Blogs | StringsSG Blogs

October 1, 2018December 8, 2023

Landlord vs. Tenant Responsibilities and Maintenance

Property agents - solution to issues between landlords and tenants

In case of house renting, both the parties the Landlord and the Tenant are always in question that who is responsible for what work. That is why, a well done rental agreement with the help of a property agent is very important so that there can be proper understanding of each one’s contractual obligation to maintain the property.

Landlord and Tenant facing issues regarding maintenance of the property. — Landlord and Tenant arguing over contractual obligations

The following are some of the Tenant’s Maintenance Responsibilities –

Tenants in general are expected to keep the property clean and avoid any damages to the property deliberately.
As per contract, the Tenants might need to replace batteries of smoke detectors and fire alarms in order to make sure they are working properly.
Disposing the trash is a very important daily work of the Tenants.
When it comes to Pest control, it is tenant’s responsibility to properly maintain the sanitation of the house so that there are no insecticides or infestation. If the tenant does not keep a clean home, the landlord may deduct some amount from the tenant’s security deposit as per the lease.
Waste management is a very important matter for good hygiene. It definitely falls under tenant’s responsibility to properly dispose of any garbage which otherwise could contribute to pest infestations and diseases.
When it comes to plumbing or air conditioning, it is Tenant’s responsibility to use these fixtures properly. He should keep the pipes clear and replace the air filters too. He should report any issues to the landlord quickly to prevent further damages without any delay so that the landlord can take care of the issue accordingly.
At the time of the signing of contract, if Landscaping maintenance is already mentioned as a clause, then the tenant has to take care of it accordingly as otherwise, he can be fined for violating the contract.
Tenant should return the property in the same condition as it was at the time of the lease term. If there are any damages then the tenant needs to fix it before the handover or the landlord has the right to deduct the expenses from the tenant’s security deposit.

Rental Agreement — Rental agreement between the Landlord and the Tenant – for proper understanding of each one’s contractual obligation to maintain the property.

The following are some of the Landlord’s Maintenance Responsibilities –

When it comes to plumbing or air conditioning, it is the landlord’s responsibility to keep these systems in working condition and fixing any kind of problems with regards to these.
It is owner’s responsibility to do the pest control if there is an infestation.
The common areas like the elevators and other common-use areas also fall under landlord’s responsibility to keep them properly safe and clean.
It is the landlord’s responsibility to keep the premises of the house in a reasonable state and in compliance with the safety laws.
All the mentioned appliances, in the contract should be kept in working order by the landlord.
The landlord is responsible for most of the repairs of the home like the interior and exterior of the house, doors and windows, stairs, roof, electrical wiring, chimneys, pipes and drains, gas appliances etc

Intervention of the Property Agents –

Throughout the period of the tenancy, either parties of the contract, i.e. the landlord and tenant might face some issues that are difficult to resolve alone all by themselves. In such cases, both the parties look for a third party to mediate and resolve the problem. Here comes in the role of one of the property agents who handled the rental transaction. In many cases the respective agent steps into the matter and tries to bring a solution to the problem.

However, it is true that it is not a mandatory responsibility of the Agent to resolve such issues but some agents does step in to help and solve landlord-tenant problems simply out of goodwill. Again in some cases, the parties formally engage their agent to manage their property.

Property Agents are professionals with adequate knowledge in their field and hence can easily resolve difficult issues. Hence it is always better to bring in our Agents so that the solution can be surfaced at ease.

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September 27, 2018August 31, 2023

Handyman Services- to make our lives a little easier

Handyman - a technician with multiple skills and a wide range of knowledge for repair and maintenance services

Who is a handyman?

Every household has some home repairs or replacement works. We all know proper maintenance keeps things running and the same goes for our home. At our house we do need some or the other maintenance work that requires some specialized men. These men are broadly called as handyman. They are also known as a handyperson or handy worker. Thus Handymen work for homeowners and businesses, either as independent contractors or as members of maintenance crews. Handyman is a technician with multiple skills and a wide range of knowledge. He is a skilled person who can do a wide range of repairs or maintenance work from minor to major, from unskilled to highly skilled. He has competence in a variety of small skills too and does odd jobs both interior and exterior of our house. He does all “fix-up tasks” of our home i.e. all kinds of domestic repairs and renovations.

