usagisan

Very nice home! We've viewed quite a no. of resale flats in Punggol with a similar layout as yours and most living rooms weren't very bright due to the L-shaped living area. I'm impressed with your home design. Is that going to be your study / entertainment area?

It's been 3 weeks since reno started and we've yet to see anything close to the 3D drawings coz our cabinets not up yet. My hob/hood, kitchen & toilet stuff have been delivered but because cabinet/vanity not ready, the things are all lying somewhere at home.. Kitchen - We decided to put sandblast glass to partially block the view of dryer & washing machine but it'll be up to the width of cabinet, not right to the sink. We chose creamy white floor tiles for a brighter kitchen. No wall tiles to save cost. Common toilet at kitchen - Ideally the brown feature wall is only 1 column between 2 column of white tiles. But apparently due to the positioning of our shower water point which can't be changed, we ended up with brown for shower wall. Instead of making it brown in a U-shaped design, we did only on 2 walls only to brighten the toilet. MBR toilet - We wanted black vanity top to differentiate from common toilet but ID advised me against it. Apparently it'll show stains easily. So we chose grey color in the end to match our tiles. Due to our selection of light laminate colors, our place feels more resort than Japanese now. Hehe ;p

welcome! i'm new too. This is a great place to find info. My reno is in progress now Are you going to do a major overhaul?

No photo updates coz there were no major action done after the tiling was completed. Still waiting for the carpentry work to be ready. Took the measurements last Tuesday with the carpenter. I'm glad he knows a bit of fengshui and could advise measurements for our mtm God altar. Last 2 weekends were busy shopping for kitchen & toilet fittings coz they all have to be delivered tomorrow coz installation will be done next week. We first went to Viva (at Balestier) recommended by our ID but it was way too expensive. 2 WC, 2 wash basin, 2 taps (non-mixer), 2 shower sets & mixers added up to almost $1.7k! When we mentioned we wana think about it, the salesperson's face turned black. She also didnt give us the detailed quotation to think through. when we left We popped over to the shop opposite them (Yuan Soon) where the prices were at least $300 lesser. And the salesperson readily gave us a copy of the quotation, with detailed breakdown of prices & discount for each item. We didnt buy anything and only confirmed our purchase on our 2nd visit. Couldnt find the ideal kitchen sink though. So bought it elsewhere (cash & carry) and left it with YS to deliver together. Also went intensive shopping for our lights at the same time. It's so difficult to find unique lights for toilet ceiling. Finally found one last Sunday at Chan Huat. Now we have lights from 3 different shops! With a modern Japanese theme, our choice of paint colors were limited. And with preference for easy wash range of paint, our choices were further cut down. Settled on barley white for kitchen, lilac white for living, rose white for bedrooms. Hope it turns out well. Painting will start this thursday Can't wait for next week to come. That's when our kitchen cabinets will be fixed!

what is your theme? I agree poles are too common even tho it's nice. Quite expensive too! I was quoted about $700+ for it. my previous owner theme was bali, so they bgt those portable dividers for the foyer. Quite nice but takes up space. If want a modern feel, how about panel curtains? I've seen 3 panel curtains that joins up to form a picture... string curtain good idea too I'm going for japanese theme, so will be using a blind as divider. Not sure if it'll turn out well though....

hi kaijia in the end got extension? are u able to start reno on time? tdy/tml's your final inspection? i heard from my agent tat he encountered seller on day of handover still never move out their things. so nice to have wallpaper... we no more budget for it... so just gona paint and put some wall decals ;p

Nope, coz that will make our already cramped shower area even smaller. Plus it adds to our cost. So just gona paint over

hi fongfamily We spent 1 weekend visiting 5 IDs with our floor plan, photos of flat & list of areas to renovate. Then waited about 1 week for their quotation. Shortlisted 2 IDs out of the 5 then went down for 2nd discussion + view their projects in a day. We decided based on rapport & confidence with ID and pricing. Signed contract on 3rd discussion after some bargaining of prices. The 3D drawings were out around 4 weeks before our scheduled renovation. After we selected our tiles, he did a revised drawings based on what we choose. Then did another revised drawings due to some changes we had. Each revision of drawing took about 1 week plus. We arranged for ID to visit the flat to take measurements while sellers still staying in there coz wanted reno to start asap. They estimate 5 weeks for my reno of kitchen & 2 toilets due to waiting time for kitchen cabinet to be made. They are progressing quite fast at the moment so I think less than 5 weeks can finish. I think if you have floorplan now, you can go hunt for IDs with it Some forumers go to many IDs to compare, but we are too lazy to do that. Repeating ourselves 5 times is enough, hehe ;p Quotations all almost the same range anyway.

