Jurong West flats-your views
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From: GOLF ANIMAL (HotStud2001) 06:09
To: tomhunk88 75 of 81
71707.75 in reply to 71707.1
First, that place very near Tengah Air Base, so every other day you get very low flying aircraft flying over you. So loud I think all your stuff inside the house will vibrate.
Second, there is a very good reason why they try and let go again. These are surplus flats that nobody wanted after lots of efforts. Location also not very good.
Furthermore, premium flats are hit an miss things. For all you know after you stay there for some time, all your floor / wall tiles disloge, then you have big headache. The workmanship sucks to the core, and many such problems you won't be able to tell until some time later.
Basically, don't expect to make a profit buying flats there and reselling a few years later. It's not very likely in my view.
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From: civic2003 10:23
To: vodkalime 76 of 81
71707.76 in reply to 71707.59
Quote:
What say u guys if I am now thinking of forking close to $400k for a flat at redhill/tiong bahru area?
My reply:
It's not worth to fork out close to $400K for a flat. People will laugh at you.
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From: xebay11 10:46
To: vodkalime 77 of 81
71707.77 in reply to 71707.59
Definitely not worth it. Why give someone a free helping hand to let them move up the property chain by buying hyper inflated resale flats in over hyped locations? Choose somewhere less hyped like AMK, Bukit Batok, CCK and slowly work your way up.
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Don't buy a property (pte or HDB) cos it is cheap.
Location is the most impt criteria.
Is it well connected to expressways or MRT/ bus?
U can save a lot of travelling time.
Are there good sch. for your kids & shopping/ mkt. nearby?
Is it near temple, church or mosque?
Jurong W. is very ulu & undeveloped. Unless it is near your working place, I suggest u look at other areas.
This is because when u want to sell your flat, the buyer will consider all the above. That is why areas like Queenstown, T.Payoh, Bishan, M.Parade, Tampines can still command high prices even after 10 yrs. -
thanks gerry i agree..my fiance just checked hdb site.. almost 80% taken.. wonder whether they got do their homework before signing on the paper
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orwell76 3-May 14:15
To: SmartAhLee 85 of 103
71707.85 in reply to 71707.69
I bought the flat first hand from HDB at 125k. The 3 blocks are surplus flat: Blk 914, 915 and 916. Previously hostel for foreign workers. The flat is 16 years old and the lease starts at 83 years.
I have been working in a petrochemical plant for 11 years, everyday either smell and contact chemicals. So no difference to me. Either I died from occupational hazard or long term effects. So might as well get a flat in Jurong West.
Getting a resale flat and taking a mortgage make no sense to me. I don't see the point of paying interest for something that ulitmately does not belong to me. We are not even owners but lease holders. Ownership is an illusion. Just get the cheapest pigeon hole you can find and save yourself the trouble of making payment.
Besides price of flats is "tuned" in a way that make us slaves held in bondage to servicing the mortgage and interest. For a moment think about what you are signing when you take a 30 year mortgage. You basically say for the next 30 years of my life I promiss to slave for this pile of bricks. Assuming that your job is secure, there is no reduction in your cpf contribution. There should be no worries.
But during the last recession, mostly people in their 40s are retrenched. Say you are 30 years old and just got married and decide to commit to a 30 year mortgage. Effectively you have only 10 years to pay off your mortgage.
I don't know any financial planner who has a solution to this. As you have a mortgage and loans to service, without ready cash at hand, financial freedom is just a fantasy. -
From: Gdarren 3-May 22:42
To: ALL 87 of 103
71707.87 in reply to 71707.86
A 15mins feeder bus and a 45mins train ride can get you to tampines from JW. even with peak hour traffic, adding 30mins to the total, is 1.5hrs. is only a 30+km distance. 1 way trip is about $2.20. Driving to tampines from JW(assuming your car does an average 12km/litre) is about $5. i hardly see any gd association with car ownership and residing in JW. Going to town in a train only takes 30-35mins. driving to town takes almost the same time(except in mid of night)
Its definitely a great place if you are working in Tuas and most parts of SG. anyway SG IS TOO SMALL to even complain about distance or travelling time. unless you are some office gal whos rushing home to catch your fav mediacock lame strips? i wonder whats going on in ppl's mind when they endure an hr's jam on expressway only to head on to countless traffic lights, never appearing in your favour. at the end of the day, maybe jus some ego boosting or "status"
Low flying aircrafts should only be your concern if you are working nightshifts and sleep in the day. if any1 is really tired, an airplane flying jus by your window will never wake you up.