Some of the Varieties or Range of Handyman services include –

Carpenter – We always have so many minor to major carpentry work at home like repair wood & glass works, hanging racks, building a new sofa, fitting entryways, mounting television or wall paintings, assembling furniture etc. All these are not quite easy to do all by ourselves and even if we try mostly we are unable to pull it throughout. Hence, for all such carpentry work the best is to call a handyman. While he does his job at ease, we can focus on some of our other works or just sit back and relax.

Get a Handyman to get your Carpentry work done. — Handyman busy with a carpentry project.

Electrician – Today our life is surrounded by so many electrical appliances and gadgets. Often, they create some problems or simply stop working like our Air-cons, geyser, fans, television etc. In order to repair or fix all these issues we need a professional and trained handyman.

Paint touch-ups – Painting a house is quite a tedious job, time-consuming, requires an ability to mix the colors in correct proportion to get the perfect tone, clean up all the mess etc. Handyman services are thus an absolute requirement when we need to paint the home or even for some minor touch-ups. He knows his job, has best techniques and hence we can get the job done to our satisfaction.

Plumber- Whether there is a blocked drain in the bathroom or need to install or replace taps or water leakage in the kitchen we need a plumber to fix it urgently. Sometimes it gets a bit difficult to find a good plumber at the need of the hour. Rather we can opt for a handymen service without any struggle and easily get a qualified plumbing proficient from the handyman service.

Get a Handyman to fix all your plumbing issues at house or office — Handyman fixing a sink in the kitchen.

Renovation – When renovation needs to be done, be it an office space or a house we can’t think about anything else but a handyman service where-from we can easily hire a professional handyman. Renovation requires specific skills and calculated approach so that our home’s structural integrity does not get damaged.

Changing a light fixture – Often we like to give new look to our house with some beautiful lampshades or chandelier. However, doing it all by ourselves might be a bit risky. It is again actually a handyman’s job and we can stay away from the risk of being badly electrocuted.

Install Hardwood Flooring/Tile Installation and Flooring – When it comes to laying a tile floor or installing hardwood, carpet or laminate flooring, it requires special tools and professional skills. This work is very critical and even a slight mistake can ruin the entire look of the floor. A professional handyman being experts in their profession can only use the required tools effectively. It is best to call a handyman service, let the experts do their task while we are relaxed.

Hanging – At home or at office, hanging some large objects like a big LCD, gigantic art works or decorative mirrors can be quite troublesome. To our eyes, its levels and measurements might not be perfect but not for a handyman. He will make sure it’s all levels are perfect and get our job done.

Cleaning the gutters – We all know how important and mandatory it is to keep our gutters clean as they are related to further protection of our landscaping and even for the protection of the roof. This task can be easily done by a handyman.

Installing Windows – Installation of windows is obviously a job of an expert. Windows needs to be well-sealed and they need to be perfectly aligned too. All these can be done by a professional handyman for whom this is just a piece of cake!

Handyman services are easily available for windows-installation works. — Handyman getting the windows sealed and checking for their perfect alignment

Gardening – For some gardening work, we do not require an expert plant specialist but a handyman can do the job. This saves money as well.

