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no la, should be $6.3k plus $900 (cpf contribution is capped at 20% of $4,500).

up to the HDB scholars to worry... option 1: En bloc everyone there was a building boom in the past, not sure when, where they relocate all the kampungs... so there will come a time when they need to build like crazy to shift the people out of these old flats. Doubt they can ever do so.... option 2: renew lease get people to top up $ for renewal of lease but what will happen to those who are no longer working and unable to top up lease? as they no longer sell flats at subsidised rates, they would not allow top up lease at subsidised rates. my guess is there will be a combination of option 1 and 2. but then, im not a scholar.

also, shoppers at small shops do not need to pay for "full page colour advertisments" with words like "lowest price in town, otherwise, money back guaranteed"

Read the online article today, basic facts: Young couple: - Man, 26 yr old, SG citizen - Female, 24yr old, awaiting PR, graduate, not working. Take home pay income = $6.3k. Aim: Saving $800 per month for downpayment/COV for a HDB. From the article, Man spents $1.4k per month on car and allocates just $800 per month for saving for downpayment for housing. Savings per year = $9.6k. A normal HDB flat would command around 20k COV and 20k renovation (minimum). So he will take roughly 4 years to save the $40k required (not adjusted for inflation and pay increments). If he takes a renovation loan, he can get his house in 2years. Would like to ask, how common is this situation? People spending on luxury items like car before getting a house? Though i see some around me having this "problem", its not very common in my circle. Also, i wonder the purpose of the article, to illustrate that some complaints are not the fault of rising HDB prices?

well, the PE is held responsible in the event the building collapse due to the hacking. so that few hundred is to compensate for the risk... literally putting his head on the chopping board if something goes wrong.

Source: http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/S...113-191460.html LOAN sharks - and their debtors - should beware: Parliament yesterday toughened and extended the laws that tackle illegal moneylending, and the harassment problems that often arise. For the first time, under the Moneylenders (Amendment) Bill, people who provide false contact information to a loan shark and cause an innocent person to be harassed can be jailed for up to a year. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority can also now get information about borrowers' addresses from the Housing Board - to help trace those who move house to avoid loan sharks and cause innocent home-owners or subtenants to be harassed. Penalties for harassers have been beefed up. Repeat offenders face mandatory caning - up to 18 strokes - if they hurt anyone and cause damage to property. Previously, caning was not mandatory and they faced only up to 12 strokes. As for first-time offenders, they will now face up to 12 strokes of the cane. Previously, caning was not mandatory and they faced only up to nine strokes. The maximum jail term for harassers has also been increased from six years to nine, and the fine that could be levied can now reach $100,000, from $80,000 before. Penalties for illegal moneylending have also been toughened. The beefed-up measures come as the number of harassment cases has climbed over the years. Last year, 18,645 people reported being harassed, up from 11,879 cases in 2008. This year, cleaning supervisor Y.K. Tan was one innocent victim. The 54-year-old Ang Mo Kio resident returned from his New Year holiday in Malacca to find his front door steps and metal grilles splashed with black paint. His homemaker wife told my paper the trouble started in 1997, after their neighbour borrowed money from loan sharks. Since then, the Tans have seen O$P$ signs sprayed across their staircase landing. Loan-shark runners also glued the Tans' letterbox shut to pressure them to "force" their neighbour to repay his debt. "Our neighbour was the one who borrowed from the loan sharks, yet, we're the ones suffering such inconveniences," said Mrs Tan, saying she hoped the toughened penalties "will make loan sharks think twice before doing anything". Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee said HDB estates, being open and compact, are particularly susceptible to indiscriminate harassment by loan-shark syndicates. Though less than 1 per cent of HDB households suffered such gangsterism in 2008, "every innocent household harassed is one (household) too many", he said. Law enforcers busted 13 syndicates last year, responsible for at least 3,800 harassment cases. In 2008, nine syndicates were busted. 25 people out of 18k people.... similar to probability of striking 4D it seems... haha...

since got bad reviews, y take the risk? there is someone in renotalk doing air cons and so far no bad reviews yet. i did mine with gain city though, no issues so far...

