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well, most would be screwed when they lose their jobs. Its just a matter of how screwed up thats all. Downpayment, as the word goes, is meant to be a "safety buffer" for consumers to ensure they do not overborrow. Hence it goes without saying that borrowing for downpayment = overborrowing. Over commitment to a liability like a house can effectively shape your next 20years of life. Too many people slog for a flat...have to put up with unreasonable boss and colleagues, be unhappy at work for more than 8hrs a day, etc... all this nonsense for a flat. Lives are short, why put yourself through this... It would also be very stressful financially when a kid comes along and u might find urself borrowing more and more and dragging your loan repayment longer. All in all, u would have NIL savings to tide u over when you have an emergency. Lastly, what are the chances of another major recession or crisis in the next 5 years? My view is that it is at least 80%.

say flat = 285k downpayment = 20% cash = 57k agent fee = 1% = 2.8k COV = 15k Stamp duty = 3.8k (est) Cash outlay = 78.6k. no easy feat.... all this would only get u an empty old flat. It may take many years before u can start accumulating savings again...very risky... though risky, but sometimes in life

Hihi, hope everything goes on smoothly... my skeptical comments (as usual ) Wardrobe - im using some branded sliding door wardrobe in my parent's house. More than $2k for 5ft plus of wardrobe. One panel is a full mirror. Pole system inside. - rollers start to crack and drop off one by one for the mirror panel as i pull and push many times daily. Its probably about 6 years old and is no longer as smooth. - so no matter how branded, rollers holding weight of the door will give way someday. Not sure if 6 years is good enough for u? Shower kerb I assume u are doing swing door for your shower screen? Pls ignore the following if u are doing sliding. a tiled shower kerb has grout lines, hence water will still slip through the grout lines. So inevitably, your dry area will not be totally dry. I put the big green army towel, roll it up like a poh piang and put it there to keep the dry area dry. (we quite anal about this..) ID - outsourcing too much = ID earn little. U gotta check if he will coordinate for u. If not u gotta take leave to be there physically to ensure works are done properly and workers don't spoil ur stuff. - Many grey areas, like if ur sub con damage ur laminates, ID will not rectify for u. - but i guess if u are doing carpentry thru ur ID, he should not complain too much!

hi dex, i think hdb windows should be pretty standard size. Wouldn't buying off the shelves be cheaper? i can't really see what u did to the laminate skirting...u mean the trunking is hidden behind the skirting? flooring can really change the look right!

yes...no cpf? cpf can be used to as downpayment. Eligible for any grants? Also can use as downpayment. if u do not have cpf, then it is really hard, 40k is really not enough, save up more. taking up personal loan to cover downpayment = commit suicide. If u take loan for downpayment, unless its from parents which are interest free, u would have a difficult time paying off reno loan + downpayment loan.

all metal will rust, its just how long before they rust. One can either: - pay for budget gate and keep painting - pay for better ones and problems come later - use stainless steel - use solid aluminium (not hollow ones, and its very expensive. $900 odd)

well....im sure metal world's prices don't start from $188?

great to know u got a good price for windows! something to read about HDB guidelines for windows, very important as poor installation might just injure people. Also click on the drawings to make sure they did not cut corners on screws, etc. http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10324p.nsf/w/...ow?OpenDocument

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?s=...st&p=583455

welcome to the club...haha.... sure u can post pics, just upload to photobucket/imageshack kinda websites. pls see here: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=35945 to solve the problem, get a rust converter. It will turn the rust into a black patch where u can paint over. $8 from Homely, and its very easy to use. Save yourself the anger.

For new flats, all have to buy sand from HDB appointed supplier. Thats what my friend told me. btw, why would u need tiles for a kitchen cabinet base? Most would just do a cement structure. why need matching tiles since it will be totally covered by the kitchen cabinets? hmm...

Bank loan lor.... the days of status symbols are over with the launch of merc cabs.

there is wireless for opennet as well, similar to normal broadband, u would need a seperate device --> router its crazy to have 5 telephone points in this era. In the past, people have telephone points in all rooms so that every room can have a telephone in it. (Can chat in private) Now, most people use cordless phone already, or simply use handphone. Opennet is quite ex, i think M1 has the cheapest option (in cheapest, i mean lowest subscription rate, may not be the best value for money deal) U gotta check their website for more details for pricing and installation.

so how would the CEA know? would they check newspaper n property advertising sites and call to verify? hmm... my guess is that owner complained...

actually if your bedroom flooring is laminates, better to have shower screen in MBR toilet. Reason is that it will keep a portion of the bathroom dry, so that u dry ur feet before stepping onto the laminates. from my personal usage experience..

the ones i see are no longer in use, its just there to provide shield for the top cabinets.

indeed they are gorgeous? how much did it cost..? kids are smart de, knock once, will remember next time!

well, me and wifey are certainly going to make use of this shifting house to "play" with all the stuff...its gonna be a once in a lifetime kinda thing. right now, WIW is open concept. But im quite concerned with the dust problem, maybe would put up string curtains in future, though i still prefer the open concept style. sliding doors are expensive and tend to give problems after a few years, i think curtains are better, cheaper and more cosy.

i certainly discovere gems! ur window n door grilles...hahah... its gonna be my project for december...still got quite some stuff to do for the WIW area... yeap, estore pricing for paints are good as well, shud be making a trip there soon.

wow! factory industrial? i like! staying tuned!

i think that would be the proper way. im a bit inclined to try the shortcut way, still researching on feedback by users on this: From Estore.com.sg: Hammerite Direct To Rust Metal Paint can be painted directly onto rusty surfaces, and thanks to its special 3 in 1 formula there is no need to use a primer or undercoat - saving you precious time! Touch dry in an hour, Hammerite gives long-lasting protection and is suitable for use on a wide range of exterior metal including gates, railings, drainpipes, guttering and garden furniture. Apply direct to rust Protects for up to 5 years No primer or undercoat required For metal inside and outside the home

General rule of thumb is to do homework ourselves for big purchases: cars, houses, studies, renovations, etc... i paid $25 to sit in for the HDB resale talk, to ask questions myself also. Yes, i do the agent did not go the extra mile, mine didn't either. perhaps u just not lucky enough to meet a very good agent. So better start to do homework for renovations, if not....

if u hack and the unit below suffers problems like leakave, then u have to bear the consequences. however, if the hdb contractor hack and the unit below suffers problems, they have to bear the consequences. Imagine if wet works not done properly and water seeps thru to ur neighbour below, then u are in trouble. Worth the risk..? Just get a licenced contractor, there are so many around.

Karang Guni Mission: Met up with bro Dex to collect the grilles. Walked past his row of neighbours, so many of them still using the original HDB main door and grilles. Wished i had them! Had trouble taking putting the whole door frame into the car, so had to throw part of the door grille away. After like 40mins of struggling and sweating, baby, my buddy and i finally managed to remove part of the door grille. So im left with this part of the door grille... This will be part of our walk in wardrobe, to hang some ties, accessories, etc. Will be making this the feature of the WIW by painting it in bright colours...can't wait for Nov to end to start on this! With the help of my buddy's van, we carried the big window grille as well, its much heaviier than i thought! A closer look at the window grille: A very satisfying weekend!!

i got it from Homely. they have a few branches around singapore. is ur gate is black? if its not black i think cannot use rust coverter as the rust converter turns the rust into a "black patch"..