Search the Community

Folks - Moving to a new place next year and there is a dedicated room for home theater - 6.9M (Width) * 6.3M (Length) in size. This is already pre-setup by the previous owner with a proper projector mounting and a 180 inch screen. Wanted to check with the experts here on which is the better option in 2025 - going with a projector or just go for 100 inch tv, esp since 100 inch tv is just ard 5K or even lower next year. Will be using this mainly for gaming and watching movies. Budget ard 7K max and also plan to set up a 7.2.2 home theatre system. What is the best option - use the existing setup and get a projector, say Epson TW9400 or a 4K 100 inch TV? Many thanks

So we have checklists for buying a new car, and why not one for a new home? I've consolidated what I have previously written here, so everyone can benefit and also contribute and some of the info comes from other bros. Before we even go into the list, there are some basic things to do: - make sure everyone in the family agrees to this purchase, and whether it's for investment or as a home - check your financials well and get a large enough budget to buy and for renovations or other costs - do your homework! Check the online property forums, buy and sell places and see what your money can buy and which regions suit your needs best So, now onto the buying process Is it going to be landed, a flat or a condo? Some of the general principles which apply to all three types: Is the home paid for or is the seller still in debt and not bankrupt How many owners are there, and any divorce in process. Who is the legal owner or executer of the property if the owner is deceased? Is it tenanted and when does the lease run out Can you break the lease How old is the place. As a general rule, most places under 10 years can do without major renovations and you can use the piping, aircons and wiring. Most places above 20 years old will need more extension renovations - freehold, 999 years or Leasehold (how many years left) - location - is it within 1km to a primary school and how many places are there - sun direction - North South is the ideal - developer matters too - some are cheap and use poor quality materials - neighbours - good ones to whom you can entrust your keys, psycho ones, and nosy ones - visit the location at different times - if you go over a weekend it's usually quiet and the traffic is light, so see at at peak hours and see if there's any choke points and if the streets around it become very noisy or is there a school or some place that attracts a lot of noise - amenities eg market, food places, 24 grocery, petrol station, postbox - near work - near a clinic or GP - MRT, bus or good roads etc to work, school etc - wind : how well ventilated it the place - how high is the place - the interior of the place, can you salvage the parquet floor for example - TV reception - is there a fibre / home line (will cost $288 to run a new fibre line for example) - where is the mains and the PUB meter located - do you have the plans for the electricals Items specific to an apartment: - the shape of the unit, any odd unusable corners, how square is it - how many units are there? Is it going to be too crowded over the weekends to swim? - what are the amenities? Sometimes too many water features, landscaping or pools will mean higher costs to maintain - pools: regular shape? Good for swimming laps or merely for wading? Any lifeguards? - maintenance fees - sinking funds - more units will mean more people to share costs. Small developments will need larger contributions to fix items like lifts, repainting costs etc - number of lifts, is it private - ratio of parking lots to units and the number of visitor lots - number of entry and exits, side gates - how much power is there? As a rule, you need a minimum of 45A and up - any provision shops? - who runs the place? which security company do they employ? - get a copy of the house rules - eg no moving in hours and are there a lot of AirBnB listings? Items specific to houses: - plot ratio and GFA - zoning and potential developments of the area - who was the designer or builder and are they still around - cul de sac - land size, is it square or narrow, can you expand the built up area? (remember to account for set back if you do more than A&A) - soil analysis - is it reclaimed land - fengshui : water, wind and mountains etc - at a junction - noise level in the neighbourhood - any new developments - renovations or reconstruction can continue for years around the place - is there going to be enbloc or a new road running through the area - if the homes near you are going to be replaced by flats, the roads can be much busier - parking - flooding / ponding - any religious building around you or a popular eatery that attracts a lot of visitors eg illegal parking during peak periods and noise levels - any piped in gas... so you don't need to use gas tanks - any retaining wall, and is it near a 24 hour gas station - noise and fumes - is the place close to electrical plant or substation - how much power is there? Single Phase or Triple Phase (most modern terrace houses will have a triple phase 63A main DB, which can support the needs of most homes, even those with a swimming pool) Don’t forget to check for termites and mossies. How windy and well ventilated the place is. How wide is your lane and even the type of roof and tiles used. Bring a builder along to give you an idea of renovation costs.. But before you even look around, do the financials first. Make sure you have a loan approved in principle and also enough cash for the renovations with a 20 percent buffer. Then bring the check book for every viewing. A basic renovation for a landed place can go from 2-300k, and for a A&A you might be looking at twice that. Adding a new roof 50k, and a new floor around 150k. A tear down? It can be 600k and up and these costs don't include furniture or fittings. Time is the other factor you have to budget in. Add 20% to any schedule, especially if you are doing it around Chinese New Year or Christmas. Be detailed in your planning, for example: If you are doing a rebuild, make sure you work with your builder and neighbours. A small road - like the Countryside one, yes that 'wide' road, may not be able to take a full truck or a cement mixer coming in. And with such a long road, you need to coordinate with the entire road of owners, so they clear the road such that the truck can come in. Trust me, it's not a given nor an easy task. If a car gets scratched... be prepared for an ugly scene. So also check that your contractor is registered and has insurance. One of your neighbours might own a limited Maclaren that your builder just happens to nick whilst transporting your tiles into your plot... Are there any other persons building in the same area, maybe you two can work together and save cost on building materials or if the other person started first, they can share some of their experiences Is there space for your builders to park? Is there good road outs of your estate or are you reliant on a single exit which can get very clogged up during peak hours? Here's a BCA owner's checklist guide Finally, I would like to start that I'm not an agent. I'm just trying to share since others have helped me before and I'm giving a little back so everyone can benefit. But YOU and you alone need to get that info you need. No one will spoon feed you and there's no charity. You find those good deals, with the aid of a good agent. Look at as many areas as you can, and take your time. But timing is everything and sometimes, that dream home just pops up and you have to be ready. You snooze and you lose... Good luck! BCA Homeowners Guide.pdf

