House Owner Gets Compared To Real-Life "Up" For Refusing To Sell His Land

Did you guys watch the animated Disney movie “Up”? If the answer is yes, you might be familiar with the part where Carl’s house was being surrounded by high-rise buildings.

Since the house was filled with nostalgia for his wife, Carl did not intend to let go of the house even though the developer offered a great deal of compensation money. Well, the same occurrence also happened to this Singaporean house owner.

As reported by 99.co, the owner, only known by his surname Goh, refused to sell his terrace house land located in Geylang, despite being offered a high compensation value by the condominium developer, Macly Group. “My late mother bought this house. We will continue to take care of this house until the end of our lives,” the 60-year-old trade hawker told Shin Min Daily News.

Additionally, Mr. Goh also dished that this was not the first time he was approached by the developers. “Previously, I had two houses and one of them was located in Lorong 20, Geylang. It was sold to the developer of La Brisa condominium ten years ago,” he was quoted as saying.

He added, “This time I will not sell this heritage house because it belongs to me and my elder sister. After all, it is very difficult to find a terrace house in Singapore nowadays. For me, this house is something valuable that cannot be sold, despite the high value of compensation offered.”

Meanwhile, another owner of a Buddhist house in the area also refused to sell the land to the developer. The woman has been assigned as the caretaker of the house and she explained that the house is only open to family members as well as close acquaintances. However, she didn’t reveal specifically on why she didn’t want to sell the house to Macly Groups.

It is expected that the NoMa condominium construction process will be fully completed by the year 2023. A total of 50 units, consisting of one living room and two bedrooms will be built. If Macly Group is successful in persuading the two terrace house owners, an additional 20 more units of condos will be built there.

It was also reported that the Buddhist house is located in the NoMa condominium area, while Mr. Goh’s house is located next to the condominium and is stuck with another building next to it. Although their area is increasingly crowded with rapid development, they insisted on not leaving the place.

“I will continue to live here while taking care of the flower garden that I have been planting for a long time. Every morning, I will wake up early and chill in the courtyard while looking at the urban areas. The sound of my pet birds’ chirping can also enhance my sense of calmness in the early morning,” Goh explained his daily routine.