Living Your Dream Life – A reality in Horizon Hills

The Award-winning Horizon Hills is an artistic composition of architectural design, natural greenscapes and community living, making it the first of its kind lifestyle development in Johor.

A home designed to embrace your lifestyle set against a backdrop of undulating terrain in a resort like ambience, enveloped by the rejuvenating freshness of nature. Truly a dream to behold for those who choose to make their homes in Horizon Hills. The 1228- acre residential paradise jointly developed by Gamuda Land and UEM Sunrise comprises of 11 secured precincts, each featuring designer-homes for contemporary living and sharing its picturesque setting with an award-winning international championship 18-hole par 72 golf courses.

In one with nature

Living in Horizon Hills is about harnessing the fullness of nature. The estate is home to 150 acres of themed park and gardens and homes that leverage on the topography of the land to create a green and tranquil ambience. From stately bungalows to semi-Ds, to cluster and links as wells condominiums and villas, there is a home to suit every lifestyle in Horizon Hills. The latest offerings in this green township are 2-storey link houses in the Green Precinct as well 2 and 3 storey semi-Ds in the Cove precinct, targeted for completion in 24 months. Both home designs feature a contemporary design and natural lighting. The link homes are of a cube design while the semi-Ds enjoy additional air ventilation features.

The mesmerising beauty of Horizon Hills lies in the exacting manner in which contours of the estate has been curated to allow the hills’ lush foliage, weaving waterways and soft slopes to remain undisturbed in their natural state. It offers an idyllic setting where listening to the land is a natural part of living in harmony with the environment. The Horizon Hills masterplan boasts of at least 45% of its selected areas of secondary forest being retained as a green lung with water from natural streams and lake channelled to it for a cooler atmosphere. Their natural filtration system of lakes and ponds and preservation of flora and fauna through open spaces and thematic gardens are all directed at minimising the township’s carbon footprint. The natural ambience enjoyed by residents has encouraged a communal effort in practising eco awareness and sustainable living.

Promoting community closeness

The Horizon Hills town square pulsates with the energy of people brought together to create laughter and lasting memories. Placemaking events that help bond the community such as festive celebrations and fun activities take centre stage in this township with residents of over 40 nationalities. It is a town where community living is a way of live and everyone is made to feel as important as the next. Other friendly facilities that positions Horizon Hills as a township with a difference are its pockets of green spaces and a cycling path that encourage outdoor activities for elderly, children and even the physically challenged. Homes, public buildings and recreational zones such as the Clubhouse are designed to be friendly to all. Facilities and amenities in Horizon Hills that contribute to greater community interaction are best described as world class. An international standard 18-hole par 72 golf course that is visually spectacular, crafted by Australia’s most acclaimed golf course designer, Ross Watson presents itself as the perfect playground for golf enthusiasts. Overlooking the course is the equally enchanting 145,000 sq ft clubhouse designed by the renowned Ernesto Bedmar, a hub for recreational and dining activities for residents and their guests.

Second to none in security and connectivity

Residents safety is a top consideration in this gated and guarded township which is facilitated by the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Concept. A 3-Tier security system consisting amongst other features perimeter fencing, central monitoring, guard tour patrolling, gate access and panic button are part of this sophisticated security network. Complementing the dream lifestyle Horizon Hills offers, a perfectly connected location. Regarded as one of the best golf course residential properties in Johor Bahru. Horizon Hills takes full advantage of its incomparable location being set in the booming Iskandar Malaysia and just a mere 30 minutes’ drive to Singapore. Horizon Hills is the perfect south side retreat for locals and expats alike who seek homes in an exquisite hideaway.  Situated at the heart of Iskandar Puteri places Horizon Hills in direct access to Johor’s major education, health, shopping, transportation and recreational amenities. The township provides 5 easy accesses and enjoys hassle-free connectivity via the state’s 5 major highways.

A collaborative effort by two property giants

Gamuda Land and UEM Sunrise are stalwarts of the Malaysian property industry. Renowned developers of award winning townships, both property giants have made a name for themselves with their excellent craftsmanship of architectural masterpieces – townships that feature the foremost in town planning, residential design and environmental conservation. Horizon Hills is a testament of the joint effort of these two unrivalled giants of the industry.

For more information, please visit our website at gamudaland.com.my/horizonhills or contact our Property Galleria at +607-232 3433

 

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How to find the best personal loan without damaging your credit rating

A personal loan can help you amass funds that you would require to pay for pressing expenses. However, if you have a poor credit score, you are likely to find it very difficult to get a personal loan approved. A bad credit rating will spoil your chances of acquiring a personal loan. A poor credit score or a poor credit history indicates your failure to pay back your loan amounts. Hence, if you are finding it difficult to get a personal loan approved, you should improve your credit history first.

