Where else can you buy your home in 5 years?

COST OF LIVING: SHELTER
 
Where else can you buy your home in 5 years?
 
I REFER to Tuesday’s letter by Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, ‘Singapore not necessarily costlier than Sweden”.
 
I too was surprised by the claim by Ms Heng Siew Cheng that it is cheaper (and better) to [...]

Affordable HDB flats: Costings don’t add up

Affordable HDB flats: Costings don’t add up
 
I REFER to last Wednesday’s letter from the HDB, ‘How HDB flats are priced affordably’. It mentioned that a new four-room flat costs close to $300,000 to develop, taking into account land, building and other costs. It did not give details of how each cost is calculated.
 
I remember [...]

‘Right call was made’

‘Right call was made’
 
:More factors to considerthan just higher bid price : :
 
Monday • July 21, 2008
 
I REFER to “Time to relook en bloc rules?” (Weekend Today, July 19-20).
 
On the contrary to what the letter-writer said, there are already enough en bloc rules. Without being privy to certain information, it is incorrect [...]

Time to relook en bloc rules?

Time to relook en bloc rules?
 
Weekend • July 19, 2008
 
 
Letter from Ong Cher Meng
 
 
 
I REFER to “Landmark ruling” (July 18).
 
The judge has ruled that the fact that a higher offer was received for the en bloc sale of Horizon Towers is not within the purview of the Strata Title Board (STB); neither [...]

Fall in GCB land prices is bad sign

Fall in GCB land prices is bad sign
 
I AGREE with Michael French’s letter (BT, July 17) that your original article ‘Prices of Good Class Bungalows still going up, but volume falls’ (BT, July 14) is misleading and flawed. The opening line of the article reads: ‘The volume of transactions of good class bungalows (GCBs) [...]

Only HDB flats required to have bomb shelters?

Only HDB flats required to have bomb shelters?
 
I GOT my new HDB flat recently and am busy doing renovation.
 
Like many other home owners, I intend to build a feature wall to hide the unsightly bomb shelter door in my living room. This is a burden as:
 
·  I will have to open two doors [...]

HDB explains purpose of resale levy

HDB explains purpose of resale levy
 
I REFER to the letter from Mr Michael Chua, ‘Fix resale levy as percentage of cash proceeds from sale’ (July 7).
 
The resale levy is imposed to reduce the subsidy on the second subsidised flat. It is payable only if a household chooses to buy another subsidised flat from HDB. [...]

Downtown Line 2 set to be a boon

Downtown Line 2 set to be a boon
 
Letter from Florence Ho
 
North-west area is currently under-served by public transport
 
I REFER to “Heartland to hotspots in under an hour” (July 16).
 
It is indeed welcome news that there will be an MRT station near Hillview Ave. At present, residents in this area are sorely under-served [...]

Good Class Bungalow land prices peaked in July 2007

Good Class Bungalow land prices peaked in July 2007
 
I REFER to the report, ‘Prices of Good Class Bungalows still going up, but volume falls’ (BT, July 14) by Arthur Sim.
 
I am not alone in having received numerous calls from owners who own Good Class Bungalows (GCBs), as well as architects.
 
The article is misleading [...]

How HDB flats are priced affordably

How HDB flats are priced affordably
 
I REFER to the letter from Mr See Leong Kit, ‘Market-based pricing has cost buyers dearly’ (July 7).
 
HDB adopts a market-based pricing approach so as to reflect the true subsidy that buyers enjoy. Under this approach, HDB determines the market value of the flat, based on its location, finish [...]