Last Friday (Feb 18) the government announced a list of progressive tax raises in Budget 2022. They aim to generate revenues for the Inland Revenue of Singapore (IRAS) in the coming three years. When I told my friends and relatives overseas about Singapore's latest budget, they all reacted with disbelief. At present, their countrymen are complaining about runaway inflation. … [Read more...]
5 miseries that unfortunate owners are facing
I am writing this blog post for a minority group in our society – the unfortunate owners of private homes. Their number is not small but their voices are not heard. You might say: But these people have money to buy private properties. Most of us can’t afford to live in condos. Some of us don’t even have an HDB flat under our name. Compared with us, their problems are not … [Read more...]
Podcast Ep#15: When Is The Best Time To Sell?
Podcast episode 15 is the second part of my presentation "When Is the Best Time To Buy and Sell?" presented at the SMART Expo at Sands Expo & Convention Centre on September 22. I apologize for "shouting" at the top of my voice during the speech because I couldn't hear myself on the stage. Thanks for all of you who answered enthusiastically my question "When is a good … [Read more...]
Dealing with 4 types of tenants from hell
What’s the biggest headache of first time landlords? Slow economy? Soft market? Sibor rise? Bad agent? No tenant? Try again. If you had been a landlord before, you would agree with me that no tenant is still better than bad tenants. As the saying goes, being single is far better than being stuck in a bad relationship. Another tenant from hell Last month I … [Read more...]
Learning to be a smarter landlord
I had my first tenant since 2002. For more than five years, I was renting out four condominium units at the same time. Over the years, like any multiple-property landlord, I signed tenancy agreements with dozens of tenants on both company and individual leases. I had tenants who were Japanese, Koreans, Europeans, Americans, Indians and Singaporeans. Similarly, I encountered … [Read more...]