Often we make the error of assuming that specific factors affect our credit rating when they have no impact. Factors such as your debit card usage, marital status and age have no role in determining your credit score. Other details such as your employment status, bank balance and income have no direct impact on your score, though it might influence your approval.

You will have to give individual attention to the factors that are likely to impact your credit score and the chances of getting a personal loan. Simply getting an appropriate personal loan is not sufficient as you also must have a decent credit rating to benefit from it. If you are looking for a personal loan by taking on a trial-and-error method it will be destructive and fruitless.

Let us look at some tips you can follow to find a personal loan without hurting your credit score:

Pay your dues on time

Even if you fail to pay your credit card bills and other dues on time, try to pay it within a month of the due date. Making payments within 30 days past the due date is accepted normally. By doing so, you can opt for the personal loan of your liking, without worrying about getting rejected. It will also have a positive influence on your credit score.

Avoid applying for personal loans from different lenders

If you are applying for multiple personal loans at the same time, your credit rating is likely to take a hit. This indicates your lack of confidence in obtaining a loan and which will reflect badly on your credit rating. Instead of applying for personal loans from multiple lenders, you must check the prospective rate of interest and eligibility by using a Personal Loan Eligibility Calculator.

Get a quote from the lender of your choice

If you apply for a personal loan formally, the lender will carry out a credit check. It is likely to leave a negative score on your rating. If this takes place often, your score will go down drastically. So, find out if you are eligible for a loan before applying by talking to the moneylender in person and going through the eligibility criteria.

Compare the fees charged by different lenders

Many banks offer low-interest rates but charge substantial supplementary fees. These include high prepayment penalties, excessive processing fees, arbitrary upkeep charges and more. These charges are likely to raise your burden and may lead you to miss a monthly instalment that may eventually damage your credit rating. So before applying, compare the charges and fees imposed on personal loans.

Seek help from non-banking financial institutions

Your chances of getting a loan will enhance significantly if you widen your pool of options. Apart from banks, approach non-banking financial institutions. These institutions are listed with Monetary Authority of Singapore and offer a wide range of loans. Like banks, these institutions also depend on your credit score and history to evaluate your risk as a debtor. However, these institutions may have different packages for different risk appetites.

Your credit score is the most significant financial tool to get the best personal loan. If you have the right credit score, you will easily get the approval for loans at the best available interest rates. As a result, it is very important that you make sure your lender offers you competitive interest rates and simple personal loan eligibility calculator together with other sufrepplementary benefits.

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4 Ways to maximize returns in crowdfunding

Peer-to-Peer(P2P) Lending, or debt crowdfunding, has grown tremendously since the concept originated in 2005 with Zopa in UK. In 2016 alone, P2P lending has generated more than $300 billion worth of investment opportunities worldwide. The concept helps the underserved or underbanked individuals and businesses access alternate sources of funding from investors who lend and earn passive income in the form of interest.

Southeast Asia is an emerging P2P lending market with a huge financial gap faced by SMEs. In the last 3 years, P2P lending has financed thousands of small businesses to support their growth, while offering investors an alternative investment opportunity. In Southeast Asia, one of the leading platforms, Funding Societies has funded more than S$120 million across Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. At the same time, they have given more than 45,000 investors access to this alternate investment class with net annualised returns of up to 14% in short tenor loans.

This article aims to highlight 4 important considerations to maximize your returns in P2P lending with examples of initiatives taken by Funding Societies:

  1. Choose your platform wisely

When investing, you want to choose a platform with decent track record and achievements. These are things to look out for in a good platform:

a. The platform has good risk management practices

Review the platform’s risk management – including filtering out bad quality loans, pricing returns as per the risk, and managing non-repayment and defaults. While most platforms do not publish their proprietary methodologies, their processes should be robust enough to identify potentially bad loans. A good indicator is the platform’s default rates. Funding Societies has a default rate of 1.3% (as of 7 March 2018), one of the lowest in the region.

To illustrate, here is an example of the impact of a low default rate:

Assuming gross annual yield of 12%, platform fee of 2% and default rate of 3% (on the higher side) one can make 7% in returns.

This of course is not assured but depends on many factors including platform’s risk management as mentioned above.

In the inevitable event of a late payment or default, it is essential for the platform to have a process to manage collections or exercise legal action. You should enquire the platform on its processes to have a better understanding and clearer expectations.

b. Skin in the game

Find out if the platform has YOUR interests aligned with theirs, and what’s in it for them to ensure that investors’ money is handled properly and the investment opportunities/loans are of good quality.

