We’ve just started our house hunting journey — and honestly, I didn’t expect the massive amount of prep work there would be even before viewing flats 🥲
To start off, we created a checklist to prepare and decide on some of our deciding factors when choosing our home!
1. Applying for HFE letter
- Important as some agents might not entertain you if you have not applied for a HFE letter, since it will slow down the process of buying the house
- Usually takes around 21 working days to approve and might even delay during peak periods so better to apply early
- Allows you to get a gauge of the loan and grants you are eligible for, hence allowing you to budget and plan better
2. Deciding on your non-negotiables
- Examples include being near MRT, proximity to CBD, proximity to family, high floor or corner unit etc.
3. Understanding the resale market
- Research on the prices of the units in the area you are planning to buy in
- Use the HDB portal or propertyguru website to check for past transactions to estimate the price of the unit you are interested in
- SRX portal is also very useful, as it can determine the X-Value of a unit, to help avoid paying for COV