Downsizing Your HDB Flat in Retirement: Options, Timing and the Cash You Free Up
Downsizing an HDB flat at 55 or older can free up cash and CPF. Your options, how the CPF refund works, the $40,000 Silver Housing Bonus and a worked example.
Property & HDB
HDB and private property money: using CPF, loans, accrued interest, stamp duties and selling.
Helping Your Children Buy a Home Without Draining Your Retirement
Helping children buy a home in Singapore: a cash gift avoids ABSD, while co-owning can add 20% on the whole price. Check your own retirement first.
6 min read
How to Buy a House in Singapore: HDB and Private, Step by Step (2026)
How to buy a house in Singapore, step by step: HFE letter, Option to Purchase, stamp duty, CPF and the loan, with a $550,000 resale flat costed in full.
5 min read
HDB to Condo Upgrade: The Full Money Picture, From Sale to Keys (2026)
An HDB to condo upgrade, costed: what your flat's sale leaves after the CPF refund, the cash and CPF a S$1.5 million condo needs, and the loan TDSR allows.
5 min read
Renting Out Your HDB Flat or a Room: HDB Rules, Tax and Stamp Duty
Can you rent out your HDB flat or a room? The rules on MOP, approval, tenant caps and the 6-month minimum, plus income tax, 0.4% stamp duty and property tax.
5 min read
Selling an HDB Flat: The Process, the Timeline and What It Costs You
Selling an HDB flat takes about three months from OTP to completion. The steps, the HDB deadlines, the costs and a $600,000 sale worked to the cash in hand.
5 min read
Cost of Buying an HDB Resale Flat: Every Fee Beyond the Price (2026)
The cost of buying an HDB resale flat goes beyond the price: S$12,600 stamp duty on $600,000, a $120 valuation fee, cash over valuation, legal fees and more.
4 min read
HDB MOP Explained: The 5- and 10-Year Rules, and What You Cannot Do Before
The HDB MOP is 5 years for Standard flats and 10 for Plus and Prime. What it blocks, how HDB counts it, when you can sell, rent out or buy private property.
5 min read
Sell First or Buy First When Upgrading? ABSD, Loans and Timing Risk
Sell first or buy first when upgrading from HDB? Buying first means 20% ABSD upfront, refunded only if you sell within six months, and a 45% loan limit.
5 min read
Property Tax in Singapore: Owner-Occupier vs Rented-Out Rates (2026)
Property tax in Singapore is charged on annual value: 0% to 32% if you live in the home, 12% to 36% if you let it all out. 2026 rates, rebate and examples.
4 min read
TDSR, MSR and LTV Explained: How Much Home Loan You Can Get (2026)
TDSR and MSR in Singapore cap your home loan at 55% and 30% of income, tested at a 4% rate. How they and the LTV limits work, with a S$10,000-a-month couple.
4 min read
Upgrading and Your CPF Retirement: What a Bigger Loan Does by Age 55
Upgrading uses your CPF retirement savings for longer. A S$1.1 million loan can drain the Ordinary Account by 55; how accrued interest and the BRS fit in.
5 min read
Using CPF for Your HDB Flat: Accrued Interest and What Happens When You Sell
CPF accrued interest is the 2.5% a year your savings would have earned in the OA. When you sell your flat, it goes back to your CPF with the principal.
4 min read
Seller's Stamp Duty in Singapore: Rates, the 4-Year Rule and Examples
Seller's stamp duty in Singapore is 4% to 16% if you sell a home bought from 4 July 2025 within four years. How IRAS counts the holding period, with examples.
4 min read
How Much Home Can We Afford to Upgrade To? Three Limits and a Buffer
How much can you afford to upgrade to? The lowest of three limits: the loan TDSR allows at 4%, the 25% downpayment, the 5% cash. A S$12,000-a-month couple.
4 min read
Stamp Duty in Singapore Property: BSD and ABSD Worked Examples (2026)
Stamp duty on Singapore property, worked out: S$12,600 BSD on a $600,000 flat, ABSD of 5% to 65% by buyer, the 14-day deadline and the married couple refund.