Firstly, the platform should know how to handle your money. Funding Societies is the first P2P financing platform in Singapore to engage an independent escrow agent to handle investors’ funds, keeping its operating funds separate from investors’ funds. This gives investors peace of mind knowing that their money is safeguarded by the escrow agent and will not be utilized for anything besides their investments.

Secondly, is the platform as invested as you are? The management at Funding Societies has a ‘skin in the game’ by investing in every single loan, and will do their best to maximize the returns and manage any negative impacts.

c. It cares about YOUR Experience!

Debatable – but a good platform should be all-encompassing in its experience, right? This should start from the platform, mobile app (convenient for you), and customer experience. More importantly, it should be responsive and helpful when you need to speak to someone.

  1. Understand macroeconomic conditions

Knowing the pulse of the economy will help you when you select the loans to invest in. This includes updates for each sector and government initiatives to boost SMEs and specific sectors.

Coupled with the factsheets provided by P2P lending platforms that state the company’s operational and financial health, you will gain a wider perspective of the economy and SMEs you are funding.

  1. Diversify your investments within the platform

As the saying goes, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”, the same goes for investing in P2P lending. Diversifying across many loans has its advantages specifically in spreading the risk across many loans and helping to minimise the impact of non-performing loans.

Funding Societies endeavours to provide ample opportunities to diversify your investments:

  • I. Participate in multiple loans with small amount (at times as low as $50)
  • II. Consider spreading the weightage of your investments in terms of loan amounts
  • III. You have the option to choose the industries to invest in.
  • IV. Funding Societies currently provides Business Term Loans and Invoice Financing for investment. You can consider both products when investing.

Using the Auto-Invest feature simplifies your road to diversification. All you have to do is set your criteria based on product, industry, tenor, rate of returns and industry. When an investment opportunity matches your criteria, you will be allocated the investment based on the auto allocation algorithm.

  1. Re-invest for compounding effect

When investing in P2P lending, repayments are made on a monthly basis (30,60,90 days in case of invoice financing), and you can decide, based on your risk appetite, whether to reinvest the repaid funds and thereby compound the returns.

Southeast Asia’s leading crowdfunding platform, Funding Societies, currently operates in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. With more than 45,000 investors and being the only P2P lending platform to win the MAS FinTech Award (SME category, 2016), Funding Societies has also attained global recognition, being recognised amongst the Top 250 FinTech companies globally by CB Insights and winning the Best in Customer Experience for Alternative Financial Services by Retail Banker International.

Want to start investing in P2P lending? Sign up with Funding Societies today!

Disclaimers:

This article is contributed by Funding Societies.

It should not be construed that Moneydigest is endorsing this article or any of the products and services provided by Funding Societies.

Nothing in this article should be construed as constitute or form a recommendation, financial advice, or an offer, invitation or solicitation from Funding Societies to buy or subscribe for any securities and/or investment products. The content and materials made available are for informational purposes only and should not be relied on without obtaining the necessary independent financial or other advice in connection therewith before making an investment or other decision as may be appropriate.

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5 Commandments Of Borrowing Money

Whether you are borrowing your friend’s stilettos for a wedding or your mother’s mixing bowl for a party, we live in a culture that embraces the culture of borrowing.

There are certain rules involving this act such as dry-cleaning the suit that you borrowed. But, do you know the rules involving money? Here are just some commandments to get you started!

#1: THOU SHALL NOT BORROW BEYOND YOUR MEANS

Your hard-earned income must not revolve around debt repayments. Exhaust your resources to borrow an amount that is within your means. If you cannot afford an item then, skip it first! Save enough money and direct it to completing a purchase.

Many financial experts recommend that you maintain a Debt-to-Income ratio of 20%. How do you calculate this? Simply add up your monthly debt categories (i.e., excluding mortgage) and divide the total amount by your net monthly income. Ask for your partner’s help, if necessary.

#2: THOU SHALL NOT PAY LATE

There are several reasons why Japanese citizens uphold the value of time. For starters, paying on time is one of the vital rules of borrowing money.

It goes without saying that late fees or increased interest rates add insult to injury. Not to mention, being late can dramatically lower your credit score. In the long run, your bad track record will be reported to the credit bureaus.

#3: THOU SHALL NOT BORROW FRIVOLOUSLY

Borrowing money is an act built on a strong purpose and an intention of repayment. For debt categories that yield a sense of profit such as for education or for business, loaning money makes sense. The same ideal applies to loaning items that you will use for a long period of time (e.g., a car).

However, you must contemplate on loaning money for fleeting pleasures. Do you really need the latest gadgets in the market? Is attending an international music festival a crucial part of your life? Are you willing to spend thousands of dollars on a wedding anniversary weekend? Lastly, is a designer bag better than a functional one? Aim to borrow money for the right reasons.

