Coconut Avenue (Singapore Properties by TFC)

For any Singaporean looking to buy a property, CPF will definitely be part of the discussion but how exactly does CPF help us in our property purchase? From housing loan limits to accrued interest, let CPF representative Lynn explain and debunk some of the most common questions & misconceptions about using CPF in property purchases, including this: should I use cash or CPF to service my housing loan?

Most Singaporeans live in high-rise buildings. Which level is your ideal choice? Is it true that the higher the flat is, the better, or are there actually advantages to living on a lower level? In this episode, our guest Rakaesh will share his thought process which led him to purchase his first HDB flat that’s located on the 2nd level and the pros & cons of living at a low level. Apparently, the water pressure is pretty amazing at the 2nd level! 

Private condominiums are often the envy of many HDB dwellers who yearn for exclusive facilities and enhanced privacy. However, the word “condo” alone sounds out of reach to many, even for our guests & kampong kids Meiting & Simon. Yet, after much deliberation, they decided to bite the bullet and buy a condominium apartment for the first time in their lives. Actually, they also didn’t have a lot of choices… Listen to this episode and find out what prompted their move! Could this be your dream too?

With increasing land and property prices in Singapore, one can’t help but wonder if property is still a viable investment tool? Before you answer this question, it will be helpful to consider the factors that can contribute to price appreciation and decent rental yield of your property which we will cover in this episode of Coconut Avenue Season 2.

We have Douglas, a realtor & Robin Hood of our time (listen & find out why!) in the house who will share what you should look out for when thinking about using your property as an investment tool, including this very commonly-asked question: should I buy new launch or resale?

Apart from HDB flats, private properties are also an option for those who prefer privacy and easy access to facilities like pools, gyms and more. Of course, this comes at a premium but if you plan it right, you can also live it up!

We discuss the process of buying a private property in this episode with our guest Aaron who had experience buying private properties not once, but twice! Aaron’s thought process may be a little peculiar to some. Reggie describes it as “buy house macam buy underwear”. What did he mean by that? Listen to this episode and find out!

A property is probably the biggest purchase of our lives and most of us would spend considerable time and effort to plan for its financing. Wouldn’t it be great if we could save thousands of dollars along the way too? Listen to Episode 4 of Coconut Avenue Season 2 as Brandon shares how he did just that by handling the entire buying process of his resale flat on his own instead of engaging a property agent. We will also go into details on the important acronyms that you need to know as a property buyer such as TOP, COV & OTP.

Do you know your legal rights as a property buyer? For many of us who are first-time home buyers, conveyancing or the legal process that is involved in property transactions can be a very foreign concept. In this episode, we invite Hui Yu, a lawyer who specialises in conveyancing to share more about the legal process when it comes to buying a property in Singapore. You will learn about jargons like Option To Purchase & Sale and Purchase Agreement. Fun fact: between fixtures & furniture, do you know that you’re entitled to one of them when you buy a property? Find out which one in this episode!

One of the biggest questions that many first-time home buyers in Singapore ask themselves is “HDB loan or bank loan?” Before you can answer that, you need to know these acronyms: MSR, TDSR, SIBOR, SORA, HLE… Not sure what they mean? Then you definitely need to listen to this episode of Coconut Avenue Season 2 as we break them down for you together with David Baey, founder of Mortgage Master, one of the leading mortgage brokers in Singapore. We also talk about how your credit score can affect your home loan eligibility. FYI: not owning credit cards doesn’t mean you have a good credit score!

In the first episode of Coconut Avenue Season 2, we follow the homeowner’s journey of Dan & Lydia from local podcast LongKang Kitties who purchased a BTO flat in the northern part of Singapore. What was the BTO application process like? As self-employed people, what were some challenges they faced when they applied for their BTO flat and why did they have to apply for their HLE (HDB Loan Eligibility) twice?

In episode #13 of Coconut Avenue, we are joined by David Baey, the Co-founder of Mortgage Master. David has been a driving force in the mortgage industry for almost 10 years. He started out at DBS, specializing in mortgages and rose to become Branch Business Senior Relationship manager. He then led the Mortgage department at MoneySmart before co-founding Mortgage Master in 2019. And today, he will talk about something so important, but almost always neglected in a property purchase journey until the last stage - mortgage loan.

Tune in as we discuss with David about mortgage loans. How is the credit score in Singapore calculated? Is your mortgage loan so important that it can make or break your property purchase be it for your own stay or investment? With that said, how can you then prevent yourself from purchasing the wrong property due to insufficient knowledge about mortgages? What's the difference between like effective interest rates and flat interest rates? What are the 3 questions everyone should answer before deciding what property they want? Tune in to find out!

In episode #12 of Coconut Avenue, we are joined by Jacqueline, the Co-founder of JMD. JMD has built outstanding investment properties in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. They're headquartered in Singapore and their expertise focuses on major commercial properties with strong experience in the shophouse sector.

Tune in as we discuss with Jacqueline about strata commercial properties. What are some qualities to look at for commercial strata properties? How does fragmented owners and location affect the demand of your commercial strata properties? How do you reverse engineer to estimate the demand of your commercial strata properties and better predict the rent structure? How is remote working affecting the demand of commercial strata offices and what direction is it heading? What are some advice she has for first time property buyers who are interested in investing in commercial strata spaces?

