scenic98

i haven't been keeping track of prices in D15 or 16. but i think your best bet will be to be in touch with a few agents that are specializing in that area. if there are quite some developments going on now, then i suggest you shortlist 2 or 3 so that you can keep focus Also, do your homework, find out what was the last transacted price for that particular development, what was the price sold during launch (since the property may have been flipped a few times already). Lastly, your perceived "fire sale" price will be different from another buyer. so be ready for some dissapointment. but after a few dissapoitment, you will be a better buyer. i find renotalk.com very useful compared to the URA site as it shows the exact unit for that price sold.

property prices on the slide is a given now. but to say prices will definitely go down to pre-2005 levels is anybody's guess. If it's so easy to predict the market, then I will not need to work. if we are to follow the argument abv, then for argument sake, a 400+ psf FH propoerty bought in 2005 will be deemed more expensive then my dad's 22 sqft terrace he bought in 1969 for $30k. our loaf of Gardenia bread is still at $1.85. why hasn't it come off to $1.55? A 5kg of branded rice is still more than $10 compared to $7-9 previously. Motorist are getting used to $1.55/ltr ron85 petrol after seeing highs of more than $2.00. but they have forgotten ron95 was previously the "unwanted" grade when ron98 (or even ron100, v-power) was at 1.50 per litre. i can site a few more examples. but you get my drift. Inflation has kept everything up. Prices of construction materials though off the highs are still abv pre-2007. Govt has reduced land sales to lessen supply. Developers having made a pile during the boom times are holding back most projects, releasing some just to keep cash flow moving and finance their loans what the current mkt has done is to weed out a lot of speculators. There are more "real" buyers and sellers. Classifieds on saturdays are a lot thinner. If you are looking for a place to stay, it is a good time to shop around. other than price alone, a lot of factors come into play when deciding on buying a place that you will likely stay for 10 years or more having watched the mkt for quite a while, i am quite surprised by how resilient the sellers are. Like a lot of vultures, I was expecting a slew of sellers by those who were flipping properties. So far, there are some, but not a lot. As long as current offers are around 30% lower than the peak period, there will be takers. I've been to a few launches and also a few landed viewings and was amazed by the interest levels. For me, i am a buyer....or rather ex-buyer. after having look around over 90 units in span of 6 over months and also being front runned by better buyers for a few units, we have finally gotten our little nest. Prices may come off more in our area, we never know but so far, we haven't seen one for sale in the area we bought. then again, i may be a buyer still....IF prices really collaspe.

there's quite some units for sale at Sembawang Hill / Thomson Hill. That area is just off AMK Ave 2. Propertyguru has some units listed. Sat classifieds too. Also, I am no agent, just another home seeker.

when we moved into our approx 1400sq ft EC some years ago, we didn't employ any designer, just got our contractor to do according to our designs. The $14k bill includes - suspended TV console, about 2.5m long - display shelves abv console. - 1m wide partition cum display wall - light box in living and 3 bedrooms - false celing in dining - installation of lightings (cost of lights themselves not included) - additional circuit breakers in DB box - additional power points - concealed wiring for the additional lights and power points - painting whole house - mirror in dining - dresser/mirror in master bedroom - suspended bed side table in master room - changing switches for the extra lights bulk of the cost came from the electrical work. hacking and running of additional power points cost more. hope this helps.

Tks Lengleng, agreed 100k maybe a bit over the top. but my this contractor friend tends to be more conservative. So we shall see. now waiting for lawyer's to get paperwork done. These are my plans... - remodel entire kitchen. kind of small now. but has potential to optimise space. - back extension to maximum allowable set-back, which is at most by another a metre or so more - fill a void space abv dining area, to create another room upstairs. - re-size one of the bed room - redo all 3 bathrooms - utilise attic space. existing attic already have enough space and height for room there, but original developer did not carry out back then. - change aircons. existing living/dining marble tiles all in good condition. power supply already using 3 phase, cable tv already in, yard and porch condition still good. so leaving all these untouched. let's see how much it's gonna cost.

because it involves additional sewage piping, i think u will need to apply for permit. best to check with a reliable contractor.

really depends on what kind of work is needed. quality of finishing also plays a major part. i was told to use the following ballpark numbers (forummers, pls chime in if you think it's higher/lower) - changing roofing tiles and beams : 20-30k - attic : non-concrete: 50k. concrete: 70-80k - re-wiring, hacking entire floor, plumbing, wet works: 100k - toilet: 10k each too much? too little? keen to hear

u may try HDB Hub, the open area just outside Fairprice. I got mine there some months ago after the first one went ka-put. Personally like the mist effect and water-saving feature. But down side is, u will need a good quality hose as the back pressure is strong and normal hose cannot last long. But for $20 a piece, i think this product is much better than those branded ones. i may have the slip of paper with the guy handphone lying somewhere. will try to find, but don't rely on me for that. moved into a rental apt, so things real messy. (disclaimer: i DO NOT work for the company producing this shower head)

Hi, I am also currently going through similar exercise. Before getting a quote, you will need to list down exactly what needs to be done. So that you are able to quote your needs to the various contractors that you are sourcing quotes from. Once that's done, time to get quotes. If you have a regular contractor that you trust, that's a start. Take a drive around some estates like Serangoon Gardens where lots of A&A and re-dev is going on and note down the contact number of the contractor that is posted on those information board. As of last Nov, I've made rough inq for changing roof, extensions to front and back, total remodelling of interior and was given a ballpark quote of $400k. prices have come off somewhat lately. hope the abv helps a bit. i will keep this forum update once i've taken over the keys and begin work. cheers