waileong

There is no regulation against consumers per se. That's why they are only "urging" you to buy products with the Safety Mark. However, if your electrical items cause damage to the power network, you could lose a lot of money repairing the damage, Safety Mark or not. Like all govt agencies, they have legal immunity and cannot be sued for damages if their actions were taken in good faith. In other words, even if the item passes the safety test, they cannot be used for damages unless you can show that they were negligent or malicious in their testing.

HDB is like any other mortgagor, has no right to force-sell the flat if the loan is fully paid up, which will be done by HPS.

Where in your contract of insurance does it say that? Because our houses can be full of electrical items, some of which (eg small items like power adapters for handphones) do not carry a Safety Mark. It's not lighting, but anything can malfunction, that's why we buy insurance.

You should talk to a lawyer about a will. In brief, you can give anything you own to anyone you like in a will.

Writing a will is better. Transfer of ownership quite troublesome, at worst it becomes a sales transaction (sell to wife + ownself) and incurs fees and costs. HPS has nothing to do with this. It kicks in because the person dies, and the remaining loan is repaid. Thus the wife would receive a fully paid flat through the will.

It's 6.75 m by 4.5 m. If you divide into two, you'll get around 3 m x 4.5 m (assume you don't want the other way, 2 m x 6.75 m). A king-sized bed measures around 2 m long and around 1.8 to 2 m wide. Add two bedside tables and they'll take up around 2.5 to 3 m wide. You may have only 1.5 m left for your wardrobe. Will you still have any space for the door to open, for you to walk around the bed and the wardrobe, for your makeup table, etc? And if you want to put a TV console in your bedroom, where will you find space? The problem is that your room is "big" as a single master room, but not that big once divided. You'll find it's a squeeze, which is why the previous owner combined two rooms into one. If you leave it as is, you'll be able to put in a sofa, coffee table, with a floor standing lamp. Maybe even have a writing desk and chair. Plus a TV console. It'll be like a hotel suite. I wish I could have such a master room.

It's your choice, not theirs. Although I would say that a real open concept bathroom would mean no need for a dividing glass panel.

There is nothing to "consist" of. If the agreement did not say you are to pay the advertising charges, why do you pay?

Actually, that's not big....

Everything is negotiable, everything is in black and white when you sign the agreement to appoint the agent. If it states you have to pay, you pay. If it doesn't, you don't need to pay. If you don't read the agreement, or don't eforce it, too bad.

Your ID should advise you, it's not going to work.

Maybe if all are Bangladeshi workers, still possible. But are you sure you want a contractor with all Bangladeshi workers?

Everything is negotiable. However, there are certain "norms" within the industry which are assumed to be accepted by everyone unless specifically stated otherwise. Buyer pay for the valuation is the norm. The rationale is that you need the report to borrow from bank, hence it is your job to pay for it. If you want to negotiate for seller to pay, you must state when making the offer.

It's your house you're selling. Anything can be negotiated. You can state what you are taking away up front, and the buyer can offer accordingly. I once viewed a house where the seller said he was taking away the door handles. Turns out these were "crystal" handles that cost him a bomb. Thankfully I hated them and would have paid to have them removed if I'd bought the house.

You should talk to your lawyer.

Ask your lawyer.

Frankly, how much I or anyone else is willing to pay for a table is irrelevant. We may value dining tables more or less than you, and we may have more $$$ or less $$$ than you. You have to make up your own mind.

Philips. As for books, go to the library and browse. Virtually all reno books have a lighting section. There are also specific books focusing on lighting alone, which in itself is an art.

You're right. about saving money, as long as you don't have expensive tastes in lamps. As far as brightness is concerned, it's a function of the power of the light bulbs. You just add power and bulbs till it's bright enough. It's not a problem. "Cosy" is an often mis-used word in Singapore. Brightness and cosy don't go together. If you want it to be bright like NTUC supermarket, it won't be cosy like sitting next to the light from a fire place. In other words, choose one or the other. Yellow light is actually good if you have enough power. The problem is that old-timers can only think of white fluorescent lamps because they grew up with them. If you watch any American movies, notice how they light up their houses. They don't use fluorescent lamps. Instead, they have lots of table lamps, floor lamps, wall mounted lamps, etc. You should read a lighting book to understand how to use lamps to create accent lighting, mood lighting and task-specific lighting. Lastly, in addition to warm white and cool white, there is also "soft" white which is less yellow than warm white but warmer than cool white. Unfortunately, I only know of one brand that offers it.

First, you must realise there is no exam, certification or licensing needed to be an ID, unlike architects or PE's. In other words, every tom, dick or harry can call himself an ID. Their first question is always, did you bring your floor plan? Not what is your lifestyle, what type of person are you, what are your hobbies, what type of influences have shaped you, etc. They can instantly pull out standard templates for "balinese", "zen", "tropical resort", "contemporary", "minimalist", etc. But if you ask them why things are done in a certain way, you'll get a blank. If you ask them to innovate, you'll get nothing-- all they can do is ape what they see in the magazines. If you read my blog you'll understand why. Most ID's have no training in fine arts at all! I would be surprised if any of them have a Masters in Fine Arts qualification. 2nd, you must realise that most ID companies are really renovation companies in sheep's clothing. They call themselves ID firms to move up the value chain, but their business models have not really evolved. 3rd, if you want a real ID, you must be prepared to pay. A lot. Then you'll get someone who understands design, form and function, and who will spend time to understand how to make things work for you. You probably need someone who does high-end condos and landed, and someone who has no interest in doing the reno per se-- in other words, he's independent of the renovation firm, and he bills you for the design drawings only, not for the renovation work. Unfortunately, the Singapore market is dominated by HDB owners whose budgets are usually not so high as to afford a professional ID, hence it's really hard to find a genuine ID, even at well-known firms. Should you go to your second shortlisted ID? Well, ask if they have an MFA before you go. Or lower your expectations. Wai Leong

That's your opinion. Mine is different. One of the worst things for a home buyer is to have a house where everything is perfect (location, facing, amenities, etc) except the renovation is totally obiang. Like if the owner (just an example only) did up a beautiful country theme but you hate country. Obviously, since the reno is in good condition, the price will be higher than a bare flat. But to tear everything down and redo everything is a heartache-- as well as a waste of money and time!

How much cheaper do you want?

1. Shouldn't these due diligence and credit checks be done by the bank BEFORE they issue a letter of offer for a hdb home loan? Yes, but some officer probably kiasu or going through an audit and realised he forgot to check before the offer. 2. Where do we stand legally? That depends on the terms and conditions of the letter. Eg, whether the bank has a right to demand additional information at any time, whether they have the right to cancel the offer by giving you N days' notice, etc. Can't answer unless you print out all the T&C's.

Well, I'm using it. But the point is, in a private house, it's up to you what you want to use. Look-- water flows the same way, whether it's a private house or HDB or condo.

"not fully" recognise? What BS is this? Either it's "recognised" or it's not. Clearly the guy is pulling a fast one. I've never heard of PUB "recognising" anything.