amenities n facilities should only be a factor if you seriously need to live with them. its jus like a condo occupant who has not even a tennis racket at home. so whats the pt of having a tennis court?
but the most impt advantage of buying JW is the low cost and high rental potential. if the primary reason of buying a hdb flat is to provide a home n shelter, den it does serve its purpose and at a much lower cost compared to other estates. for any1 whos still thinking of buying HDB flats as a form of investment, sad to say, IMO, you have missed the boat and is unlikely to come back. No Longer are you going to have situations where you buy at $100k and selling them off at $300k. its beta to let the cpf $ "grow" in CPF and get it out during old age. at least, as a consolation, our CPF does enjoy a 2.5% interest. our local banks only pays a miserable ....
well, the cons r...
there are many bangalas n foreign labours in JW areas. in fact, 1 of the biggest commercial dormitories in SG is located at Soon Lee Rd. There are many events happening in there(unreported) but generally, these workers are not a wild bunch. pretty harmless, except for their smell, esp on sundays if you are returning from town taking public transport, be it train or bus, you are in for a hard time!
the schs in JW areas are really not too decent(or maybe less prestigious) schs... lots of bengs n lians wannabes. but having said that, its still up to parents to educate. -
From: the lamp (digitaltable) 01:02
To: xebay11 unread 91 of 103
71707.91 in reply to 71707.60
no i'm not joking. i used to stay in the west and i know on days it can be dirty. physical dirt is easy to prove, but what about SO2 & CO. Have you measured? try putting air analyser at rooftops of 25storey blocks around singapore for a few months. tell me what you find.
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From: orwell76 03:28
To: SmartAhLee 92 of 103
71707.92 in reply to 71707.88
Thanks for the information. I bought the flat not to make a profit but as a roof over my head. I did not want to take a mortgage as my wife is not working and my baby is due in September. The price of blk 914-916 at 125k allows me to purchase the flat with having to take up a mortgage. I work shifts and sleep in the afternoon. The airacraft is surprisingly minimal. To be honest, except for the hassle of travelling to town for shopping and to visit my in laws, I am rather happy with staying in JW.
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Tomhunk, who are you quoting from? Which forum do those replies come from?
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sammy boy.. a very popular forum..also provides much thought provoking topics..it is equivalent to sg forum..political forum..check tis out..
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sammyboymod/messages/?msg=53650 -
From: Condemner (Guai_Kiah) 09:34
To: tomhunk88 105 of 106
71707.105 in reply to 71707.100
>> no la i am not going to get it..must be prudent in spending ...2nd hand some more not worth it but i have to agree that it is just a street away from hdb hub !
Yah, it's very close to HDB Hub or Toa Payoh MRT. However the price is not right, simply too high. I've checked the resale price of 10 years old Toa Payoh 4-room flats, at least $350,000 mostly. Not worth it.
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From: tomhunk88 09:41
To: Condemner (Guai_Kiah) unread 106 of 106
71707.106 in reply to 71707.105
ya feel tis way so..looked at 8 flats yesterday all 4 rooms range bet 363 to 385 k..all near hdb hub..
realise this
4% cash to HDB ( suckers !!)- hard cash--what the rational of paying them?
1% to agent
+ Valuation price..
+ renovation
total hard cash for resale: 40 K !!
BUT Y 4% ???!!!!!!!! y must pay HDB ?????? -
The train ride between Tampines and Boon Lay takes 57 minutes.Originally posted by tomhunk:A 15mins feeder bus and a 45mins train ride can get you to tampines from JW. -
Then I suppose you know Commonsense. She has posted some stuff from Sammyboy at our Speaker's Corner.Originally posted by tomhunk:sammy boy.. a very popular forum..also provides much thought provoking topics..it is equivalent to sg forum..political forum..check tis out..
