22 October 2024
Mind Your Business: Will it be easy to sell your HDB "White Flat" in the future?
HDB's latest innovation, the "white flats," offers future home buyers a blank canvas for interior customization, with no internal partition walls.
This flexibility appeals to some, but others question whether the added costs of renovations and reconfigurations will impact the resale value of these homes in the long term.
We delve into these concerns with a property veteran, Ismail Gafoor, CEO, PropNex Realty.
Presented by Audrey Siek
This podcast is produced and edited by Anthea Ng (nganthea@sph.com.sg)
She produces Mind Your Business, Biz-How-To and Breakfast Special segments on the Breakfast Show.
Do contact her for topics: C-Suite, SME, Startups, Health-tech, Sustainability, Property, Intergenerational Family Business, Industry Outlook, Fintech and trending businesses in town.

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Listen To His Previous Podcasts:

10 March 2023
Money in the Market: The property market's got some good news for tenants
Housing prices are increasing here in Singapore amid a time of slowing growth and rising mortgage rates. Rental market is expected to continue its upward trend in 2023 due to rising costs and surging demand. Last month, The Business Times even described that 2023 would be “another year of pain for tenants” as higher property taxes and interest rates are likely to contribute to more increases in rents. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Ismail Gafoor, CEO of PropNex, to find out more about the current state of the property market and what the outlook is like.

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27 September 2022
Money in the Market: Will Singapore's property prices continue to spike?
Property prices in Singapore are known to be the highest in the world for quite a long time. And it seems like the already sky-high property prices are on the rise at the moment. On Money in the Market, Finance Producer Hongbin Jeong speaks to Ismail Gafoor, CEO of PropNex to find out whether property prices will continue to surge or if they have already peaked. He also comments on how the US Fed's third consecutive jumbo interest rate hike has affected property prices in Singapore, and also gives a number of advices for those looking to find to buy or rent a house at the current market.

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22 February 2022
Powering Your Property: Budget 2022 - The impact of property tax changes on homeowners
On Powering Your Property, Prime Time’s Rachel Kelly spoke to Ismail Gafoor, CEO, Propnex to discuss the impact of the property tax changes announced in Budget 2022 on the real estate sector. Announced during Budget 2022 last Friday, property taxes rates for both owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied residential properties will go up in 2 steps starting from 2023. This comes in the wake of a fresh round of cooling measures in December last year.

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17 December 2021
From Newspaper boy to Property titan - Ismail Gafoor shares what it takes to succeed
Ismail Gafoor is the founder and CEO of Propnex - one of Singapore's largest listed real estate agency with over 10,000 real estate salespersons - But did you know that many moons ago, Ismail started off from much humbler beginnings?

Ismail shares with Rachel Kelly challenges he has faced over the years, how he overcame them, and what he thinks are key personal attributes that can lead to success.

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16 December 2021
What the New Property Cooling Measures Mean for You
Who is going to be impacted by the new property measures? Which areas or types of property are going to be more affected than others? What do the measures mean for the HDB market, enbloc hopes and new private properties? Michelle Martin finds out with CEO of PropNex, Ismail Gafoor hours after the announcement.

12 October 2021
Powering Your Property: Is there a possible revival of the en bloc market?
On Powering Your Property, Timothy Go spoke to Ismail Gafoor, CEO, Propnex about a potential revival of en-bloc sales in the property scene since the last residential en bloc sales boom from 2017 to mid 2018 remains fresh in our minds.

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12 August 2021
Companies to Watch: PropNex's stunning Q2 data & future plans
Real estate agency PropNex just announced a net profit of $16.5 million for the second quarter which ended last June 30, and the reason behind this growth is due to the increase of transactions followed by the improvements of the Covid-19 situation and economy. Ismail Gafoor, CEO, PropNex, shares more about their growth over the past year and their plans for expansion moving forward.

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6 July 2021
Powering Your Property: What's shaping Singapore's property market in the second half of 2021?
Public and private property prices have been on the rise in the past few months.
What’s driving this trend, and how prices are expected to move in the second half of the year?
Ismail Gafoor, CEO, Propnex Realty joins hosts Timothy Go and Rachel Kelly in Powering Your Property to tell us more.

