Buying HDB flat advise (without Agent?)...

[kazi-lad]

Hi All,

I'm Singapore PR. Planning to buy a HDB flat.
Can you please advise me what are the procedure for this? and what are the points I should be cautious about?

More over how difficult is the procedure to handle without an housing Agent?

Any Suggestions welcomed..

Thanks

Kazi

[Guest]

Hi All,

I'm Singapore PR. Planning to buy a HDB flat.
Can you please advise me what are the procedure for this? and what are the points I should be cautious about?

More over how difficult is the procedure to handle without an housing Agent?

Any Suggestions welcomed..

Thanks

Kazi

Never heard of such a thing before. You like the place, you call up the agent, the agent brings you to see, ultimately he/she would collect a fee from you.

No one would actually show you a flat if you are not willing to pay them their finders fee.

Why limit yourself to little choices of a suitable house when you can just get the agent to help you out and pay a small fee? Come on, a house is a place you live and want to be happy in it, so the hassle to part with such a nominal sum???

Kind of surprises me what people's mentality are made up of these days...

[sundaymorningstaple]

Kind of surprises me what people's mentality are made up of these days...

You should go with a mentality like that!

kazi-lad,

Yes you can purchase an HDB flat without an agent, there are quite a number of flats advertised by sellers saying specifically no agents please. While it is easier to use an agent to ensure you don't forget anything, it is perfectly legal and a hell of a lot cheaper to to it that way.

I would suggest that you do more research here: http://www.hdb.gov.sg/isoa032p.nsf/infoweb?openframeset

Please don't mind the trolls, they're like cockroaches here in singapore, we just have to learn to live with them.

THE sms

[Guest]

To: SMS

I am definitely not a troll. I have been through the process of buying a flat and I know it's almost impossible to get something you like without involving an agent.

Most properties 95% are managed by the agents, unless you would want to restrict yourself to the 5% owner sale, in which- would you certainly get what you like? That's my view point, not trying to behave like a troll or alien but being realistic in what's happening in the real world.

[sundaymorningstaple]

To: SMS

I am definitely not a troll. I have been through the process of buying a flat and I know it's almost impossible to get something you like without involving an agent.

You may not be a troll, but your not being helpful either (troll like behaviour). I am a PR and I did buy my HDB 5 room resale flat 6 years ago during the last property crash without an agent. You told the OP

Never heard of such a thing before.

He may well be smarter than you and willing to diy his purchase seeing it is within the law.

sms

[No Agent]

[/quote]

Why limit yourself to little choices of a suitable house when you can just get the agent to help you out and pay a small fee? Come on, a house is a place you live and want to be happy in it, so the hassle to part with such a nominal sum???

Kind of surprises me what people's mentality are made up of these days... [/quote]

And furthermore, Troll or non Troll also said it's a small fee and derides people's mentality. Hmmm... lemme see. I expect the agent wants a fee of 1% or 2% of purchase price. If you don't hear this amount, it's because the agent gets it from the seller. But don't forget, if seller can pay this amount to the agent, he can instead lower his price by this amount if there's no agent stepping in between. So in the end, you're still paying for it.

So if the property costs $400,000 - 1% will be $4,000. That's more than the monthly instalment for the property. And if it's 2%, then it's $8,000. Anybody still feels it's a small amount? (Those who are agents need not answer.)

[icy]

Get's see if this lad chap can actually do without one, hiak hiak hiak

[Kazi-lad]

Thanks all for your replies.
Special thanks to SMS/"sundaymorningstaple" for his nice suggestions & telling his own story of buying without agents.

Kazi-lad.

[ypson]

My 2 cents over this matter:


With agent:
I am pretty sure that if you have on spending over 400.000$ for the house you would definitely not worry to much of the agent fees. (Why you hire a plummer instead of doing it yourself? Because he knows what you don't)

Without agent:
In the country I come from (and probably in other places too) when you try to buy directly it happens that you get scammed and no money left and also no house.

So, my opinion is that in both cases you should advise caution and also consider other factors which might make you decide if you need or not an agent such as if you have the time required to do the search for house, like crawling newspaper ads and other sources (if you are on a demanding job, probably and agent would save time and by spending 4000 you earned 10000 which is 6000 gain as if you didn't worked, else, would be just fine)

I am sure you get my point, weight it through your own situation.

Hope this helps even a bit.

[ksl]

My 2 cents over this matter:


With agent:
I am pretty sure that if you have on spending over 400.000$ for the house you would definitely not worry to much of the agent fees. (Why you hire a plummer instead of doing it yourself? Because he knows what you don't)

Without agent:
In the country I come from (and probably in other places too) when you try to buy directly it happens that you get scammed and no money left and also no house.

So, my opinion is that in both cases you should advise caution and also consider other factors which might make you decide if you need or not an agent such as if you have the time required to do the search for house, like crawling newspaper ads and other sources (if you are on a demanding job, probably and agent would save time and by spending 4000 you earned 10000 which is 6000 gain as if you didn't worked, else, would be just fine)

I am sure you get my point, weight it through your own situation.

Hope this helps even a bit.

Don't talk bull shit, I know many a DIY person, that are far more professional, than your apprentice served Cowboys. You can guarantee nothing with your outspoken rant.

You take your car for a service and I will guarantee you get ripped off, the same goes, with most professions, If they think you have no knowledge, the majority will take advantage of that.

I do my own Mechanics, electrics, welding, plumbing and building repairs, all by the book, and remain updated, with any new government requirements, and I can tell you, I can spot a cowboy a mile off. You obviously cannot.

Anyone can botch a job these days, It happens in many Countries. If you are naive, you are most likely to be the sucker. I'm not saying there are not good and professional people around, but I am saying is, that you haave to be very very careful and have some knowledge. It is all about profit margins, and if they can get away, with some cheap replacement part, they will.

An example I can give, was a joiner hanging a door, that purchased the cheapest hinges possible, The door was a fire door, very heavy indeed, and it was so bloody obvious that the hinges would not hold very long.

He replaced them without any argument. the bill remained the same official quote.