Latest news with #Chee
AsiaOne
5 hours ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
Private home owners may not have to wait till 2027 for change in HDB wait-out period: Chee Hong Tat , Singapore News
SINGAPORE — The wait-out period for private property downgraders looking to buy a resale flat may be relaxed before 2027, with an expected rise in supply of new and resale flats. Speaking at a community event in Toa Payoh on June 21, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said the supply of resale flats is expected to rise from 2026, as batches of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats affected by the Covid-19 pandemic hit their five-year minimum occupation period (MOP). The Housing Board will also be launching more than 50,000 units from 2025 to 2027. Chee said he expects that the effect of a strong continued supply of new BTO flats and resale units would moderate resale prices, making it timely for the authorities to consider if the 15-month cooling measure should be partially or entirely removed. He added that private property owners may not need to wait till 2027 or 2028 for a review of the wait-out requirement, which was introduced in September 2022. 'So, that is why I said [this would be considered] at the right time, when the resale market has stabilised, and when the supply of resale flats increase, which we think will happen in the next few years, because this year is actually the year where the turn will happen,' he said. The HDB resale price index grew by 1.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, down from 2.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024. This marks the lowest growth in the past five quarters. Asked if the Government is looking at a specific threshold, Chee said: 'I don't think we have a threshold in mind, because this is really a judgment call.' Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the PA Family PLAYGround event held at Toa Payoh West Community Club, the minister said there are already early signs of price stabilisation in the HDB resale market. 'We will continue to monitor. I think if the situation continues to improve, then it will allow us to then make that judgment call of when we can remove, whether partially or entirely, the 15-month requirement,' he added. Between shortening the requirement and removing it, Chee said he leans towards scrapping it entirely. 'We haven't come to any decision yet, but my own view is that if the situation allows us to remove it entirely, I think we should consider that,' he said. Chee acknowledged that the 15-month requirement posed some inconvenience for private property owners looking to right-size and buy an HDB resale flat, but he said the cooling measure's objective remains valid. 'We want to make sure that resale flat prices do not rise too quickly and become unaffordable for buyers, especially first-time buyers who want to go into the resale market,' he said. 'I think that is an important objective that we must safeguard.' New hawker centre in Bishan At the community event, Chee also announced to Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC residents that Bishan will be getting its own hawker centre. The hawker centre is among several plans he had pledged to carry out for the constituency during the general election. The anchor minister for the GRC said then that many residents had pointed out that Bishan lacked a hawker centre. Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat playing with children at the PA Family PLAYGround 2025's third stop at Toa Payoh West Community Club on June 21. PHOTO: The Straits Times Chee said more details will be shared after the Urban Redevelopment Authority unveils its Draft Master Plan 2025 on June 25. He said the hawker centre may be integrated with Bishan Bus Interchange, which is set to become an air-conditioned facility. Chee said the refreshed bus interchange may not be built on its existing site next to Junction 8, but it will be near its current spot where the town centre and Bishan MRT station are located. 'We want it (hawker centre) to be near the key transport nodes to make it more convenient for residents,' he said. The approach is in line with integrated facilities in Pasir Ris and Bidadari, where new hawker centres are built on top of or next to MRT stations or bus interchanges. Chee said it is one of the ways the authorities make full use of Singapore's scarce land resources. 'When we combine these different facilities serving different needs, I think we are able to, on one hand, optimise the use of land, and on the other hand, also bring about greater convenience for residents. 'So, it is win-win,' he said. ALSO READ: Resale flat prices may begin moderating from 2026 as new units reach MOP: Chee Hong Tat This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Private home owners may not have to wait till 2027 for change in HDB wait-out period: Chee Hong Tat
The HDB resale price index grew by 1.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, down from 2.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO Private home owners may not have to wait till 2027 for change in HDB wait-out period: Chee Hong Tat SINGAPORE – The wait-out period for private property downgraders looking to buy a resale flat may be relaxed before 2027, with an expected rise in supply of new and resale flats. Speaking at a community event in Toa Payoh on June 21, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said the supply of resale flats is expected to rise from 2026, as batches of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats affected by the Covid-19 pandemic hit their five-year minimum occupation period (MOP). Housing Board will also be launching more than 50,000 units from 2025 to 2027. Mr Chee said he expects that the effect of a strong continued supply of new BTO flats and resale units would moderate resale prices, making it timely for authorities to consider if the 15-month cooling measure should be partially or entirely removed. He added that private property owners may not need to wait till 2027 or 2028 for a review of the wait-out requirement, which was introduced in September 2022. 