Upgrading to landed?

[gn108]

Good post bro ..with awesome supporting graphics...like National Day Rally ...

[seletar]

Different people different preference... I have no use for country club because I don't play the "small ball", I don't play the "big ball"
Why need to play arcade games at country club when I can play so many games at the comfort of my home?

My wife doesn't allow the kids to have x-box or other gaming consoles at home, she is strict.

You are right, this country club thing is based on personal preference. It's a waste of money for those that rarely go to use the facilities.

[DC33_2008]

This reminds me of the place I stayed for 7 years in the UK.

May 2012

















Jul 2012

[fclim]

My wife doesn't allow the kids to have x-box or other gaming consoles at home, she is strict.

Your wife might like to read this research done by U. of Rochester. Like everything else, it is important not to let it become an addiction though.

Video Games Lead to Faster Decisions that are No Less Accurate

September 13, 2010



A test subject attempts to determine whether the erratically moving dots on a computer screen are moving left or right on average during a study at the University of Rochester August 24, 2010. This was one task used by UR professor of brain and cognitive science Daphne Bavelier and colleagues in their study, "Improved probabilistic inference as a general learning mechanism with action video games", to determine whether playing video games makes people faster decision makers while having no detrimental effect on accuracy.

Participants in a University of Rochester study, "Improved probabilistic inference as a general learning mechanism with action video games", by UR professor of brain and cognitive science Daphne Bavelier played 50 hours of video games over multiple weeks. Players who played action games like Call of Duty 2 (pictured here) made quicker decisions than those who played slow-paced strategy games like The Sims without sacrificing accuracy.

Study Suggests That Video Games Could be Training Tool for Quicker Reactions

Cognitive scientists from the University of Rochester have discovered that playing action video games trains people to make the right decisions faster. The researchers found that video game players develop a heightened sensitivity to what is going on around them, and this benefit doesn't just make them better at playing video games, but improves a wide variety of general skills that can help with everyday activities like multitasking, driving, reading small print, keeping track of friends in a crowd, and navigating around town.

Action Video Games Found to Sharpen Decision-Making

In an upcoming study in the journal Current Biology, authors Daphne Bavelier, Alexandre Pouget, and C. Shawn Green report that video games could provide a potent training regimen for speeding up reactions in many types of real-life situations.

Video games have grown in popularity to the point where 68 percent of American households have members that play them, according to a 2009 report by the Entertainment Software Association.

The researchers tested dozens of 18- to 25-year-olds who were not ordinarily video game players. They split the subjects into two groups. One group played 50 hours of the fast-paced action video games "Call of Duty 2" and "Unreal Tournament," and the other group played 50 hours of the slow-moving strategy game "The Sims 2."

After this training period, all of the subjects were asked to make quick decisions in several tasks designed by the researchers. In the tasks, the participants had to look at a screen, analyze what was going on, and answer a simple question about the action in as little time as possible (i.e. whether a clump of erratically moving dots was migrating right or left across the screen on average). In order to make sure the effect wasn't limited to just visual perception, the participants were also asked to complete an analogous task that was purely auditory.

The action game players were up to 25 percent faster at coming to a conclusion and answered just as many questions correctly as their strategy game playing peers.

"It's not the case that the action game players are trigger-happy and less accurate: They are just as accurate and also faster," Bavelier said. "Action game players make more correct decisions per unit time. If you are a surgeon or you are in the middle of a battlefield, that can make all the difference."

The authors' neural simulations shed light on why action gamers have augmented decision making capabilities. People make decisions based on probabilities that they are constantly calculating and refining in their heads, Bavelier explains. The process is called probabilistic inference. The brain continuously accumulates small pieces of visual or auditory information as a person surveys a scene, eventually gathering enough for the person to make what they perceive to be an accurate decision.

"Decisions are never black and white," she said. "The brain is always computing probabilities. As you drive, for instance, you may see a movement on your right, estimate whether you are on a collision course, and based on that probability make a binary decision: brake or don't brake."

Action video game players' brains are more efficient collectors of visual and auditory information, and therefore arrive at the necessary threshold of information they need to make a decision much faster than non gamers, the researchers found.

The new study builds on previous work by Bavelier and colleagues that showed that video games improve vision by making players more sensitive to slightly different shades of color.

[chho]

Great post!

As anticipated, this has turned into a landed vs condo/apt argument which will go on and on ad infinitum.

There are pros and cons for both which has been well laid out by many of the bros here so I will not elaborate.From what I read from TS first statemnt, I think he/she has more or less decided on a landed, its just whether it makes economic sense.

