Milestone as of 28/8/2014 and my Future plan with action list

Milestone:

1. Investment
1. Invested in stock, done research extensively on Technologies and some Commodities
2. Search and monitor properties in KK, Singapore and Philippines. 
3. Read more about Singapore rates- CPF, and down payment for properties.
4. Looked into rental properties in Karambunai pool vila- RM800k
2. Work/Project
1. Updated my CV, Linked in
2. Learnt how to work smart instead of just work hard. 
3. Ended Spitting Art project- Project takeaway, make sure we are engaged with the guy started it instead of just jumping into conclusion without any black and white.
4. Started to explore more about home based work. Travel agent, Data entry or Airbnb
5. Research into Automated income. Airbnb system?
3. Lifestyle
1. Moved in with Jenny. Could spent more time together and work together as a team.
2. Change my diet- Eat less carbohydrates, no more soda, half the portion during dinner. 
3. Plan for a trip to Kinabalu this coming 13/5/2014 with jenny. OS
4. Trip to Philippines this coming July 2014. Pending
5. No more food after 8pm
6. No canned drink
7. No fast food
8. Plan my finance for the coming years, from property, engagement ring, children expenses, family expenses. It would be a great challenge for me this year. OS
9. Set up a common goal with Miss J. This would be a priority this month. OS
4. Family
1. Started website for Summit Kinabalu, maintaining it
2. Spent more time with parents. 
3. Made a trip back to KK on 6/8/2014 and spent quality time with them.
5. Travel
1. Osaka and Kyoto in February 2014
2. Malacca in March 2014
3. Hong Kong in June 2014
4. Penang in July 2014
5. Kota Kinabalu and United states in August 2014

Future Plan/action plan

1. Wedding plan-
1. Start searching for the engagement ring, got contact from Angela, will contact him by end of September
2. Research into photo shoot session by end of September
3. Prepare a budget sheet for wedding by end of September
4. Jenny will be looking into the wedding cost in Hong Kong while I will look into the one in KK
5. To search for a photo shoot session in KK. Photographer in KK. 
6. Search for areas suitable or common for couples for photo shooting.
7. Understand more about travelling and also photo shooting. 
2. Buy a computer by end of October
1. To enable us do research faster and also work from home.
2. Dell laptop at around $249
3. Airbnb
1. Look into how the system work and if it could be applied to Sabah
2. To check on holiday properties in KK/Sabah. 
4. PR Application
1. Book a date with MOM for my PR application by End of September 2014
2. To settle my Singpass by end of September
5. Automated income
1. Brainstorm for more ideas
2. So far, property investment has been the best option. Will search into more internet based automated income.

Ting Ting in Singapore and Angela's wedding dress second fit weekend

Sunday Morning, we had some hoo ha at home with our "happy French housemate" . He took our bottle of liquor without asking us and used up all our oil. We reported to our landlord and let him settle it. Good to have a good landlord. 

After that, I make some breakfast of omelette with mozzarella cheese (with no oil) for ourselves which is our new love for breakfast recently. Simple and quick and healthy. 

After our breakfast, we started to spring clean our room, carpet while jenny is doing laundry for me. We also discussed about thinking to share a property in Jurong East. There were a few points which we would like to take note: 

1. Landlord and tenants should be separated
2. Too many variables for sharing a flat/condo with friends
3. Visitors
4. Sharing of the utilities bills, as one would never get to share fairly
5. Room divisions- we set the rate according to the market rates, if we live in the condo, we will have to pay market rate to the landlord, and if we are the landlord too, every month we could rebate back to our owner. This is to make it consistent and let people have a choice to live in or just to rent out.

 We found a few properties that is below 700K, which is one of the cheaper ones in Singapore. Although it is around Geylang city. We also found out a few critical questions to be answered. 

Our conclusion is that it would be too many variables to have 4 people sharing one flat. Unless we all don't live in. 

On top of that we also found a few questions which we need to look for. 

