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Jgal, I do not believe it was your business to highlight my personal issues to anyone, whether or not the sentiment was for my benefit. I do not wish to be made a case-study. I came here on this forum because I thought I could rely on people's discretion and their helpful opinions. You have effectively taken away that security, and I do not thank you for it.

Hi Jansenboy, My brother still has years to go yet, so it cannot be an issue of waiting for him to complete his studies. So yeah, the spot I am in gets tighter. If I *could* afford private property, I would not have considered a HDB at all - that is, a private property that is sizable for OH, dog, cat, me and my shoes (and the very likely arrival of a new family member). The ones we saw and liked would weigh very heavily on one person's income, which is why we decided to go for a HDB instead, albeit sacrificing convenience (distance). Hard decisions to make.

Hi random, You're right - the options offered to me now have shrunk, and not in my best advantage. I'm glad we agree that financial disagreements should be avoided in all marriages - I would hate to have my marriage start off badly or stressed, which is why we are still adhering to the one person's income rule. Thank you for your good wishes, I hope we find something we like too, then I can start my reno-blog!

Hi musicbox, I understand your babysitter's circumstance - as it is similiar to what I am facing. Like I kept mentioning, my life is put on hold because I cannot guarantee the sale within 6 months - and I do not know what penalty I would face if I simply cannot sell it, regardless of the marketing and open houses and auctions and agent's efforts. If I am still keen on a HDB resale, I can ONLY proceed after I am sure that the property in Australia is in the negotiating stage. It is like the option of owning a HDB is completely torn from me. My choices now are not exactly desirable - get a bigger loan, stay in Mickey Mouse apartment, sell my beloved home in Australia. I know a house in Australia is a luxury, but it's my parents' and they have every right to own it - afterall, they earned it. I can't go back to Australia and live there - it is not my house, though it is a house full of wonderful memories of family holidays and of my years in Australia. And yes, the feeling of no longer planning is the worst part - it is like I am now stagnant. Perhaps the feeling is magnified since everything was so sudden and decisions have to be made quickly if I want to retain my ROM date etc. Thanks for your best wishes, and I hope the same for your babysitter too.

Thank you JCase, for your sympathy. It seems lacking on this board. You do make sense about not offloading the Australian property, I guess it simply means we take a bigger bank loan or humble ourselves and receive help from parents (which we did not want to do at all). I'll keep everyone updated, and will try to remain positive. I have been so very upset about this, and it helps when people on renotalk put things into perspective (since my emotions are running amok).

Hi Jansenboy, I am honored that my lamenting has encouraged you to finally post! I do admit that there are people far worse (there will ALWAYS be someone far worse, but that's hardly a yardstick of how "bad" a situation you are in), like my example of Singaporean PRs who have their parents living in their family homes in their home country. One thing you have misunderstood throughout your post is that I am not a Singapore PR. I am Singaporean, born and bred, only that I went overseas to Australia to study, took up their offer of Australian PR-ship because I qualified (choice of degree + age, and it was much easier then) and then fulfilled the requirements of living there for a certain period of time. So, Singapore is my home, where my family is and I have lived and worked here ever since I returned from Australia. The house in Australia was paid for by my parents, kept as a holiday home and for my other siblings to also live in during their education there (like my brother who is now currently living and studying in Australia). You are right about Australian REIWA laws - that is why the property is in my name, and it's precisely that - only in name that it exists, and it also means I cannot transfer the deed to my parents because it is not a 99% new property (once bought, it's considered "old"). It was NEVER an investment (since it yielded no income - never been rented out) so that deflates your stance on earning rental overseas. To abide by the Australian laws as well, if I have to force-sell the property and have my parents buy another, I would have to kick my brother out, and buy a 1) brand new development 2) one in developing stage 3) an empty plot of land and erect a house on it. My parents would then pay a much higher tax as a "foreign investor". About this, I offer no contest. In order to abide by both countries' property laws, it is just something I (and my parents) simply have to do. I am not whining about this. This is a lot more straightforward to me - because I am offered options. My brother can simply rent like most overseas students, and I am not breaking my head over this, except that I might incur a loss on the property when I sell it now as the market isn't doing as well. My partner and I were looking at HDBs because we want to start a life together and have a family, or in your words "for a Singaporean family to live in". I have not nor do I intend to return to Australia to live because the family business is here, and my family is here. I simply was looking for a more affordable home (HDB resale) that I could grow in and with, instead of having a shoebox apartment and having to move once we decide to have children (and being in my early 30s, there's that clock ticking). Another reason is that my partner and I decided not to be bogged down by mortage payments, we want to be comfortable, not stressed every month and calculating if it's okay to have that steak dinner. I want my marriage to start smoothly, without the strain of financial worries or the possibility of arguments (since money is one of the biggest reasons why couples argue). The current dilemma is whether to wait and sell the overseas property at our advantage (or allow my brother to complete his studies first), put my life and marriage on hold or taking the plunge and taking a bigger mortage. We want to base everything on only one partner's salary, in order to stay on the safe side of things. But yes, I do understand my options now. I am just a little miffed that I have to be placed in a tight spot when a week ago, everything was going according to plan and we were excited about having a home and I was already arranging for my cat in Australia to come to Singapore when the reno work is done. Now it simply means - my poor cat is still stuck in Australia, my ROM is postponed indefinitely, and the excitement of having an address is now diminished. I hope you understand my predicament a little more accurately now.