'So that's why I said (this would be considered) at the right time, when the resale market has stabilised, and when the supply of resale flats increase, which we think will happen in the next few years, because this year is actually the year where the turn will happen,' he said. The HDB resale price index grew by 1.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, down from 2.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024. It is the lowest growth in the past five quarters. Asked if the Government is looking at a specific threshold, Mr Chee said: 'I don't think we have a threshold in mind, because this is really a judgment call.' Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the PA Family PLAYGround event held at Toa Payoh West Community Club, the minister said there are already early signs of price stabilisation in the HDB resale market. 'We'll continue to monitor. I think if the situation continues to improve, then it will allow us to then make that judgment call of when we can remove, whether partially or entirely, the 15-month requirement,' he added. Between shortening the requirement and removing it, Mr Chee said leans towards scrapping it entirely. 'We haven't come to any decision yet, but my own view is that if the situation allows us to remove it entirely, I think we should consider that,' he said. Mr Chee acknowledged that the 15-month requirement posed some inconvenience for private property owners looking to right-size and buy an HDB resale flat, but he said the cooling measure's objective remains valid. 'We want to make sure that the resale flat prices do not rise too quickly and become unaffordable for buyers, especially first time buyers, who want to go into the resale market,' he said. 'I think that's an important objective that we must safeguard.' New hawker centre in Bishan At the community event, Mr Chee also announced to Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC residents that Bishan will be getting its own hawker centre. The hawker centre is among several plans he had pledged to carry out for the constituency during the general election. The anchor minister for the GRC said then that many residents had pointed out that Bishan lacked a hawker centre. Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat playing a game at the PA Family PLAYGround 2025's third stop at Toa Payoh West Community Club on June 21. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG Mr Chee said that more details will be shared after the Urban Redevelopment Authority unveils the Draft Master Plan 2025 on June 25. But he said the hawker centre may be integrated with the Bishan bus interchange, which is set to become an air-conditioned facility. Mr Chee said the refreshed bus interchange may not be built on its existing site next to Junction 8, but it will be near its current spot where the town centre and Bishan MRT station are located. 'We want it (hawker centre) to be near the key transport nodes to make it more convenient for residents,' he said. The approach is in line with integrated facilities in Pasir Ris and Bidadari, where new hawker centres are built on top of or next to MRT stations or bus interchanges. Mr Chee said it is one of the ways the authorities make full use of Singapore's scarce land resources. 'When we combine these different facilities serving different needs, I think we are able to, on one hand, optimise the use of land, and on the other hand, also bring about greater convenience for residents. 'So it's win, win,' he said. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Private homeowners may not have to wait till 2027 for change in HDB wait-out period: Chee Hong Tat
The HDB resale price index grew by 1.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, down from 2.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO Private homeowners may not have to wait till 2027 for change in HDB wait-out period: Chee Hong Tat SINGAPORE – The wait-out period for private property downgraders looking to buy a resale flat may be relaxed before 2027, with an expected rise in supply of new and resale flats. Speaking at a community event in Toa Payoh on June 21, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said the supply of resale flats is expected to rise from 2026, as batches of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats affected by the Covid-19 pandemic hit their five-year minimum occupation period (MOP). Housing Board will also be launching more than 50,000 units from 2025 to 2027. Mr Chee said he expects that the effect of a strong continued supply of new BTO flats and resale units would moderate resale prices, making it timely for authorities to consider if the 15-month cooling measure should be partially or entirely removed. He added that private property owners may not need to wait till 2027 or 2028 for a review of the wait-out requirement, which was introduced in September 2022. 'So that's why I said (this would be considered) at the right time, when the resale market has stabilised, and when the supply of resale flats increase, which we think will happen in the next few years, because this year is actually the year where the turn will happen,' he said. The HDB resale price index grew by 1.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, down from 2.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024. It is the lowest growth in the past five quarters. Asked if the Government is looking at a specific threshold, Mr Chee said: 'I don't think we have a threshold in mind, because this is really a judgment call.' Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the PA Family PLAYGround event held at Toa Payoh West Community Club, the minister said there are already early signs of price stabilisation in the HDB resale market. 