zirhk3355

Ok, let's come down to the nitty-gritty; since no other preferred dates, shall we hold our first COP session after the holiday season, on 5 Jan 2009 @ 1930hrs? We can meet at the lift lobby of Blk 89 and proceed to patrol all the blocks. If we are 'kut-luck', maybe we can walk down the stairs as exercise too. As for the items listed by TheGuru, we can put it down in writing after the COP session and submit officially to the RC as our feedback.

Have you seen the place? My own assessment is that the layout is not very nice; too many partitions/pillars. The new Peony Jade at Keppel Club would be a better layout. If food is your query, my comments is that Peony Jade at Clarke Quay is very good, service-wise I cannot comment because I only went there for dinner and not to attend wedding.

Haha, this is the gist of the matter...

Food for thoughts - always remember this: Valuation = valued by your head, ie logical. This is honoured by HDB, banks, CPF, etc because they based their loans on it. COV = valued by your heart, ie emotions. This is only honoured by yourself and the seller/buyer. Nobody else cares. Wait, before you jump at me, I am not saying to go by emotions is bad. Sometimes if you really love something, nobody can tell you if its worth it or not. Only your heart can tell. If everything is logical, then this world will be a very boring place.

There is a huge difference of course. When I tried to be funny and got a 'hi-class' designer to quote me for my flat, it was almost double the cost; eg a feature wall was quoted at $9K+, but though its mere cosmetic, I must say I was very impressed by the design. Did try to copy their ideas after that, but somehow it didn't turn out to be the same...haiz...

If we can achieve Point 2, I think we have won half the battle. COP is not about taking the law into our own hands (although many a times I would hope that I can!), but its really about deterrence. If we can send the jokers scooting off, then fear would be created in them that the residents are acting up and make them think twice about trying to be funny again.

Correct lor, if we are not willing to pay for design, then too bad we got to live and survive with such "sales designers". I am not looking down on anyone; I myself also cannot afford such expensive design works. And we can't have the cake and eat it too; if we want cheap and if we want to go direct to contractors, I am sure nobody would stop us. But we must be prepared to be hands-on, close our minds to those sales talk and endure some screw-ups. However, I think its not fair to say no one wanted to pay design; I have personally seen good design works and its really worth the money. And yes, if I had the money, I would pay for it, but alas, don't have lor...got to be realistic. No I am not. I should say my job is more inclined towards real estate (NOT property agent). And frankly, I learnt that phrase from books too!

Its time for our COPs to get to work! Those who are keen, when are the available dates for you? Weekdays' evening, weekends, etc? I propose to have a session to be no more than two hours, then we can adjourn for drinks or supper...hehe ;P

The real designers are 'up there' earning 'real' income. If you look at your quotation, you will realise that you are not paying for anything related to design. You are only paying for the works. I agree with you alot of IDs engage 'sales designers' who have ZERO design backgrounds, mostly because they are cheap; I think they are paid like few hundred bucks basic salary but loaded with commission when they close deals. But more importantly, its because the 80% of us staying in HDB flats (plus easily another 1/3 of those who stay in private) are not willing to pay design fees (space-planning), which is at least UPPER 4-digits figure. Also, to qualify for designer decor, not only you need to pay design fees, you also need to use designer materials and use specialised services for every part of your home; there are kitchen specialists, wardrobe specialists, toilet specialists, etc. Eg kitchen, BLUM equipment are simply not good enough; we are talking about Poggenpohl from the US, or at least Häcker-Küchen from Germany. For wardrobes, Lumiera just doesn't cut the cake; it must be at least a Hoffen design. And each of them will cost you 5-digit figure, easily. So 'real' design firms have no choice but to move away from us, leaving us with only contractor-turned-ID firms; but because of the low barrier of entry, there are hundreds of such firms in Singapore, prices are pressed until low-low, so bo pianz have to get cheap labour to bring in sales, flip expensive magazines (THAT they can afford) and copy ideas, get passed-down ideas from seniors, etc. They are not trained in project management, so screwed-up schedules cannot be avoided. They are using budget materials and equipment, so quality cannot be assured too. I am not complaining, because I, too, am not willing to pay $100K to renovate my flat. No choice lah, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys mah. Meanwhile, the real designers who graduated from prestigious schools are now doing beautiful houses for the rich, or working on commercial projects where budget are bigger. Well, you bunch of expensive real designers, wait for me...one day I will have the money to engage your services...

Wow nice!! Your sis is a professional artist?? You might want to put your sale of paint in a separate post at the garage sale board, so that other forummers can see also...

HLE does not have approve or not approve - its a letter to tell you how much you can borrow for your flat, which is based on combined income. I believe HDB will assess their combined income (in which case is only the wife's income) and come up with a maximum loan they can borrow, based on their loan criteria...