Hi Bepgof, Thank you for your advice. I have been recently looking at some more affordable condos, as I keep thinking the entire selling/moving/buying in Australia would cost a lot more strain than say, another 150k for a private property. Not to mention the loss I would incur if I force-sell the home in Australia + tax levies. No, I am not eligible for the grant under any circumstances anyway, because I am not considered a first-time home owner. I was merely reiterating that I wasn't getting it easier like Jgal was insinuating, as compared to "his" fellow Singaporeans. The next available BTOs are only available in 2014-2015, and that is too long for me, which is why we ended up looking at resale flats. That is simply 5 years I do not have. The newer flats which boast a "condo layout" does not come with a common toilet in the kitchen. You may be right about the "test" as it was just published today that one of the measures would be to give Singapore PRs an ultimatum (either citizenship, or you must leave within xx period). I will definitely think more about this, thank you for giving me a direction within reason.

I mentioned nothing about income. Not yours, and definitely not about mine.

I did not hide anything from HDB. I am still abiding by their laws. This policy was put in effect for a week, and I have done nothing but fret over my options. What loopholes have I exploited and how is it benefiting me? That my life is put on hold, my brother needs to move out and we need to go through the tedious process of selling, moving, storing everything in a container, buying WHILE I look for another flat here? That my ROM will be postponed, I will need to take time off from work (time that should be devoted to a honeymoon, but now that is moot, since the entire proceedings would take more take 2 weeks, which means my entire year's leave is gone). I receive no grant. I have forfeited my OTP. How, pray tell, does this benefit me? The house overseas isn't even mine! I received neither any rental yield, or any proceeds from the sale. My partner and I decided not to receive any help from our family - we want everything we own to be ours alone, we do not want to "cheat" the system by hoping there is no feasible way of keeping track of overseas property - so we are penalised for our integrity? I expect that checks be made for Singaporean PRs, as they are most likely to also own a property in their home country, but it's unlikely that they can possibly check *every* Singaporean. Like boffi said, some Singapore PRs are already thinking of using a different name here and it would be impossible to trace. We chose not to take that route, and are giving up a home we had in our family for over a decade (force selling it in today's Australia market will also guarantee a loss) just so I can buy a HDB flat, and that is benefiting me?? I agree that the measures help first-time home owners, and I am glad for the cooling measures to aid them. But it does put genuine first time owners like me, and Singapore PRs, in a very tight and unfair spot. I think your statements stem from bitterness and resentment.

That house wasn't paid by me. If I were that rich, I would have gotten a pretty condo instead of looking at HDBs. I am simply a victim of this ruling because I have a property in my name but have absolutely no ownership of it. My OH and I are not receiving any help from our parents as well, so our plight is exactly the same as the average Joe, EXCEPT I suffer a bit more since we cannot qualify for government grant (like you can) and are not considered first-time owners (even though we are).

I believe the general advice in this thread is to change the sub to Velodyne, SVS or Paradigm subs. I was also wondering if it's worth it to upgrade to the 708 from the 608. Initially I was looking at the 508, but OH who was initally a Bose and Soundbar fan has recently been converted by me (thank god!)and is now upping the ante (and budget!) after reading all the Onkyo reviews online. Apparently, the 708 has a lot of upgradable options. May I ask how to Def Tech 600 sounded with the 608? Would a center speaker procinema 1000 make a difference? I am currently thinking of the Onkyo 608 + Def Tech 600 + Velodyne CHQ8 + OPPO 80, but am afraid of going to Aldephi and getting poisoned!

I have no idea how the government can actually track your property overseas, regardless, I remain law-abiding and do not want to risk the penalty. If my family still want a property in Australia (and they do, since my brother and his girlfriend still have several years there), they will have to buy a brand new property, or one in the developing stage, or buy a piece of land and erect a new house - and then pay the high tax that will be imposed upon foreigners (aimed at foreign investors, but it's a totally different case for my family). I did try looking at Marine Parade (I'm an East girl at heart), but I really did not like the "old" layout (long corridors, low ceilings, bathroom in kitchen). I was only looking at the newer condo-layout estates, which was actually quite a dampener because of the distance, but I decided that budget + space to grow in your home was more important.

I am a Singaporean citizen and not intending to migrate. I obtained my PR-ship because I qualified after completing my education in Australia and lived/worked there. The house there was bought so I could have my family visit (which was pretty often) while I was living there, and now my brother is living in it as he is also studying there. It has never been rented out, so it has never yielded any form of income, only expenses as I pay for strata, insurance, gardening every year. I think your views are narrow-minded, as this law is exceptionally unfair to Singapore PRs, who have homes in their home country - they may still have their parents living in them, or simply want to return home sporadially while their lives remain rooted in Singapore. You are completely umempathic towards such predicaments - can you imagine having to kick your parents out of your house just because of this new ruling as a S'pore PR? I want a house I can live and grow in, have children and pets, so decided that a HDB resale would be the best option for me, given that private property is so ridicuously expensive. My life is here in Singapore, where my family is. Why should I be weeded out because I have a house in Australia where my brother is currently living in? That house has been in the family for 10 years - there are a lot of memories, and I always return to Australia for holidays because accomodation is already "paid for".

I can't transfer it to a family member as non of them are Permanent Residents, and Australia has a law that foreigners are unable to own an "old" property (any property that has been bought before), it needs to be brand new or in the developing stage. So, am going to sell the house and family will purchase another new property. Will simply store everything from current property into storage and move it into new place when we find one. Just so tedious...

Thanks, I will look into it. But searching on Propertyguru.com hasn't been very uplifting. I'm just going to engage an agent to sell my house overseas