Half of 2024 is gone in the blink of an eye. Is life treating you well so far? My two 2024 family objectives have been accomplished. To ensure my younger child settle well in secondary school and to spend maximum time with the older one before she goes university. I had more personal time in the first half of 2024. Thanks to the quiet real estate market. Homebuyers: … [Read more...]
4 formidable sales tactics
It is not easy to tell the difference between the truth and a sales tactic. To trust or not to trust, that is the question. Singapore is a high trust society. According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, Singaporeans have high level of trust in the government (77 percent), non-governmental organizations (66 percent), business (63 percent) and media (60 … [Read more...]
The showflat in my dreams
New project sales galleries and their showflat are very quiet these days. At most times, there are only a handful of cars parked in front, most likely driven by the agents. That is why we were in disbelief when the media told us that Hillhaven and The Arcady at Boon Keng drew 2,000 and 3,000 visitors respectively over their preview weekend. Unfortunately, the first two … [Read more...]
4 dumb property decisions we made
Homebuyers are prone to making dumb property decisions because of human weaknesses. Hong Kong author Suhei (素黑) said human beings have five major weaknesses - greedy, confused, lazy, stubborn and dumb. We need conscience and guts to admit that we have made a mistake. However, it is not difficult for us to confess that we can be greedy, confused, lazy or stubborn at times. … [Read more...]
Know who to trust in your property decision
I must admit that I am the type of person that won’t trust others easily. Very often, I question what strangers say, especially what salespeople tell me. I am not born skeptical or cynical. It is learned over the years. After two decades investing in properties and other assets, I have my fair share of trusting the wrong source or person. There were many times I regretted … [Read more...]