'We'll continue to monitor. I think if the situation continues to improve, then it will allow us to then make that judgment call of when we can remove, whether partially or entirely, the 15-month requirement,' he added. Between shortening the requirement and removing it, Mr Chee said leans towards scrapping it entirely. 'We haven't come to any decision yet, but my own view is that if the situation allows us to remove it entirely, I think we should consider that,' he said. Mr Chee acknowledged that the 15-month requirement posed some inconvenience for private property owners looking to right-size and buy an HDB resale flat, but he said the cooling measure's objective remains valid. 'We want to make sure that the resale flat prices do not rise too quickly and become unaffordable for buyers, especially first time buyers, who want to go into the resale market,' he said. 'I think that's an important objective that we must safeguard.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Seven Books for People Figuring Out Their Next Move
The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. A well-lived life isn't always a perfectly navigated one. Many days will evoke the feeling of choppy waters and, just as common, being completely adrift. These rudderless moments can come after joyful milestones, such as graduations and weddings, or they might be driven by unwanted changes—a breakup, for instance, or the loss of a job. Whether such pivots are expected or not, they might send us off into the unknown, make us wonder what comes next, or have us turning to others for advice. Trusted friends or mentors can help—but so can books, which can offer huge amounts of wisdom from authors we'll never meet. When the right book finds you at exactly the right time, it can change the course of your life. A perceptive memoir or a relatable novel can shift your perspective on the troubles you're facing, or even illuminate a new way out of the doldrums. The seven titles below helped guide me during times of transition, and they're great tools for anyone trying to navigate new opportunities, new places, or new phases of life. , by Alexander Chee This exquisitely written essay collection is, on its face, about living a writer's life, but its true concern is self-discovery, invention, and—perhaps most important—reinvention. In these chronologically organized essays, Chee loses and finds himself again and again. As a student in a foreign-exchange program, he locates an unusual sense of belonging; later, as a queer activist in the Bay Area during the height of the AIDS crisis, he discovers his voice at a time of tremendous loss. Taken together, the essays celebrate the cumulative experiences of being alive, and, from the wise distance of Chee's 50s, argue that detours and even missteps only make life richer. I didn't discover this book until I was past 40, but I can imagine what a beacon it might have been to me if it had been around when I was just starting my adult life. [Read: The toll of hiding one's true self] , by Gary Zukav Few transitions are quite as jarring as going from full-time student to working adult. After years of having school define the rules of play—where to live, what to do with your days, what to dream of—the graduate is suddenly faced with a host of independent, anxiety-provoking decisions to make, quickly. No book could be a better companion at this time than Zukav's guide to taking control of your own life. The author takes an analytical approach to spiritual growth. First, he examines how humankind has evolved into a species aware of external power; then he moves to the possibility that we can each harness our own, unique internal power, specifically by understanding consequences and aligning our actions with our intentions. Along the way, Zukav explores ideas about human potential and karmic cycles of reincarnation. His beliefs aren't universally appealing (though both Jay-Z and Oprah are fans), but they are sincere. Even if the reader doesn't fully subscribe to his worldview, his end point is a place many of us wish to reach. Through developing a sincere process of considering our motivations and goals before we make decisions, we can, Zukav promises, find ourselves in more fulfilled, less anxious lives. , by Jennifer Egan Egan's rightly lauded collection of linked stories found its way into my hands just as I was crawling out of a midlife mess in which I was making a lot of questionable choices. The book drops in on a highly populated world revolving around the music business, and for obvious reasons, I found myself drawn to the endearingly disastrous producer's assistant Sasha. Paradoxically, her story gave me a tremendous sense of hope that, regardless of my mistakes in the moment, everything would be okay in the end. We first meet her as a 20-something living in New York who steals a wallet while on a date. We see her teenage years as a runaway sex worker in Europe, watch her as a misanthropic college student, and ultimately glimpse her as a content and loving mother, living in California and channeling her love of music and curiosity into her children as well as artwork of her own. Sasha's life, like mine—and like all of ours—is full of low moments, but while those times shape us, they don't need to define us. [Read: The Goon Squad gets old] , by Alex Haley and Malcolm X At moments when I've felt lost in the world, I've repeatedly turned to this account of a life as a political and religious awakening. The early facts are familiar: Malcolm Little was born to a poor Black family in Nebraska. His father was suspiciously murdered and his mother committed to a psychiatric institution while he was a child. Little ventured East, got involved in organized crime, and was eventually sent to prison, where he joined the Nation of Islam and rose to become a national, and then global, face of the civil-rights movement. But X's memoir is especially valuable for how it relates lesser-known, more personal