Latest FB Posts from Second Property Investors

Finding a property within your budget is actually not that difficult.

The harder part is knowing whether it is the right property for you.

Because when I meet a buyer, I don’t want to immediately start recommending projects or sending listings.

I want to understand them first.

What do they really need?

What do they want but can compromise on?

What is their comfortable budget?

Which location actually fits their lifestyle?

And sometimes, the place that suits them best may not even be somewhere they originally considered.

Recently, after going through this process with a client, I suggested that they explore Tiong Bahru.

Today, I received this message:

“Hi Gary, wow…. Tiong Bahru is good area. Thanks for yr recommendation.”

To me, this is one of the most satisfying parts of my work.

Because finding a home you like today is only one part of the decision.

I also want to ask:

Are there policies today that we can take advantage of?

Are we buying something at a price that makes sense?

If one day you want to sell, will the next buyer also see what you saw in this property?

That last question is especially important to me.

Because your dream home today will eventually become somebody else’s potential purchase tomorrow.

So when I recommend a property, I am looking at it from two perspectives:

Would you love living here?

And would the next buyer want it too?

If we can find something that fits your lifestyle, meets your needs, stays within a comfortable budget, benefits from the current market or policies, and remains attractive to future buyers…

then I think we are getting very close to making a good property decision.

Now that we have identified where they would love to stay, the next job begins.

Let’s see if we can secure their dream home at a price that makes the decision even better. ... See MoreSee Less

We accepted a 3-month extension and bought the unit at a better price

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Recently, I helped my client purchase a resale property at a better price by agreeing to the seller’s three-month extension of stay.

To many buyers, the extension may immediately feel like a disadvantage.

They may think:

“Why should I wait another three months before taking over the unit?”

But I looked at the broader picture.

▪️ The price was good.
▪️ The facing was good.
▪️ Most importantly, the unit was very well maintained.

The seller needed more time, while my buyer wanted a better purchase price.

By accommodating something important to the seller, we managed to secure the unit at a more attractive price.

Other buyers may have focused only on the inconvenience of waiting three months.

I focused on what my client would receive after those three months.

After the extension ended, we collected the unit and rented it out not long afterwards.

When I recently handed the home over to the tenant, her first reaction was:

“Wow, this place is so well maintained.”

She had previously stayed in another unit within the same development, built by the same developer, and she felt that this unit was in much better condition.

That feedback confirmed what I had seen when we first purchased the property.

Yes, we allowed the seller to stay for another three months.

But in exchange, we bought the unit at a better price and received a home that was already in good condition.

Now imagine buying another unit with immediate vacant possession, but the property is poorly maintained.

The buyer may collect the keys three months earlier...

But still need to spend the next few months repairing damaged items, repainting the home, coordinating contractors and restoring it to a rentable condition.

They may also need to spend significantly more money before a tenant can move in.

So did my buyer really lose three months?

Perhaps not as much as it first appeared.

Another buyer may collect the keys immediately but spend months rectifying the property.

✔️ My buyer waited three months, collected a well-maintained home and rented it out shortly afterwards.

✔️ This is why I do not evaluate a property based on one condition alone.

I look at the entire picture:

🔹 The price we are paying.
🔹 The condition we are receiving.
🔹 The facing of the unit.
🔹 The seller’s timeline.
🔹 The work required after taking over.
🔹 The additional money my buyer may need to spend.

And whether the next tenant or buyer will still recognize the value of the home.

Other buyers saw the three-month extension as a disadvantage.

I saw it as something we could exchange for a better purchase price.

And when the tenant walked in and immediately said:

“Wow, this place is so well maintained.”

It confirmed that we had made the right call.

My job is not only to help my client collect the keys as quickly as possible.

It is to help them buy at a good price, receive a property in good condition and secure something that the next tenant or buyer will still appreciate.

Do not only ask how soon you can collect the keys.

Ask what you are receiving in return, how much you are paying for it, and whether the next person will still value it too. ... See MoreSee Less

A poorly presented home can become a buyer's opportunity

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Previously, I shared how I help sellers bring an existing renovation back to life so buyers can recognise its value.

Today, let me show you the reverse side.

When I search for properties for my buyers, I often come across homes with strong fundamentals but very poor presentation.

The layout is practical.
The room sizes are good.
The location makes sense.

But the photos are dark, the tabletops are crowded, the furniture makes the rooms look smaller, or the colours are so personalised that buyers cannot imagine themselves living there.

Most buyers will skip these listings immediately.

And that may create an opportunity.

But I normally do not bring my buyer to these units first.

I first show them the better-presented homes.

Why?

Because my buyer needs to understand what a good unit in that location should feel like.

They need to see the better layouts, views, renovation conditions and asking prices.

Only after they understand the market clearly will I introduce a poorly presented unit with strong fundamentals.

By then, they are able to separate two very different things:

What is permanently wrong with the property, and what can be easily corrected.

🔺 A poor layout is difficult to change.
🔺 A bad facing cannot be moved.
🔺 A noisy road will not disappear after renovation.

☝🏻 But dirty paint can be refreshed.
☝🏻 A crowded kitchen countertop can be cleared.
☝🏻 Bulky furniture can be removed.
☝🏻 An awkward study table can be shifted into a more suitable room.
☝🏻 A personalised wall colour can be repainted.

These issues may make the home look unattractive today, but they do not necessarily make it a bad property.

The important question is:

📍 Are we looking at a fundamentally weak home, or simply a good home that has been presented badly?

The difference can be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

When a listing looks difficult to understand, buyer interest is usually weaker.

❌ Fewer buyers arrange viewings.
❌ Fewer buyers feel emotionally attached.
❌ And fewer buyers compete for the unit.

That may give my buyer more room to negotiate.

The seller may own a home with a good layout and useful renovation, but because the value was not presented clearly, the market starts treating it like a unit that requires a complete overhaul.

Buyers begin adding imaginary renovation costs into their calculations.

They think:

“I need to tear down everything.”
“I probably need another S$80,000.”
“This home is too troublesome.”

But when I assess the unit, I may see something completely different.

Perhaps we only need a fresh coat of paint.
Perhaps 80% of the loose items need to be cleared.
Perhaps two pieces of carpentry need to be removed.

Perhaps the existing kitchen, bathrooms, flooring and wardrobes can still be retained.

Instead of spending S$80,000 rebuilding the entire home, my buyer may only need to spend a fraction of that amount to make it feel completely different.

That is when a poorly presented home can become an attractive buying opportunity.

But this does not mean every unattractive listing is worth buying.

❗️ Some homes genuinely require extensive work.
❗️ Some layouts are difficult to correct.
❗️ Some sellers are still asking for a fully renovated price even though buyers need to tear everything down.

The numbers must still make sense.

I will calculate:

✔️ How much are we saving compared with a better-presented unit?
✔️ How much will it actually cost to refresh the home?
✔️ Which parts of the renovation can be retained?
✔️ And after all the work is completed, are we still buying at a reasonable total cost?

The goal is not to buy an unattractive unit simply because it is cheaper.

The goal is to identify value that other buyers are overlooking.

This is why property viewing is not only about choosing the home that looks best today.

Sometimes, the better opportunity is the home that most buyers cannot visualise, but whose underlying value is still strong.

When I help a seller, I make sure buyers can see the value that is already there.

When I help a buyer, I look for value that other buyers may have failed to see.

Different sides of the transaction.

But the thinking is the same:
Understand why buyers say yes, and also why they walk away.

Before rejecting a poorly presented home, ask one more question:

Is the property really bad, or has nobody helped me see what it could become? ... See MoreSee Less