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17 February 2021
Budget 2021 - Powering Your Property: Could we see measures to cool Singapore's Property market?
Ismail Gafoor, CEO, PropNex discuss the impact of this year's Budget on the property market and whether we could see cooling measures in the months ahead.

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Click here for more Budget 2021 updates.

28 January 2021
Gamefying Property Investment - the Monopoly PropNex Edition
Michelle Martin and Ismail Gafoor, CEO and Executive Chairman of PropNex discuss how monopoly has imprinted ideas of property investing, hopes for investors to learn and fourth quarter property market trends.

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13 October 2020
Powering Your Property: What's Driving Strong Demand for Private Housing & HDB Resale Flats Now?
In Powering Your Property, Rachel Kelly spoke to Ismail Gafoor, CEO, Propnex to break down the biggest headlines coming out of the property space. According to the latest data from SRX,  the resale transaction volume of private condominiums or non-landed housing units in September remained largely unchanged from August. The HDB resale market has also been buoyant.

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29 June 2020
Singapore's property space - Have we reached inflection point?
The COVID 19 pandemic has greatly impacted the property space in Singapore, arguably the hardest hit from the fallout of the pandemic. Michelle Martin speaks to Ismail Gafoor, CEO and Executive Chairman of PropNex to discuss the state of the property market vis a vis the COVID 19 pandemic, noticeable trends in the property space and the factors influencing property purchase.

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18 May 2020
PropNex Q1 earnings and outlook
Real estate agency PropNex announced that they posted S$8.2 million in net profit for the first quarter. And this was up from the S$2.3 million in the preceding year, boosted by property transactions carried forward and a recovery in the private home market. Ismail Gafoor, CEO, PropNex shares his outlook for Singapore’s property sector for the rest of 2020 and some possible catalysts that are likely to drive the market.

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12 May 2020
The Soul of Business: COVID-19, the property sector and its agents
On The Soul of Business, Claressa Monteiro has a candid conversation with Ismail Gafoor, CEO and Executive Chairman, PropNex Realty Pte Ltd on the company's initiatives introduced to support 8,500 salespersons through what looks like challenging times for the property sector. She also draws from his vast experience for insights into the sector and its new normal.

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6 April 2020
PropNex Realty Pte Ltd is rolling out a $30 Million plan to support the cashflow of some 8500 of its self-employed property agents
From the early release of commissions and pension funds, to waiving business costs for agents and donating some half a million to charity,  Michelle Martin finds more about the initiatives in conversation with Ismail Gafoor CEO of PropNex Realty Pte Ltd

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24 March 2020
Navigating the property market during COVID-19
In Powering Your Property,we get an analysis of the latest property headlines this week with Ismail Gafoor, CEO of Propnex.

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28 February 2020
Property Outlook / PropNex Earnings
PropNex saw a 58 percent rise in revenue, which was partly due to a surge in commission income from project marketing services. Ismail Gafoor, CEO, Propnex shares with us his outlook for the different market segments in 2020 and Propnex's FY2019 financial performance.

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16 December 2019
Money and Me (The Property Edition): The Year In Review
On the last episode of Money and Me (The Property Edition), Mohamed Ismail Gafoor, Chairman & CEO of Propnex shares the most memorable moments for the property market this year and what 2020 holds for prospective investors.

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18 Nov 2019
Money and Me (The Property Edition): Buying VS Renting a property
Most Singaporeans think that buying a property makes more financial sense in the long-term than to rent, which explains why majority of Singaporeans own a property. What are some factors to take into consideration when deciding between owning or renting a property? We find out with Mohamed Ismail Gafoor, Chairman and CEO of Propnex Limited.

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Growing up, Ismail's childhood was slightly different than others. From delivering newspapers at 4am to helping out in his father's provision shop, Ismail never regretted hustling at such a young age. Today, Ismail Gafoor owns one of the largest listed real estate agency in Singapore with multiple awards under their belt. Find out what sparked him to start Propnex Realty and his journey despite the many challenges he went through in the past.

