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THE letters lamenting how singles are being priced out of the
HDB market and the call to ban cash over valuation (COV)
arrangements are bemusing.
My family is an example of how HDB policies have helped us
improve our standard of living and how gradual price increases have
helped my family upgrade our housing status.
My parents have three children and over 40 years, our family of
five has moved from a one-room flat to a three-room and finally to
a four-room flat in Choa Chu Kang - a location that is not ideal
for some people but has reasonably good amenities. Most important,
it is a place my family can afford.
Although we started out with a small one-room flat, the price
increases have helped our family upgrade the size of our home.
Unlike other countries, Singapore has a unique public housing
policy where the Government not only helps most of us buy our first
home, but also ensures that the increasing value of our property
will enable us to upgrade to the next level when we are ready.
My brother recently applied successfully for a flat in the
vicinity. Although his fiancee's parents live in the more popular
Sengkang and of course she would like to live near them, they
decided to apply for Choa Chu Kang because their chances of getting
a flat would be higher.
When I got married eight years ago, I lived with my
parents-in-law for a few good years before we bought our own place.
Young couples these days complain they are being priced out of the
HDB market. But it is their unrealistic expectations that have
caused this.
Realistically, a young couple who want to start a family and own
their own place should consider a tradeoff between the size of
their first home, its location and the availability of new homes
(especially in a mature estate).
Otherwise, there are other options like the rental market or
living with their parents until they are ready to move out.
A word of advice to these young couples who plan to start their
own families and move on to the next stage of their adult life:
Instead of blaming others for not being able to own their own place
(with the size and location they want), perhaps they should be more
mature and realistic in their expectations.
In life, we must learn to adapt and not just live within our
means, but also make the most of what we have.
Mabel Tan (Miss)
http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_434495.html
