Online house-hunting: How to get the most out of the Singapore Property Show 2020 | Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents

Online house-hunting: How to get the most out of the Singapore Property Show 2020

2020-10-08

The virtual event kicks off on Saturday (Oct 10). Aside from checking out various property tours, attending a range of webinars might be the best way to get answers to all your burning questions such as where, when and what to buy.

Treasures At Tampines will be one of the properties with a virtual tour at the Singapore Property Show 2020. (Photo: Treasures At Tampines)

Chances are, potential home buyers have found 2020 to be a strange and frustrating year, no thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Singapore’s “circuit breaker” running from from April to June, property showflats were shuttered for months. Work- and study-from-home arrangements made us question the necessity and cost-effectiveness of buying a home in a prime location.

Travel restrictions turned certain residential “nice to haves” – such as a balcony, resort-style recreational facilities, ample space to work and play under one roof – into “must-haves for staving off cabin fever”.

READ: Mediacorp, PropNex, 99.co team up to launch virtual Singapore Property Show 2020
And obviously, the more superstitious among us weren’t about to invite more bad luck into our lives by going house hunting during the Hungry Ghost Month in September!

PROPERTY’S PICKING UP

But there’s been a silver lining. “Market activities have rebounded since the re-opening of the economy and sales volume has picked up substantially over the last two months,” shared Ismail Gafoor, CEO of real estate agency PropNex.

According to him, new home sales (excluding executive condominiums) jumped by 16 per cent, from 1,080 units (excluding ECs) in July to 1,256 units in August. And it seems September’s sales are likely to be healthy as well.

Singapore Property Show 2020 Verticus Hero Shot2_mod

“We believe the increased sales were mainly due to the pent-up demand from circuit breaker period, but there are other factors that support home purchase, including: Conducive interest rate environment; ample liquidity in the market; and sensitive pricing by developers. Home prices have been relatively stable in both the private residential segment as well as the HDB resale market,” he observed.

But since a home is likely to be the biggest purchase we’ll ever make in our entire lives, we want to proceed with caution – while armed with as much helpful information as possible.

One option would be checking out the upcoming Singapore Property Show 2020, which kicks off on Saturday (Oct 10).

A collaboration between PropNex, real estate portal 99.co and Mediacorp, it’s been billed as Singapore’s largest virtual property show.

It will run all the way till Dec 4, with a whole bunch of 4D virtual tours available in place of physical viewings at 18 newly-launched developments in various neighbourhoods such as Tampines, Marina Bay, Newton, Bukit Timah, Sengkang and Clementi.

FROM VIRTUAL TOURS TO WEBINARS

But aside from these tours, there are also a bunch of webinars every weekend, which we suggest having a look at to complement your virtual explorations.

There will be a total of 29 of these, covering topics that include the more serious ones such as buying a first home, upgrading from HDB to a private property, financial planning for retirement and how you can embark on property investments.

To balance it all off are lighter talks such as feng shui tips and how to overcome space constraints at home.

For example, PropNex’s Ismail Gafoor will discuss the prospects for each housing segment – private, ECs, and HDB resale – as well as the outlook for the Singapore residential property sector, and share five techniques that prospective property buyers should seriously consider before embarking on their real estate investment journey.

Meanwhile, the firm’s executive director Kelvin Fong will cover the pros or rewards of investing during an economic downturn.

Singapore Property Show 2020 Florence Residences Clubhse Pool AI_mod
The Florence Residences will be one of the properties you can check out at the Singapore Property Show 2020. (Photo: The Florence Residences)
For example, he shared: “For buyers, prices tend to be more attractive as developers and sellers need to price to sell. For sellers – especially those who have held on to their property for some time and are likely to reap capital gains from a sale – this may be a good time to divest the property and recycle the capital by buying another property with good potential upside in the future. Another positive thing about investing amid crisis is that buyers are more cautious, they would do their homework extensively and work out their sums before committing to the purchase.”

Other topics of note include identifying properties with strong growth attributes or tips on property investment during a crisis – and one question first-time home buyers will probably be agonising over: An HDB flat, an executive condo or a private condo?

HELPFUL TIPS FOR THE SINGAPORE PROPERTY SHOW

To get the most out of the Singapore Property Show’s rather jam-packed online schedule, here are some tips to prep you for a fruitful house-hunting experience.

1. Draw up a game plan beforehand

The webinars and virtual open house sessions, each lasting an hour, take place over the weekends, with each day’s schedule running from 10am to 7pm. Some webinars and open houses run concurrently. Since it’s not possible to attend them all, it helps to zoom in on the topics and developments that you’re really interested in. And don’t forget to register to attend.

2. Divide and conquer

Afraid you’ll miss out on some valuable nuggets of information? The truly kiasu among us may want to get a few like-minded family members and friends to sign up for the other webinars/virtual open houses you can’t attend. Everyone can then exchange information after.

3. Don’t be shy to ask questions

Webinars usually incorporate a Q&A session at the end. A great opportunity to get a real estate expert to answer your burning questions.

4. Take notes

With so much information and so many insights on offer, you’ll want to make sure that key points stick. So have pen and paper at hand to take notes!

5. Don’t panic

Some of the webinars will be available online after the event, so you can revisit them at leisure. And don’t worry, the virtual and physical showflats of the new launches will still be accessible.

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