$100K Losses

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Arigato, dear investor,

Five years ago, I bought my 1-bedroom condo in Singapore.

At that time, I genuinely thought it was a great decision.
I finally had my own place.
And I saw it as a way to diversify my portfolio.

Property felt safe.
Property felt smart.
Property felt like “you can’t go wrong.”

Fast forward five years.

When I recently started looking into selling, I realised something that really shook me.

Some of the latest transactions were done at almost $100K below my purchase price.

Which means — if I were to sell now — I’d potentially be facing a close to six-figure loss.

I was devastated.

And if I’m honest, this has been bothering me quietly for the past couple of months.

Yesterday, when I finally shared this with my family, I broke down and cried in front of my parents.

That moment forced me to sit with myself and ask:
What really went wrong?

Here’s what I reflected on.

Mistake #1: I made a rash decision.
I bought the property within just a few days. No patience. No deep homework.
I was chasing the hype — like many investors do — believing prices would “always go up.”

Mistake #2: I bought it too small.

At that time, my parents actually offered to lend me money so I could buy a bigger unit.
But I said no.
Part of it was not wanting to burden them.
And if I’m being very honest — part of it was my own ego.
I insisted on going ahead with what I could afford on my own: a one-bedder.

Looking back, that turned out to be a costly mistake.
Most other unit types made money over the years —
but many one-bedroom units struggled, and some are now facing losses.

This experience taught me something uncomfortable but important:
When it comes to investing, ego can be expensive.
Being financially independent is admirable — but so is knowing when to accept help, evaluate options objectively, and make decisions based on numbers instead of pride.

If I had let go of my ego back then and looked purely at long-term value, the outcome might have been very different.

Mistake #3: I listened to only one voice.
For such a big decision, I should have consulted more people and gathered more diverse opinions. At the end of the day, you bear the consequences — not the person who gives the advice.

And now comes the most important reflection.

Instead of staying angry or sad, I asked myself:
What is this situation trying to teach me?

If I had never gone through this, I might have always believed that property investing is safe and easy. That it carries little risk.

This experience taught me otherwise.

Nothing is truly risk-free.
Price is what you pay.
Value is what you get.
What I thought was so obvious for stocks investing, I didn’t apply it to property investing.

Chasing hype is expensive.
Buying undervalued assets requires patience, humility, and work.

There was one more lesson — a very human one.

When I was crying, my sister half-jokingly said:
“I don’t even have $100K to lose in the first place. You’re already in a better position than me.”

It was funny.
And it was wise.

It reminded me to shift my perspective.

Yes, I may be facing a six-figure paper loss.
But I still have a roof over my head.
I can still rent the place out and earn income.
And that already puts me in a better position than many who can’t even afford a private property at all.

This has been a deeply reflective lesson for me.

So if there’s one thing I hope you take away from my mistake, it’s this:

👉 Always do your own research.
👉 Seek multiple perspectives.
👉 Never chase hype and only buy when there’s a margin of safety.
👉 And remember — you are the one who makes the final decision.

On a silver-lining note, the US stock market rewarded me very differently over the same five-year period.

My stock portfolio is up close to 100% over the last five years.

I truly believe God always has a way of protecting us and blessing us — sometimes quietly, in ways we only appreciate later. I’m deeply grateful that I started investing in stocks and options years ago, allowing compounding to work quietly in the background even when other decisions didn’t turn out as planned.

This experience reinforced why I believe so strongly in diversification — not relying on property alone, but building multiple pillars of growth over time.

If you’d like to start investing and diversify your gains beyond property, I’ve put together my 7-course investing bundle to help you get started calmly and thoughtfully — the Arigato way.

Meanwhile, check out this 👇️ 

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Arigato!

Chloe
Arigato Investor

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