How much shd i bid for COV


sgbabydoll

Active Member
Quite similar to mine, Deb, but I haven't shopped for a TV console yet. Don't know if it is a black or white.

Do you have a dressing table?
 

ellentg

New Member
Thomas > that unit is about 1700 sq ft, so psf price is still cheaper than those high price one in Queenstown told earlier this yr :p of course, Shunfu is older la you can say.

btw, think Bedok wants to upload his ID's proposal to share with us, not to download HDB floor plan....
 

simpleman

Active Member
The "Upload attachment" function is quite crappy la.. Restriction on the image size.. so troublesome.. why can't they auto-resize when we upload..
 

bedokboy

New Member
ellen clever! thank you!

ya that's what i meant guys.
happy.gif


ok i check out the upload attachment...
 

deborahng

New Member
doll> i haven but the dresser.. but may get a simple one
happy.gif


would like to ask do contractors work daily?? cos last week they only worked 3 days? Is that usual?
 

sgbabydoll

Active Member
Deb, your main contractor works with different subcontractors. It's unlikely that he can arrange for one subcontractor after another to fill up all the days in a week. These subcontractors also work on other projects.

It's not easy to find dressers because these days most furniture shops don't sell them. I will either custom make it or do without it as I don't like a cluttered bedroom.
 

simpleman

Active Member
hee hee, I have a dressing table.. but it is now my work desk..

I spent a couple of thousands custom built it long time ago and when I shifted house, I asked them to shift to my new place as well.
 

sgbabydoll

Active Member
I used to have a standing dressing table from Cellini. Not expensive, about 800 only. Where you got yours from, Thomas, and how does it look like?

SM, so now you work in front of a mirror?
 

thommy

New Member
doll, mine is from those neighbourhood furniture shops so its cheap. think around 400 or something, can't remember. came with a stool also as a set.

usual lor, mirror with one drawer. mirror can slide both ways though (left and right)
 

simpleman

Active Member
Yes. directly in front of the mirror..

But I like it because it is not very deep. just nice to put a notebook computer.. and just enough space for my drinks and sometimes some food..
 

bedokboy

New Member
went with my friend to some ID along Kim Keat Lane. Called Sky or something.

Friend said 4rm, 102sqm, wholesale. The ID quoted ballpark of SGD40,000. In my head I was thinking, SGD40,000 based on what they tell you you can do then if you want this or that, is add from there... wahhh...

scared scared...

see ah, my idea of reno-ing the place, is not to make it like a showflat like everyone else's. Not sure if any of you get my drift. I don't want my place to look like everybody else's. Know what I mean?

I just want structurally a certain way then slowly the house becomes a home bit by bit. I surely can't decide how I want my home to look like in a matter of weeks over discussion with the ID mah right? If not the ID may say, 'ok this area can be this, or that', then become my lifestyle is defined by how the house turns out.

Something like that lah...
 

powder

Active Member
look here, u got me at 'Sky'... sounds like u'll end up with a cheap shpwroom look. for what u want, u should be going for contractors call Ah Heng or Mr Lim etc... Sky is the limit and u will notbea happy customer. unless he was born with this name, there's already a lac of creativie in picking his own name.
 

bedokboy

New Member
just done 1st appt.

sellers want to ask for early completion so they can siam the upgrading costs. aiyo.

from 8 weeks become 6 weeks. if call branch office can find out roughly when they issue the invoice?
 

powder

Active Member
u STILL have to pay for upgrading???

dun let pple makan u until left bones man... really...

sometimes when u collective let pple makan u like this, u will cause more pple to hold such attitude... how can spore even be gracious?
 

bedokboy

New Member
but apparently it's a rule. Whoever owns the house when the invoice is ready has to pay.

unless they are privy to information where they are sure the invoice will be issued within the 2 week window between 6 and 8 weeks, it does seem fair.

can only guess that they are trying to improve their chances by pushing the sale 2 weeks earlier (from 8 to 6).

my stand is, if i want to act stubborn and take the 8 week option, the invoice may still be issued after 8 weeks, and I will have to bear. Assuming they are not trying to makan me and want to take a gamble as well, I don't mind cashing on the advantage first, which is to take the 6-week option.

will call branch office tomorrow to try and see if I can find out roughly when they will issue the invoice
 

powder

Active Member
was this possibility made known to u?

i would stick to the 8 weeks and tell them that instead of going for the luck of the draw, i would be wiling to split the costs 50/50 so that neither of us will have to incur it wholely... leave some room to negotiate upto 70/30 split... u can take it off the cov and it's also money u can put into the reno...

