Stories By: iMoney Singapore (50 Articles Found)
5 mistakes first-time homeowners in Singapore should avoid
about getting your first home? Here are some common mistakes you should avoid. 1) Not comparing different home loan packages – One of the most important ways packages differ is by how the interest rates are set. Some…
How do MRT stations affect property prices and rent?
Conventional wisdom suggests that prices of properties near MRT stations command a premium. We explore just how much of a premium that might be, how it could affect rental prices, as well as how the upcoming TEL may…
Here’s what you should know before you pay off your home loan early
Having debt can be a psychological burden. When you have something as large like your mortgage loan looming over you, you may be tempted to pay it off as soon as you can. However, this may not always…
An en bloc sale can make you a millionaire, but at what cost?
There aren’t a lot of ways you can gain instant, substantial wealth. The usual methods (lottery, death of a wealthy relative, money laundering, etc.) are either highly subject to chance or highly illegal. Fortunately, if you happen to…
How to prepare for rising home loan interest rates in Singapore
SIBOR has risen sharply and then fallen back again in the past few months. It does signal that we should expect more movement in the coming months. In fact, SIBOR rates have been on the rise since 2015.…
Everything you need to know about ‘flipping’ property in Singapore
In the heydays of the Singapore property market, ‘flip’ was the keyword that everyone, from businessmen to teachers knew about. As property prices skyrocketed, buying a property for the sole purpose of selling it in the short-term was…
Why Geylang may be your ideal neighbourhood
What’s your dream neighbourhood like? Let’s say you’d like fantastic food at all hours of the day, great connectivity to the city, a cultural melting pot with history, and a vibrant and grungy feel. If a combination of…
Bike sharing: Is it better for your wallet?
Environmental consciousness has finally hit the roads in Singapore. While cycling has become the ‘it’ thing to do in recent years, it hasn’t really taken off as a popular means of transportation due to many factors. One of…
5 checklists to consider when buying a house in Singapore
Whether you’re still looking for the best home loans, or you’re still searching for your first or fifth, buying a property is involves a lot of thought, gut-feel, planning and homework. It’s easy to fall prey to the…
SIBOR has weakened. Should you still make the home loan switch?
You may have seen the news that SIBOR rates have fallen. This follows the weakened USD and a recent comment by US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen, who emphasized the need for the US Central Bank to raise…
The 2016 HDB grant summary
Buying a HDB flat is probably one of the biggest milestones in your life. It’s a Singaporean coming-of-age ritual that shows that you can afford to put a roof over your head, and that you’re ready to begin…
Is this a good time for Fixed Rate Home Loan Packages?
In the treacherous world of loans, it may seem that every other loan package is painful, and that the only real winner is the bank. Well, you are probably right. It’s not all that bleak though. You can’t…
The best home loan packages of 2015
To say that 2015 was an eventful year is to give the word “understatement” a whole new definition. Congratulations to those who made it this far unscathed by traumatic worldly events. On the home front, aspiring homeowners probably…
The OCBC fixed deposit mortgage rate home loan may just be what you need
Homeowners in Singapore would be familiar with the concept that home loan rates are pegged to two categories, fixed or floating. Last year, DBS announced a loan package that sat somewhere in the middle, by pegging their rates…
Why you really shouldn’t pass up on home insurance
Just gotten your new home? Congratulations, you’ve fulfilled a great Singaporean dream. The next thing on your mind is probably renovations, shopping for statement furniture, and everything that new homeowners get excited about, except for insurance. If you…
Increasing SIBOR – What Should Homeowners Do?
For many homeowners, refinancing your home loan is certainly something to consider this year. The SIBOR is expected by analysts to increase to 1.8% by the end of the year or early next year, in tandem with the…
Destination branding: Singapore – a foreigner’s perspective
Destination branding is a term closely related to destination marketing, which usually refers to the marketing of tourist destinations. The role of destination market organisations (DMO) is to increase the number of visitors by promoting destinations. While destination…
Should you refinance now that the SIBOR is rising?
After two years of hovering around 0.5%, the SIBOR is now rising fast thanks to expectation that the US Fed will increase interest rates this year. In fact, some experts speculate that interest rates will grow to 2.5%…
Home loan – Fixed or Floating rates?
The difference between fixed and floating interest rates can be an expensive one. Depending on how much you owe on your mortgage, a variance of 1% in your home loan interest rate can cost or save you thousands…
What you need to know about cash out refinancing
What you probably didn’t know about your home is that it can be a source of cash for dealing with financial emergencies. A home equity loan, otherwise known as cash out refinancing, enables you to borrow at a…
Should you choose a HDB or bank loan for your property purchase?
If you’re looking to purchase a property in Singapore, deciding on what kind of loan you want to take out is just as important as choosing the property you want to purchase (or invest in if you’re fortunate…
What Singaporean homebuyers need to know about TDSR
Thanks to numerous government regulations intended to “cool” the housing market, buying a property in Singapore is now a complex, frustrating and incredibly expensive process. But of all the cooling measures meant to stop housing prices from soaring,…
Auctions – An alternative route to purchase property
It is no big secret that real estate is the best investment anyone could make and my guess is that it will be the same for a long, long time, if not forever. One can survive an early…
How to avoid getting suckered into a bad property deal
Every seller in the market is out there to earn the maximum amount of money they can against the commodity they are offering. Therefore, the price that they offer is not necessarily the commodity’s worth. This stands true…
FHR vs SIBOR – Game-changing showdown or overrated spectacle?
Every Singaporean knows that home ownership and debt independence are each other’s conceptual nemesis. Unless you have a multi-million dollar trust fund to bank on, you will be confronted with the justifiably intimidating challenge of buying a home…
Top 5 websites to help you find the perfect condo to rent
There are a lot of people living in Singapore and each of us has our own arrangement of accommodation. Our accommodation, our escape from the world, or go-to place – our home – depends on our personalities, the…
Property violations that can get your HDB flat repossessed
When you live in the world’s most expensive city where everyone sweats buckets at the thought of their next home loan repayment, it’s not unusual to see some Singaporeans crack under the pressure and get into a financial…
The ultimate Singapore home loan refinancing guide
It is very well known that home is where the heart is, and home loan is where all our money is. Sometimes, home loans may make our heart sink and take away the feeling of comfort and security…
Why mortgage insurance is the backbone your home loan desperately needs
Living in the world’s most expensive city can make you jaded towards a lot of financial schemes and pitches; however, property security is no joke that can be dismissed as a second-tier financial priority. In Singapore, property mortgage…
How to get the best refinancing deal for your money’s worth
With a vast number of Singaporean banks offering an even larger number of refinancing deals for servicing your home loans, it can get very confusing for the financially oblivious to decide what to opt for because all competing…
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