blue_skies

I think for indoor renovation, get an ID/contractor depending on what you need. For the outdoor renovation, get a landscaping company to do it. I don't think it's a good idea to get everything done by one person as the skills required for these two jobs (indoor / outdoor) are very different. Anyway just to share, I've been using Ban Nee Chen for plants maintenance and the guys from there do a pretty good job. Perhaps you can give them a call to see if they can do outdoor landscaping for your roof terrace.

1033 sq ft sounds like a 2 bdrm apartment. IMO, if you are planning to rent it out, then just got to make sure that your rental can cover the monthly loan instalment + maintenance fees. If for your own stay, then it's really up to you whether you like the unit since there must be a reason why you choose that location / development. Personally I would not be willing to fork out such a huge sum if the development does not have full facilities.

I got an equity loan about 2 yrs back and used it to finance a property purchase. No problems encountered. It's called Home Equity Loan (from UOB) and it's given out as a term loan. Maybe you can check with the banks to see whether there are any changes in the regulation, but there are none as far as I am aware.

Fyi - Recent reply from LTA We are sorry that the year of the completion date for the slip road from Tampines Expressway (TPE) into Changi North Industrial Park was informed incorrectly due to typo error. It is expected to complete by 3th quarter of 2012 instead of year 2011. As for the completion of Extension of Flora Drive to Upper Changi Road North/ Changi North Street 1 Junction, it is expected to complete by 3th quarter of 2012 instead of year 2011. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.

Congrats! Glad to know that you managed to get the building mgmt and developer to fix the problem for you. Was this to your advantage where the negotiation of the selling price of the house? If you can, send an email / letter to the developer to confirm their responsibility in the repair works. Something in black and white stating what repair works they would do to the unit, when the repair works would be completed, and how long these repair works are guranteed for. My experience with the developer of my condo is that they can promise a lot but may try to find the easy way out when problems happen again in the future. Good luck with the renovations!

Er, not too sure how large is your planter box space. Is the planter box located at chest level or ground level (at your feet)? This would also determine what would be practical for the space. Would skip the wood decking for maintenance reasons and if there is any problem with water seepage in the future - you'll need to remove all your decking. About having a small pond / water feature, you can check out my post here, but there's a bit of work involved, and I think you would have condo guidelines on what the planter box can or cannot be used for. You'll also need to set up a simple filter system (not those huge aquarium fish tank types). http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=38171

Here's some info on the Flora Rd area that I recently received from LTA when I wrote in to ask about how they are improving traffic conditions in that area. 1) Mariam Way to Flora Road was completed on 5 March 2011. 2) The completion of the slip road from Tampines Expressway (TPE) into Changi North Industrial Park is expected by 3th quarter of 2011. 3) A slip road out to Pan Island Expressway (PIE) from Changi North Industrial Park is expected opened in mid-May 2011. 4) The completion of Extension of Flora Drive to Upper Changi Road North / Changi North Street 1 Junction is expected to complete by 3th quarter of 2011. This also includes some road widening at Upper Changi Road North. And URA also just confirmed the sale of another plot of land for sale in the Flora Rd area - this is next to Ferraria Park, for an estimated 380 unit condo development. http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/graphics/2010/pr10-137a10.pdf

Absolutely agree! How nice it would be if we had a crystal ball to look into the future Btw I posted something on overseas (London, UK) ppty investment on this thread in case anyone is interested. But need more than 100k (abt 140k) cash outlay. http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?sh...mp;#entry623562