If you are buying for own stay, then by all means go for it. the inherent joy and pride of owning a piece of land that you can call your own is unparallelled. I, myself , own both and if it comes to a crunch where I have to release one or the other, I am definitely more reluctant to let go of the landed than the condo.

Since you are buying for own stay, then rental yield will not be a concern for you but more so on capital protection/appreciation. Yes, both landed and condos/apt have run up a fair bit but which will give you better capital protection or to be more optimistic, appreciation in the long run? Perhaps the chartbelow will help shed some light.




People who say that landed prices are strastospheric are of that mind because of the way that landed is priced vs condos. Most landed (with the exception of cluster) are priced psf on land area rather than the built-up for condos /apt. With the exception of detached or GCB, most landed have greater built up area than the land based on the propensity to build up or dwon (basements). If you compare like for like i.e. pure living area, then it may not seem so high after all. In fact, in my ivew, that is probably one of the factors for the run-up in landed as more people come to this realization.

As for all the horror stories about parking, creepy crawlies, noise pollution, bad negihbours etc, I think it all boils down to your selection of the property itself. Having stayed in both condo and landed, I can tell you that the problems exists for BOTH landed and condos as well.

I have stayed in condos and landed which exhibit one or all of the problems above so to me its not mutally exclusive when you choose one property type over another. Do your research on the surroundings before you buy. This applies for BOTH condos as well as landed.

With that in mind, just do what you think will bring greatest happiness to you and your family and buy withn your means. Property moves in cycles. so what if it goes down? As long as you have holding power, the cycle will go up again. As long as you are sitting on a capital gain, are you going to hit yourself over the head because another property type could have garnered you a little more paper gain. Life is too short to worry about such stuff.

[samuelk]

Great post!

interestingly, there is no 30% nor 50% drop as one would really worry

[wind30]

You all sounds very chum like that, everyday come back from work got to think whether later got place to park your car if you have more than 1...

You can chop your space but others can also take away the bin as it is public place. Think recently there is an article about this. Sorry but the space outside your landed belongs to the public, no choice but have to face it

I only have one car now but I had two cars when I first moved in for 1 year.

I don't think u understand landed living. When I had two cars neighbours will not park outside my house because they know my second car need the space. It is like an unwritten rule and everyone knows their neighbours parking habits.

The issue comes when you leave a spot empty. With time if you don't put a rubbish bin there, some neighbour will probably decide to park there permanently. If you put your bin there, most people are nice enough that they will park elsewhere. In my two years, I only had one case whereby the bin was moved by someone. This is probably because there is plenty of parking like 2 houses down the road from my place as there is an "empty" road with no houses on both sides. Nobody will want to disturb others when there is parking available like 5m away...

Of course if your place is beside an eating place with no parking nearby, I don't think the "bin" technique will work.

[fclim]

I only have one car now but I had two cars when I first moved in for 1 year.

I don't think u understand landed living. When I had two cars neighbours will not park outside my house because they know my second car need the space. It is like an unwritten rule and everyone knows their neighbours parking habits.

The issue comes when you leave a spot empty. With time if you don't put a rubbish bin there, some neighbour will probably decide to park there permanently. If you put your bin there, most people are nice enough that they will park elsewhere. In my two years, I only had one case whereby the bin was moved by someone. This is probably because there is plenty of parking like 2 houses down the road from my place as there is an "empty" road with no houses on both sides. Nobody will want to disturb others when there is parking available like 5m away...

Of course if your place is beside an eating place with no parking nearby, I don't think the "bin" technique will work.

I am sorry, but it is utterly selfish of you. You have no use for the spot and yet you deny others the chance to use it. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[wind30]

I am sorry, but it is utterly selfish of you. You have no use for the spot and yet you deny others the chance to use it. You should be ashamed of yourself.

the situation for each case is not so black and white.

You must live in the estate to know the details.

Example, if I don't put a bin there, my neighbour who DOES NOT park inside his house will park outside my house. Is that not selfish? Why should I park inside my house and leave the road empty and easy to drive for all, only to benefit inconsiderate people who don't want to park inside their house?

By blocking that space I think I am helping everyone (by keeping the road clear) because I "encourage" people to park inside their house.

I am thinking about everyone who uses the road. Ultimately the most selfish people are those who don't park on their car porch.

[focus]

I wish govt step in and paint all the lanes double yellow lines

[gn108]

Previously, all these lanes with dual traffic lanes, then became One way traffic lanes. Later added single Yellow lines.

Double Yellow next and then will be Jagged Double Yellow...

Just too many people with too little road infrastucture...or in another way, too many cars - which means COE is too low!!

