Thomas Chew

Thomas takes pride in helping people with their financing needs. Before joining Redbrick, he enjoyed a celebrated career in the local banking scene, acquiring numerous sales and service awards to his name. Many years on in banking, Thomas takes his experience and now specializes in mortgage advisory. Exuding confidence in his work, he believes that every client should be prepared to be wowed by his award winning service.

Battle of the hottest Floating Rates: Fixed Deposit vs SIBOR

When it comes to purchasing your own home, many homeowners will start to wonder which home loan package to take up. Well, if you are one of them, you are in luck because the following is a detailed analysis as well as some advice. But before we get down to the details, let us first understand the types of loans that are being offered in the market for home buyers. Types of home loan packages Fixed Deposit Home Loan The

Thomas Chew July 15, 2019

How To Finance A Rental Property In Singapore

A simple way to generate a stable source of income is to invest in rental properties. However, pros and cons are unavoidable. Hence, this article provides you with six great tips for you to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible… The primary objective of getting a rental property is simple: to generate a stable source of income. Many have been doing this as a form of investment. Just like all other investments, there are bound to be both pros

Thomas Chew May 31, 2019

Understanding The Basics Of Property Inheritance

There are certain conditions to inheriting a property. For instance, the inheritance must be under the terms of a will by the deceased or in cases where there is no will, it has to be by the possession of the Interstate Succession Act. To whom does your property go to after you pass on? Are you entitled to any form of property inheritance? Here is what the Singapore law says about it. What Is Property Inheritance? Property inheritance is the

Thomas Chew May 24, 2019

Purchasing a HDB – Should you maintain the $20,000 balance in your CPF OA?

Back in August 2018, the Housing Development Board (HDB) announced that flat buyers can now opt to keep up to $20,000 each in their Central Provident Fund (CPF) Ordinary Account (OA) when taking up a loan from HDB. Previously, flat buyers were required to fully utilize all funds in their CPF OA to offset the loan amount when taking a HDB loan. Homebuyers who purchased flats under the Build-To-Order (BTO) and Re-Offer of Balance Flats (ROF) schemes in 2018 are

Thomas Chew January 31, 2019

Management Corporations: How do they regulate control in condominiums, and is it sufficient?

For condominium owners (or prospective owners), it is important to understand that their properties are always regulated by a Management Corporation (MC) whose role is to regulate the control, use and enjoyment of the common property in a strata title development through by-laws. This article aims to ensure an understanding of how the MCs implement these laws consistently. Firstly, it is imperative to know the presence of by-laws – which are essentially the means to regulate community living as well

Thomas Chew November 29, 2018

4 factors that will affect your flat’s resale value

Despite the decline in Housing Development Board (HDB) resale prices in Q1 2018, the volume of flats sold is said to have increased according to a recent report by The Straits Times. It can be inferred that more HDB flat owners are opting to sell their HDB flats – more so those in mature estates to capitalise on the appreciation in property values. For someone hoping to sell off their flat, making your flat stand out like a sore thumb

Thomas Chew October 26, 2018

Is your property agent any good?

We have all heard horror stories of property agents (such as the story of the agent who embezzled $830k from his overly trusting client), each with varying degrees of awfulness. We have also heard of good experiences with property agents, whether it be from our relatives or friends, who have had smooth transactions because of these agents. In the agent world, there is definitely the good, the bad and the ugly. The question is, which does your property agent belong

Thomas Chew September 21, 2018

Increasing mortgage rates: Keeping up with the market

Singapore’s residential property market has indeed shown rapid signs of recovery so far this year (2018). However, the bullish performance of the market as well as the economy has sparked concerns of an ever-increasing interest rate. Currently, interest rates have risen substantially and thus, although not at a rate where there is a source of alarm, homeowners are paying more for their mortgages. As such, in anticipation of rising mortgage rates, now may be a good time to think of

Thomas Chew August 30, 2018

What exactly affects real estate prices?

The real estate market in Singapore has shown significant signs of recovery so far this year from a slump over the past years. Prices are on the rise, and market sentiments are extremely bullish currently, with many investors even deeming Singapore to offer better opportunities than Hong Kong. Nevertheless, what are the factors that affect property prices? We’ve uncovered some important factors affecting the housing market, both on a macro and micro basis, that will almost certainly impact the price

Thomas Chew July 19, 2018

Should you decouple to buy another property? Here’s what you should know about it

There are many definitions to decoupling. In plain English, the Cambridge dictionary defines it as “a situation in which two or more activities are separated, or do not develop in the same way”. Thus, investors use this term to describe a situation whereby returns on asset classes diverge from the expected or normal pattern of correlation. However, when looking at Singapore properties, it means to divide the shared ownership of a property – especially that of a couple, hence the

Thomas Chew July 3, 2018