Plan to give my house a fresh coat of paint. Any house painting service lobang to recommend?

Old thread. Suu Kyi in trouble with the Army again. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior party figures detained by army Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior figures from the ruling party have been detained in an early morning raid, the spokesman for the governing National League for Democracy said on Monday (Feb 1). The move comes after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the powerful military that stirred fears of a coup in the aftermath of an election the army says was fraudulent. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/myanmar-leader-aung-san-suu-kyi-detained-spokesman-myo-nyunt-14084948

kena a lot of ants in my house- HDB, used all sort of method liao

Dear all, Ants problem .... black ones. Seems to be getting alot lately. Any good way to remove them?

Thought we can have a thread of this genre. What should be here? "Electronic-based styles such as trance, lounge, chill-out, EDM, vocal, techno, house, ambient, synth, jungle and other music styles intended not just for dancing". Fire away! 😃 PS: Give a thumbs up if you enjoyed the music.

Think there is something wrong with my built-in oven . I can switch on the oven, but when i turn the selector (select different cooking) knob and the oven trip the house power supply. Anyone can advise what is the problem?

having a healthy debate with my wife on this.... How much did you spend on your last major house renovation?

How can one stop motorists from making too much noise with their engines? Someone in Malaysia reckoned that building speed humps outside his place will work. As seen on an article by Mothership.sg, Nor Muhamad Roslam Harun, who lives in Besut, Malaysia said that the exhaust noises caused by the vehicles disturbed his sleep. So the 40-year-old, who was "depressed" due to this, built 11 speed bumps to slow down vehicles travelling past his house. The bumps which stretched across a 40m stretch of road cost him RM1,080 (S$354.83) and it was from part of the i-Sinar Employees Provident Fund. For those who aren't in the know, the i-Sinar fund are for workers who are self-employed and had their business suffered due to COVID-19. Soon, the humps pissed motorists off and he had to remove them after videos of people using the road went viral. As explained by Roslam, he originally wanted to build lower speed bumps. However, the asphalt hardened too fast, resulting in higher and bigger speed bumps. He has since apologised hired the pros to level all the speed bumps, including the additional two that were on the road originally after the police advised him.

I am going to paint my house,need help which best paint service to choose. I have called up these services. Any other services you guys know please reply.

