Tag: t_upto9

Bridge/Peak after 10Y #wishful thinking

Posted on by tiger40490

This discussion applies to Both BridgeRetail + PeakRetail

It totally depends on the rental demand developed over the years. I basically assume demand stays at today’s level. In such a scenario,

  • I could sell my unit, with a local agent. Sales tax is rather low according to Susan Lee.
  • I could keep renting it out via a local agent. Luckily, shops generally rent for longer term than residential

I consider my view as /optimistic/. In contrast, the greedy crowd believe that capLand will do a better job so foot traffic and rental demand might grow much much higher. Susan said “in that scenario things would be very stable”. However, the optimism is classic hot-money mentality, largely /wishful thinking/.

living cost: SG ranking]top cities: expat^locals perspectives

Posted on by tiger40490

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170407-is-singapore-really-the-worlds-most-expensive-city questions why EIU’s index puts Singapore as world’s most expensive city.

In the EIU’s index, Singapore stands head and shoulders above the world’s other cash gobbling metropolises for one reason — cars

Those who claim Singapore is outrageously expensive often use a biased “basket of goods”

price fluctuation: x% down then x% up

Posted on by tiger40490

https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/12706/help-me-understand-the-oddity-of-percentage-gains-and-losses is a good discussion

If you have two percent change values for adjacent time intervals, they compound rather than adding up. So 50% loss then 50% gain is base amount times 0.5 times 1.5. Which is NOT base amount minus 50 plus 50

real example — The TRBCX fund actually experienced 43% loss in 2008 then 43% gain in 2009, resulting in a 20% loss over 2 years.

car-first nation: car-free locations preferred by25%

Posted on by tiger40490

k_X_car_dependency

  • Choice 1: small-town America, car-first design. Mobility with bike + occasional drivin
  • Choice 2: big city with some public transport. More walk and bike, Higher density, Bigger downtowns than Choice 1. For (almost) every inaccessible but important place, I can often find a more accessible alternative location in a big downtown.

Which do I prefer? My preference is biased but at my age I may not be as flexible as I wish in adapting to changes.

Compared to Singapore, 90% of U.S. residents (outside NYC and including immigrants) are drivers. It seems that only the poor or the temporary visitors don’t drive. So this country has developed a great many “systems/facilities” to facilitate driving, but I feel it can still be easier to live without car.

Analogy — IDE can make your life “easy” and there are many support tools growing around an IDE, but a text editor is still far more reliable — simplicity.

Analogy — coffee is popular and there are many commercial facilities to support coffee drinkers, but the cost is much higher than water yet less healthy.

There’s a published “walk score” assigned to each location. Many people prefer walkable communities.

But how much premium am I willing to pay for car-freedom?

— https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/realestate/jersey-city-grows-up.html says

Many still do prefer the suburbs … closer-in suburbs with walkable downtowns and train lines have also seen population gains in recent years, said Mr. Evans. The counties that are bleeding residents are car-dependent exurban ones with large, detached houses, convenient to suburban office parks but not much else. “In the 1980s and 90s, jobs were suburbanizing as well, so people could live close to work,” he said. “But now many jobs have moved back to the cities.”

get used2driving b4rank`loc-preferences

Posted on by tiger40490

k_X_car_dependency

I think driving (walkable community, car-freedom…) are among my top 3 “location-criteria” for my housing.

Close to my heart.

Once I get used to driving in x months, my view may change slightly, though I would always prefer car freedom.

Most locations, even in Bayonne, would become more convenient when you get a car. The amount of this change (in convenience) varies — in some locations it’s minimal change. I like such locations.

##eg@ walkable neighborhood

Posted on by tiger40490

k_X_car_dependency

There’s a walk score system. Apparently many people prefer walkable neighborhoods.

I much prefer walkable neighborhoods like

  • white plains downtown
  • water front locations like new port
  • Chinatown? Not a home location
  • Fort Hamilton Pkwy???????????? A bit rundown.

I like to see kids and old people walking in the community. On average, those locations tend to be safer, cleaner, lively, and feels richer.

 

silly to care so much about SDXQ rating like 8/10

Posted on by tiger40490

What’s the difference between a 7/10 vs 8/10 school? The rating is given by some rating agency, based on nothing but test scores. See my post on “methodology”

The state-level ranking is equally unreliable.

A 8/10 school here will pale against an average Singapore school in terms of standardized benchmark. So why treat it like Princeton?

A typical Singapore school may be rated 9/10 on many aspects not only academics.

earn^ pay-rent ^ pay-mtg

Posted on by tiger40490

U.S. gross rental yield is usually higher than Singapore, for a comparable location. Therefore, compared to China or Singapore, it’s more important for U.S. residents to earn rental and avoid paying rental. When you rent out, the pTax burden is transferred to tenants.

I have always believed that “mortgage expenses are investment-like but rent expenses go down the drain”. This is esp. true in a (gradually) rising market.

Imagine you pay mtg interest just to hold the property, with only 5% of your monthly payment going towards 0.1% of the principal, and you rent out the home? This payment is similar to pTax. Virtually you are paying a rent to hold the asset hoping to benefit from appreciation and rental income.

How about a co-op, assuming sublet freedom? The coop HOA is just like the “rent” I described above

$300 psf locations around JC

Posted on by tiger40490

The low psf LOCATIONS are associated with average school districts, mixed races, lower income, less clean streets and possibly crime (not necessarily violent crimes). For my 1st home, I care about street cleanliness, RD and appreciation, so reputation matters.

Bargain — i might look for a low psf unit in a higher psf location, perhaps homes with small size and no lift.

Bayonne – street relatively clean.

JSQ – few parks.

##frugal living]branded SDXQs

Posted on by tiger40490

If school district becomes a real requirement, we could consider