3/29/2010

Must read for the heartless who acted like having a big heart

From temasek review: 28 year old Singapore teacher burdened by hefty mortgage loan for HDB flat before marriage March 24, 2010 by admin Dear TR, Thanks for publishing the article by Ms Judy Eng. (read article here) It really strikes a chord in my heart as I am in the same situation as her too. I am 28 this year now working as a teacher in a secondary school. My fiancee just found a job in a GLC as an engineer after six months of looking for one. The pay isn’t fantastic as there is an abundance of foreign engineers in Singapore. He considered himself lucky to finally secure a full-time job after months of being on contract. We are planning to get married in July and just bought a 4-room resale flat at Sin Ming. Guess how much it costs? You won’t believe it, we bought it at almost $500,000. No kidding, it’s true! All the flats in the vicinity cost above $500K. After paying about $30,000 in COV partially paid for by our parents, we do not have a single cent left for our wedding which we will have a simple afternoon tea buffet at our church instead of the traditional 8-course Chinese dinner. I am really worried about our future. We earn barely $5,000 together and the mortgage loan already took up 30 percent of our income. We still have to cough out some cash after using up the entire CPFs. The moment I think of this, I lost all the mood already. People used to say that marriage is the happiest moment in a girl’s life, but I am not looking forward to it. I feel very heavy, like a burden placeed on my chest, sometimes choking me, it is so suffocating. Can we buy a new flat? I do not wish to wait for another 3 to 4 years, anything can happen to our relationship during this period of time. It is a risk I cannot afford to take. My hubby-to-be is burnt out everyday from work – OT, OT and OT and he is not paid for it. For me, my weekends are either burnt in school CCAs or marking the homeworks of my students. We hardly meet each other at all, sometimes just enough time to have a meal or catch a movie. Somehow I feel apprehensive startinig life together with another person, am I ready for it? I don’t think we can start a family, at least for the next three years or so. How to have children when we are not financially stable? I will pay the loan mostly on my own as my hubby still have to pay for his student loan and car loan. I have only a few thousand dollars in my savings now and I wonder how long they can last me. What happens when there is an emergency? Or if we are retrenched? I dread to think of the worst…but women being women, they always think alot. Every month, my pay gets used up almost immediately after it’s deposited into my POSB account – living expenses, allowances for parents, and now with housing loan, I really don’t know how far we can continue like this. Did we do our Maths before we make the purchase? Yes, but what can we do, the flats are expensive everywhere and we want to stay near our parents. Even 4-room flats in Jurong are calling above $400,000 nowadays! The prices are really going crazy, the agents told us that they will only go up in the future as the govt will never allow them to come down. Sorry for the ramblings. There are so many things on my mind now, I can’t think or type clearly…..Thanks for providing me an outlet to vent my frustrations, who can understand what we are going through? Sigh, maybe I am one of those few unlucky souls. Please edit and publish this rant of mine as you see fit. Thanks again for listening. Melissa Quek This is what we are doing to our young. All mercy, compassion and caring. Really? I see it more as being ruthless, uncaring and simply irresponsible.And this type of letters will not change the govt's policy on housing. They will see it as pressurising them to act and they would not be seen to be pressured to do anything. Redbean

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

A generation of immigrant nation builders developing from scratch.

Followed by a generation of opportunistic citizens, leveraging on the building of their forefathers.

Followed by a generation of citizens now born into slavery, working under bondage for the ultimate landlord.

That's the reality.

Sad.

Wally Buffet said...

If you think Melissa is having it tough, think what little Melvin will have to endure when his time comes.

Anonymous said...

Cannot afford 4-room get 3-room. Take it a step at a time and it will not be so overwhelming.

Anonymous said...

They do have big big hearts but there are holes in them.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Let's put up an act, can?

The taxi drivers also felt the pain when they could afford a 5 rm flat with one income and their graduate children with 2 incomes could not afford a 4 rm flat. And you are saying, go for a 3 rm flat?

So, are we better off or worst off? Is this progress or regress?

Robert Tan said...

2nd hand hdb flats in matured and popular estates can be especially expensive. location can make significant difference to prices of property.

Shd consider buying 1st hand flats from hdb instead. eg, some new bto 4 rm flats being offered at between $212k and $268k at Sembawang/Sengkang. In the meantime, can rent while waiting for new flat to be ready in about 2 yr's time.

Wally Buffet said...

