Be a real estate owner the easy way (3).

As a follow up to my last blog post which questioned "Am I trying to be the most popular blogger in Singapore", I decided to Google "Singapore Investment Blogs" to see just how popular my blog might be. Curious, you know.

Well, I saw a link with a pretty face on the first page and, in case you are wondering, no, the face was not mine. Anyway, thanks to that link, this blog post was born. Unexpected, really.

The hyperlink says "Wendy Kwek Official Blog" and, apparently, she is a savvy and well known Singaporean property investor. Well known? I should know her but I don't. I should read up about her and I did.

The first line of the third paragraph in the "About me" section gels with me:

"I like to speak with people to engage and inspire them."

I like that although I am more a writer than a speaker.

"My mission is to help average people create extraordinary wealth through property investments."

Now, this sounds powerful. Pretty attractive too, no doubt.

The archives of her blog show that the blog started in August 2012 but I guess Wendy must have been reaching out to people long before that. She runs the "Property Riches Program" and her last blog post dated 9 April 2013 stated that the program saw its 14th batch of graduates and it was a big group, going by the photograph taken of the class!

Personally, I have not attended any program like this before and decided to do a bit more research online to find out more. I found this:

"Learn How To Own Properties With Little Or NO Money Down From Ms Wendy Kwek"

It was part of an ad on a property related website.

OK, this sounds familiar and I think I blogged about this before.
Read: Be a real estate owner the easy way (2).

Is the claim bona fide? Maybe, I don't know. I have not attended the course by Ms. Wendy Kwek before. So, I have nothing definite to say about it other than the fact that the claim sounds too amazing to be true.

Searching the internet to see if there are ways we can own properties with little or no money down, I came across 4 ways:

1. Borrow money to pay the down-payment
2. Co-Invest with other investors
3. Co-Invest with other investors using Central Provident Fund (CPF)
4. Buy overseas property with no money or little money down

Read the full article at Mr. Propwise: 4 ways to buy properties with no money down.

With even previously sceptical people now thinking that there is only one way for property prices to go which is up because of inflation, it is perhaps no wonder that Ms. Wendy Kwek et. al. are highly sought after by investors.

I took the following from the Facebook of Drizzt, the blogmaster of "Investment Moats":

"A condominium in a good location in Singapore can cost at least a million dollars and with the buyer having to fork out some 30% of the total purchase price, the upfront deposit can be a minimum of $300,000 excluding other miscellaneous charges. $300,000 is a figure that can take quite some time for a person on the street to save up to...

"But with property clubs, with a group of common-minded investors, together pooling a sum of monies for property purchases, the sum of monies an investor needs to fork out will be reduced. Take for example, the same $1 million property, with 20 investors, each investor would just need to fork out $50,000. Should the property price ascend to say $3 million, the $2 million profits would be shared among the 20 investors, this will translate to a profit of $100,000 for each investor! To maximise profits, some of these property clubs will ... purchase overseas properties with prices depressed due to the economic cycle."

 

When I commented that people should consider the possible downside, Drizzt said: "Think there is no downside with inflation the name of the game" which, in his opinion, is what the general public is thinking.

 

If you have owned properties with little or no money down before, perhaps, you could share with us your experience here. I am interested in hearing your experience and I am sure other readers would be interested too especially if we could own an investment property (or a few) with no money down in Singapore.

Related posts:
1. Leverage up and buy investment properties now?
2. Selling a private property just got harder.
3. More cooling measures on the way?
4. Buying a piece of real estate within your means.
5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad: 2 are better than 1.

Singapore Police Force - Recruitment.

One thing which most friends and relatives don't know about me is that I wanted to join the Singapore Police Force when I was much younger but my medical status meant that it was a no go. With my degree, I would have been an ASP right away.

Till today, sometimes, I still wonder how I would have turned out as a person if I was accepted.

Anyway, if you are considering a career and if you are a person who values courage, loyalty, integrity and fairness, a career in the Singapore Police Force might just be what you are looking for.

Find out more at:
http://sg.sharings.cc/AK71SG/share/SPF

Plastic hazard in cup noodles!

I bought some Myojo brand cup noodles recently because NTUC Fairprice had a sale. It was $1.30 or $1.40 for two. Cannot remember exactly.

Anyway, in case you buy this, WARNING, do not pour hot water into the container as per usual practice! The smell of plastic was so strong that it was unbearable!

I quickly poured the hot water and noodles into my trusty Tupperware container which I use to bring oatmeal from home everyday. If I didn't have an alternative container close at hand, I would probably have thrown away the noodles, dissolved plastic and all.

No prizes for guessing what I had for breakfast and lunch today. Oh, I also had some very nice cake my sister baked which was a treat!

Myojo noodles are good. I prefer them to Maggi but the use of cheap plastic is really damaging and in more ways than one! Instant noodles lovers, please take heed!

Related post:
Korean noodles for lunch!

Not happy with government? Please emigrate!

I couldn't believe it when I read that the newly appointed Home Minister of Malaysia said that Malaysians who are unhappy with the country's political system should leave the country.

"If these people wish to adopt the list system or the single transferable vote used by countries with the republic form of government, then, they should migrate to these countries to practise their political beliefs," Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Source: The Straits Times online, 16 May 2013.

I don't see how a statement like this is going to help make things better.

The Minister should realise that, like them or not, these unhappy Malaysians are still Malaysians! They have the right to express their desire for change even if the Minister might not agree with them. Simple, isn't it?

How could someone like this be a Minister? He is a Datuk too. Shame on him.

You might also be interested in this:
Take the good with the bad if we retire to Malaysia.