When purchasing your first property via home financing, there are various factors to consider before committing into a loan. Different types of packages being offered in today’s market would mean that there are better options out there compared to 5 to 10 years ago. Usually, most buyers are only concerned about down payments or stamp duty payable for the property when they are looking for a unit in the market. Here are the few factors for a potential buyer to know before getting a home loan. Before getting a home loan however, one would need to prepare themselves for the stamp duty payable upon the completion of the property.

Types of loans

In Singapore, HDB flats represent about 80% of homes. HDB owners have a choice between taking a bank loan or a HDB loan. HDB loans are at 2.6% per annum. Banks have been able to offer lower interest rates compared to HDB loans. This has made most bank loans attractive, even for buyers who qualify for HDB loans. However, home loan rates charged by banks will fluctuate. In addition, once you take a bank loan for your HDB flat, you will no longer be able to revert back to HDB loan even if your bank loans interest rates go up in the future. It’s a one-way trip. As for HDB loan, few criteria are required before buyers can apply for such loans. HDB loans tend to have stable interest rates. To qualify for a HDB loan, here are some criteria to be met. At least one applicant must be a Singapore citizen and their total household income cannot be more than $12,000. He or She have not taken 2 or more HDB concessionary interest rate loans and this is only applicable for HDB flats (new or resale). Some housing loan could also include the stamp duty of the property being purchase by the buyer. Click here to view list of loans available in Singapore.

Loan Duration

For most people, they would prefer to stretch out the housing loan to the longest eligible period. Don’t be fooled by this move, however. It may be tempting to choose longer loan durations because that makes your monthly repayments look more “affordable”. The fact is that the longer your loan duration, the more interest you incur and the more you pay in total. A housing loan of $500,000 at an interest rate of 2.5% over a 10-year period will work out to be a monthly repayment of $4,713, with a total interest cost of $65,560. If you extend the loan to a 30-year period, monthly repayment falls to $1,976. However, your total interest cost will be $211,360. In total, you pay $145,800 more in interest for taking a 30-year loan instead of a 10-year loan for a sum of $500,000.

Fixed or Floating Interest Rates?

Most home loan packages offered by banks allow homeowners to choose between fixed or floating interest rates. Understanding the differences between the two is relatively simple.

Fixed interest rate loans mean that the bank guarantees you a fixed rate for a period of time. This can be anywhere between one year to five years. Since banks are in the business of borrowing money at a lower interest rate, and then lending them out at a higher interest rate, to be guaranteeing a fixed interest rate for a period of time is actually considered a risk for them. As such, most banks are likely to charge you a higher interest rate premium compared to floating rates. It’s also important to note that fixed rates are only applicable for a period of time.

Floating rates are interest rates that change based on the benchmark rates that they are tied to. In Singapore, two types of rates are usually used. They are the Singapore Interbank Offered Rates (SIBOR) and the Singapore Swap Offer Rate (SOR). Most banks will charge the floating rates plus a margin. For example, a home loan could be quoted as 3-month SIBOR + 0.5%. This means you pay whatever the interest rate is for the 3-month SIBOR (e.g. 1.0%) + 0.5% for a total of 1.5%.

SIBOR or SOR?

Both SIBOR and SOR are common benchmarks that banks used to determine interest rates for home loans. They appear rather similar but are not the same. Here’s a simple guide to understanding how they are different.
SOR is quite similar to SIBOR with the only difference being that it takes into account the interest rate payable in US Dollar, and not Singapore Dollar. This means that SOR rate is affected by the USD/SGD exchange rate. SOR tends to be more volatile than SIBOR since it takes into consideration exchange rate as well.

SIBOR on the other hand, can be best understood as the interest rates that Singapore banks are willing to lend and borrow funds from one another at.
With the above explanation, one should consider which type of benchmark would be suitable for their loan package.

Floating Rate: 1-Month or 3-Month?

Be it SIBOR or SOR, most banks will allow you to choose your preferred benchmark rates to be based on either a 1-month or 3-month average. 1-month averages tend to be more volatile compared to 3-month average. In actuality, interest rates rarely fluctuate so much. However, you can see how the 1-month SIBOR is more sensitive to changes compared to the 3-month SIBOR.

Penalty for Early Repayment

Aside from the interest rates and period of the loan mentioned above, you should also take into consideration the future plans that you have for the property that you own. Most banks will charge a penalty for early repayment and redemption. This could be a small percentage, usually about 1.5%, of the amount that you borrowed. Therefore, if you are the type who intends to sell the property within the lock in period, you should take note of this clause.