every little thing u do can potentially squeeze out a few grand... u may wanna save the hassle, but it could mean 1 month's pay.

most pple lose money in life becos they are lazy to try or be bothered with hassle... and most of these pple are those who can ill-afford to lose.

i may not capture the situation with 100% accuracy, but u should know where i'm coming from...

your 'chin-chai -ness' is gonna be sucking the hard-earned money out of u slowly and surely... in a decade it'll cost u 20k.. and if u compound it, u could have bought and fully paid for a korean car with the same money u gave up without a fight. dune be generous when u can ill-afford to, and certainly not to pple out to makan u.
 

simpleman

Active Member
Just stick with the 8-week period that was agreed. This is what I will do. If they want to reduce to 6-weeks, then yes, some negotiation - like they paying partial or reduce COV? Otherwise, why should you oblige?

To me it is more a matter of principle rather than money.
 

ellentg

New Member
Did the seller inform you about the upgrading cost b4 you buy? if yes, then no one can really say the seller plays foul... whoever got the invoice, whoever pays. though i found it strange why the seller is so sure that 2 weeks difference can make wonder.

btw, for the waiting time between 1st and 2nd appointment, 6 weeks is the standard. 8 weeks is the maximum that HDB allows.

any news from branch office? if the bill is not coming so soon, might as well take the 6-weeks request... can move in earlier :p
 

deborahng

New Member
bedok> i gotta pay for the upgrading as the invoice wasn't in when I went for my 2nd appointment. The upgrading has been done for about a yr and invoice still not in till now
 

sgbabydoll

Active Member
Eight weeks is normal. Six weeks is early completion and both seller and buyer have to sign an agreement on early completion at the first appointment.

Deb, Bedokboy - How much is the upgrading fee?

I was made known of the upgrading before I signed my purchase agreement. The seller also told me that she has another few more instalments to go before the fee is paid off.

I have to pay for lift upgrading fee later but fair enough because the project hasn't even started.
 

ellentg

New Member
actually no need to write if want completion in 6 weeks de... if you dun say anything, the HDB officer will straight away ask if 6 weeks ok or not. many pple write in becos they want earlier than 6 weeks, but end up HDB will still tell you the earliest is 6 weeks.

sometimes for cases like contra, or by seller/buyer request, it may take longer so it can drag to 8 weeks maximum as stipulated by HDB rule.

i'm also paying for the lift upgrading... but this is stated to us right in the beginning and we have accepted that.
 

sgbabydoll

Active Member
My Paper: HDB should return to 'cost-based' pricing (27 October 2010)

The various property market cooling measures announced so far have not addressed these two fundamental issues:

Root cause behind high prices of new and resale HDB flats The high prices of HDB flats will naturally push up private- property prices.

Thus, this issue affects all Singaporeans, even those aspiring to own private property.

In Marine Parade during the 1970s , prices of new three-room, four-room and five-room flats were $17,000, $20,000 and $35,000 respectively.

In 1990, new five-room flats cost around $70,000. Such prices reflected a "cost-based" pricing approach then.

But, following the property bull run in the mid-90s, HDB switched to a "market-based" pricing approach, and has confirmed that "the prices of new HDB flats are based on the market prices of resale HDB flats, and not their costs of construction".

In 2000, the total break-even cost (comprising construction, land and other related costs) of a new five-room flat was estimated at about $120,000.

However, under market- based pricing, HDB will first look at the prevailing market price of, say, $260,000 for a five-room resale flat. It will then pick a slightly lower figure of, say, $200,000 as the selling price for the new flat - despite the break-even cost of $120,000.

HDB will then say the new-flat-buyer is getting a so-called "market subsidy" of $60,000, which is the difference between the resale flat's market price and the new flat's selling price.

There is not really a "cash subsidy" for the buyer, while the HDB makes a profit of $80,000 for each flat sold.

The financial losses reported in HDB's audited statements could well come from "transfer pricing" accounting between HDB, the Singapore Land Authority and the Ministry of Finance.

A plate of chicken rice costs $3 at a coffee shop and $20 at a hotel coffee house. It would be illogical to say that every person eating chicken rice at a coffee shop is getting a "market subsidy" of $17 per plate!

HDB's "market-based" pricing approach is the root cause of the continual rise in the prices of new and resale flats, which is detrimental to flat buyers.

Why is HDB not doing the right thing, as a not-for-profit, low-cost public-housing developer, by pricing new flats on a cost-based, break-even basis, passing on to Singaporeans the economy-of-scale cost savings from its huge developments?

HDB flats are public housing developed using public funds.

Thus, HDB must be transparent and accountable by disclosing detailed cost figures for all its housing projects.

