Blog
Market updates, decoded by real data.
Buying and selling tips, neighbourhood guides and quarterly market reads — written against completed URA caveats and HDB resale records, never portal asking prices.
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Everything on the blog.
Market Update
The income ceiling just went up. Here's what the last increase actually tells us — and what it doesn't.
NDR 2026 raised the BTO ceiling to $16,000 and the EC ceiling to $18,000. Here's what changed, what happened after the last increase in 2019, and why that comparison is weaker than it looks.
25 Aug 2026 · 6 min read
Buying
The 99-to-1 "loophole": why IRAS is clawing it back, with a 50% surcharge
The 99-to-1 ABSD workaround isn't a clever loophole — IRAS has clawed back ~S$60M across 166 cases, with a 50% surcharge, a criminal conviction, and agents referred to CEA. Here's why it fails.
12 Aug 2026 · 5 min read
Market Update
Lower Interest Rates, Decoded: What They Actually Change for HDB Upgraders
SORA and bank mortgage rates have dropped to 3-year lows in 2026. Here's what that really does to your monthly repayment, your loan approval, and whether demand is actually heating up.
8 Aug 2026 · 5 min read
Buying
Buy, or rent and invest the difference? The costs nobody puts in the spreadsheet
The real rent-vs-buy question in Singapore isn't price vs rent — it's the overlooked costs on both sides: CPF opportunity cost, carry costs, transaction friction, and discipline.
5 Aug 2026 · 7 min read
Market Update
The 15-Month Wait-Out Is Gone (With One Big Catch): What Actually Changes for Private Owners Buying HDB Resale
On 28 July 2026, HDB removed the 15-month wait-out for private owners buying non-subsidised resale flats — but only if you skip an HDB loan. Here's what changed and what didn't.
29 Jul 2026 · 5 min read
Market Update
Singapore property market update — what actually moved this quarter
Q2 2026 in numbers: HDB resale prices fell for a second straight quarter even as volume rose, private gains were mostly a landed-home story, Tengah's first condo nearly sold out, and rents kept climbing.
25 Jul 2026 · 5 min read
New Launch
Executive Condo vs private condo: the trade nobody spells out
ECs launch cheaper per square foot than private condos in the same segment, but the discount comes with a 10-year MOP, a smaller CPF grant, and an income ceiling. Here's the actual trade.
17 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Buying
Leasehold Landed Looks Like a Deal — Here's the Fine Print Most Buyers Skip
Leasehold landed houses in Singapore can be 30-50% cheaper than freehold, but the discount hides financing, CPF, and resale mechanics buyers often miss. Here's how to decode it.
3 Jul 2026 · 5 min read
Selling
Your HDB made $500K on paper. Here's the cheque you actually get.
The real deduction waterfall when you sell an HDB flat — loan, CPF refund plus accrued interest, agent commission, legal fees — and why your paper gain rarely equals the cash that lands in your bank account.
19 Jun 2026 · 5 min read
Buying
The bank approved $2.1M. Here are the three numbers it didn't show you.
An In-Principle Approval tells you what a bank WILL lend, not what a purchase actually costs to live with. Here are the three numbers it skips: cash-over-valuation, real upfront cost, and your monthly commitment at a stressed rate.
5 Jun 2026 · 6 min read
Rather have your own numbers than read about someone else's?
Every article here is general. Your situation isn't. Send me the specifics and I'll run the actual figures for your property, your CPF position and your timeline.
I reply within one business day. · Eugene Tan · CEA R074026J · PropNex Realty