Among one of the most beautiful flower shops in Singapore is definitely A Better Florist, and not because of the architecture or special design, but the design of the blooms that make this space look like a flower oasis. If you’re looking for fresh flowers Singapore flower shops offer, A Better Florist is the number one choice, because whenever you walk into their flower shop, there are always fresh and beautiful flowers ready to bloom any second.

The best florist in Singapore has an impeccable sense for design, with authentic hand bouquets and floral arrangements gracing the shelves of their flower shops.

You can find flower for any event or occasion, such as funeral flowers Singapore often needs in times of sorrow, as well as graduation, birthday, Mother’s Day flowers and even grand opening flowers Singapore needs to make big and important events even more beautiful.

Along with finding a beautiful grand opening flower stand for the next big event, you can find fruit baskets Singapore most commonly gets for holidays like Chinese New Year as well as Christmas. It’s the ideal gift to give to your family, and this hamper delivery Singapore offers also enables you to customise each and every hamper or fruit basket, so that your loved ones get unique gifts every single time.

Another great perk that you will get to enjoy is a fabulous same day flower delivery Singapore adores. Regardless of the weekend and the holidays, this flower shop has a same day flower delivery, because there are too many florists out there that don’t offer it. In addition to that, they also have an express delivery. For example, if you order a get well soon hamper Singapore often gifts to those who are sick and in recovery, you can have it delivered within just 90 minutes to any part in Singapore, and surprise your loved ones in times of recovery with a beautiful gift that will lift their spirits up. Thanks to the fastest flower delivery Singapore has ever had, you can stop worrying and planning gifts weeks or days in advance, because they are always available to do it for you.

If you’re thinking about their pricing, their same day flower delivery Singapore gets to enjoy is completely free, which is amazing, since most flower shops charge for theirs. Overall, they do have a large number of arrangements and gifts that suit someone with a low budget, but they also have the more expensive ones with those who have a specific taste for luxury things. Overall, given the quality that the best florist in Singapore provides, they aren’t going to damage your bank account.

A Better Florist isn’t just a small florist in Singapore. Their recent expansion included establishing a Dubai flower delivery, as they are known as the best florist in Dubai, as well as opening up the best flower delivery in Hong Kong. Due to their blooming success in Singapore, they decided to expand to other cities and start a floristry revolution there as well. If you’re in Hong Kong, you get to enjoy the best Hong Kong flower delivery they have ever had, and if you’re in Singapore, you also get to enjoy the best flower delivery in Singapore, from the same talented florists.

It all comes down to the conclusion, that A Better Florist indeed does have a completely different approach to floristry as well to how they treat their customers. Whether you’re looking for the best florist in Abu Dhabi or in Singapore, A Better Florist is definitely a gem that’s worth trying out.

The modern world is such a busy place with temptations all around us. It can be difficult to keep active and healthy when you have so many things to juggle. You’ll need to stay motivated and be willing to put in a lot of hard work in order to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Luckily, the below tips are going to help you do just that.

Prioritise sleep

Sleep is the key to a healthy lifestyle. If you want to keep active and energetic, you need to first make sure you get enough sleep. Before you do anything else, learn to prioritise sleep. This means ensuring you find a sleeping routine that fits you – remember that not everyone needs the same amount of sleep.

Test also whether you are a morning or a night person and try shifting your sleeping schedule based on it. For example, you might enjoy going to bed an hour later than normal and sleeping a little longer as well. You could even be one of those people that find power napping useful.

Get the family involved

Whether it is about cooking, shopping, cleaning or exercising, you want to ensure the whole family does it together. This way, you don’t need to be in charge of everything and you get to spend time with the family while doing chores.

For example, there’s no reason you can’t involve kids with your meal planning and even cooking. The earlier kids learn about cooking, the better equipped they’ll be in their own lives as adults. The same applies to cleaning – they could take laundry to the laundry room and wipe the tables and so on.

Doing things together is especially important in terms of staying active. You want to teach the kids about the benefits of physical exercise right from the start – so make sure they are part of your walks, runs or even yoga classes! It doesn’t have to be every time but at least most of the times you exercise during the week.

Plan for your days

Planning doesn’t mean you can’t ever do spontaneous things. It just means that you don’t need to waste time thinking what should happen next. Active mums should plan their days and weeks – especially when it comes to taking time to exercise or cooking foods. You want to sort out the week’s foods in advance to make sure you can shop everything at once or even prepare some of the meals ahead of time.

But you should also consider planning for your own time. If you know you have two hours of free time to use every week, it’ll make things so much easier. However, understand that things change – don’t stare at your plans religiously.

Learn to use the Internet

If you don’t use the Internet for much more than hanging out on social media, now is the time to change. Active mums can benefit a great deal on the things online. You can find great exercise tutorials online and even take time during the day to meditate.

