The recent property measures announced by Singapore Property have taken the heated market one step back. While the impact to the real estate market is to be further assessed, the market may most probably cool down for the coming 6 months. The imposed stamp duty over the 3 years could be taken as capital gain tax as form of penalty if you resell the property within 3 years of buying, and the HDB owners market is definitely stifled as the owner have to stay the minimum 5 years period before …

Again we are seeing the developers’ sales of private homes surging to 82% month on month to 1,544 units in July from the low of 847 units in June, according to latest official figures.

In today’s sellers’ market, many of house owners are considering selling the houses at good price, trying to match the successful launches nearby. However I do sense signs of resistance in resale market from buyers, especially in older developments asking close to nearby new launched projects prices.
I understand all buyers would like to sell a price …

Continued from Part 3
The part continues to cover the project Thomson 368.
 UNIT PLANS
The architect has managed to submit Thomson 368 in time and enjoyed the GFA exemption of bay window and planter box.
1+Study:

The 1+Study unit of 689 sf comes with an open kitchen concept. For a size of this type, the occupiers are expected to be single or newly wedded couple with no kids. Therefore open kitchen with basic appliances may work well for you. However I do not like the idea of walking through the longish corridor along …

As requested by many readers, I have scanned the article on Balestier that was from The Edge, published on 12 Aug 2010 and will upload it soon.

Remember just years ago that no lease top-up was granted for Marina House’s application for lease top up was being turned down, although HMC Building nearby (being developed into Lumiere condo) got a lease top-up to 99 years earlier?
In the land scarce Singapore, people are getting more receptive to leasehold properties, being it commercial or residential. Therefore if your property is sitting on leasehold and expiring soon, you might be considering applying for lease topping up. And the approval rate is very much dependent on the government’s long term planning …

I read with the article published on Saturday, July 10 2010, “Some missing out on property boom” by Esther Teo with gratification. With the current properties surging sky high, and many articles ‘talking up’ the market, this article helps to remind to us the inherent risks in property market. The prices will not be going up forever. What goes up will come down.
For projects launched amid a property boom when speculative mood is high, you tend to get burnt easily especially if you are not financially strong. Just take a …

What if Jackie & Emil are your neighbours?

It is important that what type of neighbors you have. Many of time it would affect the property value you own.
Remember that superstar Jackie Chan & Emil Chau bought few apartments at the Centennia Suites at the former Kim Seng Plaza site? The 97-unit freehold condominium project, opposite Great World City and facing the Singapore River, is expected to be completed in 2013. It soon become an advertisement for the developer in promoting their sales. Having a celebrity in many way helps to …

Many Singaporeans like visiting showflats. In many instances, the real genuine savvy buyers whom I do know purchase new properties without visiting the showflats. In actual fact, they told me that they do not want the showflat to sway their property judgement. Rather they rely on the type of developer, location and collaterals to get the feel of the project. More importantly, they study the layout plan in detail to make a judgement if the space is efficient and user friendly.
Of course, most of us would still visit showflat …

There are some road names that have been  Singapore history with the city’s rapid urban development and rejuvenation. If you are still looking for a lane named Jalan Bunga Raya in Balestier and off Irrawaddy Road, you may want to know that this road has been long gone over taken by a high rise residential development currently in construction. Domus, as the name of the new development, is a 29 storey residential development of 109 units which will be completed in the year of 2013.
 
 
Jalan Bunga Raya was previously a …

Strayed trolleys are not only found under the void decks of HDB. I witnessed this amusing sight of few trolleys being parked just out one high end condominium development in Newton area. The residents must have it much easier to deliver their groceries from the nearby shopping mall. Guess what? The trolleys are from the Cold Storage. So are you able to guess where is this development?