adam72

it's the interest that supposedly earned by you had you keep the money in CPF. now that one took it out for housing loan, one has to 'repay' it back to CPF with your own $, ie. from the sale proceeds, which means less cash in the pocket at the end of the day! that's why it struck me that i had to repay the accrued interest back into CPF and my net sale proceeds were definitely lesser.

i moved into my new resale flat in nov 2010. i only have an immediate neighbour as my flat is a corner one on a corridor. initially my indian neighbours were ok. then they started to place their 2 mops with the heads upright outside their flat at the parapet at face level. the mops were unsightly and they stank. imagine walking past these mops everyday, somemore at face level! my MIL complained to them but they chose to ignore. my wife asked me to talk to them. so one day i did. i asked them nicely to remove the mops. but they said the corridor 'space' is theirs! they can put what they liked! the face-to-face talk escalated to a shouting melee, as i became angrier by the minute. they refused to remove. so my wife and i went to the town council and complained. the officer came the next day and checked. they asked them to remove. AND they still didnt! then after the whole hooha about a month or so later, the mops werent there anymore? are they feeling guilty? anyway now when i see them i dont smile at them anymore cos they werent neigbourly at all...

nope i'm not young, only 8 yrs younger than you as my nick is my birth year cos when i sold my 1st resale flat i had to 'return' my accrued interest to CPF from my sale proceeds. it's the same as attracting interest isn't it? only then the net proceeds are calculated, which i had to put 50% of it for my next HDB purchase...

it struck me recently: if one is using CPF to pay off HDB loan, one is really paying 5.1% interest! HDB loan is 2.6% interest + whatever you took out of CPF to pay the loan earns accrued interest of 2.5%! i just realised this and i think the best is pay the monthly instalment by cash, leave the money in CPF to earn 2.5% interest and collect this sum of $ by 55!

i also wanted to add in my wife's name as co-tenant when i married, but was told by my HDB area office that the flat has to be revalued and the new valuation is the 'buying' price of my existing flat to include my wife's name. i find it quite ridiculous: i'll be paying more for the same flat, as the difference when i bought it to the time i want to include my wife as co-tenant is 3 years. the area where my flat is is quite central hence the value went up quite a bit. in the end i didnt do anything and bought a new resale flat in the same area to include my wife as co-tenant. no point paying more for the same flat, might as well get a new flat! unless you have fully paid up the mortgage loan, regardless HDB or bank, this ruling is very ridiculous. i just want to include my wife's name yet have to revalue my existing flat and get a new mortgage loan! ps. HDB is very rigid in its policies/rules. it has grown too bureaucratic

i lived at clementi west from 1980-2005, grew up there. after jurong east library came up, i switched there from queenstown. then jurong east library was the biggest regional library. now i still read but watch movie dvds more from esplanade library...

Hi strikingreality it'll be an heritage waste if queenstown library would to go, as it's the 2nd public library after the demolished national library. those blocks around there were SERSed, so they are empty now. even the food centre also closed on 28 feb. i used to eat there when i studied at Temasek Poly Design School at the now MDIS UniCampus...

hi. i lived in clementi west for 25 yrs and also wanted a library at clementi then. i read quite a bit and used to go to queenstown library and the old national library. now that it's going to be there but i've moved to bt ho swee 6 yrs ago. now i borrow books from national library & dvds from esplanade library. but i'll definitely go clementi library look-see. coz clementi central used to be my old 'playground', having studied at clementi town pri, now clementi pri, across the road...

i bought the same sofa from OM in blue-grey at $999 at Expo back in sep2010. good buy as original price was $3000

i had the same experience in oct 2010. Engaged them 1 mth before move, smsed 2 days before move to confirm on the time (9am), but on the day they came at 10.30am. Called their mobile at 9.15am and was told "have to go fetch workers", then "on the way 20mins". Called again at 10am, they said "on the way 5 mins". when they reached i told the boss, a chinese man in his 40s, why so late? he said he didnt bring mobile phone. the calls were answered by his assistant, a malay man. i voiced my displeasure and my mother-in-law also commented. suddenly he flared up and said if you dont want to move he go. i shouted at him to leave, as he was not even apologetic for his lateness. he kept shouting and we had a shouting match. in the end my sister-in-law's husband called his friend who has a truck to transport the things, and three of us moved ourselves. dont ever engage GOODNESS MOVERS as they are not even good at all!

