just4this

I will make sure i catch the runners and lead the police to the coffee shop/pub/areas the ah long hang around. The only way to stop is either the Ah long cooperate with me to get the previous owner or i work with the police to get the ah long. I WILL NOT allow my new house to be under the mercy of the Ah long.

Ya, young boys/girls..but they will lead the police to the "da ge" and Da da ge" the loan shark will also worried when the police get involved especially if their runners are caught..

Wat do you gals/guys think of the EM basic layout regards to Feg shui??

Then no choice, must stay up late to ambush the runner liao...

Nice concept n done up. I like the spacious feel and the walls.

i am also getting a resales n this is also one of my concern. IF there is really loan shark splashing on my new unit, i will definitely paste notice big big on the lift n outside my house, direct the loan shark either to the prevous owner or the property, nego with the loan shark to help track the prevous owner. AND i also sponsor a BIG cann of paint for them to the previous owner.

u unpacking? Thgt u moved in long time liao?

Hmm.. do u have the link? i am a idiot here in this forum.. always lost in navigation.... I didnt take any pic of the place as it is just plain hacking.. hmm.. maybe i should start now...

Wlecome to the club, whee is ur place? I just started my reno on the monday too. Went to take a peep last nite in 2 days, everything was hack off!

I dunoe abt EM in AMK, but always welcome u to the club!

Beware of any punks,trick that they will try to create to the house before passing the keys to you. All the best.

Can anyone show the layout of ur kitchen (done up) ?

side track abit.. anyone engage a FS master for their EM??

It is a few more days then the above i mentioned. I had pretty good confidence in him.. but of course i also dunwan to achieve the deadline but got a lousy workmanship... headache..headache.... ( i am just hoping that most of the work can be done concurrently...)

Hmm.. i am thinking hack work is 3 days.. then lay flooring for whole house is another 3 days? 3 toilets is abt 5 days? kitchen is abt 5 days? Other carpentry work another 4 days (cappentry is prepare in workshop mah) rewiring can be concurrently with other jobs... (infact while toilets are in work in process, other stuff can also be done) so on the surface it seem possible to me. Hope my ID/contractor can really completed it in time.

But now we are only giving him... 3 weeks + 3 days leh...

Alert Alert Alert! Need to check how many of you basically hack n redo the whole house? And how does does it take you? I am now worried about my timeline, can it start on 16th June n finish on 10th July?!?

The hob,hood n oven is from Ariston. We had not fix on any brand or size on the tv, frg, etc.. looking around for good buy, any lobang??

Let's not upset ourselves with such thing anymore..... I had got my furnitures! My Hob, hood and Oven! and all my kitchen/toliets stuff! All in 2 days! hahahahahah!!!!!!! ops..still got Tv, fridge, washing machine and many more....

Bingo! Cannot find anywhere liao! heheheh

Regarding the usage of CPF, i actually think it should be going into the house payment. The rules of CPF usage has been changing so much during the past 10 years. Even if u had a decent sum of 500000 in your CPF and reach the age of retirement, how much can u really withdraw for daily use? I find the amount ridiculous. And the changes in min cap of CPF changes so much, i actually think not many will get to see their money even when they die... anyway this is just my view...

Check this out i extract this form other thread: However, even with HDB flats, they are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea --- either wait 4 years for 'expensive' new flats or else pay 'sky-high' prices for resale flats. They are rightly concerned that a $1 million HDB resale flat may not be that far-fetched. One worry is that, despite such high prices, few buyers will feel the pinch immediately because up to 90% of the cost can be financed by long-term home loans stretching up to 30 years. So many seldom give a second thought that if they borrow, say, $300,000 under a 30-year loan, they could ultimately cough up nearly $600,000 in total capital and interest repayments. Another worry: If a young couple have to sink so much of their hard-earned income and CPF savings into their brick-and-cement flat, how much monies will there be left to raise a family and sent their children to university --- not to mention providing for their own healthcare and retirement needs in their golden years?