Day 1 & 2: Hacking Day 3 ~ 7: Overlay tiles As of today (Day 4), the common toilet & MBR toilet wall tiles are up.

we bought our furnitures almost 3 mths in advance. The shops allow us to do that with no additional storage charge. As for electrical items, we shopped around and took down measurements of items we want and gave them to our ID. (hob/hood, fridge, washing machine & dryer) After the reno schedule was out, he advised us the date for delivery of kitchen hob/hood then we went to buy the stuff. We arranged for hob & hood to be delivered first due to the kitchen cabinet. The rest to be delivered after reno done. Toilet accessories shopping is done but nothing bought coz pending recommended measurements from the ID.

Photos of areas to renovate Kitchen - It's quite nice & well-maintained but we prefer a L-shaped kitchen cabinet for more kitchen top space to work with. Common toilet MBR toilet - Quite nice vanity but doesn't fit our theme

Thanks joseeng & Kaijia. We finally received my keys! The sellers kept the place neat & tidy after moving out. Both sides' agents also turned up for the handover of keys. Very responsible coz there was a 6-wks extension after HDB completion and our agents already received their commission after 1st appt, so I'm glad they followed thru to the end. Gd service! Also received our reno schedule: 7 - 8 Oct: Hacking 11 - 15 Oct: Tiles 18 - 19 Oct: Carpentry works measurement / Plumbing works 28 - 29 Oct: Painting 1 - 3 Nov: Fix cabinets and toilet/kitchen accessories 8 - 12 Nov: Touch up/ cleaning 15 Nov: Handover Seems like there are many no-activity days in-between but ID claimed need time to fabricate cabinets, do other stuff etc. Hacking started on 8 Oct instead. No sure if they are done, will be going down to check. ID called up when he's in our flat (coz we both working) to confirm the items to remove, so I think should be fine. I feel I can trust this ID to run the show well even though he seems rather young. Hope my intuition is right. Will upload photos of process soon.... after i figure out how to do so ;p

Thank you! Wish your reno will be smooth too. Your reno seems quite major, how long will it take? mine only 2 toilets & 1 kitchen and they tell me need 5 weeks! not on time for my ROM

Collecting the keys to our flat tomorrow and reno will start the next day. 3D drawings are out, pending revised drawings. Tiles already selected, furnitures bought last month. Yes, we are super excited about our home ;p

We're starting reno in early Oct and selected the materials recently. So far I'm happy with their service. Very friendly, patient, give many ideas and considerate towards our budget too. Even suggested we keep some items in the resale flat to save cost (original quotation already stated to hack them off). Maybe will start blog on the reno. Excited to see how the flat will be transformed into our dream home.

We've also just signed up with them. Seen the 3D drawings, very nice but didnt really fit our theme. Waiting for revised drawings now... can't wait to start renovation soon!

or u wana consider panel curtains? saw some nice ones at ikea

nice! but i think will be expensive. i wanted something similar but thinner poles. The quotation i got from my ID was $1450 (6ft). Still considering abt it. read somewhere in forum that for poles like those in the pic but slightly thicker, it's abt $150-$200 per pole.

In Feb, signed OTP & paid $5k for the following, only to be told it can't be sold: Punggol 5-rm, high floor Valn: 415k COV: 38k Condition: 4 yrs old. Poor. Need to re-do whole flat In Mar, almost bought the following but dropped due to disagreement over extension terms: Punggol 5-rm, high floor Valn: 420k COV: 40k Condition: 7 yrs old. Average. Well-kept but design not to our preference. Need to re-do whole flat. We finally bought a unit last month, waiting for 1st appt now Punggol 5-rm, high floor Valn: 420k COV: 46k Condition: 6 yrs old. Good. Only need to renovate toilets & kitchen to our preference. The COV gets higher each time. Quite heart pain to pay 46k for it, but luckily can save on renovations.

What has seller can't get loan to buy 2nd flat got to do with us buyers? That's the frustration i faced when the agent delayed submission of our resale application coz seller couldn't get loan approval. The OTP is legally binding. So since u have already exercised the option & paid $5k, by right you should be able to get the $5k back. Read your OTP in detail to find any clause that allows you to claim it back legally. As for claims on other items, you need to discuss with seller / seller agent. Check the commission agreement you signed with your agent coz different agencies varies. Usually if seller drops the deal, you don't have to pay commission. In my case, seller can't sell due to HDB restrictions. We used a clause in OTP to claim our deposit & loan cancellation charges. No commission charged as well. We didn't claim compensation like higher value of next flat or inconvenience as the seller sure won't give in since it cannot be quantified/verified, unless we get a lawyer to do it. We didn't want to get laywer coz if seller still refuse, then go court will spend more $$ & effort. I've known of cases similar to yours where the lawsuit took more than 2 years to settle.