1. How many percentage of our CPF can be used to contribute to our mortgage in Singapore? 23 percent is the answer for those below 35 Years old
2. What is the interest rates in Singapore and what is the mortgage like

After all these discussion it is about time to catch Ting Ting in 136 Hong Kong Street fish head steam boat at North bridge road. We took a cab there due to our long discussion at home, which clearly makes us a bit late. Upon arrival, we met a few new friends, Theresia whom is Ting Ting's secondary friend and Yumeng whom is from Nottingham. The food is good, and I had good time with them. 

After our meal, we went a cafe nearby and sat down to continue our chat. 

After our drinks, we then move on to a nearby bridal shop, Isle Bridge at Tanjong pagar, Angela was there trying her white wedding dress with a few of her friends, suzie and also eva around. We learned a bit about planning for wedding and everything. I asked about the price of some of their packages and manage to get a bit of discount as Angela was their customer. The budget for taking pictures are around 2188 for about 30 pictures. So this figure will be inserted into my budget list soon for my wedding plan.

After that, we then went to Maxwell food center to have Tau Fu Far with Eva and also Angela. From there, we started to talk more about wedding, dealing with friends and relatives. On top of that, we also discussed about managing a wedding. It was good to have Eva which is a mother of one and also Angela who is in the progress now to learn from. It was rather an eye opening session. 

Conclusion for our second round are

•  My parents want me to own a property in Malaysia first before I get married. I guess it is part of their requirement for it. I guess from today onward, I will be starting to look for property in KK now. 
• Jenny wanted to have two photo shooting session
• There will be one ceremony in Hong Kong and also another one in Sabah
• Their friends are excited to go Sabah for a wedding ceremony. 
• There is one contact from Angela to buy diamond ring- To approach him after our US trip. 

10 tips for buy-to-let success

1 You are in the business to make money, not to help people

Property is an investment and a commodity. Don't get emotionally involved with your tenants. "You may have to reject them if they don't have the deposit or a guarantor. Don't let your heart rule your mind," says Fergus. Decide whether you are a professional landlord looking to earn income from your rent, or – as most people are, including the Wilsons – a property investor expecting the rent to cover the outgoings while the house rises in value.

2 Buy two or three-bedroom houses – and never flats

Except if you're in London, where flats will be in greater demand than in suburban areas. "One-bedroom starter homes are no good as people want to move on within six months," Fergus says. There is also limited demand for four-bedroom houses. "Why would anyone pay £1,300 a month in rent when they could get a mortgage for less?" he asks. "Rock-bottom rates have shifted the balance, but generally it should be cheaper to rent than buy."

3 Buy new or nearly new

Avoid the cost and time spent doing DIY. "You don't want the hassle of having to fit a new bathroom and kitchen. Most people with about £200,000 to spend are older and not the DIY type," Fergus says. New-build properties have the added benefit of a NHBC warranty, boiler guarantees, double glazing and tend to attract more professional tenants.

4 Choose your tenants carefully

"I had no trouble [with tenants] for 19 years, then four people inviting me to a punch-up in a year – luckily I'm a big man," says Fergus, a former rugby prop-forward. "You'll see all sorts if you do it as long as we have, but generally it's a bed of roses."

Do checks to ensure they are creditworthy and have a guarantor who is a home-owner. And the best tenants? "Middle age couples who have recently got together from previous relationships," Fergus says. "They won't be moving for promotion so are likely to stay a long time."

5 Leverage your money

If you have £200,000 to invest, don't buy one £200,000 property, buy two and put £100,000 down on each house, says Fergus. He then recommends getting a 50 per cent interest-only mortgage on each. "If you can find interest rates under five per cent, the rent will cover your outgoings," he says.

6 Magnolia wins every time

"Don't impose your tastes on others by painting your house lots of colours. Stick to bread and butter houses. A two-bedroom mid-terrace house painted in magnolia and white is what most people want to rent," Fergus says.

