What You Can Expect During Your Consultation Session With Me
I'll be honest with you. I am not a salesperson.
I've been trying to learn how to do selling for the longest time since I became a full-time real estate agent about 6 years ago.
If you checked out my background, you will find out that I was actually a data analyst - someone who was essentially more comfortable with figures than with people.
So if you are expecting a salesperson to deliver a sales pitch on what you should buy / sell when we meet, I won't be that guy.
That being said, I do have a specific goal when we do meet up.
My goal is to clear YOUR doubts and whatever concerns you might have on your property journey.
In short, my promise to you is this:
You will walk away from our meeting feeling greater clarity on your property options than before we met.
Start with your most pressing property issue
For most homeowners, they are looking for a solution for their problem.
It could be:
- wanting a bigger space: for example upgrading from a smaller flat to a bigger flat
- wanting to start a new chapter in your life
- wanting to clear off their housing loan before turning 55 years old
- cashing out of an existing property to fund their retirement nest egg
- wanting to listen to candid thoughts of someone who sold off their HDB to upgrade to private
We can have a short chat on the phone where you share with me your questions.
And if you are open to having a conversation with more deeper insights, we can arrange a face-to-face no-obligation discussion.
Living with the doubts in your mind vs getting clarity immediately
No thought in your mind really lives rent-free.
It will take up space and your mental processing energy.
When I was contemplating the idea of selling our HDB to upgrade to private property about 6 years ago, it took a heavy load on my mind.
I was thinking about:
- the financial viability
- whether was it worth the energy and effort and
- even whether was it a good idea.
I actually met with several agents and it took us about a year to finally make a decision on how to proceed.
Even then, the plan did not happen as we originally wanted and we did some improvisation - like buying a new launch instead of going for resale private property.
Looking back, I remembered the mental energy consumption.
But what I noticed that with every meeting with an experienced agent - it provided me with greater mental clarity as we slowly understood the pros and cons of the decision we were about to undertake.
You need not engage the first agent you meet - me included.
Instead, consider how much better you would feel - the peace and clarity you will get - if you asked a well-versed third-party on your most pressing property questions.
Discover the things you didn't know
Before I became an agent, when I was doing my own research - I thought I knew a lot about the Singapore property market.
Then when I met experienced real estate agents, I learnt the gaps in my knowledge.
But when I started studying for the RES exams, I realized my knowledge was very limited.
There is this saying:
We don't know what we don't know.
For instance, you might be aware that you can pledge your property to fulfill the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) so you can withdraw more of your CPF monies after you turn 55.
But do you know that your property has to be fully paid off first before pledging can be done?
Here is another example:
If you were to sell your HDB and the completion date falls on the month you are to receive CDC vouchers from the government....
Can your household still claim those vouchers - or are those the property of the new owners?
(The answer is it depends on whether you discussed about it prior during negotiation.)
Essentially, the gaps in our knowledge is our blindspots.
When we drive, we have the advantage of being able to check our rear-view mirror for blindspots to confirm so we don't get into accidents.
And with property, you have the advantage of being able to seek useful advice and insights from someone who is experienced and is regularly on the ground and active in the market.
The consultation process
In order to really help you, I would be asking lots of questions at the beginning.
I will need to find out what's your motivation, your goals and your concerns regarding your property options.
On my end, I will cover in broad strokes what are the pros and cons of each choice that you have.
The idea here is so you get more enlightened on the pitfalls as well as the rewards if you proceed.
We will lay out a more detailed plan once you are comfortable enough to provide me with specific financial figures.
We will work through the numbers and the safety margins.
For example, in the event of job loss where you lose regular CPF contributions - we will calculate the period of time where you can sustain your monthly payments.
Easy to do, easy not to do
I recently read up on this quote by Jim Rohn:
"What is easy to do is also easy not to do."
It is easy to choose the pizza or salad in the moment.
It is easy to exercise or not in the moment.
It is easy to save or spend the money in the moment.
Similarly, it is equally easy to set an appointment with an agent to explore your property options.
But it is also just as easy to delay from talking to an agent to explore your property options.
There is really no urgency right?
But time will pass and we will grow older day by day.
And slowly instead of having all the possible property options in front of us....
The choices we have is slowly taken away.
Here are some things to note as we grow older:
- the tenure of a property loan is reduced as we grow older, leading to higher monthly installments or a smaller loan
- our peak earning years might pass us by
- our CPF contribution rates will be reduced
Conclusion
My advice during our first meeting?
Just consider it an exploration of your existing property options.
Your options can be to sell and buy another HDB flat.
Or even just staying put.
The goal here is we explore where you are currently and find out where you wish to go.
Your destination might not really be another specific address in Singapore....
But perhaps a destination where you can feel more financially secure in a home that also makes you happy.
If you are ready to get started, I invite you to contact me to arrange for a no-obligation discussion.
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