Decision on Purchasing House

[rajagainstthemachine]

Well nothing is black or white. So there are things I like Singapore for and there are a lot of things I hate about it. I also believe a bird in hand is better than 2 in bush. So I will stick on as long as it makes sense. But I still maintain there are a lot of better countries to work in than Singapore and I know this from people who have left Singapore on their own inspite of having a house and a PR.

Sent from my Redmi Note 2 using Tapatalk

I wouldn't buy property for the following reasons.

1. years of mortgage payments. I don't want to be sucked into a spiral of work, mortgage payment etc.

2. I don't want to be stuck with a house that i need to now maintain on top of the other stuff that i have to do.

3. yearly property taxes, insurance

4. freedom to leave everything and move somewhere else.

5. I have weird living requirements, I hate people in general, I detest and loathe living in mass housing like apartments and condos, I prefer independent houses, walk ups or shop houses which are a rarity here or too expensive to buy.

I think I have about another 25 years of work life left in me, i would like to live that unburdened without the pain of mundane tasks, after which i'll just go to some seaside town somewhere and live out my life in peace and quiet.

[Wd40]

When do you plan to retire? I plan to retire around 52. Actually I would like to retire much earlier. But 52 is around when my daughter starts graduation, so that would be a good time to take a call on how much money I would need. I am 37 now. So that is another 15 years of working life remaining. I just need 3 stints of 5 years in each company. My aim would be to have the best work life balance for the next 15 years at the same time try to save money and maintain my current lifestyle. So far I am pretty happy with my savings rate, work life balance and my lifestyle.

I haven't given much importance to career and it has worked for me for the last 15 years. So I am at the half way mark.

Sent from my Redmi Note 2 using Tapatalk

[midlet2013]

Thanks Valleyman and everyone else. I guess the gist is Long term plans. I dont have cuz I can leave, mainly for better career opportunities. And I feel I am very close now.

Wd40 fails to generalize. Every answer is based on his own experiences which I guess is a bit negative due to Sg policy on indians.

I firmly believe if I am not happy with my career, I cannot call that place home. Honestly, I am happy now but I can still explore a bit.

Thanks Everyone for their inputs.

@OP: If you are looking for your own stay, you should buy where you can see yourself living for atleast the next 5-10 years. I was on the sidelines of buy/no-buy for the longest time, but then things were never all in place at the same time. So I took the plunge and I am quite happy for it. A house to live in, is still an emotional decision for most of us from the sub continent anyways and no amount of analysis could make the decision for you. There are many new websites now on property which can give you more data on condos to help you choose the right one. Lastly, data analytics is a hot area to be in and your skillset is not going out of demand soon.

Focusing on earning potential is mutually exclusive with doing cost analysis, no? I didn't whine about cost. I just told you from a financial point of view. If money is not your concern, then you need to evaluate based on whether you like permanence of having your own house vs flexibility of leaving the country anytime, without any attachments.

Why did you even ask this question in that case? PhD holder couldn't even figure that out

To me PR doesn't mean much when it comes to career opportunities. I have friends who gave up their house and PR because they got opportunities in better countries.

Sent from my Redmi Note 2 using Tapatalk

@WD40: A casual observation, all your posts on almost every thread are dripping with negativity and general disdain for the red dot. I fail to understand why ? A case in point - the line above should be "better" career opportunities in other countries and not "better" countries.
Seriously man, life is too short you should really make better choices than stick on in a place you dislike so much.

[rajagainstthemachine]

When do you plan to retire? I plan to retire around 52. Actually I would like to retire much earlier. But 52 is around when my daughter starts graduation, so that would be a good time to take a call on how much money I would need. I am 37 now. So that is another 15 years of working life remaining. I just need 3 stints of 5 years in each company. My aim would be to have the best work life balance for the next 15 years at the same time try to save money and maintain my current lifestyle. So far I am pretty happy with my savings rate, work life balance and my lifestyle.

I haven't given much importance to career and it has worked for me for the last 15 years. So I am at the half way mark.
Sent from my Redmi Note 2 using Tapatalk

Why do you always sound so defeatist and underachieving? is this all you aspire for? Mediocrity?

[okonu]

"Happiness is low expectations". Mediocrity is not to be despised. Many great teachers have said that happiness lies in "moderation in all things", and in considering what makes you happy, not the expectations of others of what you should be earning/ buying/ doing

[sundaymorningstaple]

^^^This!

[x9200]

I agree with the above. Providing WD40 means what he says (and not tries to convince himself by posting it here) there is nothing wrong with his way. Achievements and career progressing comes at the price the magnitude of which is often not realised.