I saw this in my usual forums that i visited, so doing my bit in passing it around... I'm not affiliated with the writer, whom ever it may be... I can't validate the source.. I don't have the full facts, so I don't have an opinion on the subject.. So just take it as another thread in forum =========== Note for readers: 1 Reproduced below is the full text of my letter to TODAY Voices section --- which was rejected(read: censored) for publication for the obvious reason that I had exposed 'The HDB Flat Pricing Scam' (which not many S'poreans are aware of). 2 Key Issue --- The HDB (under $2m Minister Mah Bow Tan) had used the clever term 'market subsidy' to confuse buyers of HDB new flats into thinking their flats are 'heavily subsidized' (Mah's own words) by the PAP Govt. In fact, there is no 'cash subsidy' at all and the HDB is actually raking in a cleverly-disguised profit ! 3 For greater public awareness, please help to forward to as many people as possible and ask them to do likewise (for 'the multiplier effect'). More informed voters can then vote appropriately at the next 2011 General Elections to send a strong message to the PAP Govt to provide truly-affordable housing for the people. Original Text of my email letter to TODAY newspaper: In his letter 'Resale flats out of reach' (TODAY Jan 17), Mr Anthony Tan highlighted the problems faced by many first-time HDB flat-buyers. Allow me to trace the root cause behind their dilemma. As a 60-year old educated Senior Citizen, I surf the Internet regularly to gauge the true concerns of young Singaporeans, who are mostly hesitant to speak up openly. I empathise with their growing despair on home ownership. Many are resigned that private flats are now way beyond their reach. All they simply want is a basic no-frills inexpensive flat --- with enough money left to decorate it to their own personal taste into a cosy home! However, even with HDB flats, they are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea --- either wait 4 years for 'expensive' new flats or else pay 'sky-high' prices for resale flats. They are rightly concerned that a $1 million HDB resale flat may not be that far-fetched. One worry is that, despite such high prices, few buyers will feel the pinch immediately because up to 90% of the cost can be financed by long-term home loans stretching up to 30 years. So many seldom give a second thought that if they borrow, say, $300,000 under a 30-year loan, they could ultimately cough up nearly $600,000 in total capital and interest repayments. Another worry: If a young couple have to sink so much of their hard-earned income and CPF savings into their brick-and-cement flat, how much monies will there be left to raise a family and sent their children to university --- not to mention providing for their own healthcare and retirement needs in their golden years? In the 1970s, the starting graduate salary was $1000 per month. Then, in the HDB Marine Parade Estate, prices of new 5-rm, 4-rm and 3-rm flats were $35,000, $20,000 and $17,000 respectively. In 1990, average price of new 5-rm flats was $70,000. Such prices then reflected a 'cost-based pricing approach'. Now, starting graduate salary is 3 times higher at $3,000 per month but prices of similar HDB new flats have gone up by 10 times to 30 times. The massive price hikes were largely the result of the HDB switching over to a 'market-based pricing approach'. Since 2002, many have queried the HDB in newspaper forums on how its new flats are actually priced. Last December, the HDB finally confirmed that 'the prices of new HDB flats are based on the market prices of resale HDB flats, and not their costs of construction.' This is a simple-to-understand example using data from 2000, when 5-rm new flats were priced upwards of $200,000. However, from actual tendered contracts of HDB Building Contractors, the Construction Cost per flat was about $50,000. Adding on an estimated $70,000 for Land Cost & Other Related Costs, the Total Breakeven Cost per flat was about $120,000 --- which HDB should set as the selling price, since it is supposed to be a not-for-profit, low-cost public housing developer. But, under the market-based pricing approach, HDB will first look at the then prevailing market price of, say $260,000 of a 5-rm resale flat. It will then pick a lower figure of, say $200,000 as the selling price for the 5-rm new flat --- never mind if its actual Total Breakeven Cost was only $120,000. The HDB can then say the new flat buyer is getting a 'market subsidy' of $60,000 arising from the difference between the resale flat price and new flat price. Notice, under such an approach, there is absolutely no 'cash subsidy' granted at all to the new flat buyer. Instead, the HDB is actually collecting a profit of $80,000 per flat (representing a 67% profit margin). In contrast, private developers normally earn around 20% profit margin for assuming business risks. Most importantly, this HDB market-based pricing approach had resulted in new flat prices and resale flat prices chasing each other in an upward spiral ---- that is financially disadvantageous to buyers of both new and resale flats. Should HDB deem the above example as simplistic or misleading, the onus lies with it to rebut and substantiate with its own detailed data. HDB should also provide its public response to this remaining burning question --- Why is the HDB not really helping first-time buyers of new flats by passing on to them the substantial cost-savings from economies-of-scale in massive HDB developments through pricing new flats on a 'cost-based break-even' approach? We have also since moved from small 'pigeon-holes' to tiny 'bee-hives' --- extremely costly beehives, to be precise! HDB new flats are now built smaller, closer and at higher price. The HDB itself had stopped building the larger 1200 sq ft 5-room and 1400 sq ft Executive flats. Current prices of 1000 sq ft 4-rm HDB new flats range from $200,000 (in Senkang) to $400,000 (in Telok Blangah) and up to the whopping $590,000 (in Boon Keng, under Design, Build and Sell Scheme by private developer). Our politicians constantly exhort Singaporeans to treat Singapore as 'home' literally and figuratively. To help solve our Procreation Problem, young couples are also reminded not to delay marriage and have three or more children. Pray tell us how do you squeeze two parents, three children, one maid and possibly one or two elderly in-laws in a 1000 sq ft 'bee-hive'? When young, educated and mobile Singaporeans are short-changed on such basic 'quality of life' aspirations as a truly-affordable and decent-size home for their loved ones, is it any wonder many are contemplating to be 'quitters' rather than 'stayers'?

Yes, i had seen other 5 rooms n EA before i setter for the EM. The space is there, but the feel is different ..hehehe

I wonder, the EM i brought is already 23 years old.. 5 years down the road, will it still have good resales value, if the market went up again??? Wat u ppl think?