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sammyboymod/messages/?msg=53650 -
I am thinking of migrating in the 5-10 yrs future.
Should I buy a HDB flat and then sell it after 5 years to earn back that gov subsidy? By the way, how much is that subsidy?
Thanks. -
most of the peeps who said JW is ulu probably dun even live in the west...to me, sengkang and punggol is ulu, why? because it's to far...like i've said, distance is relative...like someone else mentioned, singapore is too small to complain about travelling time...sometimes, my wife and i would drive all the way from home to fisherman's village just to have dinner...
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could the reason for ur thinking be....u drive?Originally posted by Schwing:most of the peeps who said JW is ulu probably dun even live in the west...to me, sengkang and punggol is ulu, why? because it's to far...like i've said, distance is relative...like someone else mentioned, singapore is too small to complain about travelling time...sometimes, my wife and i would drive all the way from home to fisherman's village just to have dinner...
No offense.
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From: StorytellerA 5-May 10:05
To: tomhunk88 121 of 125
71707.121 in reply to 71707.104
Yes i agree. Buying property is abt Location, Location and Location.
Let me share with brothers my personal experience.
I am currently trying to get a resale flat (I am single) near Hougang Kovan. So far have viewed a few flat.
1st flat - 15 min walk to Kovan MRT. Didnt ask age of the flat. i think it is around 18 yr old. Good done up and high floor. After a few week, flat is still unsold.
2nd flat (abt 5-6 min walk to MRT), 20 yr old flat mid flor and very basic renovation. renovation looks a bit old. whilst still considering the offer price, it was sold within 1.5 week.
2nd flat (3 min walk to MRT). Also 20 yr old flat 5th floor. Heard no renovation. I am very keen on this one since i go for location. before i could arrange for an apptment with the owner, it was sold in one day. The buyer has already issued deposit cheque on the 1st viewing.
The moral of the story? buying property is all abt location. the 3 flat that i view is located just within walking distance of each other (hence the available/surrounding amenities is the same). therefore the deciding factor appears to be walking distance to the MRT.
My point is that if you just want to buy it for staying and that you don't intend to sell your flat in future or due to really tight budget constraint, by all means go ahead to get the Jurong West flat.
But a note of cautious - shd u decided to sell your flat one day, it may take months before u manage to find a buyer.
A poorly located flat (even though cheap may not attract buyers).
A good location (even though expensive) will attract lot of buyers.
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Pple will "hiam" this and "hiam" that when location is not that good.
>Don't buy a property (pte or HDB) cos it is cheap.
>Location is the most impt criteria.
>Is it well connected to expressways or MRT/ bus?
>U can save a lot of travelling time.
>Are there good sch. for your kids & shopping/ mkt. nearby?
>Is it near temple, church or mosque?
>Jurong W. is very ulu & undeveloped. Unless it is near your working >place, I suggest u look at other areas.
>This is because when u want to sell your flat, the buyer will consider >all the above. That is why areas like Queenstown, T.Payoh, Bishan, >M.Parade, Tampines can still command high prices even after 10 yrs.
Edited 05/05/2005 10:12 ET ET by StorytellerA
Edited 05/05/2005 10:49 ET ET by StorytellerA
Edited 05/05/2005 10:53 ET ET by StorytellerA
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Edited 05/05/2005 10:57 ET ET by StorytellerA
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From: the lamp (digitaltable) 5-May 10:53
To: xebay11 122 of 125
71707.122 in reply to 71707.120
well i'm not here to defend JW or certain parts of singapore, but the dynamics of pollutants dispersal is not so straightforward. the analogy is like the earthquakes in sumatra which seem to affect flats all over singapore though by logic western sg is the closest.
singapore is too small for us to say one part is cleaner or safer than the rest. u may think east and west are miles apart but actually for a simple particle at a suitable height it will just take seconds to cross. no part is spared. even in sengkang there are complaints of bad smell, worse the source are factories across the straits in jb. so there's absolutely nothing the govt can do no matter how much you complaint because its in the hands of the m'sians.