Actually don't need to be "extra-rich" to consider overseas ppty 999 yr leasehold studio / 1 bedrm units in central London (size abt 350 sq ft) are going for about GBP 170,000. At the current exchange rate (1 GBP = 2.035 SGD), it works out to SGD 346,000. OCBC Bank currently provides up to 70% loans for UK properties (they are the only bank in Singapore offering such a loan right now). The loan is taken in SGD based on prevailing exchange rates at point of disbursement so it's not too "scary", i.e. won't fluctuate over the years based on exchange rates. And it's based on SOR + X% (currently 0.18%+ 2.5% = 2.68%). Cash outlay (based on purchase price GBP 170,000 and buying GBP t/t rate 2.035) would be: 30% downpayment: SGD 104,000 3% UK stamp duty*: SGD 10,500 Lawyers fees: approx SGD 4,000 Total: SGD 118,500 Factor in another SGD 20,000 for up and down in exchange rate and incidental costs, comes up to about SGD 138,500. *Stamp duty is 4% if purchase price is more than GBP 500,000. 70% loan would be about SGD 245,000 At 3% interest per year for 25 yr loan, mthly instalment is approx SGD1,200 Rental for these units is about 250 - 300 GBP/week (SGD 2000 - 2400). Maintenance, etc abt SGD 500/mth Ppty agt mgmt fees abt SGD 300/mth So you take home abt SGD 1,200 - 1,600/mth. If you get a unit in central London near the universities, no problem finding tenants. If students vacate during summer holidays, rent out to tourists. Of course you'd need to do the sums for other expenses like repairs, taxes (it's 20% income tax in UK, and the VAT in UK is 17.5% - that's the equivalent of S'pore's GST). But I don't think it's impossible to own a overseas ppty. Depending on how you calculate your rental yield, it may not seem as attractive as other properties in S'pore. But it does offer an alternative to local property investment if you have limited cash. I think every investment comes with its own fair share of risks too, so you are really banking on the low exchange rate when you buy a UK ppty now, and hoping too that the exchange rate will go up in 5-10 yrs time, plus capital appreciation. As a guide, a 99 yr leasehold studio apt in central London (Zone 1) 10 yrs ago was about GBP 100,000 and is now worth abt GBP 200,000. But exchange rates 10 yrs ago were almost 1 GBP = 3 SGD. Just my two cents worth to share

I believe the rooftop terrace you mentioned belongs to that particular unit (and not a common area)? If so, when you buy that penthouse unit (with a rooftop), the maintenance of the rooftop terrace is effectively your responsibility. As such, the management committee would be reluctant to spend that sort of money to repair "your unit", and you might end up having to foot the repair costs yourself. I am not sure how old is the condo unit you are looking at, but most developers will have a warranty on waterproofing etc for X no of years after TOP. Before you decide to purchase that place, I think you should call the developer to check and confirm whether the repair costs would be borne by them. I wouldn't trust the management on their words. The developer has the final say at the end of the day. If developer says that they will not foot repair costs, and you still really like the unit (and don't mind repairing it), then try knocking down the price by another 5-7% and tell the seller you have checked with developer and you need to pay a huge amt to repair the rooftop. I'm guessing the owner is selling the place because he doesn't want to repair the rooftop. Good luck

Just some thoughts to share, and wondering how RT forummers feel about the various measures taken to curb property speculation here in Singapore. The ruling that has been the biggest stumbling block (at least in my case), is the loan to value (LTV) that the govt has passed for the purchase of second or subsequent property. Initially it was revised down from 80% to 70% in Aug 2010, and then reduced further again to 60% in Jan 2011. Every Saturday when going thru the Classified ads, I was initially browsing through the section "City & South West pte apts for sale", then when the LTV was revised to 70%, I moved to "West pte apts for sale", and after that, had to shift focus to "Balestier, Geylang" (after the 60% LTV rule was passed in Jan 2011). Not that I have anything against condos in the Balestier, Geylang area, but then, I realised I could only afford a mickey mouse unit in a not-so-central / popular part of Singapore. I explored various options on how to use this sum of money to invest in another property here in Singapore. Even a 2 bedrm 99 yr leasehold apt in the surbaban areas would have cost between $800-900k. In my opinion, it was absurdly expensive, but what can we do? If HDB prices hold steady, pte ppty prices also have to remain steady or head upwards. In the last couple of weeks, I have explored other options and finally decided that I'm taking the money out of Singapore. If I can't buy a property here, I'll use my money overseas Would you also bring your money out of Singapore and buy a property elsewhere?

I think old folk's home / nursing home doesn't come cheap. "Kicking" parents to old folks home also means someone's got to pay for them, and ultimately it would be the kids who pay for it if the parents have no money. We don't have social welfare here unlike other countries, plus our govt is actively encouraging the young ones to look after the parents

I think the rulings changed mostly applied to sale & purchase of HDBs and owning 2nd property. The 4% when OTP is accepted + stamp fee is in cash. (Normally a cheque would be issued since the amount is quite large. The cheque would be made out in the seller's name and passed on to the seller's lawyers). So your total cash outlay upfront is 5% of purchase price + stamp duty. You can apply to be reimbursed thru your CPF for the stamp & legal fees - see below. http://ask-us.cpf.gov.sg/explorefaq.asp?category=23098 Can I use my CPF savings to pay the legal and stamp fees under Residential Properties Scheme (RPS)? A: Yes, you can use your CPF savings to pay the outstanding legal and stamp fees if you apply to use CPF to buy the property. However, CPF savings cannot be used for the monthly service, conservancy and other charges relating to the use of the property. With the withdrawal of the stamp duty concession from 15 December 2006, stamp duty is now payable within 14 days from the date of the Sale and Purchase agreement or the date of acceptance of the option to purchase. You will now need to use cash or take up loans to pay the stamp duty first, and subsequently apply for reimbursement from your CPF when your lawyers submit your application to use CPF for the property purchase. For completed properties, the request for one-time reimbursement of stamp duty from your CPF should be submitted together with the request for CPF lumpsum drawdown on completion. For properties under construction, if you have used cash to pay the stamp fee first, you may apply for one-time reimbursement of stamp duty paid not later than legal completion.