Some of the Benefits are –

Saves Time – A handyman is a person who knows exactly how to get the job done. A handyman takes care of all the needs for the project like shopping, repairing and finishing the task. He comes prepared with the right tools and materials needed. Hence since he does everything for us proficiently, all we have to do is to just let him know what our requirement is and sit back and relax while he would finish the job for us. Naturally all this saves our time and energy which we can invest into some other work.
Saves Money – Hiring a handyman service is very cost-effective. If we try to finish it on our own it’s mostly a process of trial and error but handyman is a pro and they know how to move about with the project and hence we just need to pay him once to have the job done right. Moreover, handymen often gets discounted rates from suppliers and wholesalers and this works at our benefit as we can further ask for discounts from the handyman. Again, a handyman usually sets time-frame that in turn saves us the utility costs during the project and since they are in many cases charged per hour of work, it becomes a cheaper contract too!
Handymen makes us aware of the other upcoming issues ahead of time that needs repair or fixing too – When handyman makes us aware of upcoming problems which may be in a pipe or roof or windows, then knowing these problems ahead of time can help us to save money and time from future repairs and replacement.
Eliminates Stress – Since handymen are a professional individuals, we can be rest assured that his knowledge of the project will work best for the household or business. Our hassles are minimized when we opt for their professional service and thus our stress quotient is also much less.
Simplicity – Handyman is capable of all types of repair, maintenance or remodeling work. Hence, instead of hiring multiple contractors for each repair work, we just need to hire a handyman to get them all done. This saves money and completion of multiple tasks at one go thereby making the whole process much simpler for us!

Hence from what has been said above, it is indeed a service that every house needs. A handyman offers fast and reliable service with their own expertise and required tools. Hence these Handymen can actually save us the frustration and potential injury that might occur if we try to handle their job on our own. These professional handymen are skilled enough to multitask. Hence, for any of our future household or office fixes or maintenance or remodeling, we should not delay rather contact our nearest Handyman services.

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September 18, 2018August 31, 2023

Why do we need a Property Agent to buy or rent or sale a house

Property agents validates documentations on the client's behalf.

The entire process of house hunting, renting or selling can be quite tedious and confusing. Dealing with decisions related to real estate is never easy. When making a decision on a real estate sale, purchase or rent advice from an expert is very useful. Here comes the role of an experienced and trustworthy property agent. He is the best person to look up to in such situations.

There are broadly the following types of Property Agents –

Landlord’s Property Agent or the Seller’s Agent

This agent is appointed by the landlord. The interest of the landlord is their interest too. This agent advises the landlord on how to promote their property. If the owner wants to rent it out, then the agent works out the best rental price for them. On the other hand, if the landlord is looking at selling a property, then the property agent arranges for possible buyers, arranges for viewing and works out a deal in favor of the landlord.

Tenant’s Agent or the Buyer’s Agent

The Tenant’s property agent is appointed by the tenant or the buyer. He works on behalf of the tenant and helps him to search his home. He arranges for viewings, helps his client to negotiate and closes a deal for the Tenant. In short, the Agent protects the interests of the tenant

Property agents are the best person to rely on while we plan to buy rent or sale a house. — A property agent works on behalf of the client and helps the later to close a deal at their benefit as much a as possible.

Some of the many reasons of why we need a property agent are as follows –

Our Agent works on our behalf – Understand our criteria, research and identify the available properties accordingly, schedule viewings, advises the tenants or the buyer on rental rates or purchase price respectively, negotiates with the landlord and/or landlord’s agent and thus finally helps his client to close a deal at their benefit as much a as possible.
Validates documentations – The paper works and documentations when it comes to property dealings are very important and needs to be thoroughly validated. Our property agent is the life savor in this regard. He assists us with all the necessary paper works, deals with different types of payments at different levels of the process like Stamp Duty etc.

In case we want an above-market rate then, an exclusive agreement does help – If the seller or the owner of the property wants to get a price that is more than the current market rate, then, it needs an exclusive type of pitching and selling. This requires much higher level of selling skills. He needs to do higher level of research, take more pictures of the house and post more frequent listings. It is to be noted that, mostly the non-exclusive agents do not spend the same time and required amount of effort for this. Hence going for an exclusive agreement in such cases is by far the better option in the long run.
A property agent’s negotiation skills works at our benefit – Whether he is an agent of the buyer or the seller, in each case his negotiation power adds to the party’s advantage. Often there is a drop in property price which means it is possible to negotiate for a fair price for the property. However we being unaware of the current market trends might end up paying more. The role of a property agent here is that, with his specialized skills and knowledge, he can help us to get the best possible value of the house.
Our property agent helps us a lot during home inspection – The house might have defects but invisible to the untrained eyes i.e. our lame eyes might fail to catch it when we go for viewing of the house. The property agent here can play an important role. He has the experienced eye to inspect and calculate the cost of rectification. Later, if the buyer wants to go ahead with the house, then, the agent can help the former to negotiate for a price of the house that would reflect the cost of the rectification.