I have a neighbour living one floor above me and I'm also on talking terms with me. Recently his daughter married and son-in-law came to stay with them. This is where it all started.... he would open the grills, stick his head out of the windows and blow smoke out of his room. I will have to close my windows everytime he smoke... 1 an hour if he's home. So what can I do and what's my rights? Complain to HDB can or not? Or speak to the father-in-law? Kindly advise

If you think your loud-sounding car is safe from the authorities just because you stay in a private property, you might want to think twice now. A photo of a Ferrari 488 GTB being inspected inside someone's front yard has been circulating around in most car group chats over the last weekend. From what we understand, it is almost unheard of for LTA enforcement officers to venture into a non-public area to inspect a car that might be flouting the laws. While we are unsure of the reasons while this particular Ferrari is being looked at, we reckon the reason might be neighbours who are unhappy about the loud exhaust noises emitting from the car. On a side note, those who are in the know will wonder why the officer is looking under the car when its belly is all covered up... Check out what neitzens on SG Road Vigilante have to say about this. Let us know if you agree!

Late morning, i was on a Teams meeting, W'ingFH. My doorbell bo battery, and there was knocking on the door. My father went to open the door, and a conversation started. My father is 86 btw, although still very healthy and fit, could sometimes be 'defensive' -- when got strangers come knocking. 😀 After a minute or two, i told my colleague i need to attend to something first, and ended the call, then went to the door. Got 3 persons standing there, and my father then let me take over. The 3 officers identified themselves as from MOM, and said they were checking on whether we rent or had rented out our house/room to Foreign Workers before. I said no, and they said they're checking cos there is one FW who registered his residential address using our address! Now that's a shock... The officer then explained that if it's not true, then the registration is wrong (i can't remember if he used 'illegal'), and suggested that I go online to check and if need be, to block my address from being used for this purpose. Then another officer took out her handphone to show me the website where this can be done. They then asked me for my name and contact number just in case MOM needs to check anything with me, and left. I was a little shocked, and when i told my parents, they of course started more comments, more shocked, etc. etc. 😂 I then went online -- as advised -- to check, and to my surprise, saw not one, but four, FWs registered to my address!!! The webpage advised to email a complain to MOM if anything is inaccurate, and i did that. Then i removed the 4 names and proceeded to update the record. Not sure whether there's any implication on my address being used, but thought it's useful to share this here. Have never heard of this before... You might want to check whether your address is also being used, and even if not, you can check the "block" option in the webpage so that nobody can use your address even if they want to. The website -- need SingPass to login -- to check is Foreign Worker Tenant Enquiry Service (FWTES)

