gimz63251073

geez...bepgof leaving would be a loss... do reconsider!! Steelze, casting interest rate movements of SIBOR aside, if you leave the bank, would you still enjoy the preferential rate?

i have realised that living within means do have varying standards. i would consider buying $500k flat with $8k salary as "living on the edge" or "working your life for HDB". of course, different stroke for different folks. Are bangkok condos any good? i love BKK street food, shopping and cheap massage!

to say whether its boom or crash, we can only see it after everything is settled and when we look back at events. some say 20% drop is crash, others say 10% is crash. others say 50% then considered. whatever, no proper definition anyway. So why bother. Its purely academic. every crisis needs a spark. right now, we are all waiting for a significant event to trigger the crash. Not likely to come from US though, as US will surely increase debt ceiling. They can probably last half a century before defaulting. Maybe China or Euro.

uh to me, there are only booms and crashes. the so-called moderation is just part of the process where booms and crashes occur. If property does indeed crash, many jobs will be lost, pay will be cut, etc... Not a good sign. Must prepare oneself for contingencies...

when u pay alot of peanuts, u get a gorilla. who to answer --> the one who spoilt it. who spoilt it? Owner must be there to supervise. If owner did not supervise? LL suck thumb loh.

Please get the facts correct. I am a house owner like many here. Just because i coordinate some stuff myself, it does not make me a main con. Talking about the cheap wrought iron gate, did u read further that i found a solution to it? And anyway, the reason for signing up for the wrought iron door was because of price and the good job they did for my in-laws previously. My in-laws did the same gate, but using different colour. But sadly, their standard dropped. So i sounded the alarm online to share on how to check the gate and how to cover up the rust. So whats with the complain here and there? U meant i went to CASE? Lol! And if you think stuff installed by main con is problem free? I have walls that cracked, shower door that creaks, etc. These are done and coordinated by the main con. Please do not equate what contractors give to u as of superior quality. it can well be a poor quality at high price or medium quality at high price. Expensive and good quality need not always go hand in hand. Please don't bring in branding. In renovation stuff, many things are not differentiated by brands. And even if so, would we know the quality of the brands? There are so many brands for laminate flooring, so many different brands of cement, brick, etc etc... Countless. How would u know if a contractor is using lousy cement or lousy laminate? Note: im not saying that my contractor did that in case u start making inferences again.

this is only true if that one contractor is responsible. We have seen and read about contractors not fufilling their obligations as well. If u suay suay get a lousy contractor, he will push all his problems to u back. So its not true that with one contractor, it gives a peace of mind.

whichever route u take, via Main con or via sub-con, you will also encounter problems some main con instructions also not clear and end up also do wrongly... things like carpentry to subcon out is common and low risk. For example, carpentry for kitchen is done after connecting of electricity and pipes, floor and wall tiles are done. So any issue with floor and wall tiles have to settle first with main con. then lay protection on floor if you are kiasu. If carpenter drill and spoil ur wall tiles, then its obvious who should rectify it.. The draw back is the time spent onsite, as u have to be there to check and if u see that they spoil ur stuff, inform them immediately. We coordinate subcon ourselves so that we are always present on-site to give clear instructions. I outsource kitchen carpentry as well, no issues with them damaging my stuff or what. In fact, i also outsource windows, doors, laminate flooring, spray paint toilets and electrical works. The main con handles hacking and make good, tiling, painting, plumbing. What gave me problems was really the main con with lousy paint and plumbers! If main con is unhappy about you engaging other people, then look for another main con. There are tons of them around.

there are many projects available online. Just need to get started and visit one blog. Then u can get linked to many other blogs. Most "ang moh" country people DIY their stuff, and share it on their blog, the "plans" or how to do things is easily available online.

hmm not really, i don't agree look only at psf. u have to look at whether u need the space or not, for e.g., only 2 people staying in the house, no need to buy 5room. Though on a psf basis, price is higher for studio, the absolute price for 5rm is very much higher. Hence, for old people who cannot take on too much loan (on absolute amount), they have to settle for a smaller space. Im just curious as to why there is an increase in BTO for studio especially in matured estates. There should be a demand out there, and if so, are those people actually downgrading to cash in on their current houses? Personally, the old people i know (my parents and in-laws)are unlikely to shift as they are really used to the environment and people. When i am old, i might consider getting studio. As it is now, the housework to do in a 3 room flat is tiring enough..

