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Colin Lim

Colin Lim

Colin began his career as an engineer with a manufacturing firm. After honing his analytical skills, he moved into finance where, during his time with two major foreign banks, he worked as a mortgage banker and a relationship manager that specialised in wealth management. He currently oversees a team of mortgage advisors and has helped homeowners finance more than a total of SGD$1 billion worth of property.

BTO vs Resale: Which is the ideal home choice for you?

Choosing the ideal home can be really challenging and daunting. Having to make such important and expensive decisions, the stakes are high for you and your family. However, we are here to help you with one of life’s greatest milestones. In recent years, the Housing Development Board (HDB) has been launching several new projects all around Singapore under the Build-To-Order (BTO) Scheme. BTO projects are widely raved options amongst younger Singaporean couples, especially for its price. In 2019 alone, flats

Colin Lim December 18, 2019

The Rise of Mixed-Use Developments In Singapore

The concept of mixed-use developments is not new to many and this is a trend that the government is moving towards to better utilise our land use. This is evident from the CBD Incentive Scheme that was being announced at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Draft Master Plan 2019. This is part of the plan to rejuvenate the city centre by encouraging building owners to convert existing office developments in the Central Business District (CBD) to mixed-use developments. It is

Colin Lim October 25, 2019

Tampines VS Punggol, Battle of the September 2019 BTO Launch

With the shift of the August BTO launch to September 2019, the government announced a series of changes, including the introduction of the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG), which replaces the Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) and Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG), and higher income ceilings across HDBs and Executive condominiums. This change took place with effect from 11 September 2019. HDB has also released its sales launch for September 2019 – Punggol and Tampines. If you are planning to submit

Colin Lim September 13, 2019

An update on fixed deposit-pegged home loans: Rising rates

A home loan package with its interest rate pegged to a bank’s Fixed Deposit (FD) rates was widely popular among homeowners during its initial inception. FD rates were first pioneered by DBS, and her peers came up with their own versions soon after. The FD rates’ popularity was attributed to a very low rate in the initial phase. However, in recent years, FD rates have increased significantly when compared with the initial rates. This increase in interest rates is due

Colin Lim April 12, 2019

How To Get A Mortgage And Finance Your Property Purchase

Perhaps it’s your first time buying a property. Or maybe you’re a seasoned property investor, with over a decade of experience. While this guide makes for a great checklist for first timers, it’s always good to revisit and make sure you don’t miss anything out. What are some of the considerations to make and steps to take when it comes to financing your property purchase? Read on to find out. 1. How do I get an In-Principle Approval (IPA) or

Colin Lim February 27, 2019

An update on fixed deposit-pegged home loans: Rising rates

A home loan package with its interest rate pegged to a bank’s fixed deposit rates was considered extremely innovative, back when DBS first introduced such a product in 2014. Now, this has become a norm, with most banks having offered or are still offering loan packages pegged to fixed deposit rates. The fixed deposit rate loan packages have been well-received by homebuyers, partly because there is a perception that banks will not raise interest rates too much, whereby doing so

Colin Lim October 8, 2018

5 clauses you shouldn’t miss when refinancing your mortgage

Refinancing your home loan: Here’s what you need to know Refinancing a loan can help you to save thousands on your mortgage payments, but that is not the case for all loans! Before diving into refinancing, there are a few important conditions and dates that we have to know to ensure we really secure those interest savings. 1)  Interest Reset Date One thing you have to be aware of when refinancing is the Interest Reset Date. This critical date is

Colin Lim April 12, 2018

Collective sales in Singapore: Frequently asked questions

En bloc is a collective sales method that is unique to Singapore with private developers acquiring the whole development and/or adjoining properties under one single transaction. This is governed by the Land Titles (Strata) Act. The recent slew of en bloc properties in 2017 has proven that the market is indeed in its recovery phase. For the uninitiated, you might be wondering what the big deal about en bloc property is. Thus, to help give you a better understanding, the

Colin Lim December 22, 2017

FAQs on The Use of CPF For Home Purchase

Undeniably, purchasing a property is a major decision, and probably the heaviest financial commitment for most of us. However, the use of Central Provident Fund (CPF) to pay the down payment and make monthly financial obligations has been a popular and widely-considered option for many home buyers in Singapore. Are you, too, considering to finance your new home with CPF savings in the near future? Here is a short list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to clear your doubts: First

Colin Lim November 17, 2017

The home owner’s guide to leveraging on CPF Housing Grants

Taking the first step in making a good decision on your first property purchase will give you a better overall real estate experience. While property prices have moved up over the years, Singaporeans who wish to purchase their first HDB property should not allow this to get into their way. The CPF housing grants was introduced on 3rd March 2006, to help Singaporeans with their first HDB property purchase. Determined mainly by household income, the grants aimed to assist Singaporeans

Colin Lim June 6, 2017