You should also utilise the net for budgeting and shopping. Online retailers and high street brands regularly run offers online that could help you save a lot of money – and time. Mothercare promotional codes offer fashion, toys, and other childcare equipment for up to half the price you might find elsewhere.

Take time for yourself

Every day, you should spend at least fifteen minutes – preferably 30 minutes – doing something you love. This can be anything from gardening to watching a reading your favourite blog. The key is to take this time and spend it on something you enjoy. It doesn’t need to be productive or lead to a healthier you but it has to be something you enjoy wholeheartedly.

Now, you might want to go for a walk or drink a cup of Ginseng tea. It is totally up to you. Just ensure the kids won’t bother you during this little break – perhaps allow them to have their own 15-minute break at the same time.

Don’t fret the small stuff

Finally, an active and healthy mum won’t fret the small stuff. What this means is that you can’t spend your time worrying whether you have time to do everything or if you are exercising enough. Just try to do your best and that’s all that matters.

Create a list of three things you want to achieve every week. These are the top priorities – the things you should get done. Have these objectives in areas like work, children, relationship and health. Put your energy into achieving these goals and consider everything else as a bonus.

The above lifestyle tips for the active mum will help you live a more fulfilling life. They help you stay healthy and enjoy things as they are.

When looking for a change in scenery, and perhaps a new place to anchor your family, your first thought probably wouldn’t be to buy land. Simply put, land is difficult. It’s unmanageable in the wrong hands. Raw land is, in the very least, a challenge, and at the worst, a completely unusable investment and financial black hole.

Yet despite all these considerations, there are still arguments to be made for land as a good investment for people seeking to not just get a home, but build their own. Mostly because when you buy land, it doesn’t have to be raw land. And even as a foreigner, you might not have as much trouble getting land as you would think, according to ExpatriateAdvisory.com.

Houses, condominiums, and townhouses are some of the most common first-time homebuyer decisions. And according to Global Property Guide, they’re a good investment today as the market slows. Not many nowadays have the time or capital to invest in land and develop their own home, and few would buy an apartment building to turn into their own home, with renting perks. When it’s just you and your family, the decision usually lies between a condominium in the city, a house in the suburbs, or a townhouse in another residential district. However, that doesn’t mean you have to restrict yourself to these choices – especially when you have your own vision for what your home should look like.

Financing Land is Much of the Same

If you’ve ever jumped through the hoops to finance a home, then you’ll be pleased to know that financing land is much the same shtick. Contact your bank or lender and discuss land-financing options with them before even deciding what kind of land to look for.

Getting pre-approved for a land loan is exactly as necessary as is getting pre-approved for absolutely any kind of significant loan purchase – it helps you set a concrete and distinct budget, one you can absolutely afford and one by which you can set your expectations.

While buying a house is all about getting an emotional connection to the very walls and floors of the home, and seeing yourself cooking on the granite countertop or enjoying a book by the window, buying land is a much more tactical decision. Sure, you can fall in love with the location and the landscape – but the actual soil and ground itself is a matter of pure logistics. And that’s where an expert’s opinion has to come in.

Know What to Look For

Land is versatile. Land can be swampy, or arid, with acidic soil or neutral ground, heavy foliage or sparse greenery. However, just like residential properties, every single parcel of land near or around a city or town has probably already been classified and purposed as commercial, residential, agricultural or industrial.

You’re looking for residential land. One way to get a good idea of what land is available in the area is through the Internet. As the Internet continues to grow throughout Asia at a rapid rate, especially here in Malaysia, it’s important to keep in mind its potential in helping you find the right deal. An online real estate directory like Property Guru is all you need to find the right piece of land for sale.

However, you definitely shouldn’t jump on an offer based on a dozen pictures and some ownership history. There’s more to land than that. Since you’re primarily looking for a property you can use to build on, you’ll want to know several other things, namely:

What kind of utilities are present on the land?

The most expensive cost for what it gets you when it comes to buying land is land development. Undeveloped land is difficult to finance – especially for a family – because as the name implies, it requires actual development before it can be worked on.

That includes potentially implementing tile drainages to ensure that insufficient natural soil percolation due to a lack of foliage won’t lead to flooding or erosion during wet seasons, digging trenches and laying piping down for access to the community water tank, or alternatively tapping into an underground reservoir, and not least of all, getting permission from the city to tap into its grid.

When you’re buying land to build on, make sure all the utilities you need are already present, unless you’re ready to tackle implementing them yourself.

What kind of zoning restrictions apply to the land?

In some cases, a city or region’s local government will have a specific set of zoning restrictions in place for a piece of land, either due to conservation or historical reasons. There might also be a moratorium on the property, which means that while it can be sold, it cannot be built or developed on for a given period of time – decades, in some cases.