milestones: He dwells, for instance, on the way a pilgrimage to Mecca caused a shift in his relationship with Islam; next to radical passages about embracing identity on your own terms and rejecting the conditions of an oppressor are self-interrogating studies of our boundless capacity to change both our life and our belief systems. X's account is a fantastic and inspiring primer on examining our past steps, recognizing when they are no longer working for us, and using that sense of discomfort to find something new—and ideally more fulfilling. , by Marcy Dermansky This taut, speedy novel is a delightful reminder that messy living can make for interesting lives and that, sometimes, interventions of fate are actually what get us where we need to be. Dermansky tells the story of a woman named Leah who is bequeathed a red sports car by an old co-worker. Despite having the kind of husband who makes dinner every night at home, she unexpectedly sets off, alone, from Queens to retrieve it in California. Leah's inheritance becomes the inciting incident in a series of events that unravel her life: Her trip awakens a latent violence in her husband and an invigorating independent streak in her. Every moment with the red car seems to take her further away from what she perceived was her neatly charted course but closer, in the most exciting way, to a different kind of fulfillment. [Read: How I demolished my life] , by Anthony Bourdain Often, the first steps in illustrious careers are unglamorous, modest, or even incongruous. When you're at the beginning, you can easily feel that things aren't moving fast enough, or begin to suspect that you'll be stuck in that early stage forever. Bourdain got his start as a dishwasher in a watering hole in Provincetown, Massachusetts, for instance, because he was generally broke and needed beer money—but the job gave him the passion and the skills he would need to make a living as a chef in several celebrated restaurants. This clever, dishy memoir recounts that journey; it's also what launched his lauded second act as an author and a journalist. Reading Kitchen Confidential today, with Bourdain's legacy in mind, is a great reminder that it's possible to overcome your early circumstances, no matter how modest, if you know yourself, stay curious, and commit to learning along the way. , by Candace Bushnell Before they became the show of the same name, Bushnell's columns in the pink pages of The New York Observer documented, with light fictionalizations, the sex and social lives of New York's ambitious and powerful—and her own, though she frequently disguised her run-ins as the affairs of her 'friend,' the character Carrie Bradshaw. In this volume of collected Observer columns, most of them focused on Carrie, Bushnell reveals herself to be a sage of power and social capital, an expert on relationships and how they can be used to build careers, accumulate social clout, and stomp on feelings. For anyone with a sense of ambition, whether you're moving somewhere new or settling down where you already are, her work is both an entertaining read and an instruction manual for how even the most casual acquaintanceships can transform your life. Cultivating them intentionally, Bushnell implicitly argues, can turn even the biggest metropolis into a small town where your next opportunity (or at the very least a good party) is just a conversation or two away. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
Seven Books for People Figuring Out Their Next Move
A well-lived life isn't always a perfectly navigated one. Many days will evoke the feeling of choppy waters and, just as common, being completely adrift. These rudderless moments can come after joyful milestones, such as graduations and weddings, or they might be driven by unwanted changes—a breakup, for instance, or the loss of a job. Whether such pivots are expected or not, they might send us off into the unknown, make us wonder what comes next, or have us turning to others for advice. Trusted friends or mentors can help—but so can books, which can offer huge amounts of wisdom from authors we'll never meet. When the right book finds you at exactly the right time, it can change the course of your life. A perceptive memoir or a relatable novel can shift your perspective on the troubles you're facing, or even illuminate a new way out of the doldrums. The seven titles below helped guide me during times of transition, and they're great tools for anyone trying to navigate new opportunities, new places, or new phases of life. How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, by Alexander Chee This exquisitely written essay collection is, on its face, about living a writer's life, but its true concern is self-discovery, invention, and—perhaps most important—reinvention. In these chronologically organized essays, Chee loses and finds himself again and again. As a student in a foreign-exchange program, he locates an unusual sense of belonging; later, as a queer activist in the Bay Area during the height of the AIDS crisis, he discovers his voice at a time of tremendous loss. Taken together, the essays celebrate the cumulative experiences of being alive, and, from the wise distance of Chee's 50s, argue that detours and even missteps only make life richer. I didn't discover this book until I was past 40, but I can imagine what a beacon it might have been to me if it had been around when I was just starting my adult life. The Seat of the Soul, by Gary Zukav Few transitions are quite as jarring as going from full-time student to working adult. After years of having school define the rules of play—where to live, what to do with your days, what to dream of—the graduate is suddenly faced with a host of independent, anxiety-provoking decisions to make, quickly. No book could be a better companion at this time than Zukav's guide to taking control of your own life. The author takes an analytical approach to spiritual growth. First, he examines