zirhk3355

Hi All!! Back here in this forum after about quite a long while and happy to see it still active! Things are starting up again all over for us as we bought an unit at Lakelife. Looking for fellow Lakelifeans to fall in and start our bonding early!

Hmmz, not much response. No problem, for those who want to join us, pl come to the group at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22523244134 See you soon!

Sorry for not posting for sooooo long! Just wana update anyone here who is not looking at the FB group; we are gonna have another gathering! Now voting for dates, either 17, 18 or 19 Dec 10; Fri evening, Sat afternoon/evening, or Sun afternoon/evening. Pl put all your available timings! And lastly, how does potluck sound for everyone? We can list down the foods that we wana bring, so won't have duplicates! Present-exchange is definitely welcome, can be simple affair like $10 budget. Let's confirm the date and we can start a discussion thread for organising the gathering...! Pls PM me for details if you are keen to join... =)

Room rental don't need to have agents! Why waste the money?? For tenancy agreements, just go to google and you will find tons of samples. I have also posted a sample agreement drafted by CASE: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=14089 Just amend the clauses to change from whole flat rent to room rent. Attached a copy of your floorplan, demarcate the room in RED, and indicate in the agreement which bedroom is it, voila, you have a room rental agreement!

Yes follow the tenant to police post to change their address. Its our screw-up system for address-changing that cause us to have no choice but do this. However if foreigners (eg work permit, employment pass, etc) then no need lah. Ah long will not loan to foreigners one...

You have the same thoughts as me; HDB claimed that they are doing this "subtenant registration" in-line with ICA's move to clamp down illegal harbouring, that you do not have to ask HDB for approval but just register only. But in the registration, they asked for all the details of your tenancy, how long, what price, etc!! What for, if its not to be submitted to IRAS to tax you?? For room rental, you can also split the rent into net rent and furniture rent using the 65%-35% rule.

Advertising for room tenants is not effective to use newspaper classified, because usually they are for whole flat rental. Tenants searching for room only will be confused. Instead these tenants are usually internet-savvy and rely on room-only web portals, such as easyroommates, roomsdb, etc. Can also put up ads near MRTs, bus stops, or workplaces/schools likely to have more foreigners, eg hospitals, one-north, NUH/NUS, NTU, MDIS, etc. Also can package your room rent with services such as utilities (capped at certain amt), internet, telephone, cable, housekeeping (employ day maid to clean for them once a week), etc. This is always more welcomed by foreigners who want one-price, fuss-free rental. For agents, I will only be willing to pay if they can increase my asking rent. Otherwise, its not worthwhile; eg if your asking rent is $800, its better to lower your rent to get direct tenant at $780 (only $480 loss over 24 mths) than to pay $800 to an agent.

I also agree no need to have rental agents. You need an agreement, go download from the web; I also posted a sample agreement on this forum. For your location, its wonderful. If I were u, I will do up as a serviced apartment. Give free utilities (cap at certain amt), free broadband, free cable tv, f/furnished + weekly housekeeping. Engage a day maid to go clean, wash/iron clothes for ur tenant. Then come wack on the price. An 2-bdrm unit at Icon can fetch $4K+, with services can fetch above $5K. If ur place is nicely-renovated, high-floor and you provide those free services I suggested, you can safely put asking price $1,000/mth for your common room, maybe can close at $950 or $900 at least! So dun spoil market hor; your location so good if rent anything below $900, other Landlord sure die...yes I am also renting out my rooms at Commonwealth... If you need any further advice can pm me...

Wahh, suddenly got life in this thread again! Maybe we should start with THUM again, every sat, 3pm onwards. Carwash should come naturally later, huh?

May I know which HDB flats are no more than 5 km circumference from Orchard Road/City Hall?? Where's the link for these two matters? How much can the 2% comm for a 3-rm flat be? Justified to sacrifice COV to save this amount?? Today's COV for such prime-prime location is easily above $30,000. So ask yourself: If you got a 3-rm flat today, d*mn prime-prime one, you want to break record and sell $500,000. So if an agent really can find a buyer to pay $500,000 for it, would you mind paying him $10,000 (2% comm)? Or would you save this $10,000 comm, go do direct seller/buyer deal and sacrifice the COV that is easily above $30,000?? Its a no brainer. Sorry to be candid, but its exactly buyers like you who need agent's help to give you a good idea what is the market and where your expectations should be.

F1 is going to be on mio???

Is this a question or a statement?? How does the agent knows that the client is going to pay him less for the service? S/He will only know when getting the commission, by which time the service is already provided and efforts all spent liao.

Something on this in ST forum today (lazy to cut and paste); all you need to do is to test call your agent. Act like a buyer's agent, ask your agent if s/he is willing to co-broke to sell your property.

Just one word: BRAVO! --------------------------- Oct 12, 2009 Agents can't wear two hats By Jessica Cheam THE Government is contemplating a move to ban property agents from representing both sellers and buyers of HDB flats -one that has cheered the public and left some agents unhappy. In a key proposal released on Monday to raise standards in the industry, the Ministry of National Development (MND) recommended that this practice is disallowed so that agents are 'not in a conflict of interest'. Currently, many disputes arise because an agent represents both buyer and seller in the same transaction. This prevalent practice in the HDB resale market often results with the sellers' agents collecting a commission from the buyer or refusing to sell to a certain buyer if there is no commission. This practice presents a clear conflict of interest - sellers naturally want the highest price for their property and buyers would want to pay the lowest, said MND in a statement. 'The same agent cannot possibly discharge his professional duties to both equally and represent both their interests fully.' MND noted that flat buyers, however, may need an agent's help in the sale's administrative work, and is proposing that the seller's agent get paid a fixed administrative fee to help buyers process the paperwork. Alternatively, buyers can engage their own agents, or handle the transactions themselves. Agency bosses on Monday admitted that this move might be unpopular with property agents as it will hit their commission cheques but agree that 'this is a move in the right direction'. ---------------------- Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access

Very confusing. So you signed comm agreement for buying? How many percent? In the end he bill you for what services, buying or selling? How many percent? As long as never sign the comm agreement, dun need to pay. Dun worry about their bills; they are just trying their luck; scare you abit see those kiasi-type maybe will go pay them. They will probably send you whatever letter of demand, say want to charge you interest, want to sue you, whatever; bottomline is, you never sign, dun need to pay. Period. But to be totally safe make sure really no black and white, not even smses that stated you are agreeable to pay. Company rule is always an excuse when the agent duno how to ask you to pay commission; eg my company say one, its the IEA guidelines, GOVERNMENT guidelines, IRAS ruling, my manager going to scold me, etc etc. Again I repeat, NO SUCH THING. Never sign agreement, dun pay! I cannot be more specific. Property agencies dun care what the agents do outside, all they care is whatever cheques the agent brings back, the agency just take their rightful percentage share. Agents dun get any basic salary, where got so many rules. Dun waste your energy go media whatever; ignore such losers and move on with your life.