Category Archives: General

Time for wet markets to go

Posted on 24 Oct 2009 | Comments Off on Time for wet markets to go

Untidy relics of the past less popular now, and can’t compete on price

IN RECENT weeks, Singaporeans of all ages have been bemoaning what they feared was the impending loss of several wet markets.

To recap: A few weeks ago, news surfaced that eight privately-run wet markets were to be taken over by large supermarket chains.

That sent lots of residents in the affected areas into a frenzy. Many wrote in to this newspaper’s Forum page, calling for the preservation of the markets and for the Housing Board to reject the sales.

The din grew so loud that a minister had to wade in to soothe frazzled nerves: At the opening of a Marsiling wet market two weeks ago, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who is also an MP for Sembawang GRC, assured residents that he understood how important such markets were to them, and that he was working to keep wet markets available to them.

But why this curious need to preserve an untidy relic of Singapore’s past? Why keep these wet, stinking, unhygienic monuments to yesteryear?

It certainly isn’t because many of us shop there. Take the privately-run markets. There are 19 here, and most, if not all, are struggling to survive. Business is so bad, it’s no wonder their owners are thinking of letting them go. Continue reading →

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Crux of property brokering that needs clarity

Posted on 24 Oct 2009 | Comments Off on Crux of property brokering that needs clarity

I APPLAUD the Government’s recent steps to improve the professionalism of the real estate industry. The market has long awaited the move to ban agents representing both buyer and seller in an HDB resale transaction.

It is also in the interest of consumers to have an accreditation scheme to sieve out unethical agents, as well as an independent tribunal to mediate in the event of a dispute.

On top of the moves and plans announced by the Ministry of National Development (MND) so far, I would argue that one reason for the high number of complaints is that the role and fee of the agent is not clear from the start of a property transaction. I suggest that MND should make these mandatory at the start of the sales process:

– Agent to walk through his role to either buyer or seller and document this; and

– Agent to communicate his fees and document them.

Another reason for the high volume of complaints is that many of the consumers who do not want to engage the services of agents are either not aware that it is possible to do it oneself, or not sure how. MND can hold more public education campaigns to show consumers how to do it oneself, although one needs to manage the marketing and paper work. Continue reading →

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