I am starting this thread as a complement to the main thread on property news and prices. I hope some of these tips/suggestions gained from actual dealing on the ground would be helpful to homeowners/buyers. I will start off with the below burning question that I get all the time....why some units break record prices but some could not be sold for months and months. Selling your property for top dollar Firstly, let's define what is top dollar? In my terms, top dollar would means selling above market valuation. Often, it also means breaking the record price of similar units in the same estate/condo. Over time, I observed that these price record transactions had a similar trend. To get top dollar, contrary to most beliefs, it definitely has much more science to it than art. Top dollar deals seldom come from just listing and pray; it has a method to it. Unfortunately most sellers/agents never really took the method seriously and in most cases, never get top dollar for their units. As this is a post and not a blog, I will keep it short and concise. To sell for top dollar, you need to understand the below on the psychology of a buyer when they come for viewing: 1) Buyers use very little logic when viewing, they tend to follow their emotions more 2) Emotions arise not just from what they see, but also from the other senses such as smell, feel, touch and hear 3) Sellers always make mistake by assuming that the buyer can imagine an empty house. The buyers don't and they won't 4) The key then is to be able to reach down to the sub-conscious of a buyer by invoking their positive emotions during viewing. Houses that gets top dollar often make the buyer feel 'right" and they then use their emotion to justify their logic. Failure to consider the above is the key difference between getting no offers (or market valuation at best) and one with a top dollar offer. Understanding the above,here are my 10 tips for sellers based on my experience: 1) A cluttered house kills good emotions. Always un-clutter the house before viewing. Throw away junks and keep the house tidy. The owner is selling the house and will need to move soon...use that opportunity to start clearing the house. This issue is so prevalent in many units that the seller think that the buyer will imagine an empty house. Again they won't! 2) Fix all minor defects. Again, too many sellers thinking that the house gonna be sold, what is the point of fixing it up. You don't have to renovate the house, but you should fix up all visible defects. Even a new coat of paint on any old house does miracles in getting good offers 3) Clean the kitchen top and uncluttered it. A clean good looking kitchen makes a lot of difference in getting top dollar. If there is one place that make the difference in offers, it is the kitchen. The buyer's wife/gf/mother has a lot of emotions attached to the kitchen and in most cases, they are also the CFO to the purchase. Unclutter the kitchen top and make sure the stove and built-in oven looks clean. I even had a seller once storing his microwave away just to clear up space for his very limited kitchen top space. 4) Dining table. Another culprit which is always full of everything except dining stuff. Clear it, and put an attractive piece, a vase with flowers, etc at the center. Pull the buyer eyes to the center of the dining table and let him feel that they can eat comfortably at that table. 5) A well lit, unblock, entrance door. Clear away your shoes or anything untidy at the entrance. An unblock well lit entrance creates eagerness to explore more of your house. 6) Masterbed room is important and it must look like it is ready for relaxation and sleep. I have seen many master bedrooms that has clothes hang in it, or the seller cramped a study table into the master. If you confuse the buyer over the purpose of that room, chances of getting a good offer is as good as nil. 7) Always give exclusive to your trusted agent. I seldom see record selling deals that are from open listing. Open listing agents are prone to be "tested" by the buyer agent and their motivation to close will bring you a lower price. Furthermore exclusive agents are motivated to do every viewing for you hence has minimal viewing leakage. 8) Be flexible in your ability to open doors for viewing. Great offers can come from any viewing time and if you restrict your viewing time to evening or weekends only, you are restraining your ability to get good offers, Two of my record breaking sales came from afternoon weekday viewing. Hence, never, never have viewing leakage. 9) Check if your house has certain odors especially for those with pets. The houseowner is often immune to any smell, but the buyer will sense it at a distance. And if you have pets that could walk around the house, (or make noise, for.e.g barking) , please bring them out somewhere if you have viewings. Again, please don't assume that the buyer can imagine that your pet won't be there when they make the purchase. They won't. Remember, the sense of smell and hearing invoke powerful emotions so if you want to get top dollar, make sure those senses of the buyer are not affected. 10) I leave the last point to the advertising. Good advertising attracts viewers. Unfortunately I've seen many seller/agents use mediocre handphone photos to advertise. Some photos are so bad that a young Instagram-obsessed teen would probably take better. If you already took the effort to do fix up, unclutter the house, etc, the last thing you want is to have photos that does not depict your house accurately. Wide angle photos, imo, is the minimal requirement. Videos and virtual tour are great, but only if your house is of a certain size. Buyers will sub-consciously drawn to sellers/agents who take pride in advertising their house and first impression does count in this business. Don't neglect this which I somewhat keep seeing all the time. There are many more concepts that I can keep going (the use of colours for e.g) but the above is suffice for most sellers if they want their property to fetch good offers. Infact, I seldom see all 10 points click into place, but if they do, that property should get good offers. It is very often for me to hear that some units could not be sold for months, but when another agent took over, it get sold within one month at the same asking price. I don't believe it is all luck. It has to do with the method right from advertising to preparing the house for sale. I hope the above helps in giving some ideas in getting good offers for your property at your location. Your property is one of your biggest investment so it is worth the effort in putting the right "sciences" into it and get the top dollar offers.

Hi lately I have been seeming more and more ants(small one) in my house. I try using ants poison but to no effect. Any bros got better recommendation. THanks

Truely Asia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sQ_TFego_U Guys, better have your sisters, wives or girlfriends check their panties before wearing :)

Hi all, I understand that people do not normally move house during the 7th month Hungry Ghost Festival. What about Qing Ming Jie? Is it advisable to move house during Qing Ming Jie? Also, anyone here can direct me to an affordable and (more importantly) credible person versed in the Tongshu who could advise me on what's a good time to move house based on my Ba-Zi? Thanks!

MCF is not only a place for cars but people who are knowledgeable and resourceful. I've got an issue. I did some reno and I can't find the key to the lock of the cabinet housing the PUB meter, is there someone who can open it and make a key without destroying the lock / door? Thanks bros!

Just read about this...wonder if landed homes in Singapore are encoutering the same mini invasion of the reptilian kind... http://news.asiaone.com/news/malaysia/cases-reptiles-caught-home-rise-nationwide

when feng shui books mention the direction that the house is facing, what do they mean? Is the main door used as a gauge to determine which direction the house if facing?