I wish govt step in and paint all the lanes double yellow lines

[Poloclub]

I actually think that the price appreciation of landed property is a little misleading because most of the time such statistic doesnt take into account the amount of money that is being pump into A&A or rebuilding.

Take for example, I bought a landed at $2m, I spend $600K in A&A and then sell it for $2.9m. Under such transaction, I am sure URA will capture the value as appreciate by $900k instead of $300k "profit"

[lajia]

I actually think that the price appreciation of landed property is a little misleading because most of the time such statistic doesnt take into account the amount of money that is being pump into A&A or rebuilding.

Take for example, I bought a landed at $2m, I spend $600K in A&A and then sell it for $2.9m. Under such transaction, I am sure URA will capture the value as appreciate by $900k instead of $300k "profit"

u make a valid point, this is so much diff from condo whereby u need not spend so much on reno and so on. This also explain why the price is going up more as ppl spend more on reno and obviously when they sell, they will take into consideration those that they have already pump in.

[Poloclub]

u make a valid point, this is so much diff from condo whereby u need not spend so much on reno and so on. This also explain why the price is going up more as ppl spend more on reno and obviously when they sell, they will take into consideration those that they have already pump in.

I always think that doing an A&A or rebuild it is as good as an enbloc, so it is not surprise that value of these property will appreciation according to the valued added.

[gn108]

Good perspective bro...

I always think that doing an A&A or rebuild it is as good as an enbloc, so it is not surprise that value of these property will appreciation according to the valued added.

[new2mondrian]

I actually think that the price appreciation of landed property is a little misleading because most of the time such statistic doesnt take into account the amount of money that is being pump into A&A or rebuilding.

Take for example, I bought a landed at $2m, I spend $600K in A&A and then sell it for $2.9m. Under such transaction, I am sure URA will capture the value as appreciate by $900k instead of $300k "profit"

Agree. A&A is no longer cheap these days, taking into account the architect fees, structural engineer fees etc, and more often than not there is also development charge involved. That's why landed is always for self stay. The effort involved in doing a A&A or a rebuild is not small.

My properties earn me gross rental income of ard $10k per month, on top of that I have two for self stay, and all of which cost me $3M plus. If market corrects, my downside is limited whereas I collect ard $120k of rental per annum. Plonking everything into a landed plus put in an additional $400-500k to bring it to a desirable condition is something which I simply cannot square off in terms of the opportunity costs of funds involved.

Haha that's me lah. But then again, it goes down to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, as to what constitutes self-actualisation! Lol...

[chiaberry]

Unless you have a totally reliable contractor/architect, doing an A&A or rebuild can be quite a big headache. Many opportunities for things to go wrong along the way and to be chopped by the contractors and vendors of the various products. At every step along the way, need to do own homework to check out if the suggested works are the best solution for your home or if the prices quoted are reasonable or not. You do need to check on the work very regularly or else by the time you go, it's been covered up and you won't know what they have done. I know, I know. I'm a perfectionist and should leave it to the contractor. But that's not in my character to do. Hence I am probably not going to have a landed any time soon. Need to retire first and then will have time to take on this kind of project. However, by the time I retire, I will want to spend more time travelling around and a condo is probably more appropriate as a base for that rather than a landed. No point leaving the maid around to enjoy your landed if you spend a lot of time at work or overseas. Just have a condo, lock it up and off you go on your travels. Engage the cleaning firm to come and do the cleaning when you come back. We must cut down on our reliance on maids as I believe they will become an increasingly difficult commodity to get hold of in the generations to come.

[DC33_2008]

Cost of A & A or Reconstruction is gone up a lot. I have done my 12 years ago. Now is easily double. I have enjoyed in the participation of the process from design to completion. A good contractor is very important and I am fortunate to have a friend who is in this line.

Unless you have a totally reliable contractor/architect, doing an A&A or rebuild can be quite a big headache. Many opportunities for things to go wrong along the way and to be chopped by the contractors and vendors of the various products. At every step along the way, need to do own homework to check out if the suggested works are the best solution for your home or if the prices quoted are reasonable or not. You do need to check on the work very regularly or else by the time you go, it's been covered up and you won't know what they have done. I know, I know. I'm a perfectionist and should leave it to the contractor. But that's not in my character to do. Hence I am probably not going to have a landed any time soon. Need to retire first and then will have time to take on this kind of project. However, by the time I retire, I will want to spend more time travelling around and a condo is probably more appropriate as a base for that rather than a landed. No point leaving the maid around to enjoy your landed if you spend a lot of time at work or overseas. Just have a condo, lock it up and off you go on your travels. Engage the cleaning firm to come and do the cleaning when you come back. We must cut down on our reliance on maids as I believe they will become an increasingly difficult commodity to get hold of in the generations to come.