Sorry to hear about this situation. What has the seller not having cash to pay up got to do with buyer? If seller wants to back out of the deal, he has to pay buyer back the deposit and buyer can claim against him for other damages. I experienced a similar situation. However in my case seller cannot sell (didnt meet MOP) so the OTP was void and I managed to claim $$ back.

To buyers who are unfortuately in a similar situation as ours, read your OTP in detail to see if there is any clause that will help you. Coz when we did that, we then realised that as at option date, if the seller fails to meet MOP & thus can't sell, the OTP is null & void and we can get back our deposit and claim for damages/compensation against the seller. As we are already so upset with the situation, we decided to give up on the flat and therefore invoked the clause to end the case. However if you still want the flat and willing to wait, you have to re-sign a new OTP upon successful appeal by seller. Now we have created a checklist for our next purchase: 1) MOP 2) Bankruptcy 3) No of days for submission 4) Cheque number for option deposit & exercise option deposit 5) Witness' detail on OTP (coz mine only had buyer's witness) 6) Take back buyer's copy of OTP upon signing option. When it's time to exercise option, then bring it along to sign in seller's presence. 7) Make copy of both cheques and get seller to acknowledge receipt of it Anything I missed out?

To add on to pt 2, i've been advised to insist that seller & buyers initial against the blank field after the agreed no. of days is filled in. Spell it down too, to be on a kiasu side. When my agent asked me to sign the OTP, 45 days had already been filled in without discussing with us first.

haiz.... if only we had read through the forum before purchase to know the "traps" set by agents & sellers. Now we just have to go ahead with our wedding plans without a new flat we wonder if what the owner & agent told us is true, so we've sent a stern email to my agent asking for evidence regarding this issue, e.g. rejection of submission, appeal letter etc. Let's see how they react. If submission is typically within 30 days, why did they put 45 days? Is it a deliberate attempt to buy time? Coz earlier owner had asked for 3 months extension in return for lower COV but we insisted on max of 2 mths. jeda: if the agreement was 2 mths extension after 2nd appt, how to schedule the end of extended stay to coincide with the appt? if the appeal goes through, we want to do that too. Do you mean since 2nd appt is 8 wks after 1st appt, just postpone the 2nd appt to be 16 wks later instead? I wonder if the owner will agree...

hi all We're facing a bad situation and hope those who are planning to purchase a resale flat learn from our lesson and avoid the agony we are going through now. We exercised the OTP within a week and our agent said she'll submit our documents the next day. 1 week later I called to ask for the 1st appt date and was told the owner of our flat can't get bank loan for the unit he's buying, so submission by owner's agent is delayed. Apparently the owner wanted the sell & buy submission to be done on same day. I don't understand why we have to wait for the seller to get his bank loan when these 2 matters are non-related. I've done my part as buyer to rush out the documents within a week, is it fair to let us wait? Worse of all, our agent didn't tell us anything until I called her. After we made noise, our agent said she will get the documents back from the owner's agent and submit the application the next day. When there was no news on the 1st appointment (within 2 days of the date she said will do submission), i called her again. Guess what? She said the application can't go through as the owner didn't meet the Minimum Occupancy Period (MOP) of 5 years and the owner is at HDB right now to appeal. Imagine the shock we had! How could the owner sell his flat when he didn't meet the MOP? Why didn't the owner's agent check first? We do not know if the MOP excuse is true or just a way to buy time. HDB refused to reveal any information as we are considered 3rd-party. HDB only told us if appeal is submitted for MOP, it will take 3 - 4 weeks to know the outcome. If the MOP excuse is true and they lost the appeal, we would have wasted 6 wks for nothing. Even if they pay back our deposit, how to compensate the higher COV we have to pay for purchasing a flat later? When we checked the OTP, we realised it's 45 days for submission. We regret not changing it to a shorter period. Now we just have to wait out the 45 days for the outcome Therefore for those who are going to purchase a resale flat, please check through all documents carefully. Ask for tangible evidence (MOP, approved flat plan modifications etc) before signing the OTP. We were too careless and trusted the agents too much... a very expensive lesson for us....