waileong

Exclusivity is a commercial decision-- a promise of higher effort and potentially higher selling price or faster sale in return for an exclusive period. I don't see any conflict of interest. Co-broking is a strange animal. It's not a conflict of interest per se, because by the time the co-broke deal is worked out, the offer has usually been made. But it's kind of like financial advisers who are paid by the bank on sales commissions and not on fees-- do you really trust them to give independent advice?

I think it's a myth that buyer's agent will fight for the absolute highest price for the buyer with the current comm structure. If the average price of a unit in $X, the agent will earn $x commission. Suppose you want $X+10k or even 20K. At most he might earn $100 or $200 more, but he might have to market for another few weeks. Do you think a few weeks of his time is worth $100? They just want to close deals quickly and move on.

I don't think that constitutes a conclusive finding of a scientific study of the value of renovation.... Just remember that with renovations, esp $$$$ renovations: The cost is clear, and can surprise only on the upside; The impact to cash flow is definite; The risks are high, esp for those unfamiliar with reno; The time taken will be long, and can only surprise on the long side; The recouping of the reno cost is uncertain at best.

The amount of work to be done is not the reason for the high cost. And whether it's $200K or $250K, it's still a very large number. The question is, why do all this work?

$250k for renovation? You serious? That's a quarter of a million dollars! Why spend that kind of money on a house in Lentor? It's not Sentosa Cove! I think you're really quite new at this. Better read up a lot more. My blog has some tips. Search for "Reflections on Renovation". One tip-- don't be hung up on moving in before new year. You'll have lots of headache due to that one constraint. Cost will go up, quality will drop due to the rush, you'll make mistakes and wrong choices due to the pressure, etc.

Maybe, but one should note that "an offer in hand is worth two in the bush", and that it's for the seller to decide whether he wants to accept whatever offer presented to him, and also for the seller (not the potential buyer) to decide if he's satisfied with the performance of the agent and has acted in his interest.

Try glass roof tiles.

1. If you don't believe the contractor, ask him to show you the regulation, or look it up at the HDB website. 2. (Assuming it's true) Be thankful you have a good contractor, someone who helps you avoid problems.

Double coat better? Are you kidding? Wait till you scratch the paint, and have the colour underneath appear. Not to mention that the new paint won't stick well to begin with, you could have bubbles and brush marks, etc. Veneer is lighter than solid for sure. Choice of wood more important though. Good wood heavy, bad wood light.

You got $20k to spare?

Bought already, contract signed already, correct? The as-is, where-is clause kicks in. There's no need for them to patch the holes (which were there when you bought the house, hence part of the "as-is, where-is" clause). Scratches are different, if they were not there when you signed the contract. However, I think it's hard to get any compensation for fresh scratches. The amount will be too small to go to court for, and I doubt even Small Claims will hear you.

Isn't everything already published? All the procedures, that is.

When the service has been rendered. This would mean when the sale is closed.

If he don't want to negotiate, you don't have to buy from him. Business is not about being fair. It's about bargaining. You owe him nothing but a commission at the end of the sale and purchase. He owes you nothing as well, except to do all the paperwork and facilitate the sale and purchase for an agreed fee. IF you haven't agreed the fee, there's no deal, you're free to contract with someone else.

What's there to say? You can be sued. Whether it happens depends on the situation. And whether the firm succeeds in its action depends on the merits of its case and how well it argues. But if I were the firm, I'd be more concerned with winback and customer service than legal action. There can be no good publicity from a firm suing a little consumer, it just creates the wrong impression. That's why legal action is only undertaken when all other avenues for reconciliation are exhausted.

Well, it's a wire story, if you know what that means.

Nothing is a MUST. YOU bought the house, YOU decide what YOU want to do with it. Don't let anyone else tell you what YOU should or should not do.

You are in trouble. If the company is really going out of business, all you'll get is a paper judgement, whichever court you go to. Lets hope you didn't pay him too much for the deposit. You will have to check your contract, and see what your termination rights are for non-performance or breach of contract. And by the way, nothing illegal has happened (unless he was using illegal foreign workers or violating HDB/BCA regulations, etc) so a police report would not be helpful. The police do not interfere in contractual matters, and this is basically a renovation contract performance matter.

Defect list only applies to new HDB flats.

Ideally, a dining chair comes as a set with a dining table. It should be properly matched to the dining table, correct height, etc. Generally the main attribute of a dining chair is that it should be compact, no portrusions (eg no arms) so that it does not get in the way of other diners when people need to get in and out. It's normally straight back as people eat upright, not leaning back. High back is possible, but not necessary. Some may be foldable too, esp if the dining table itself is foldable.

1. Has the option been exercised? If so then the law of contracts applies, ie if the seller fails to fulfil the contract, he is liable for damages suffered by the buyer.

Whose approval do you want? It's your house isn't it?

Good. Expensive. Worth it.

Claims for legal fees are not on a case by case basis, although it's up to the discretion of the court to award the amounts usually based on how much each party is at fault. So in some cases, each party bears its own costs, in others, the losing party can pay part or all of the other party's costs, depending on the merit of its case. But once awarded, you can certainly claim for it. If necessary, apply to the court to seize the property of the other side and sell it to recover your costs and damages.

It's only because people here tend to use ID's. Which is a shame, because most ID's are really not real ID's.