In episode #11 of Coconut Avenue, we are joined by Jacqueline, the Co-founder of JMD. JMD has built outstanding investment properties in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. They're headquartered in Singapore and their expertise focuses on major commercial properties with strong experience in the shophouse sector.

Tune in as we discuss with Jacqueline about commercial properties and shophouses. What are some matrixes and thought processes behind valuing and investing commercial assets or shophouses? Can these processes be applied for residential investing? How does the condition, fundamental land value, neighbouring land value and assets all affect the valuation process? What are some important questions to ask before investing in commercial or shophouse properties?

In episode #10 of Coconut Avenue, we are joined by Mark, the Managing Director of RealVantage, a property investment fund that invests in properties in the UK, USA, Australia and most recently, Singapore. With 18 years of experience in the real estate industry, he's here to share with you in depth about the USA property markets.

Tune in as we discuss with Mark on property investment in USA. What are some key reasons why he like the US property market? How to determine if a property is worth buying in US? How do they increase the yield for a different classes of property? How attractive is Singapore property market compared to the properties Australia and US? How are property taxation and transaction cost in US like? What are some pitfalls Singaporean commonly faced when investing in US property market?

In episode #9 of Coconut Avenue, we are joined by Keith, the co-founder of RealVantage, a property investment fund that invests in properties in the UK, USA, Australia and most recently, Singapore.

Tune in as we discuss with Keith on property investment in Australia. What are some key reasons why he like the Australian property market? How will the tension between China and Australia affect the property market of Australia? What are some major metrics to look at when investing in Australian property markets? How to increase your property yield? 

How should investors manage currency risks when investing in overseas property? What are some risks of investing in Australian property markets for retail investors? What are the key factors that drive real estate prices What to look out for when investing with property investment funds? Tune in to find out!

In episode #8 of Coconut Avenue, we bring on a foreign property investor, Robert. At a young age of 25, he bought his first semi-detached property in UK. He then went on to buy another two properties in the prime areas in UK. 

Tune in as we discuss with Robert about his property journey in UK. What is his strategy when buying and renting properties? What are some saving strategies he used to save towards his property purchase?  How did he cope with his rental during the pandemic? What is rental arbitrage and how can it be used? What are the risks and how can you cover it?

In episode #7 of Coconut Avenue, we bring on a property investor, James(pseudo name). He’s a normal Singaporean like you and I, but his story became interesting after he bought his first property at 28.

Tune in as we discuss with James about his property journey. What are some of the ups and downs he faced being a property investor? What are some things to look out for when choosing a property to buy? What should you be aware of when renting out? What is his mindset when it comes to property investing?

In episode #6 of Coconut Avenue, we bring on the co-founder of Prident, William Tan. Prident is a professional LGBTQ+ collective aiming to serve the community by offering more personalised advice on wider financial matters such as financial planning, insurance, real estate and investments. William is also a realtor from Singapore Realtors Inc.

Tune in as we discuss with William about what are some things the LGBT community should know before buying properties. What are some challenges LGBT member faces in Singapore real estate market? How do they best prepare for their property purchase?

In episode #5 of Coconut Avenue, we bring on one of PropNex’s top agent, Matthew Lam. PropNex is one of the largest real estate agency in Singapore. 

Tune in as we discuss with Matthew from PropNex on how to find the right agent. What are some objective ways to find a good agent with experience? How do you go about choosing what to believe when many agents have different logical recommendation on what is good? What are some micro-factors that determine whether the property prices will go up?

In episode #4 of Coconut Avenue, we bring on the CEO of Ohmyhome, Rhonda Wong. Ohmyhome is one of Singapore's first and leading fee-based property platform. For every transaction, clients would just pay a fixed-fee to the company instead of paying commission to the agent.

Tune in as we discuss with Rhonda from Ohmyhome about differences between fee-based property agency vs commissioned based agency. What are her views on the benefits of going fee-based? What are the structures behind a fee-based agency that helps buyers and sellers reduce transaction costs? How does going fee-based affect the quality of attention you get in the transactions? 

In episode #3 of Coconut Avenue, we bring on the CEO and founder from Abiel Real Estate Fund, Maureen Li. She is a seasoned commercial and residential property investor with years of experience in Australia and Singapore property markets.

Tune in as we discuss all about commercial and industrial properties. What kinds of commercial properties are there? Which tend to have better rental yield and better control over tenancy? How do people make money in commercial and industrial properties? What determine their price, equity upside and rental yield? What are some things people can do to increase their value?

In episode #2 of Coconut Avenue, we bring on the CEO and founder from Abiel Real Estate Fund, Maureen Li. She is a seasoned commercial and residential property investor with years of experience in Australia and Singapore property markets.

Tune in as we discuss how we should look at leasehold HDBs and Condos. Should you get HDB before you get Condo? Why do some people buy HDB even when they can afford Condos? What is the tenure you should consider buying and selling? Why is it that some leasehold properties don’t depreciate much even as they age?

In episode #1 of Coconut Avenue, we bring on the CEO and founder from Abiel Real Estate Fund, Maureen Li. She is a seasoned commercial and residential property investor with years of experience in Australia and Singapore property markets.

Tune in as we discuss if we should look at property as an investment or a home. What are some strategies to take for people buying HDB? What’s the HDB age you should look out for when buying? Will property prices continue to rise even after reaching their highs?