7 Avoid ex-council houses or bungalows

"In ex-council houses, rents will be lower as you will only get as much as the rents office will pay. Ask yourself: 'Who will want to buy it?' " Fergus says. "[With bungalows] you can pay 65 per cent more and receive only 15 per cent more rent than you would for a two or three-bedroom house on the same size plot."

8 Buy close to home

All of the Wilsons' properties are within 30 miles of their home, mainly concentrated on new-build estates in Maidstone, Ashford and Hawkinge. "Go for an area such as the M20 corridor, where there is rental demand and rising prices. The prices of our houses returned to July 2008 levels by July 2009 and have risen since," Fergus says. Don't, on the other hand, buy in an area with a big retirement community. "You don't want economically inactive tenants."

9 No smokers or mechanics – but dog owners welcome

These are personal preferences of the Wilsons, "but generally dog and cat owners tend to keep the house in better condition as they are always hoovering up the hair," Fergus says.

10 Enjoy the experience of being a landlord

Ah yes, enjoyment, easily forgotten for those who have spent the past year watching property values fall and then rents plummet when too much unsold stock came on the rental market. "If people find themselves in trouble, it's because they didn't use their common sense. Otherwise, it's like real life Monopoly. What could be better than watching the money roll in?" Fergus says. You get the feeling he'll know just what that windfall feels like soon enough.

By Zoe Dare Hall

End of August

So I copied what I have written down in my previous post just to tick off some of the goals I have done for July and also August.

Below are all the outstanding ones from July and some of the new goals to achieve by end of August

1) to update my cv
2) to update linked in3) to get my holiday sorted
4) Book a pr application date
5) target 60k investment fund by end if 2014
6) research auctioned property in Sabah
7) US visa
8) CPF Research
9) Singapore driving license
10) Insurance plan
11) Check if CPF can pay for housing mortgage
12) Check singapore loan and also malaysia loan
13) Check foreigner stamp duty

As for item 5. it will be very challenging. I have got 3 more months to go. 

Back to Kota Kinabalu 8/8/2014-10/8/2014

It was a short and random trip back home. It cost me SGD 400 just to travel back to Kota Kinabalu. Although it was short but it was rather meaningful. It has been more than a year since I am back to my home town. There are so many familiar faces and places. I also had a good chance to try those lovely seafood immediately I touched down Kota Kinabalu. 

Somehow, the air there is slight different, a lot lighter. Life is so much more relaxing. I guess the pace in Kota Kinabalu is nowhere near Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. It is a place with resources.e.g. cheap labour, materials and also properties. 

My trip back this round is mainly to catch up with my family. Haven't met them for ages already, I guess it is time to really have a good round of bonding session with them before I do another trip to other places. 

Having spent 2 days and 2 nights with them, I returned to Singapore on the Sunday. I felt it was a bit short but sweet. Just nice to cover some of the important conversation with my family. 

Looking forward for another round back to home again in October. 

Coffee with Kenny

It always been a pleasure to be able to catch up with Kenny over a coffee, we somehow managed to share our views and opinions.

I guess our similarity is that we are both dating someone from Hong Kong. So it somehow makes us have the same perspective in every thing. We had burger king together at the newly renovated burger king in Velocity in Novena. I ordered a tender grilled chicken and a few chicken wings for share. I have been craving for fast food recently. We both sat down in one of the corners of Burger King and started our conversation away.

If I remember correctly, we started off with how to negotiate more in life. We both agreed that it is one of the key skills which is necessary for us to have a better forms in life. Perhaps, we both do treasure this skill as much. Kenny then gave me a few real life experience he encountered in negotiation skills. It seems that he would want to negotiate for almost everything. Perhaps, this is why Angela would fall for him. On the other hand, he also mentioned that as a businessman, he cannot afford to let his money not work hard enough for him. Therefore, whenever there is a transactions involved, Kenny would be rather cautious about it. He is someone who had done all sorts of calculations for almost everything.

He prefer to work for himself instead of working for others. That is why is interesting about him. I guess there are still a lot to learn from him to be a true entrepreneur.

Looking forward to meet him again.