#4: THOU SHALL NOT BE FINANCIALLY PRESSURED

Close your eyes and envision the last time you experienced social pressure. Was it your first day at a new workplace? Or, does it go way back in your secondary school days? At a certain degree, all of us felt pressured to do something we do not want to. It exists in all forms including financial situations.

In said challenging times, a deperate move that people make is to borrow money. You get trapped into a situation that unable you to make smart financial situations. Combat this by creating an emergency fund. Cushion your financial problems and continue to cultivate this fund even when you are experiencing debt. Please do not borrow or lend money to friends or relatives, if you are solely pressured into doing so!

#5: THOU SHALL NOT COMPARE LOANS CARELESSLY

Upon entering a new field, my basic instinct is to do my research about the company. Before travelling to a new country, my basic instinct is to do my research about their culture. What basic instinct do I apply before taking on a loan? Well, research of course! I recommend that you do the same thing too.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Comparing loans is more than the mere act of scoring the lowest interest rates. You must carefully read thru the essential elements such as penalties and add-ons. For instance, some insurance companies include costly add-ons such as specific life insurance. The extra elements will increase the interest rate of the money that you borrowed. Thus, you must approach everything with extreme caution.

Sources: 1 &2

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Which Credit Cards are the best for Holiday Shopping in Singapore?

With the onset of the Christmas season, Singapore nationals will soon start spending big on gifts, decorations and more both online and offline. As a result of this enhanced spending, people will be dependent on their credit cards. During this season, many banks also come up with rewards and promotional offers. One practical step to reduce the effect of your holiday expenditure is to judiciously use credit cards to earn miles and points.

There are some who like to shop online while there are some who prefer going to a store. In Singapore, it is certainly worthwhile to use the right card for holiday shopping. With substantial rewards, credit cards will help you make the most of your money assuming you pay off all your debts on time.

Cards with additional categories on shopping

Cards that offer bonus points on shopping provide faster earnings for particular types of purchases. For example, 5% cashback or 25 miles for every dollar spent on purchases made at online retailers and stores. During the last couple of months of the year, these credit cards take advantage of holiday spending by offering incentives on purchases made at retail stores with rebates, reward points and additional perks.

So if you are looking to apply to any of these cards, you must first consider how frequently you shop. Many cashback cards that banks introduce during the holiday season have a minimum spend requirement. So, such cards will not be useful for infrequent shoppers. They should rather opt for more generic cards with good overall rewards rate.

Cards with welcome offers

Many banks also offer cards with sign-up bonuses. And, it is also a useful method to make the most of getting returns on your additional holiday spending. There are cards that offer welcome bonuses worth up to S$400, but to get that, you may have to spend big in the beginning. For example, several cards call for a minimum spending of worth thousands of dollars during the first couple of months to be in the running for the bonus miles and points.

While it may seem to be a huge amount, a regular customer is expected to purchase gifts and clothes worth thousands of dollars during the holiday season. For those who cannot afford to spend a hefty amount, there are several budget-friendly offers such as S$100 cashback when you spend $500 in the first month.

Cards with 0% APR

If you have done too much shopping and you have overshot your credit limit and the balance at the end of the month is overwhelming, a credit card with 0% APR will come to your rescue. A card with a 0% APR on recent spending for a fixed time can help you fund your holiday expenditure.

Such cards will have no interest rate on recent purchases made in the last 3 to 12 months. This will give you enough time to pay your holiday expenditure without any interest.

Let us now take a detailed look at some of the most popular shopping credit cards both online and offline:

DBS Black Card

With DBS Black Card, you will get the following shopping benefits:

  • Opportunity to earn cashback on shopping done overseas.
  • 5% cashback on shopping at stores for personal care, furnishings, electronics and more.
  • 5% cashback on shopping for groceries, bags jewellery, shoes, clothes and more.
  • Offers 0% APR.

However, you will have to spend a minimum of S$700 every month to get the cashback on relevant categories and there is a cap of S$70 per month with cashback on this card.

Citi Rewards Card

With Citi Rewards Card, you will get 10 rewards points for every dollar spent on bags, shoes and clothes. You will get to earn rewards points even for shopping done overseas. However, the points that you will earn are capped at 120,000 points every year and will remain valid for five years.

OCBC Robinsons Group Credit Card

With OCBC Robinsons Group Credit Card, you will get the following shopping benefits:

  • 5% rebate at 18 retail brands.
  • 10% rebate on shopping worth S$5,000 at Robinsons and Marks & Spencer.
  • No cap on rebates.
  • Rebates are applicable over and above the prevailing discounts and promotions.

 

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