Property agents helps us to negotiate for a price that reflects the cost of the rectification of the property if there are any. — Property agent during property viewing with his clients or home inspection.

Hence from the above discussion, it is quite evident that a reputable and professional property agent can help to save our time and money. Thus it is always safer to hire a property agent or real estate agent who knows the market well, has good list of properties to offer and understands our requirements and all criteria well. He is the best person to rely on for the purpose.

September 16, 2018January 20, 2024

Tips to maximise your profit while buying a Real Estate or Housing

It is very common and natural to worry or feel anxious when we decide to buy a house or property. The fear related to this is never-ending – whether to go for a loan, will we have enough cash for the down payment, are the papers of the property all legal, what if there is sudden decline in the property value after our purchase. Since a lot of cash goes at stake, of course we want to make sure that we get the best deal. Hence it is always safer to hire a property agent or real estate agent who knows the market well, has good list of properties to offer and understands our requirements and all criteria well.

However following are some of the very basic tips that we should consider when we plan to buy a property –

We need to thoroughly understand how much exactly we can borrow – It is very important to know how much we can actually afford on home. A pre-approval letter from the banker is always a pre-requisite for house hunting. In fact, most of the property agents or real estate agents need a pre-approval letter before showing the property to their clients. Moreover, knowing our budget also helps to save time on house hunting.

First know the amount you can borrow to buy your house — Important to know how much we can actually afford on a house.

Either be the first or the last – It’s a trick! If we are serious and understand that it is a great deal, then one trick is to quickly make an offer to the owner or to the agent who would pass it to the seller of the property. This way we can win a good deal.

On the other hand, another situation where the owner is tired of holding on to a particular property or he wants to sell it off for personal reasons on great discounts, then the trick is to make an offer for it. In most of such cases, the seller will entertain almost any offer made.

We should buy property when it is a buyer’s market and avoid during seller’s market – A buyer’s market is one in which, there is a decline in the home prices due to reduction in demand. On the contrary, in seller’s market, the property price is very high due to increasing demand for homes. So here the tip is to invest when the price is low i.e. during buyer’s market to benefit ourselves.
We should always remember the amount we need for the down payment when we purchase a house – Usually, the national average for down payments is 11%. So we must check the hands on availability of this amount the moment we to plan to buy the property.
It is worthy to note that a pre-approval for a mortgage indicates that we are a serious buyer – Both our real estate agent and the seller of the house or property feels more focused seeing that we are serious about the deal.

Mortgage pre-approval form — A pre- approval for a mortgage makes the seller understand that the buyer is a serious one.

For the buyers of their second home, it remains a question whether or not to sell their current home before buying a new one – To answer this, it totally varies from case to case. If the current home’s built-up equity will be applied on to the down payment on the new home, for sure, the previous house has to be sold prior to the new purchase. In other cases, if the client decides to rent out their current home as an investment, then the house does not need to be sold. However whatever the situation is, it is the loan advisor who does the preliminary examination and evaluates the risk of our profile. He checks the credit history too in order to determine whether taking a loan for the new home is feasible while retaining the title to the old home at the same time and accordingly will guide the buyer.
It is advisable that to view at least some number of houses physically even in today’s’ online convenience before buying our new property – Today online we can search, see pictures and even see a 360degree view of the house/rooms. However, when we are going for a lifetime investment, visiting at least a few houses to actually see how it looks and feels is worthwhile.
If the buyer’s offer is not accepted by the seller but another counteroffer is proposed by the seller, then it is better to look at it if we are really keen for that particular property – The current owner of the house might flat-out accept or reject an initial offer or he might also initiate a counteroffer. If this be the case, then all we need to do is with our property agent, we need to review it and determine whether the counteroffer is acceptable or not. Let’s say, it looks all good then without any delay we should go ahead to close the deal.