Are new flats really affordable now?

While even a taxi driver could say that he was able to afford a $35,000 five-room flat previously, he would be right to worry how his children could afford to buy a similar flat costing close to $500,000 now.

It is misleading for HDB to say that its flats are "affordable" without clearly specifying that a 30-year loan period is assumed.

If one were to stretch a home loan for as long as 30 years, even private property would become "affordable".

For a couple with a combined monthly income of $8,000 , a 30-year HDB loan of $500,000 with a 2.6 per cent interest rate and $2,000 monthly loan instalment may appear to be affordable.

But, at the end of 30 years, they would have coughed up a whopping $800,000 in total capital and interest repayments.

A financially prudent loan period would be around 15 to 20 years.

-- Mr See Leong Kit
 

simpleman

Active Member

In 2000, the total break-even cost (comprising construction, land and other related costs) of a new five-room flat was estimated at about $120,000.

The land cost in this juncture is not "market" rate which subsequent, the govt changed to reflect rates more in line with markets.

The $120K is artificially low. Since the govt already owns the land it does not mean it is at low cost because the same piece of land can be tendered out to fetch a much higher price.
 

thommy

New Member
Very well-written. Thumbsup from me.

It is very saddening to see prices keep going up while our gahmen keeps claiming HDB prices are still 'affordable'. Its initial purpose of building afforable housing for every citizen seems to have gone down the commercialised route.

Many citizens, like myself, will probably service our loans till the day we die.
 

stanzza

New Member
Doll,

a cost based approach is a topic that is so low level, and obviously from someone whom doesn't know anything. That the content is not even worth the paper it's printed on.

My words are strong. But this is really what it is.

That is why there was no response on this topic. Anyone whom know some shit would brush it off. It's really low level.
 

stanzza

New Member
I remember clearly this article and discussion because it is so low level and I was interested to see govt's response on it.

Wanted to see if they are willing to stoop so low to even explain this.

Yeah was right, they didn't. I think there is a limit to everything. Low also got limit. They got a snub as I expected.

And they THINK they got the govt dumbfolded because they speak sense.
 

tomasulu

Member
"HDB's "market-based" pricing approach is the root cause of the continual rise in the prices of new and resale flats, which is detrimental to flat buyers."

This is a shortsighted statement. As flat buyers, it's understandable that folks would want the flats cheap. But once they got onto the property ladder, wouldn't the buyers want their properties to appreciate in value? Ideally, we have continual and moderated rise in property prices and can avoid prolonged and precipitous change either direction.

as for affordability, hdb flats are affordable if you get the smaller flats at less desirable locations. Keeping in mind that singapore is very densely populated so land will be priced at a premium compared to other (bigger) countries. with more than 80% of the population living in hdb flats, there is a wide spectrum of flat buyers to consider. you can't pick out the example of $1/2 million flats to make an argument that therefore all flats are unaffordable.
 

sgbabydoll

Active Member
Just found out that they are building a lift for my MSCP and a shelter for the rooftop at the MSCP! To add another string to the bow, the territorial neighbour with their clutters on the common corridor is gone!!!
 

sgbabydoll

Active Member
Yeah, me very happy about the news even though the works will be completed by Q3 2011.

Bedokboy, are you doing reno at your flat now?
 

bedokboy

New Member
finally got my keys.

contractor quoted...

50k!

siao!

now have to take the job-list and find alternative...

4room hdb leh where got 50k reno??/
 

powder

Active Member
bedok,

50k is not that uncommon... especially for resale. this is precisely what somepple dun realise, that reno for resale is Higher than new units.

in any case i would think 25k should suffice based on a minimalist look, excluding the furnitures... there are many things u can do without from the regular format of renos...

ie Cornice - never had one and i think HDBs look horrible with cornice when the ceiling height is already so darn low; L-box for lights - why create a box n incur extra carpentary?; Window Grilles - i dun have them even with young kids, u dun need them; Iron wraught gates - use old ones with fresh coat of paint.

much more to add.. but in general,u just need to have the mindset that Typical HDB reno incudes things u dun need, never need, but are often recommended simply becos others foolishlyaccepted them.

if u going minimalist, 12k should suffice if the place is more or less there without alot of previously built-in stuff u need to remove and make good. else max max i would think 25k. anything more is a rip-off. my fren just did her flat for less than 5k.
 

shannat

New Member
wah, 50K for reno is really alot... my sis just reno-ed her 5rm flat for abt 13K iirc. hers was pretty simple, just kitchen cabs, service yard window, MBR wardrobes, electrical stuffs, window grills and changing of door n gate... and also some hacking n tearing down.
 



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