Has anyone factored in children's education costs when doing financial planning for their retirement? Or would you expect your child to take a loan to pay their fees while they are in school? This is one of my biggest concerns although my kids are not even in primary school yet NUS school fees for Singaporean citizens are S$7200 per academic year. For a 4 yr course that would be about S$28,800 (current rates). Can't imagine what it would cost when it's time for my kids to go to uni (at least that's the path I hope they take). Not to mention the price of an overseas education - if you intend to give your kid that option in the future, then better start thinking about it now....

Try calling up a few more companies? Can start with HDB list of minor repair contractors http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10324p.nsf/w/...inorcontractors But be prepared - the price for condo repair will be slightly higher than that for HDB

I have a hot water tank so yes, I installed bath mixers for the bathtub. But I guess it's up to you. You could use an instant hot water heater with a bathtub too, it's a personal choice

If anyone's keen on buying UK property for investment, here's something for you to read OCBC Bank was the first Singapore Bank to offer financing for London residential property purchases http://www.ocbc.com.sg/download/media_rele...20Financing.pdf With GBP to SGD exchange rates at 2.07 SGD = 1 GBP (for T/T buying rates today), it's actually very attractive

The price depends on what sort of material you use for your counter top, whether or not you have any cupboards below it, and how large is the counter top. I had my study room and kitchen walls knocked down so that I had an open concept kitchen that opened into the living room. http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=37439 (Refer to post dated 9 Mar) If you want to have a counter top that serves a dining table top (and cabinets below it), make sure that you have at least about 6" depth for the counter top to the cabinets edge to place your legs when you sit at the counter top.

Sit down bath - yup you can sit down on the "step" and bathe, or you can also stand. But standing a bit more messy coz water may splash onto the floor (unless you have a cover to keep the water in). Personally I think sit down baths are good alternative for HDB flat toilets if you really want a bath tub. It's useful if you have young children - can sit them down inside the tub instead of standing. The bath tub also doubles as a wash area for my bigger items (and the dirty water is all kept within the bath tub, plus it's easy to clean, just a bit of cif and a sponge).

I went to see this TCM (was highly recommended to me by my gf). Was never one to believe in TCM until I had absolutely no where else to turn to. Tan Kok Chuan. 515 Bedok Nth Ave 2 #01-215, 460515, Singapore. Tel: 64426590.

joyousonline, Thanks! Actually that recess area is the original design of the toilet, and it goes all the way down to the toilet floor. We wanted to make full use of the recess space, so the tilers filled it up with hollow blocks and cement and then laid tiles over the horizontal surface such that it is level with the bath tub. Only the lower shelf is tiled. The upper shelf is laminated wood that I got my carpenter to cut and install. edenstrauss, You wouldn't have dared step into the kitchen or toilet in its original state

Thanks Ronald. You got plenty of patience.....

I don't have any recommended painter. I did my reno with a contractor and the painter was supplied by them. If you would like to have the contractor's contact, it's actually Tiler Seng from the RT forum. You can find his thread here and PM him. http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?sh...0&start=320 If you got no problems with water seepage etc, no need to use sealant lah. Specks means little dots on the wall. The bugs look like little dots on the wall, especially if your house walls are all painted in light colour (e.g. white).

Another interesting article to share with everyone http://lushhomemedia.com/2011/03/04/reside...s-still-buying/

Hi, I have not installed timber decks in my home before so I am not sure how they are fixed on. Perhaps you can call the company that installed it for you to see whether they are able to remove the screws or nails etc?? Maybe if it's just damaging a few pieces it's still okay, so long as they don't have to destroy the whole lot of timber decking? Do you know how the timber decks are installed? e.g. nails / cement / drilling As for your neighbour's unit downstairs, unfortunately, yup, I think you are obliged to make good their ceiling coz the stain is coming from your unit (as a result of the timber decking you installed). If you were in their shoes, I'm sure you would have wanted your neighbour upstairs to repair your ceiling too.... However if the leakage problem was due to, say, HDB installed fixtures that are now defective, e.g. HDB tiles or piping, then the cost of repair for your neighbour's unit could probably be split 50/50. It's just a guess coz HDB will always assess on a case by case basis.