Stagger

No worries, my id is Irene. You probably need to give me your email...I'll send the quotation to you for reference.

Nope...they are good people but just that their quote doesn't match my budget.. So decided to drop them.

Good luck to you and congrats on getting your new house. Hope to share our experience in future should you decided to engage Intradesign. Sourcing and deciding which id firms to do the work can be quite stressful...i have just crossed that stage and now progressing to the next stage which is the actual reno...hopefully my id can do the job well..lol

mmmm very fishy...

Finally, after a long search, I've decided to engage Intradesign for my home. Will be selecting tiles this saturday while waiting for the hacking permit to be approved by HDB and certainly hope that everything will be smooth...will update u guys further.

yes i support the idea of engaging an agent when selling...unless you are not urgently wanting to sell the house and that you can afford to wait for few months or up to even years.. not forgeting that the time consumed while marketing your house, advertising cost, having to attend non serious buyers' call etc...not really worth especially if you are a working person..your boss may not like it..

ideally it should be after the 2nd appointment.. I paid mine 1% buying commission during this time too..

My agent told me that the selling commission is fixed at 2% excluding GST and is set by the company. Negotiation is only for something higher but not lower than that....wonder is it real? Crazy right, why would I negotiate to pay higher hahaha, unless they managed to sell my house at some amazing price higher than my expectation then of course I don't mind paying..can treat them to dinner at restaurant as well.

Actually, any realty firms will have black sheeps...most importantly, you have to lookout on what you sign. Most of the agreements and contracts are definitely in their favour (who would draft the agreement which is against their benefit?). Tell them and stand firm to your requirement beforehand. Try to show them that "hey hey don't con me ok, I know the rules very well" then you should have the upperhand...control them instead of they controling you...you are paying for their commission anyway. Hehe hope those agents out there don't kill me after reading this..

I don't think we can do that. First, it is immoral..moreover, potential buyers were sourced by them. Imagine the amount of advertisment cost involved when they advertise for your house. Of course, you first need to sign an "Exclusive Authorisation" with them. Most of these "EA" will state the expiry date. But do take note that the "EA" will still be in force even though it has expire unless the owner revoke it by giving 2 weeks' (most practice la...diff companies diff notice period) written notice to the Broker or his company in advance. Look out for this clause that says: "The owner agrees to pay the Broker a brokerage fee for services rendered if within three months after the termination of the EA, a sale of the property is made to any persons with whom (whilst the EA was in force) the Broker has had contact with, with a view to effecting a sale." To be more specific, unless they don't find out. If they found that you had actually sold to a person who they had in contact while the EA is in force, they have the right to demand for the commission. If you really need to do that, you probably need to tell the buyer to wait for 3 months before buying your house...of course, the buyer may change his mind of buying your house during the course of waiting..this is the risk you have to bear..

Hi FLY, congrats on your almost completing new home. You must be really satisfied with the reno work. Would you mind sharing some pictures to us...I'll be doing my reno soon in coming weeks.. Thanks in advance!

So far I've been to a few of the ID firms....I can share my experience with them and hope to serve as a reference 1. Tau Interior - Very responsive, quotation is the fastest. However, the quotation is off my budget and a little more expensive than all other ID firms that I sourced. He mentioned that it is still negotiable but I'm wondering why didn't he give me a good price at the beginning? Other ID firms show me drawings but Tau looks more like a contractor rather than ID firm. He carries a measuring tape and do measuring at most time rather than giving me ideas while on site. Overall, he's a nice guy, he even drove me to view some of his ongoing projects. 2. Ideal House - Overall very responsive too, except that the id and I didn't really click . Design is also not appealing. 3. Kass Design - Very good designers, trully amazing but not responsive enough...often take longer time to reply. Probably they are too busy but I do not want to bear the risk of having to WAIT for their rescue in future when problem relating to the reno arises. 4. SOHO Interior - Designers are great, equally comparable to Kass. Even brought me to view their finished work (of cos, with the owner's permission). Meet up many times without hassle. The IDs (2 of them) were very patient and easy going and I feel great speaking with them....but I guess probably my expectation for response time is too high. Too many sub-cons under their wings and too complicated...but i'm still considering. 5. Intradesign - Clicked really well with the ID, change quotation many times. Saw their work as well and was pretty amazed, the material they use is clearly superior though price is high. But i guess high price for high quality which sounds fair. Still considering but very high chance. The other 2 so call id firms not worth mentioning, they are either robbers or just pure contractors calling themselves IDs.. juz my 2 cts

After a long research, finally down to 2 id firms and they are: 1. SOHO Interior 2. Intradesign will update which one I finally put my ink on their papers by this week Eager to get my place started soon...

I agree that engaging a good agent is really imporatant...many people / other agents mentioned to me that my place is very sellable but it has been 6 months and still not sold. Mine is on high floor (10th storey) facing hill...near Safra Mount Faber and 15 mins drive to Shenton/Raffles..I too think that it is sellable..i'm not asking for COV...just valuation will do. But i heard that my agent actually turn away potential buyers who made offer wihtout consulting me. Sigh...i am currently paying both sides (new house + old house) and is given 6 months by HDB to sell. Exclusive Authorisation to sell signed but will expiry soon. I guess I will not renew it so that I can lookout for other agents... Anyone out there any good suggestion? Thks.

This type of agent is unacceptable, they ought to consult the seller before making any decision. Some of these agents tend to use same type of selling techniques..claiming that someone made some offer which in fact no one did and hoping that the potential buyer would offer higher. They think that buyers are stupid into believing them. Worst, it will turn them off and end up not buying. No matter how, these agents ought to be more honest, those gimmicks are for the old days where people are less educated and easily convinced..modern day buyers do analyse and not easily convinced by just words..

your hse will be ready 3 years later? yes you could try get a quote for reference but I guess quote will definitely change after 3 years due to things like inflation, rise or drop in material cost etc... juz my 2cts worth

Really no one in this forum used them before? really need some advise...they are one of my shortlisted ID firm...decision is to be made soon.. many thanks in advance! Cheers

Finally I got my keys...time for ID selection!!!

This sounds really amazing and yes I agree that it must really be hassle free. I really don't like to look over anyone's shoulder to make sure things are done. Just as long as they are responsible enough, they'll definitely do a great job. I hope I can have my name on the list soon.

this is cool!

Hello Evil, for your info, I'm not a "she". I have fist bigger than tennis ball. Anyway, this is not hiam, everyone has their own service standard expectation and I suppose you too. I have a bigger budget, so naturally, I have higher expectations. Any feedback or comments on renovation matters are most welcome. Thanks. Hi ilove6969, yes you are right. I received his call in the afternoon. Thanks.

SMSed Kelvin this morning...replied to say that's he's driving and will call shortly. Wonder how long is he's "shortly"...3 hours already. Discount on the first impression.

Really? Could you share with me? I thought of seeing them next week. Thks in advance!

I see, thanks for the info. So unless ERA is not willing to pay the claimed amount and offer something much lesser. Otherwise, it would be best to settle it out of court.

Just wonder what will happen to ERA if blue_skies insist on the court settlement. Can blue_skies claim more? As in the amount of stress he or she has gone through and the precious time wasted to get the matter resolved.