Saying all these, it still remains quite a hectic procedure and many stay in dilemma in this respect. Hence the best way to go ahead with such dealings is to have our own property agent or real estate agent to help and guide us in the process. He is the person who will understand the whole picture, send email alerts to notifying us of any new property listings and close our deal in a lesser complicated way.

Get a property agent – https://www.stringssg.com/property-agent-singapore

September 13, 2018January 20, 2024

How to decide on what to Invest

One major question that always lingers in our mind is how we safely invest our hard earned money. Be it any type of investment – Stocks, Real estate, Bonds, Gold, Cash equivalent, Mutual funds the question remains the same.

To answer this, we must take into account the following pointers before we step into making any kind of investment-

We must Identify and review our needs and goals – At first place, we should understand what exactly we are looking at from our investments and how much risk we can take.
We must make an investment plan – We must make a plan starting with low risk investments and then move to medium-risk investments. Higher risk investments are better to avoid in the initial phase.
Decide on how long we can invest – Different investments have different goals, time frames and also varied type of risks. So before we even consider investing our hard-earned money into something, we should go for a reality check.
Do not run after any hot tips – Many people around us, are always suggesting or coming up with different tips regarding where and what to invest on which mostly sounds very lucrative. However we should never fall a prey to such hot tips as we never know the risks involved or it might turn out to be totally fraud.
Our focus should be to diversify – The idea is to spread our money across different investments. It does not have to have same direction of movement of prices. This is known as diversifying.

Gold is a type of investment — Gold – considered as a form of investment for years!

We should always maintain an emergency fund – It is always smarter to have cash on hand to cover out-of-pocket expenses. We should have enough money in a savings product in case of any emergency.
We must avoid high- risk products at first place – Only consider higher risk products once you’ve built up money in low and medium-risk investments. Investments which are much more risky than we were told it would be or investments that are sold without a good explanation of the risks associated with it or the ones which does not provide any compensation.
Many investment plans have hidden charges – We should thoroughly read between the lines and also do our own research properly before we jump into any big decisions on any type of investments.

Real estate and housing — Real estate- an investment for many.

Saying all these we should look forward to a safe investment product that benefits our life to a great extend. We should therefore hire an investment consultant or financial advisor or savings planner to help us choose the right plan. Savings and investment consultant will do the needed research, understand and follow changes in the investment market, update on economic news and accordingly guide us with the best choices.

So let’s not delay and put our steps forward to a better and secured future with our personal investment consultant or financial advisor .

July 18, 2018December 8, 2023

5 reasons to get a health insurance

One of the main factors in determining the cost of life insurance is the age of the client. It’s just a fact. The older the person, the higher his risks. The earlier you make out the insurance, the more profitable and better for you.
Do you think that dangerous situations are encountered exclusively in the lives of firefighters, stuntmen and testers of new models of racing cars? Unfortunately no. Ordinary drivers and even pedestrians risk no less on the roads of mega cities. Knowing that in the event that you or the family members will be mitigated by all the costs, walking and traveling are somehow calmer.
Car insurance today is a must. Insurance is for everyone who has a car. As for me, having life insurance is more important. Just think, people value their cars more than their own lives!
If a person broke a car, he has temporary inconveniences, time and costs for repairing, repairing or buying a new car.
If a person has lost his capacity for work or passed away, his family has lost a breadwinner and is exposed to huge financial risks.
Having health insurance allows your insurance company to negotiate better rates with hospitals and doctors. The more people that have health insurance, the larger the pool and therefore the costs are better absorbed. Larger medical networks typically have lower premiums since the insurance company is able to distribute resources equally. More people having health insurance also creates a more competitive market and insurance companies are likely to offer lower rates in order to keep current customers and attract new customers. The more plans that are available allow for individuals to shop for plans that are more compatible with their lifestyles.
The best time to buy life insurance is today. Let’s draw conclusions.

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