14 November 2019
PropNex Q3 profit slips 15.2% to S$6.1million
Where is the property sector heading for the rest of the year? There’s lots of things that could affect the outlook: they include falling interest rates, a slowing economy, and trade tensions. Going by the latest earnings from real estate brokerage PropNex, net profit dropped 15.2 percent to $6.1 million. Mohammed Ismail Gafoor, CEO, Propnex break it down for us and explains what that shows about the property market.

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21 Oct 2019
Money and Me (The Property Edition): Do you need to be wealthy to buy landed property in Singapore?
Is it a good time to buy your first landed property now? What are some factors to consider before you buy a landed property? Do you need to be wealthy to buy a landed property in Singapore? We discuss the landed property market in Singapore with Mohamed Ismail Gafoor, Chairman & CEO of Propnex Limited.

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14 October 2019
Money and Me (The Property Edition): How understanding URA price indices will benefit you as a buyer or investor
How can the URA price indices help buyers and investors decide when and what to buy or invest in? Do the current real estate market favor the buyers or the sellers? And is it a good time to buy or sell now? All these and more with Mohamed Ismail Gafoor, Chairman & CEO of Propnex Limited.

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7 October 2019
Money & Me (The Property Edition): Private resale vs private new launch - which to get?
You’re looking to buy your next private home but can’t decide whether to go for a resale flat or a new launch? What are some of the pros and cons of buying a resale flat versus a new launch? And if you’re buying it for investment purposes, which should you get instead? We discuss with Mohamed Ismail Gafoor, Chairman & CEO of Propnex Limited.

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30 September 2019
Money & Me (The Property Edition): Mega projects vs smaller developments - which to invest?
You’re interested in investing in property, but which kind of property should you invest in - mega projects or smaller developments? Mohamed Ismail Gafoor, Chairman & CEO of Propnex Limited breaks it down for you and tells you which properties you should invest in and why. And on top of appreciation and depreciation, what are other factors that should be taken into consideration before we decide on which kind of property to invest in?

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23 September 2019
Money and Me (The Property Edition): 99-year leasehold vs freehold. East vs Central. Which is better?
Should you go for 99-year leasehold or freehold? What are the prices differences, which will depreciate more, and what are the factors that will affect a property’s value other than the lease period? And if you’re going to buy your next property, we discuss which would be a better area to do so in our east vs central comparison. We find out with Mohamed Ismail Gafoor, Chairman & CEO of Propnex Limited.

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16 September 2019
Money and Me (The Property Edition): What you need to know about the new CPF Enhanced Housing Grants
More first-time buyers will get higher grants and more flexibility to select the size of their flat and where it is located. The income ceiling for eligible buyers has also been raised for the first time since 2015. The move comes as the government hopes to make HDB housing more affordable and encourage young couples to have more kids. How would the new Enhanced Housing Grant (EHG) benefit you? Mohamed Ismail Gafoor, Chairman & CEO at Propnex Limited shares more.

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9 September 2019
Money and Me (The Property Edition): Should you buy a BTO or an EC?
Is property still a great way to grow your wealth in Singapore? Having a BTO flat was extremely important for our parents’ generation because it was key to their first pot of wealth. But is this still the case for us today? What are the the pros and cons of buying a BTO, an EC, or a resale flat? Mohamed Ismail Gafoor, Chairman and CEO of Propnex Limited - Singapore’s largest real estate agency group - shares more.

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16 August 2019
PropNex results and property outlook
A total of 1,178 new private homes, excluding executive condominiums, were sold in July, making it the highest number of transactions for the year so far. Glenn van Zutphen and Ryan Huang speak to Ismail Gafoor, CEO of PropNex who shares more about it and what we can expect from the property market.

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26 Feb 2019
Propnex's FY Results: 2018
PropNex just released its fourth quarter results and this is the property agency’s first full year results since being listed. Ismail Gafoor, CEO, Propnex joins us in the studio to walk us through the numbers.

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5 Dec 2018
Lookback At 2018 And Outlook For 2019 In Residential Real Estate
Mohd Ismail Gafoor, CEO, Propnex shares a lookback at 2018 and outlook for 2019 in the residential real estate sector.

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