if you and yr fiancee are 1st-timers shd b eligible for $30k grant. but HDB will clear almost yrs & yr fiancee's CPF to lessen the mortage loan. this CPF clearing includes all payments such as stamp duty, conveyance fees (if using HDB solicitors) and other fees.

hi are you saying the $30-40k 1st-timer grant for resale flat? or the additional housing grant (AHG) for household income <$5k? the former grant is eligible if you are 1st-timer ($30k) and if your/fiancee's parents stay near you or with you at the new resale flat. the latter AHG is applicable if you earn <$5k, with different AHG amount with different income stages. for me, my wife & i took $70k grant ($40k MIL staying with us + AHG $30k). if we sell our flat in 5 yrs' time, we just pay HDB back $30k.

can pm me the contact? thanks!

but self-employed dun have payslips, and i'm self-employed now. what i know is HDB needs to see 2 yrs Notice of Assesment for self-employed but i'm just starting out... are there any way i can show proof of income via 3rd party, eg. letting lawyer's letter?

so if within this 3 mths if any change to income source, ie changing jobs or becoming self-employed, then have to apply new HLE?

hey ossify ya the front windows will be the whole stretch! but i'm keeping my bedroom and living room separate... the recess area was previously purchased and included in the selling price sorry dexufto hijack yr thread...

hi lilithfiend read yr t-blog v helpful i paid $353k for 3std 73sqm. valuation was $330k. we like it coz it's a corner unit and high floor, though the flat's in original condition for over 40 yrs. once i confirm the reno party (in negotiation with ossify now and some others) i'll start a t-blog

congrats on your new 3i resale! i'm also a 3-roomer waiting for my 1st appt in aug. moving from a 3std corridor to 3std corner more space, same or even lesser monthly mortage may i ask how much u paid, if convenient?

If during the 3 mths' period of the HLE, one resigns from job and becomes self-employed before 1st appointment, how to prove your income? As for the 1st appointment, one has to show proof of income for the HDB loan and AHG if applicable. anyone been thru this senario? coz on 1st appt must show proof of income but now i'm newly self-employed...

can know who's your ID? tks

A friend recommended me Design Signature House. Anyone has engaged them for their reno before?

Sold: 3 std 59sqm COV $38k at Jln Klinik (Bt Ho Swee) I was 3rd owner of this >40 yrs flat, read about history of Bt Ho Swee after the fire and my blk was built in 1963. Previous owner renovated quite nice when we bought it in 2005, paying COV $23k then. Buying: 3 std corner 73sqm COV $23k at Havelock Rd #12 unblocked views of Orchard from front and RWS from back It's a flat in its original condition since built in 1964 with 1st owners in their 70s. Both flats are within 5 min walk radius of Tiong Bahru MRT/Tiong Bahru Plaza, Beo Cres wet market, 2 food centres, Havelock NTUC Fairprice; 8 min walk to Tiong Bahru Market, 10 min walk to Great World City/River Valley eateries; 5 min by bus to Chinatown, 10 min by bus to Orchard Rd/Bugis. Not to mention free shuttle buses to Plaza Singapura, Orchard, Chinatown, City Hall, Liang Court It's a very convenient location that we like so much so we are moving just a blk away to a bigger place yet paying almost if not lesser mortage loan after deducting all grants + sale proceeds + returned CPF Also my MIL and wife run a food stall at Havelock Rd Food Centre just behind the new resale flat

hi PiggyBear can check with u yr toilet extension is it wet or dry area? coz i'm also thinking of extending my toilet like yrs. btw my resale flat is near yrs