The Almost Complete Goondu’s Guide to Buying a HDB Flat in Singapore (Part 2)
Chapter 2: The Search
Earlier in Chapter 1, we’ve discussed the criteria for owning a HDB flat, how much money you should spend on your flat, the types of flats and how location and timing plays a part in the whole process. In this chapter, let’s examine how to find your dream home.
Use An Agent
Some prefer to hire agents and let them handle everything, so that they can better spend their time elsewhere, be it with their family or their careers. Also, Agents have access to powerful tools which can help make the search easier. If you engage an agent, you would have to pay him/her a 1% fee if you succeed in buying a property through them.
Do-it-Yourself
If you prefer to do it yourself, there are several ways to go about finding property.
The classic way is to look through the classifieds ad. Saturdays are usually the thickest editions, as that’s when agents are most likely to advertise, and when house seekers have the time to flip through the papers.
The alternative is looking online. Here are some sites with property listings:
Nation Property: http://www.nationproperty.sg
iProperty: http://www.iproperty.com.sg/
Property Guru: http://www.propertyguru.com.sg
Property Hub: http://www.propertyhub.com.sg
Streetsine: http://streetsine.com/
There are more property sites out there. You can check them out at Google.
You can also check out Real Estate Agency sites:
Electronic Realty Associates (ERA): http://www.era.com.sg
Dennis Wee Group: http://www.denniswee.com
DTZ: http://www.dtz.com/portal/site/en-sg
Knight Frank: http://www.knightfrank.com/singapore
Propnex: http://www.propnex.com
Do note that if you approach an agent throught any of these online sites to view their listings, more often than not, if they know you are without an agent, they’ll collect a commission from you too. Unfortunately if you decline to pay any commission, the place you are interested in will either ‘not be available’ or the owner ‘will not agree to your price’. You can try to negoiate a lower commission if you really like the flat. If not, be mentally prepared for the worst.
Should you meet an owner who is selling his/her flat, and agree to a selling price, you can both just grab a Resale Application package from HDB Hub at Toa Payoh, fill it up and submit it yourselves.
Things you need to know
Before you arrange for a viewing, here are some things you might want to find out:
1. What is the valuation price and cash over valuation (if any)
2. Is it a high or low floor unit if you are particular about which level
3. What is the condition of the flat? “Original condition” usually means major renovation is needed, while “renovated” means it has undergone some renovation before.
4. If you are particular about morning or evening sun, ask about it.
If the ‘phone interview’ sounds about right, go view the unit.
(Via juzproperties.sg)
One Comment, Comment or Ping
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thank you for this informational article about buying a HDB flat in singapore. it’s definitely very useful
Jul 17th, 2009
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