Based on what you said, there is definitely a case for you because its the buyer's responsibility to ensure that they are eligible to buy. But you might want to look at other alternatives besides suing, as its not cost-effective (legal fees will be high) and does not fulfill your objective of selling the flat. Work with the buyers on how they can assure you that they will do their due diligence to ensure that they can buy your flat.

I had my granite top for more than 1 year now, been using normal detergent and water to wipe it. Nothing happen leh...don't fret lah...

Besides looking out for the terms and conditions, I think an important point is not emphasised enough since now: Always put everything you agreed with the ID/contractor in black and white. Whatever materials he promise you, brands, model no, sizes, quantity, etc all must be put down in details. Laminate's brands and model no, flooring materials, brand of glass materials, brands of drawers' mechanisms, etc all must be detailed in writing. If you had not choose the materials yet, then at least get a confirmation that you can choose any brands/categories. If got limit to certain brands/categories, then must also state down (eg ABC brand laminate, from model XXX to XXX). This is very important because halfway down the renovation, if budget constraint or got cashflow problems, the first the ID/contractor will do is to go back to the agreement and try to see if they can cut down on materials. So always, ALWAYS state down in black and white, as detailed as possible.

A 'breadtalk' kitchen doesn't mean a full floor-to-ceiling glass partition - usually there is a countertop and the glass portion is from the countertop upwards. Then can use a folding glass door, again no need to be full glass, but just glass windows or panels with wooden borders.

GST is a must, akin all other goods you buy mah. If you haven't sign any commission agreement, then renegotiate with the agent.

Hey thanks for your advice! As for credit/loan, well I am one of those who believe that a mortgage loan should be the last thing to pay off; usually will invest my cash, but even if not investing, I will rather put it in a savings account than pay off the mortgage. To me, remaining liquid is important so I can react to any sudden changes more freely. But you are right, each has it own merits lah, so depends on how you strategise your life and money lor. Again appreciate your advice! You do not need to justify anything if you fulfill these two criteria: 1. Pay up the mortgage loan in full; 2. Fulfill MOP of 3 yrs if no grant, or 5 yrs if taken grant. Can even apply on MyHDBPage; on-the-spot approval, straightaway pay admin fee then can rent out liao. But many a times the issue with owning a HDB flat and private property at the same time is the CPF, mortgage payment (esp if the flat still got loan) and taxes. So for my case, the plan is either my parent owns the HDB flat and I own the landed, or vice versa.

Erm sorry but I dun understand why a remote control's sales can be equate to not buying the LCD TV?? Did the TV break down too? Anyway, universal remote controls are increasingly easy to use now, and getting cheaper too. Why not just ditch all your remotes once and for all, and switch to a universal one?

This is a very informative thread! I am also planning to upgrade to landed property next time, but its still a long way to go cuz just got my new SERS replacement flat last year. So financial planning towards my goal is my concern now. But would appreciate some advice if there are some forummers who upgrade from HDB and stay together with parents in landed. Did you sell both flats, or kept one? I intend to keep one for rental income. What are the costs that I have to look out for, other than those above listed?

Nowadays with creativity, I think design can go hand in hand with practicality. For eg, though my kitchen is closed off from the living room, I used alot of glass so still can see through mah. My wife always joke that we have a 'breadtalk' kitchen...

Why do you say its unlikely to salvage them?? You can just "uninstall" them first and they can be reused in your new decor.

Speaking of upmarket supermarket, does anyone knows where can I buy those rock SALT, not rock sugar, at cheap prices? I 'hiao' lor, go buy those nice nice pepper and salt grinders, but go sheng siong and common supermarkets only got powder pepper/salt. If go upmarket supermarket very expensive...haiz...how ah??

This is the ONLY item that the ID can 'milk' from you, based on their 'creative' designs and material used. I suspect everyone will have different quotes, which cannot be used as a guide. But use as a very rough reference can lah! Anyway, mine is as follows: Damage: $2,100 This price includes everything from the four pillars onwards, except for the TV and hi-fi, of course. My ID claimed that its abit more ex because its not against the wall, and he has to touch up for the back as well. Nonsense right! Haha...anyway...what done cannot be undone...like I said, this is the only part for them to milk you... Another view:

I also have a neighbour who got approval to hack off the toilet wall. Everything is subjected to case-by-case basis for HDB. So long as you got approval to rebuild the toilet wall, keep the approval and you should not have problem selling the flat next time.

Are you sure its the same mattress? From what I know, Simmons gallery carries different mattresses from the authorised distributors, which are taka, robinsons, etc., so that they can differentiate themselves. But if its the same mattress and label, then it must be your emotions during the testing time lor. Maybe the atmosphere at taka is better...?? Hehe...