how humankind has evolved into a species aware of external power; then he moves to the possibility that we can each harness our own, unique internal power, specifically by understanding consequences and aligning our actions with our intentions. Along the way, Zukav explores ideas about human potential and karmic cycles of reincarnation. His beliefs aren't universally appealing (though both Jay-Z and Oprah are fans), but they are sincere. Even if the reader doesn't fully subscribe to his worldview, his end point is a place many of us wish to reach. Through developing a sincere process of considering our motivations and goals before we make decisions, we can, Zukav promises, find ourselves in more fulfilled, less anxious lives. A Visit From the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan Egan's rightly lauded collection of linked stories found its way into my hands just as I was crawling out of a midlife mess in which I was making a lot of questionable choices. The book drops in on a highly populated world revolving around the music business, and for obvious reasons, I found myself drawn to the endearingly disastrous producer's assistant Sasha. Paradoxically, her story gave me a tremendous sense of hope that, regardless of my mistakes in the moment, everything would be okay in the end. We first meet her as a 20-something living in New York who steals a wallet while on a date. We see her teenage years as a runaway sex worker in Europe, watch her as a misanthropic college student, and ultimately glimpse her as a content and loving mother, living in California and channeling her love of music and curiosity into her children as well as artwork of her own. Sasha's life, like mine—and like all of ours—is full of low moments, but while those times shape us, they don't need to define us. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Alex Haley and Malcolm X At moments when I've felt lost in the world, I've repeatedly turned to this account of a life as a political and religious awakening. The early facts are familiar: Malcolm Little was born to a poor Black family in Nebraska. His father was suspiciously murdered and his mother committed to a psychiatric institution while he was a child. Little ventured East, got involved in organized crime, and was eventually sent to prison, where he joined the Nation of Islam and rose to become a national, and then global, face of the civil-rights movement. But X's memoir is especially valuable for how it relates lesser-known, more personal milestones: He dwells, for instance, on the way a pilgrimage to Mecca caused a shift in his relationship with Islam; next to radical passages about embracing identity on your own terms and rejecting the conditions of an oppressor are self-interrogating studies of our boundless capacity to change both our life and our belief systems. X's account is a fantastic and inspiring primer on examining our past steps, recognizing when they are no longer working for us, and using that sense of discomfort to find something new—and ideally more fulfilling. The Red Car, by Marcy Dermansky This taut, speedy novel is a delightful reminder that messy living can make for interesting lives and that, sometimes, interventions of fate are actually what get us where we need to be. Dermansky tells the story of a woman named Leah who is bequeathed a red sports car by an old co-worker. Despite having the kind of husband who makes dinner every night at home, she unexpectedly sets off, alone, from Queens to retrieve it in California. Leah's inheritance becomes the inciting incident in a series of events that unravel her life: Her trip awakens a latent violence in her husband and an invigorating independent streak in her. Every moment with the red car seems to take her further away from what she perceived was her neatly charted course but closer, in the most exciting way, to a different kind of fulfillment. The Red Car By Marcy Dermansky Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain Often, the first steps in illustrious careers are unglamorous, modest, or even incongruous. When you're at the beginning, you can easily feel that things aren't moving fast enough, or begin to suspect that you'll be stuck in that early stage forever. Bourdain got his start as a dishwasher in a watering hole in Provincetown, Massachusetts, for instance, because he was generally broke and needed beer money—but the job gave him the passion and the skills he would need to make a living as a chef in several celebrated restaurants. This clever, dishy memoir recounts that journey; it's also what launched his lauded second act as an author and a journalist. Reading Kitchen Confidential today, with Bourdain's legacy in mind, is a great reminder that it's possible to overcome your early circumstances, no matter how modest, if you know yourself, stay curious, and commit to learning along the way. Sex and the City, by Candace Bushnell Before they became the show of the same name, Bushnell's columns in the pink pages of The New York Observer documented, with light fictionalizations, the sex and social lives of New York's ambitious and powerful—and her own, though she frequently disguised her run-ins as the affairs of her 'friend,' the character Carrie Bradshaw. In this volume of collected Observer columns, most of them focused on Carrie, Bushnell reveals herself to be a sage of power and social capital, an expert on relationships and how they can be used to build careers, accumulate social clout, and stomp on feelings. For anyone with a sense of ambition, whether you're moving somewhere new or settling down where you already are, her work is both an entertaining read and an instruction manual for how even the most casual acquaintanceships can transform your life. Cultivating them intentionally, Bushnell implicitly argues, can turn even the biggest metropolis into a small town where your next opportunity (or at the very least a good party) is just a conversation or two away.
