Pete's Write

So, you're eyeing that nice piece of land, maybe considering a rebuild, or just doing some touch up work on a terrace house? Apart from the eye water cost of buying a place, do note that there are additional costs in the upkeep of a landed home. Now we are not talking about cluster homes, or even those homes within a condo development, where maintenance is a running cost that you pay funds towards each month, no, we are talking about homes you own outright, be it 99 year or freehold properties. So whilst these do not have monthly maintenance bills, you should put money aside for repairs and also upkeep, and these will come as part of wear and tear. So here's a small list of the potential costs you may face and then you can decide if the hassle and costs are worth it. Remember, it is not only the money, but the trouble of finding people or tradesmen to come and sort out the issues.  Swimming Pool - 70-80 per visit Now this is a nice feature to add to your home, but bear in...

A recent meet up with some friends and auto buddies led me to think if I should jump onto the latest trend, and the biggest thing in the automobile industry now is the tide of change, from internal combustion engines (ICE)s to electric vehicles or EVs. With the COE of my car running out in just a little more than three years, I am keen watching this page. But if I go by current trends, costs and also a deeper dive, I am likely to stay with the traditional gas guzzler. For context, I have to mention my current car usage. My trip to work is rather short, with minimal traffic jams. I do commute between two to three worksites, which is made much easier by hopping into the car and then driving between these destinations. They are also not too far apart, but if I factor in time for taxis or private hire vehicles (PHV)s, I will spend a significant amount of time waiting. There are no direct buses between the sites. I also take longer journeys on the weekend to fetch my little one to enrichmen...