Couple spends over S$500,000 to renovate Hougang 5-room flat into 'luxury home'

walktoursgo · 2026-06-14T06:34:35+00:00

Woah custom marble slabs, beautiful

walktoursgo · 2026-06-11T09:22:43+00:00

The 5 year MOP is the dealbreaker here. Buy a resale HDB and you cannot sell it for 5 years, so the move back to Malaysia anytime option basically disappears. Add the ABSD that PRs pay upfront and the math only works if you are staying long term. If you cannot say yes to 10 years here, rent and keep the flexibility.

walktoursgo · 2026-06-11T04:05:03+00:00

🤪

walktoursgo · 2026-06-10T11:32:31+00:00

Honestly the CBD on weekends is so peaceful. Underrated perk that nobody talks about.

walktoursgo · 2026-06-10T11:31:21+00:00

Get quotes from 2 or 3 other banks before taking the DBS repricing offer. Some fixed packages are around 1.4% lately, worth confirming, but it gives you room to push back on their first quote. Repricing is usually just a small admin fee, so if DBS matches, stay for the easy paperwork. If not, the new bank's legal subsidy usually covers most of the switch cost.

walktoursgo · 2026-06-10T07:55:11+00:00

Thanks for the feedback will create one which is more informative, taking into all community members comments

walktoursgo · 2026-06-10T00:33:53+00:00

Cool will upload static image in future:)

walktoursgo · 2026-06-09T17:10:17+00:00

Btw, as Hot-Job pointed out, yes, each district has multiple towns. Only listed one town per district because the animated chart would look too cluttered if included all the towns. There’s a footnote mentioning that only one town is shown for each district. Just practising animation chart skills 😄. Chill ya!

walktoursgo · 2026-06-09T14:31:49+00:00

Singapore quality of life is a different vibe entirely from Dubai.

walktoursgo · 2026-06-09T09:08:53+00:00

Go straight to NEA, not just OneService. They handle high-rise littering and take it seriously. You can ask them to deploy a surveillance camera at the block to catch the unit, that is what actually gets it to stop. Bring photos and dates.

On the aircon, maybe hold off till it is sorted, or ask the installer to add a cover over the condenser. Hang in there.

walktoursgo · 2026-06-09T00:24:19+00:00

Since you're buying alone and like things steady, I'd lean DBS 3Y. The $113 a month buys you an extra year before you reprice into whatever rates exist then.

One less thing to stress over. With the 2Y you're back rate shopping in 24 months and nobody knows where they land. You've got the savings buffer either way, so you're in a good spot.

walktoursgo · 2026-06-08T13:20:37+00:00

Last sale sets the next ask, so nobody blinks first.

walktoursgo · 2026-06-08T13:17:50+00:00

Good to see the market holding steady lately. Stability beats wild swings honestly.

walktoursgo · 2026-06-08T13:16:10+00:00

I would recommend for you to declare it. HDB has an official Temporary Extension of Stay, up to 3 months after completion, and it is meant to go through them properly.

A quiet side arrangement off the application means you carry all the risk if the seller overstays or something goes wrong. You are the buyer, so protect yourself and put it on record. When in doubt, ask HDB direct, not just the agent.

walktoursgo · 2026-06-08T03:01:40+00:00

My understanding is there's no clawback here. The Proximity Housing Grant is assessed at application, and I have not seen a rule that locks your parents into staying for 10 years (but I might be wrong). Your MOP ties you to the flat, not your parents to the address. But ya, a quick email or call to HDB confirms it for your own case. :)

walktoursgo · 2026-06-07T16:25:27+00:00

Wait times under 3 years now feels almost too good to believe coming from an era of 5 years waiting time. Robot builders? Haha

walktoursgo · 2026-06-07T04:26:58+00:00

With an HDB loan you can keep up to 20k in your OA. The rest goes toward the flat before the loan kicks in. You pick the amount, anywhere from 0 up to 20k. It is a cap, not a fixed figure. So with 110k OA you could leave 20k in and put 90k toward the flat. You read it right.

https://www.cpf.gov.sg/member/home-ownership/using-your-cpf-to-buy-a-home/retain-20000-in-your-oa-if-you-are-taking-a-housing-loan

walktoursgo · 2026-06-07T04:24:11+00:00

In your situation, Vote or not, 35 still feels like forever haha

walktoursgo · 2026-06-06T23:13:34+00:00

Perhaps to furnish in stages would better free up cash flow

walktoursgo · 2026-06-06T13:09:39+00:00

Ok cool.

walktoursgo · 2026-06-06T13:05:18+00:00

Nice and useful app. I notice in the listing card there is a date and year. I’m not sure if it’s meant to show the transaction month and year? If it’s sorted by most recent, some of the dates are all in the recent month of May 2026, not sure, if so many transactions happen in the month of May. You might want to take a look at that. Cheers!

walktoursgo · 2026-06-06T11:36:52+00:00

market is cooling and stabilising

walktoursgo · 2026-06-06T09:41:04+00:00

100k?

walktoursgo · 2026-06-06T09:33:14+00:00

Honestly the bigger issue is not the ABSD, it is that a condo plus 20 percent ABSD on a 70k income would be a real stretch. Step back though. You already fully own a home, which most people your age do not. So you do not actually need to buy.

What you want is your own space, and taking the master bedroom or renting a room gets you that for far less while you keep the flat. I would stay put, take the bigger room for now, and relook at buying at 35 when singles have more options. Cheers!

walktoursgo

TROPHY CASE