[ecureilx]

"Happiness is low expectations". Mediocrity is not to be despised. Many great teachers have said that happiness lies in "moderation in all things", and in considering what makes you happy, not the expectations of others of what you should be earning/ buying/ doing

+1

[PNGMK]

Well nothing is black or white. So there are things I like Singapore for and there are a lot of things I hate about it. I also believe a bird in hand is better than 2 in bush. So I will stick on as long as it makes sense. But I still maintain there are a lot of better countries to work in than Singapore and I know this from people who have left Singapore on their own inspite of having a house and a PR.

Sent from my Redmi Note 2 using Tapatalk

I wouldn't buy property for the following reasons.

1. years of mortgage payments. I don't want to be sucked into a spiral of work, mortgage payment etc.

2. I don't want to be stuck with a house that i need to now maintain on top of the other stuff that i have to do.

3. yearly property taxes, insurance

4. freedom to leave everything and move somewhere else.

5. I have weird living requirements, I hate people in general, I detest and loathe living in mass housing like apartments and condos, I prefer independent houses, walk ups or shop houses which are a rarity here or too expensive to buy.

I think I have about another 25 years of work life left in me, i would like to live that unburdened without the pain of mundane tasks, after which i'll just go to some seaside town somewhere and live out my life in peace and quiet.

You're over thinking it... all of item 1-4 can be managed remotely by competent property manager and the rent income can contribute towards your actual goal of living in a seaside town (I vote for Puducherry).

[rajagainstthemachine]

I can't live in a world where people are just content with being moderate and underachieving while they maybe gifted or capable of so much more.
For creative minds this is a disaster who want to keep setting new standards.
Let me ask you all if you would be content with surfing the internet at 33.3kbps all your life?

[PNGMK]

I can't live in a world where people are just content with being moderate and underachieving while they maybe gifted or capable of so much more.
For creative minds this is a disaster who want to keep setting new standards.
Let me ask you all if you would be content with surfing the internet at 33.3kbps all your life?

RATM; you're the unicorn; the pink rabbit in the jungle full of hungry tigers. Everyone has a different set of motivations and drivers. That may make some of these people look less ambitious to those not familiar with the internal workings of that person's psyche.

[Wd40]

RATM: I thought early retirement is the ultimate dream for anyone. Just like you think early retirement is underachieving. So it depends on what you want in life. There is absolutely no thumb rule to any thing. You are born once and you die once. In between there are a million ways to lead life and seek happiness and what is heaven for one person could be hell to another. The main thing is you should be happy. Even that, I think is not important. Some people don't even want to be happy. They find solace in being in constant struggle and that keeps them going. So like I said nobody can tell exactly how to lead life. It is an experience and whether it is worth it or not also nobody can tell. Because nothing matters at the end of the day everyone dies. And anything that you did before that won't matter anymore.

Sent from my Redmi Note 2 using Tapatalk

[kaseyma]

RATM: I thought early retirement is the ultimate dream for anyone. Just like you think early retirement is underachieving. So it depends on what you want in life. There is absolutely no thumb rule to any thing. You are born once and you die once. In between there are a million ways to lead life and seek happiness and what is heaven for one person could be hell to another. The main thing is you should be happy.

Early retirement does not necessarily mean one stops living or achieving.

It should be considered the start of doing what you want to do without having to worry about saving for retirement.

[okonu]

Let me ask you all if you would be content with surfing the internet at 33.3kbps all your life?

I was content before the internet was a thing. I grew up in India in the 70's and 80's, we didn't have TV/ videos but we had fun anyway. Never seen kids play with whatever comes to hand?

I agree, disatisfaction is what leads to progress. But there are enough people who are never content to drive things forward, and I am OK riding on their coat-tails

[midlet2013]

I think a better way to put it would be Financial Freedom rather than Early Retirement.

If I dont need to work for money, I can be happier n enjoy working more. Whether one does gardening or research should not matter, as long as its his passion.

However, dont defend Conservative, SafePlay and Compromising line of thinking. Even if you take safe and conservative decisions, at least be bold in your thinking.

Read "Rich Dad Poor Dad" or Differences between how Rich and Poor act and behave.

Why settle when you dont have to ? If you have to, then settle but dont preach "Settling is Nirvana" to your kids

RATM: I thought early retirement is the ultimate dream for anyone. Just like you think early retirement is underachieving. So it depends on what you want in life. There is absolutely no thumb rule to any thing. You are born once and you die once. In between there are a million ways to lead life and seek happiness and what is heaven for one person could be hell to another. The main thing is you should be happy.

Early retirement does not necessarily mean one stops living or achieving.

It should be considered the start of doing what you want to do without having to worry about saving for retirement.