730k Madness Along East Coast

Life from a sucker's point of view. Source: The Straits Times

Now someone should really come up with a list of suckers who pay these record amounts for HDB flats.

While I understand how 'clever' it is to downgrade to a HDB and 'ride out the Property Bubble' after collecting your enbloc loot, paying an amount that no one else will ever again for the same flat defeats the purpose!

In honor of such suckers, I shall add a new blog tag - HDB Suckers.

Property Resource Review #1: HDB + Do it yourself

Okay, I submit to all your endless e-mail requests to share good online resources for property - in the form of mini-reviews as and when I find the time to do them.

Question:

Dear Realgossip, I was hoping to find online websites on how to sell my HDB flat without an agent. Can you recommend me some links? Rgds, Tan XX XXXXX Hougang

Reply:

Dear Tan,

Get an agent. HDB do-it-yourself is a no-no. I have seen my nephew's Option to Purchase for a HDB flat. It is 10 pages long (private is 3 max!) and I couldn't figure out half of it although I have seen private options of everykind.

If you insist on selling it on your own. I have seen only two resources.

www.hdb.gov.sg

Review: Straight forward, but little nitty gritties on where to get certain forms are not included and its all these little things that are most daunting. A definite must read for those who are doing it yourselves.

To find this page and understand all its resources, you have to dig through a giant pile of links which could have been just compiled on one page. Could have been better explained in layman's.

Ease of Use: **/*****
Helpfulness: ****/*****
Credibility: *****/*****

www.diyhdb.com



Review: Commercial and straightforward. Basically you do the marketing, viewing, negotiating (all the hard parts!) and they just tell you what to do - which is good, and bad. Because if anything screws up it's mostly yourself to blame.

This website also seems to be siphoning off every possible thing they can suck from you, from bankloans to just frikkin registering on the website. Aesthetics could have been more attractive and professional, looks like a 13 year old kid did it for them.

Ease of Use: ***/*****
Helpfulness: ****/*****
Credibility: **/*****

Ong Choon Fah on Enblocs pulling up HDB prices: 'Not such a bad thing. Everybody should feel a little richer'

Source: The Business Times

Trust the big cheese of one of Singapore's leading Real Estate Agencies, Ong Choon Fah, ECD, DTZ Debenham Tie Leung, to sympathize with heartlanders in these Only-the-Rich-Gets-Richer times. When quized about the latest price hike in property prices, he blabbered that it is 'not such a bad thing. Everybody should feel a little richer'.

While HDB flats and low/mid-end private housing have no doubt gained in capital appreciation with even HDB 4-roomers asking for up to 70k above valuation (what my agents tell me), these heartlanders will still have to find another place to live after cashing in; in my terms, the roof that covers your head is NOT an investment.

Oh well...but what is all that to Ong Choon Fah, my Condos and me. Time for a cuppa by my little patio with the morning paper.

Punggol 21, the Next Pasir Ris?

Source: http://www.hdb.gov.sg/

Well don't say I dis you HDB folks. Personally while I prefer to get my hands dirty in private property, some of these new HDB flats give some new projects that I have seen a run for their money.


The Coral Spring is the latest Built-To-Order flats in Sengkang and runs along Sengkang West Avenue and Fernvale Road. It is served by Fernvale LRT station and bus services. Judging from the artist impression, it sure doesn't look too shabby, though i might want to add that driving from Sengkang all the way to town doesn't sound the least bit appealing - but wait, you got your LRT for that!


Hope all the Gahmen has promised works out. A waterfront HDB estate is what them working class needs, albeit slightly closer to town please.