Imagine a 4-room HDB flat and you'd probably expect to see a mother and father with two or three young children and maybe an elderly grandparent or two. In reality, this is not always the case. It is easy to think of Singaporeans as wealthy and affluent but, as in any major city, there is always a certain percentage of the demographic that will live in destitution and poverty.
Ina Sultan has been a property agent for over eight years now and I have had the opportunity to meet her to share her experiences of a few of her cases she handled. She has met many people from different walks of life. She is always ready to help and her passion is to serve clients with utmost integrity and professionalism. Having worked in customer service for many years previously has also helped her to serve her clients competently. She shares one of her experiences below.
Ina Sultan has been a property agent for over eight years now and I have had the opportunity to meet her to share her experiences of a few of her cases she handled. She has met many people from different walks of life. She is always ready to help and her passion is to serve clients with utmost integrity and professionalism. Having worked in customer service for many years previously has also helped her to serve her clients competently. She shares one of her experiences below.
‘Some time ago, the owner of a 4-room flat contacted me when his house was about to be repossessed by HDB. This man had been unemployed for some time and could not make his monthly house payments. By the time he had secured himself a job, his debt had accumulated and he was unable to pay it up. After doing profit and loss calculations, I found that he would not have enough cash in hand from the sale of this house to buy another house from the open market. Thus I sent an appeal to HDB to buy a direct flat from them which would require much less cash. He is also not allowed to rent directly from HDB since it is their policy to only allow sellers to apply for a rental flat after a minimum period of thirty months after selling their house. A few appeals were sent but to no avail. We then went to appeal to the MP, but the reply was the same. HDB insisted the owner buy from the open market since he has profits from selling the house.
When I first came to view the house, I saw that this was not a typical family arrangement; there were more than ten people, including five small children, living together. The owner, his wife and their young children occupy one of the bedrooms while his elderly parents sleep in another. The third bedroom was occupied by the owner's mother-in-law, her two grown sons and a granddaughter. The owner's brother, his wife and their small child also live in the house, in a makeshift 'room' in the living area. According to the owner, each of the four separate families living in the house has fallen on hard times and has lost their homes or jobs. He took them in since all of them did not have a place to stay. Although there were so many people squeezing in the house, they all seemed happy and laid-back.
After several rejection letters from HDB, and a letter stating that the house was going to be repossessed if he did not make the full outstanding payment, he decided to allow me to sell the house and rent a room in a friend’s house. Then I started to market the house and did all the background work. Only after the house was sold, and he had shifted out, were our appeals heard. The owners were asked to give some documentation as proof that the house proceeds were too low to buy a resale flat although the flat was sold at a good price. Finally, their prayers were answered and they were allowed to buy a direct flat.
Now, the owner and his family have a home they can call their own.’
Ina Sultan has served many customers throughout her many years of experience as a property agent. She has experience in faraid, divorce, owner death, PR, etc. She serves her clients with honesty, passion and dedication, while always acting in her clients’ best interests. She has given many advice and solutions to help and guide people to a successful sales or purchase transactions.
Written by Nurkhairin Samsudin
Now, the owner and his family have a home they can call their own.’
Ina Sultan has served many customers throughout her many years of experience as a property agent. She has experience in faraid, divorce, owner death, PR, etc. She serves her clients with honesty, passion and dedication, while always acting in her clients’ best interests. She has given many advice and solutions to help and guide people to a successful sales or purchase transactions.
Written by Nurkhairin Samsudin