Asking out of curiosity only. Does anyone know what is the record for a private house sold in Singapore? I am talking about houses for private residence so please don't tell me Istana

in the previous episode, house of Tan did a quick flip from 60 to 90 mil. Now I wonder how much higher it can go. But filpping and earning the profit, is it still taxable ? or once you pay the stamp duties already done deal liao ? Since you cannot happy happy redevelop , how to get more from this kind of property ? THE House of Tan Yeok Nee, a gazetted national monument alongPenang Road, is back on the market, a year after it was last transacted. Its owner, a special purpose vehicle of ERC Holdings, is believed to be looking at a price of over $100 million. It purchased the freehold property at slightly over $60 million last year. When contacted, ERC chairman Andy Ong said he was selling the asset as it has "reached its investment objective". "We usually make property investments with a five to seven-year investment horizon. But in this case, we have reached the expected price sooner than expected because of macro-economic factors such as liquidity, and strong investment demand for Singapore commercial property. On top of that, this is a one-of-its-kind property: It is the last remaining traditional Chinese courtyard house in Singapore." The House of Tan Yeok Nee is named after a wealthy Teochew businessman who built it in the 1880s. It was restored in 2000. The property sits on land of about 32,000 sq ft and has a strata area of about 58,000 sq ft. Its net lettable area is about 23,000 sq ft, but Jones Lang LaSalle, which is marketing the property, said there is potential to increase this to around 36,000 sq ft through reconfiguration of void areas and use of courtyard space. Currently the property is fully leased to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The lease runs out in 2015. "Subject to approval from relevant authorities, there is potential for alternative uses including a flagship office building, specialist retail, hospitality or F&B usage," JLL said in its release yesterday. Anthony Barr, JLL's national director (investments), said: "This is a rare opportunity to acquire an asset for commercial use in a prime location in the Orchard Road precinct. House of Tan Yeok Nee is a unique asset that offers owner occupiers or investors the ability to leverage off the building's prominence and historical significance." The tender for The House of Tan Yeok Nee will close on July 5. ERC boss Andy Ong has been in the news over a dispute with Sakae Holdings, where he was formerly non-executive director. Earlier this month, Sakae dropped two legal actions against Mr Ong after it secured rights to jointly control a special bank account holding tens of millions of dollars in proceeds from the sale of Bugis Cube, among other things. But Sakae said it will continue to pursue a defamation lawsuit against Mr Ong's public relations firm, Financial PR Pte Ltd, and another action against him for breach of his duties. ERC Holdings through a special purpose vehicle also owns Big Hotel along Middle Road. The hotel began trading earlier this month and last Saturday, all 200 rooms which had been opened by then were fully taken, said Mr Ong. The 16-storey hotel has 308 rooms with sizes ranging from 11 to 50 sq metres. The average room size is 15 sq metres. "We're rushing to open the rest of the rooms by the end of next week," said Mr Ong. The hotel is currently offering a promotional room rate starting from $128 per night. Graduates of ERC's diploma and degree courses in hospitality management are among the hotel's employees. ERC Holdings is an education, property and hotel group. Mr Ong, its chairman, owns more than 70 per cent of ERC. When asked if he was willing to sell Big Hotel, Mr Ong replied: "We have received a lot of enquiries. Let's see what happens." In terms of his pricing expectation, Mr Ong said this will be at least at the valuation. The freehold hotel was valued recently at $240 million, which works out to nearly $800,000 per room. ERC converted Big Hotel from the former Prime Centre, which it bought in late 2010 from Hong Leong Group. It paid $103 million for the building and pumped in another $30 million retrofitting the 16-storey building.

handle for my house window broke off.. need to replace. anyone got lobang? :)

My family is looking to purchase a 2nd-hand landed property for investment purpose and I'm the guy appointed to do all the grunt work... ie, I need to do the search and shortlisting. Criteria is this : - Within 400m of MRT station (existing or constructing) - Freehold or 999 years - If 3-storey, below $1,100 psf (land) - If 2-storey, below $900 psf (land) - Budget of $X million. (enough for terrace or small Semi-D. Don't wanna state the value here cos scared get sarcastic remarks) I been looking at propertyguru and its been tough as most listings don't state their exact location. How should I go about my search? I was thinking to just send out my above criteria to 20 agents who do landed property sales and get them to search for me. Any important pre-viewing criteria I missed out? I have another long set of checkboxes for viewing. Seeking opinions from gurus please.