[chiaberry]

You are fortunate to have a friend who is in this line who would look after your interest instead of his/her own. The costs have indeed gone up.

[DC33_2008]

I have seen some contractor who bought the land and rebuilt to sell use really poor quality material and workmanship. The wall starting cracking after one year and the colour of the wooden gate starts to decolourise. They paid so much for the house.

You are fortunate to have a friend who is in this line who would look after your interest instead of his/her own. The costs have indeed gone up.

[sh]

I have seen some contractor who bought the land and rebuilt to sell use really poor quality material and workmanship. The wall starting cracking after one year and the colour of the wooden gate starts to decolourise. They paid so much for the house.

If you're going to play the renovation game, you need to do your homework and understand building materials....

It's common for hairline cracks ro appear shortly after a newly plastered wall, nothing that a coat of paint can't fix. As for wooden finishes exposed to weather.... Don't expect it to last... Best to avoid...

Get good consultants to advise you...

[DC33_2008]

Fortunately not my house. I was rather careful when I select materials for my home. The composition of water to plaster is critical and the no. of coats too. Some of those plastering on the external wall was done up so quickly without time to allow for it to set before the next coat was applied. There is something that is called drying shrinkage. Unfortunately, these workers are being paid on project basis.

If you're going to play the renovation game, you need to do your homework and understand building materials....

It's common for hairline cracks ro appear shortly after a newly plastered wall, nothing that a coat of paint can't fix. As for wooden finishes exposed to weather.... Don't expect it to last... Best to avoid...

Get good consultants to advise you...

[Blue]

Wonder y so much debate.

Moral of the story is:

Buying 10 Toyotas can never be equal to buying 1 Ferrari.

Buying 10 MM condos can never be equal to buying 1 Bungalow.

Both will appreciate. But in the meantime while waiting for the appreciation to come, do you prefer to drive 10 different colored Toyotas or just drive 1 Ferrari?

[lajia]

I'll take the 10 Toyota's...:-P, not everyone like sport car!

Wonder y so much debate.

Moral of the story is:

Buying 10 Toyotas can never be equal to buying 1 Ferrari.

Buying 10 MM condos can never be equal to buying 1 Bungalow.

Both will appreciate. But in the meantime while waiting for the appreciation to come, do you prefer to drive 10 different colored Toyotas or just drive 1 Ferrari?

[amk]

I will take a 4mil condo in town over a 4mil bungalow in woodlands anytime

Speaking of comparing apple and orange..

In the same area where a 2000 sqft 4bd condo cost 4mil, a decent bungalow will cost > 8mil.

Choice of type of pty has always been constraint by budget, where you find the balance between your wish and your capacity.

[Ringo33]

Wonder y so much debate.

Moral of the story is:

Buying 10 Toyotas can never be equal to buying 1 Ferrari.

Buying 10 MM condos can never be equal to buying 1 Bungalow.

Both will appreciate. But in the meantime while waiting for the appreciation to come, do you prefer to drive 10 different colored Toyotas or just drive 1 Ferrari?

Perhaps you are right. If you have the class and substance there is actually no need for a Ferrari, a Toyota will be good enough.
Having said that most ferrari owners in Singapore doesnt just own 1 ferrari, they usually have many other cars, including Toyota for daily usage.

[howgozit]

I think @Blue's point is quite the opposite...

The point is 10 Toyotas can't match 1 Ferrari even if they have the same monetary value.

This is the same as saying 10 Coach bags can't match 1 Hermes Birkin bag even if they have the same monetary value.

Perhaps you are right. If you have the class and substance there is actually no need for a Ferrari, a Toyota will be good enough.
Having said that most ferrari owners in Singapore doesnt just own 1 ferrari, they usually have many other cars, including Toyota for daily usage.

[Vincegoh]

I think @Blue's point is quite the opposite...

The point is 10 Toyotas can't match 1 Ferrari even if they have the same monetary value.

This is the same as saying 10 Coach bags can't match 1 Hermes Birkin bag even if they have the same monetary value.

i think a better comparison will be 2 porsches vs 1 ferrari. which will be your poison?

for me, i will choose 2 porsches. just in case one of them gets totalled in a crash, i still have a backup vehicle. if just 1 ferrari, alamak. cry no tears.

[phantom_opera]

upgraded to Mars

[gn108]

Or 1 Megan Fox to the 2 Olsen twins ...though two at the same time might swing it...

i think a better comparison will be 2 porsches vs 1 ferrari. which will be your poison?

for me, i will choose 2 porsches. just in case one of them gets totalled in a crash, i still have a backup vehicle. if just 1 ferrari, alamak. cry no tears.