Hi guys, I will be going to Shenzhen & Zhuhai for a trip. May want to bring home some LEDs to play with, but not sure where to get it from or what types of LEDs there are. Would be grateful if u guys can help. Cheers!

different percentage for people with different situation. I don't think there is a formula to say 10% or 20%. personally, i would take a prudent approach and not load myself with liabilities. So my ratios/approach: - The monthly instalment for housing is to be fully paid by CPF contribution with excess every month. - A 40% to 50% downpayment for car (in future, when wife have kids) - Insurance coverage for myself in case something unfortunate happens - contribute monthly to a reserve account for rainy days - save 50% of bonus every year, the rest distribute to parents, wife and myself. - whenever i get an increment, i save the 50% of the increment given. My beliefs: - no need for branded goods, just keep urself fit and healthy and u will look twice as nice as the uncle in LV - your car does not reflect your social status anymore. with 0% downpayment, anyone can get a car. - not concerned about being judged. People judge u from the car, house or whatever u wear. So long as you are comfortable, why bother? networth usually counts for nothing really unless u are able to sell off your assets for cash. Many people have the bulk of their networth in their house, which they cannot sell (unless they want to sleep in parks/bus stops). Where personal finance is concerned, i would pay most attention to cashflow, i.e. ensure a positive cashflow at the end of every month.

woosh! u are greencoal? ur blog is very helpful! i learnt many stuff over there! Want to extend my thanks! yes, please share the copy cat.

there are DIY videos on how to lay laminates on youtube. But in Singapore, most laminate companies provide the installation and would not want u to "anyhow install" on your own and end up your laminate spoil very fast. as u have no info watsoever, tiling is really not something u want to venture into. Better to look for tilers instead. kitchen cabinets are not as easy to make as u think. Do you have the necessary equipment, wood supplies and help (need more than 1 guy to do) to do up the kitchen cabinets? If you source around, u would realise that IKEA kitchen is actually more expensive than carpenter. The only stuff DIY-able would be painting. Just watch nippon website video to learn painting techniques.

Hi, if i understand u correctly, the insurance covers only mortgage payment for periods where the house cannot be stayed in due to renovations. Also, the insurance is compulsary. It does not cover anything else and there is a $200 annual charge should you change insurer. Im not familiar with the market rates for fire insurance, but with such a punitive term, u should re-consider the insurer company or look around for comparative deals... In any case, probability of fire in homes is very low if your electrical works are properly done and do not have children who play with fire. My friend had his HDB burnt till chao tar due to a naughty child years ago. Sad...

if i had a cute son, i would also rather play with him than DIY things.. i had fine crack lines, painted over it. But came back soon. then i put putty and paint. has been like 2 months or so and crack did not appear.. (touch wood) yes stickers are fun to play with! what kind of wall stickers u got..? g-market good...?

usually electrical they will put the per unit cost only. maybe its the standard way for the quote to be within budget.

my house uses matex paint...but i was advised against using matex by my painter friend. He said the paint will turn flaky after some time.. i guess ideallistic was paying for more expensive paint but felt cheated when he was given a cheaper matex paint. Matex has the advantage of blending in, if u repaint a part of the wall after say 3months, the paint will blend in very well with the old paint, making it seemed like no touch up.

i believe that even if contents are insured, u will get very little payout. firstly, insurer will ask u to support your claim with receipts - (in the event house is on fire, receipts will be long gone) secondly, im pretty sure they take into account depreciation of furniture. After a few years, the value might be pathetic. hence, it would appear that taking insurance will give an illusion of being covered but in reality, the coverage might be extremely low. Hence, might not be worth it?

i like your "logical-ness".

finally found my picture of paint used for steps: Tested it on spare tiles previously (without primer): Found that without primer, paint easily scratched... so priming is important, i finally believed... Good thing we have a lot of primer left!

oh no... sometimes paint do not stick well enough... i tried this as protective cover for paint. It works quite well, but is extremely smelly when spraying... Got it at the Brash Basah Friends.

mine is too little and too disorganised... haha... recommend these sites: http://ana-white.com/ http://.younghouselove.com/how-to/ --> (pls add www infront)

ohh my parent's place have these kind of cabinets below windows too... the depth is not enough to put things... duno what hdb was thinking when they design this... budget set already must follow la.... haha... easier said than done....

Singapore is rich only on a "foreign reserves per person" calculation. The absolute foreign reserve is a different matter. The more grants they give, the more they will adjust GST upwards. Afterall, government coffers all come from its taxpayers.

hmm are there no doors for common toilet...? think ur final product looks very much like the way u planned it. Congrats!

im using gas heater, so far so good. no issues with flame going off... But im not using rain shower la.. u can try checking with steelze, i think he mentioned before on checking with using citygas for rain shower.

good at finding loopholes to benefit themselves. but the good things comes at a price la, they have to leave their homes. If we leave SG for China, maybe we can get expat package? PR + Citizen give birth in Singapore => child automatically becomes Singaporean? Not too sure about this.