4 min read
BTO vs Resale Flat: Grants, Waiting Time, Cash Upfront and the Trade-Offs
BTO vs resale: a new flat gets up to S$120,000 in grants but a wait of years; a resale flat up to $230,000 and keys in months. The cash, rules and trade-offs.
4 min read
Keep Your HDB and Buy a Condo? The ABSD, Loan and Rental Sums
Can you keep your HDB and buy a condo? After the MOP, yes, but a Citizen couple pays 20% ABSD, S$240,000 on $1.2 million, and may get a smaller bank loan.
4 min read
How to Apply for a BTO Flat: The Ballot, Booking and Payments (2026)
How to apply for BTO in 2026: the HFE letter, the S$10 fee, ballot chances, Standard, Plus and Prime flats, and what you pay at booking and at key collection.
5 min read
Upgrading to a Bigger HDB Flat: 4-Room to 5-Room as a Second-Timer
To upgrade to a bigger HDB flat as a second-timer: resale or BTO, the resale levy, HDB's second-loan rules and a S$600,000 4-room to 5-room move costed.
5 min read
Community Care Apartments Open From Age 55: First Launch at Toa Payoh Hillside
Community Care Apartments are open from age 55, down from 65. The first such launch, 256 units at Toa Payoh Hillside, starts at $151,000 on a 40-year lease.
3 min read
CPF Housing Grants: How Much You Can Get, and What Happens When You Sell
A CPF housing grant is worth up to $120,000 for a new flat or $230,000 for a resale flat in 2026. It goes into your OA and returns to CPF when you sell.
5 min read
The Cost of Upgrading From HDB to Condo: Every Cost Beyond the Price
The cost of upgrading from HDB to condo goes beyond the price: S$44,600 BSD on $1.5 million, fees on both ends, moving, maintenance and a higher property tax.
4 min read
November 2026 BTO: 7,964 Flats in Seven Projects, Prices and What Comes Next
The November 2026 BTO exercise offered 7,964 flats in seven projects, with 4-room Standard flats from $312,000 before grants. Prices, waits and next steps.
4 min read
Decoupling Property in Singapore: How It Works, the Stamp Duties and IRAS's View
Decoupling property in Singapore means one spouse selling their share to the other. The stamp duty it costs, the CPF refund and IRAS's stance on avoidance.
5 min read
HDB Income Ceiling and Eligibility (2026): Who Can Buy Which Flat
The HDB income ceiling is now S$16,000 a month for families and $8,000 for singles. Who can buy which flat, the HDB loan limits and private property rules.
4 min read
Toa Payoh West Master Plan: 6,000 New Homes, and 11,000 More at Maju and Gillman
HDB's Toa Payoh West master plan adds over 6,000 homes by Caldecott MRT, and revised plans for Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks add about 11,000. The details.
4 min read
HDB Resale Prices Dip 0.1% in Q3 2026, a Third Straight Fall, as Sales Jump
The HDB resale price index for Q3 2026 was 202.5, down 0.1% and a third quarterly dip, while resale deals rose 19.5% to 7,645. What it means for you.
3 min read
Private Home Prices Rise 1.4% in Q3 2026 as New Sales Slow and Rents Climb
URA private home prices rose 1.4% in Q3 2026, led by landed homes, while developer sales fell to 1,183 units and rents rose 1.3%. The figures and the impact.
3 min read
HDB Income Ceiling Raised to $16,000: What Changed After the 2026 Rally
The HDB income ceiling rose to $16,000 for families and $8,000 for singles from 24 August 2026, and to $18,000 for new ECs. Who gains, and what to do.
4 min read
15-Month Wait-Out Period Removed: Private Owners Can Buy HDB Resale Flats Sooner
The 15-month wait-out period was removed on 28 July 2026 for private home owners buying a resale HDB flat without an HDB loan. Who gains and who still waits.
3 min read