Be sure to know what you can and cannot do with the land before you make your purchase. Once you’re sure your newly found deal is what you’re looking for – clean, developed land – you’re on to your next step in the journey to a new home!

Did you know that cats, have the ability to tolerate and mask signs of pain? Many cat owners do not realize this and therefore, more often than not, not always aware that the cats under their care are sick.

By the time I usually realize that my cats are suffering, it is already too late to treat and they will usually pass on. Sad, right? But fret not, Royal Canin has launched MyCat2Vet Campaign where free consultations and check up are provided to cat owners.

I’ve sent my cat for a checkup last weekend under the MyCat2Vet Campaign and I’m glad to report that my furkid is in a tiptop condition.

My furkid were even given a goodie pack with treats in it to bring back home.

Sounds cool, right? The MyCat2Vet campaign is part of Royal Canin effort in raising greater awareness on the need for cats to get regular check-ups at the vet.

Royal Canin Malaysia has enlisted the support of 200  veterinarian clinics all over the country where cat owners can take their cats for check-ups. Under this collaboration, Royal Canin Malaysia will pick up the tab for the cat’s check-up.

Routine check-ups are important for a multitude of reasons:

*The older a cat gets, the more likely the owner is to take it to the  veterinarian but only when it is sick. By then, it could be too late.
*Routine wellness exams are vital for giving cats the long, happy and healthy lives that they deserve.
*Cats age much more rapidly than humans.
*Vet visits are an opportunity to let your  veterinarian know about any behaviours changes.
* Preventive care is better than reactive care.

Those who are interested to bring their furkids for a free checkup can log on to mycat2vet.my for full details of the registration and panel clinics that are available.

Alternatively, for those without Internet access, they can call Royal Canin’s Hotline at 016 206 9610 from 9am-5pm Monday-Friday to make the necessary arrangements/appointment.

The Campaign runs from 1 December 2016 – 31 December 2016, so make your appointment with the vet of your choice soon.

Public speaking is one of the scariest thing for most people. I’m quite a talkative person in nature. But this is only true when you get to know me better. I usually don’t like to talk to people whom I just made acquaintance with. It feels just so weird and awkward and I always have the nagging feeling that people is scrutinizing me as I speak, in my opinion. I also have fear of speaking in public, and while I have someone overcame my fear for the camera through loads of selfie sessions with my smartphone, I have yet to overcome my stage fright. I don’t know why I’ve become a person with no confidence. I used to be such a bold and daring person but I suspect adulthood has something to do with it as people mercilessly scrutinize me all the time and I suspect, are waiting for me to make a mistake and rub it to my face.

Yes, speaking publicly is terrifying and more often than not, when I’m placed in such predicament, I would stammer. But I don’t intend to let this go on. Being in the media line, I’m required to verbally communicate in public a lot and I surely hope I can speak in an outstanding manner and impress people while I’m at it.

I was looking for some sort of consultant to groom me and help me boost my confidence when an old friend, Josh Lim approached me and told me that he provides such service.

I have yet to try it out due to time constraint, but here’s sharing his service, just in case you have confidence issues too and would like to rectify that.

This program is designed to help people introduce & talk about themselves in more interesting ways & have better conversations and  reduce their accents, avoid common mistakes & speak more clearly (non-native English speakers). Trust me, reducing ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ will make a huge difference in your life. Well even if it doesn’t, it will still at least make you stand out above the rest.

The starter package of RM150 includes:

➡️  One-on-one meetup or video call with Josh Lim to assess and improve your current speaking capabilities (1 hour)
➡️  Josh will work together with you to produce a 1-2 paragraph biography/introduction of you in professional/casual English as you prefer, which you can use in social media or publications
➡️  A before and after training video of you introducing yourself that you can keep for reference
➡️  Identify key areas you can improve as well as identify your common verbal mistakes (eg ums & ahs)
➡️  Advise you based on your current social network & friends, on how you can plan activities and make the right environment so that your speaking and confidence can continually grow.
➡️  A 30 minute follow up session over Whatsapp, one week later to recap progress and improvement

Do watch the videos on this product page if you’d like to get an idea of his speaking capabilities as well as how he help to train people with their speech.
https://likes.love/SpeakBetterPP

Follow up and advanced training will be billed between RM100-RM250 per hour, depending on client requirements & your targets. If you wish to have a free 15 minute consultation, fill in this form (click & press Sign Up):
https://www.facebook.com/595439590575366/posts/1040727212713266

Or you may contact Josh Lim at:  +60123995674 for further details.

I for one would like to make a breakthrough in boosting my confidence and get over the fear of speaking in public. Now, who’s with me?