Err.....Rob. Still so cheap meh? Sure or not?

Is this price two years ago or now?

tsk, tsk.

Robert Tan said...

The pricing was based on what I read on Yahoo.sg this morning. But you may be right, sometimes need to check and re-check - not everything one reads on the web is necessary true. :)

Robert Tan said...

Err...Wally, you're not planning on joining the hdb queue are ya? Thought you were so happy and contented in the tent on Changi Beach......Tsk! Tsk!

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

There are many young people like Michelle, after graduating and wanting to settle down but ended with a huge millstone over their necks.

It is obnoxious to put our young in such a situation. Depending on their income, $200k or $300k debt is not a small sum to bear. Our young are starting their lives in debt, study loan and housing loans and whatever loans.

Where is the god of mercy?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Robert,

Wally is buying for rental income and continue to alternative between his beach tent and his Lijiang palace.

Robert Tan said...

Hmmm....so that's why hdb prices are going up. :)

Wally Buffet said...

Rob, you're right and you're wrong.

This, I pinched from Temasek Review:

"According to a Channel News Asia report, the two projects received 4,732 applications in total for the 828 units offered which are being sold at between S$281,000 and S$352,000 for five-room units at Fernvale Ridge and between S$212,000 and S$268,000 for four-room units at Sembawang RiverLodge."

The prices you mentioned are for Sembawang and 4 rooms. Sembawang is the boon docks man and the fumes and pollution from the harbour activities across the causeway at Bolehland is going to drive you nuts. And not forgetting the dense shiprepairing and building activities from our very own Semcorp.

Me, my tent is still de best. Only thing is, I have to play hide and seek with the park wardens....

Hehe.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

If you translate Ms Q's entry into Standard English you essentially get:

My fiancee works for the government. He works OT and gets burnt out working for the govt.

We bought our home form the govt.

I work for the govt as a teacher. The govt job burns me out.


We are borrowed to the hilt to pay the govt. I deposit my pay into a govt bank (POSB)

Sorry for my ramblings


She forgot to mention: I'm sure the govt will take care of all of us.

This person is a fucking teacher?

Parents, pay attention, she, and others like her, might be influencing your child's development and most certainly their mind.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Matilah, I think you made more typo errors than her in many of your posts.

What is important is the story she is telling. This is the plight of the young people coming out to work and trying to start a new life. Even before they get off the starting blocks, chains are strapped onto their legs which need not be except from some flawed policies.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Ah yes. The current spate of typos. I'm not at my regular machine during the days.

Anyway my analysis of her story is no less "important" that the story she is telling.

Life is messy and shitty. And humans are prone to making cognitive errors, and blaming externalities for thir predicament, and so love to "play the victim".

Everyone goes through the messiness of life. Deal with it.

> Even before they get off the starting blocks, chains are strapped onto their legs which need not be except from some flawed policies. <

BULLSHIT. We all start off "the starting block". Some of us prefer not o align ourselves with The Govt for "help", and as shitty as life can get, we try not (with great difficulty) not to play the victim or allow hopelessness to take hold of our minds.

DO we succeed? Not even half of the time... but still don't go crying to the state.

C'mon redbean, compassion has it's place for sure, but if people make bad choices from bad thinking -- doing this deliberately because of whatever silly reason a "slap" to wake them up might actually save their lives.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

After reading the $900k Bishan executive flat, Melissa Quek should be grateful that they bought the flat. They are sitting on a gold mine. Can sell and make a small fortune already.

Anonymous said...

I think the age of all Singaporeans becoming millionaires is nearer than we thought possible.

Imagine touting this line: The land of absolutely no non-millionaires.

Where got beggars and poor people?

Anonymous said...

Could that $900K be an April fool's joke? Singaporeans are so besotted with HDB affairs, they gobble up everything as the truth.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

The $900k is real.

Malaysia is a great place, or could have been a great place. I went to look at Horizon Hills at Johore. Beautiful, and golf course membership included.

But the fear of a mishap is too high a risk to move there. No amount of land and lower cost can substitute for personal safety.

Agongkia said...

Sorry but why not consider getting married into the family and stay with your in laws?Why is there a need to move out whenever someone got married?Can stay with your in laws ,practice filial piety and take care of them till they kick the bucket.Then the flat will be yours.Do away with your car.Use public transport.There are many people like me who are worst off than you.
Moving out after getting married also a garmen regulation meh?

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