The stretch of shophouses is made up of mix of two to 4 storey heights. They are of the more latter construction, and do not carry much of colonial influence in the design. A couple of units are not well taken care of, and they need face lifting.
 

Turning towards the Kim Keat Lane, you would see Fayidha Restaurant. It is a 24 hours shop serving Indian and Indian-Muslim food. I had the roti prata …

Just two years ago, COE prices plunged to as low as $2 with the Government change in policy to increase car ownership for the Singaporeans. It was done in response in meeting the ‘materialistic need’ of Singaporeans. Many people had flagged up to their MPs expressing their desire to own a car. Therefore the policy changed and car ownership shot up. Cars become once more affordable. On the other hand, the Government aimed to control the car usage and traffic low by implementing more ERP gantries and increase the cost …

I have a relative from Malaysia. I shall name him as Uncle A. Uncle A is an old bird in investment, both in stocks and property. He is not highly educated, however he believes in self-upgrade that he applies what he learns from newspaper and books on his investment. And he is an extremely smart guy with a calculus in his mind, who believes  in cash flow more than capital appreciation.
I was told he only get his first one million at the age of 40, through prudent saving and conservative …

HDB flat upgraders are making up 44% of private residential sales in March. This figure is considered very high considering the figure is only 33 to 34% in Jan & Feb, and even lower in the previous years.
Just take a look at the commentary in bold on the high percentage of HDB buyers in the appended article. Many HDB upgraders are rushing into the private property market thinking that they might miss the boat if they wait for longer. The fear of missing the boat is somehow amplified with the ever increase …

Plot ratio is very important in the developer’s acquisition for a piece of land. Basically the plot ration of a site is defined as the ratio of the gross floor area of a building(s) to its site area.
Plot ratio = Gross Floor Area / Site Area
Literally speaking, the higher the plot ratio, the more gross floor area the developer is able to build up to, therefore maximizing his profit return.
Typically, the higher the plot ratio will give rise to greater building height, except for areas with special height controls are …