Singapore property, explained properly
The rules that decide what you can buy, what it costs, and when you are allowed to sell — written out in full, with every statutory rate read live from the same table the calculators use. No account needed to read any of it.
Written by Jack Ng · Investment Ideator, PropNex Realty Pte Ltd · CEA R051608F
Money
What it costs, and what you can borrow.Stamp duty in Singapore: BSD and ABSD, worked through
BSD, ABSD, the 14-day deadline, and the remission most couples miss.
How much can I borrow in Singapore?
The three limits that size your loan, and which one actually binds.
Home loan rates: fixed, floating, and when to refinance
Fixed vs floating, SORA, lock-ins, and the real maths of refinancing.
Renting instead of buying: the arithmetic nobody shows you
What buying really costs, what renting really costs, and how to find your own break-even.
HDB
Flats, grants, and the resale process.HDB grants: what you can actually get
EHG, Family Grant and PHG — current amounts, ceilings, and how they stack.
How to buy an HDB resale flat
HFE letter to keys — every step, with the timeline that actually holds.
BTO or resale: which is actually better?
Price, wait, lease and grants — compared on total cost, not sticker price.
Plus and Prime flats: the 10-year MOP, and the rule that never lifts
The 10-year MOP, the permanent whole-flat rental ban, and subsidy recovery — explained.
Moving
Selling, upgrading, and the rules on timing.Upgrading from HDB to private: sell first or buy first?
The ABSD, the CPF refund, the bridging gap — and which route your numbers allow.
When can I sell? SSD and the Minimum Occupation Period
SSD holding periods, the five-year MOP, and the cost of selling early.
Decoupling: what it is, and when it still works
How the transfer works, what it costs, and when it stops making sense.
Co-living in Singapore: the rules, the rent and who it actually suits
Occupancy caps, minimum stays, what the all-in rent buys, and what an owner nets by the room.
Buying
The process, end to end.Executive Condos: two clocks, and both start at TOP
The EC MOP, full privatisation, and exactly which projects the 8 May 2026 changes touch.
How to read a land bid, and what it says about tomorrow's launch price
What psf ppr means, how it implies a launch price, and where the signal breaks down.
Buying near a school: what the 1km rule is really worth
How the distance bands work, what the premium has been, and where it breaks down.
Buying a new launch condo: from the VVIP preview to the ballot, the booking and the keys
Preview, cheque, ballot, booking day, OTP deadlines, progressive payments — and where the money stops being refundable.
Why new-launch psf looks higher since 2023: floor-area harmonisation, explained
What the 2023 floor-area rule changed, and how to compare an older unit's psf with a new launch fairly.