Well, it aint everyday that something I do appear in the papers. I have been looking for a place to be near my family (in particular, my granny) and bought a flat not too long ago. Despite it was a corridor unit and had a bit of the west sun, I seriously thought it was a good buy - nice open view, breezy in the evenings, close proximity to train station and other amenities but not noisy, and few structural walls (good for my open concept design)...
But just like the elusive buyer who sent jaws dropping by paying a whopping S$720,000 for a Tiong Bahru flat, my purchase was also reported as the highest price done in my area during 2Q 07 *FAINT*. I count myself as someone pretty shrewd when it comes to $$$$, so I certainly didn't think that my buy would make it to the records. Aiyo..but in retrospect, I think I would still have bought the place, and I consider myself lucky to have confirmed the purchase before property prices spiralled any higher, as it has been for the past few months.
Right now, I'm just looking forward to renovating my place. Still in the midst of choosing an interior designer, and by the looks of it, the decision should be made by end next week! =)
Full details of Straits Times article:
July 19, 2007
Prices at 8 HDB towns up by 5% or more
But second-quarter figures from two agencies show some estates yet to pick up
By Jessica Cheam
THE long dormant public housing market has bounced back with a vengeance, although some areas remain sluggish.
New figures from property agencies show that prices of flats sold in Queenstown, for example, shot up by 11.8 per cent on average in the second quarter over the first quarter.
Another hot spot was the Kallang/Whampoa area, which was in second place with a 10.2 per cent rise.
As many as eight Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates registered quarterly price rises of 5 per cent or more on average.
Prices in Ang Mo Kio, Serangoon and Marine Parade grew by about 7 to 9 per cent. One 116 sq m sea-view flat in Marine Parade sold at a record of $695,000 for the area.
Property agency PropNex's chief executive Mohamed Ismail said the strong upswing in prices was not surprising as many buyers, cash-rich from recent collective sales, were paying premium prices for HDB flats in prime locations, or with good views.
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On the uptrend
Other estates such as Clementi, Bukit Merah, Jurong East and Bishan also posted a healthy growth of about 4 to 6 per cent.
One executive flat in Queenstown sold for $628,000, well above the average of $559,000 for the area.
These figures were released to The Straits Times yesterday by two of the largest property agencies ERA Singapore and PropNex. Both claimed to have a 30 to 40 per cent share of the HDB market.
The agencies say they give a clearer picture of recent HDB price movements.
This follows HDB's unexpected move on Monday to disclose average resale prices and the average cash-over-valuation (COV) - the sum paid over market valuation - of flats by region on its website www.hdb.gov.sg
Property experts expressed misgivings over the HDB figures, which were grouped according to five clusters of towns, instead of individual towns. 'The figures may not be the true reflection of what the current market is willing to pay for specific estates,' said Mr Ismail.
For example, the overall average COV for the West region is $7,400, but in Clementi, the current average market price is $20,000 over valuation, he said.
The property agencies' figures show that some areas are still sluggish. One group of estates, which includes Bedok, the Central area and Geylang, had slower growth at about 1 to 3 per cent. Prices at other towns such as Bukit Batok, Pasir Ris and Yishun hardly moved.
Mr Ismail said this was probably because the 'excitement and price awakening' of the second quarter had not reached the outskirts yet. He expects prices in most HDB towns to move upwards in the third quarter.
One effect of the new statistics released from the agencies and HDB is that they serve as a reality check for sellers currently demanding unreasonably high prices due to 'headline' sales reported in some areas recently, analysts say.
A five-room flat in Bukit Merah, for example, sold for a mind-boggling $720,000 recently. But the average price for such flats is far lower at $467,000.
ERA assistant vice-president Eugene Lim said sales volumes could have been higher if not for flat-owners looking to 'catch on the initial euphoria'.
Buyers and sellers are now beginning to digest the deluge of information. But 'it will take a few weeks for the dust to settle', and for the market to see the real effects, said Mr Lim.
An HDB spokesman said yesterday that it is monitoring the market very closely, and will assess the need to provide such data on a regular basis.
But I loved the atmosphere...very cosy and the place was filled with little food stalls. You order the food from the waiter, and he would pick it up from these stalls. 
Unfortunately it was a rainy evening, and although the restaurant used huge canvas sheets to shelter guests from the rain, the sheets were no match. Eventually some of the canvas sheets collapsed at the weight of the rainwater collected above it, and there was quite a scene as the waiters tried to hold up the canvas umbrellas. 
As a self-professed shopping queen, I just had to buy something, and set my eyes on a Vietnamese hat. Thought it would really match my ao dai. 
Lunch included a really interesting dish, called Elephant Ear Fish. Just looking at the photo is making my stomach rumble... 
These are some shot from the pottery factory. There was a very adorable girl, and I just had to snap some pics of her...
Diamond building is probably the most lavish shopping centre in HCM, and this is the place to go for luxury items. The exterior of the building had very pretty motifs such as that below. 
Across Diamond building is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Certainly not as grand as the original one in Paris, but is one of the prominent structures in HCM. As it was Sunday evening, there was mass and the church grounds were packed with people, including peddlers selling drinks and foodstuff.
Did I not mention the numerous motorbikes in HCM? The number of people on bikes are unbelievable, and it is pretty challenging trying to cross the streets with the heavy traffic. 