but quite a few studios. i wonder why? high demand for elderly who downgrade?

most will ask for high COV as they expect buyers to bargain. one thing i learnt: just make an offer. though it may seem far from the asking, who knows u might get a deal? if you get outbid, then move on. There are similar units around.

well, HDB is partly at fault la. U see when they sell BTO, they always put there "instalment per month" which is calculated on 30yr old. this gives a false impression on whether u can or cannot afford. Affordability to me means u can pay in full with sufficient funds to retire. So if u spend 30yrs paying for HDB then how to save for retirement? That puzzles me. When u take a loan, u are spending future $. This simply means u have less $ in future when u retire. Just whip out a calculator and punch in some numbers: e.g. say u need $300k for retirement. Say u spend 30yrs to pay for flat, so CPF = 0. The 300k gonna be cash. So where is that cash going to come from? When evaluating affordability, we need to see many years ahead and not just the next few yrs.

had it for around a year, so far so good. But not long enough to comment on durability. after painting the bathroom floor, the area which gets wet needs to be scrubbed. Mine is black in colour, so cannot see mould. But we can feel the floor a bit smooth or slimy, then we scrub. walls are white, and mould comes off easily. For dry areas, no mould at all. Maintenance wise, super good. Dirt and mould comes off easily, and no tile grout to deal with. (i only sprayed one bathroom floor, so i can compare) i had some issues with them on their work earlier, they painted the toilet pipes but did a half past 6 job, wasnt happy with that but at that point i was too bogged down with reno stuff that i just wanted to get it over and done with.

think have to sort out issues like how much one is willing to pay for use of premises, with or without equipment. would love to have a industrial area to work my stuff as well, currently doing the diy stuff at corridor area, so might be a bit noisy for neighbours.

they have wood in many shapes and sizes. plywood have many thickness, i also bought solid wood there before (not sure what species though). cut one piece not a problem at all, they serve retail customers & contractors. went there 2weeks in a row and the boss recognised me... but the real reason for going there was to go there for food, then happen to drop by...

oh the plywood at art fren is cut throat la. do google for Ban Heng Leong (my new found favourite place for wood supply). they cut wood on the spot for u. Boss is friendly. Spotlight also carries chalkboard paint, but variety is wider at art frens. Now they have chalkboard paint in many colours as well.

seems like he is only dragging for time. no more Mr Nice Guy in this situation.

Most likely ur cabinet is laminated? In that case, u have to apply a primer first, also available in art fren. After letting it cure, then paint with chalkboard paint. Not a difficult process, just thats its irreversible.

US ppl drama one la... big hoo ha, very very very likely to just grant the increase. Afterall, if they dun grant, US would just default and we have the biggest crash of the century. After deciding not to rescue lehman, i think now no one dares to not rescue anyone anymore...

Decorated our window and door grilles... not as bare as before! And we did something i never thought i would do... We picked this discarded chair up...

When do you stop doing stuff for your house? Never, says my wife. We started buying stuff at IKEA's annual sale 2 years ago. Come 7 July, it will be our 3rd IKEA sale! OK, we have done some small projects after discovering Ban Heng Leong, a wood supplier @ Jalan Berseh. They always have this shelve of lelong wood outside. Picked up this round piece for $1. And did our favourite hobby. Our dustbin cover!! Handle @ $1 as well. Its got a retro feel...somehow... Found this cute bucket and painted it white as our chalk holder. yay!

me uses makita hammer drill, works like a charm. When the going gets tough, activate the hammer function. makita power driver for screwing screws into wood directly as well. As for working on different parts, u just need different drill bits. Simply check with a friendly hardware store guy. Price wise i think $160+ for hammer drill (with cord) and $150 for cordless power driver. used a lousy drill before, cannot make it. Some bullmaster or wat brand...

my own experience, HDB officer did not chase after me for the marriage cert, so after i got married also did not send her a copy. my friend is the best, his officer totally forgot about him. Their flat has passed the MOP but still have not ROM yet! so depends on officer's forgetfulness as well.

HLE = a statement stating how much HDB is willing to lend you. If you do not need HDB loan, no need to take HLE. For example, some people take bank loan, pay in full, etc.