Skip to content
The Property Gene logo

New launch

New launch, without the showflat pressure.

Executive Condominium or private condo, the launch process runs the same way: ballot, book, pay in stages, wait for TOP. What differs is who's eligible, what it costs to exit, and how the payment schedule hits your cash flow. Here's all of it, before you queue on a Saturday morning.

My commission on a new launch is paid by the developer — it costs you nothing to have your own representation.

The 60-second version

  • 01Decide EC or private first. It changes eligibility, financing, grants, and when you're allowed to sell. Almost every other question resolves differently depending on the answer.
  • 02EC rules changed on 8 May 2026. New EC sites carry a 10-year MOP and privatise at 15 years. Sites tendered before that date keep the old 5-year MOP, 10-year privatisation and the Deferred Payment Scheme — so which EC you're looking at decides which rulebook applies.
  • 03The Deferred Payment Scheme is gone for new ECs. You now service the loan progressively through construction, which changes your cash flow materially versus the old 20%-then-wait structure.
  • 04Private: no eligibility gate and no MOP — but Seller's Stamp Duty runs over four years at 16% / 12% / 8% / 4%, so an early exit is expensive. No CPF housing grants either.
  • 05The showflat agent is paid by the developer. So is my commission — which means an independent second read costs you nothing either way.
Jump to:EC or private·The process·Payment schedule·MOP & exit·FAQ

Two tracks

EC or private. Decide this first.

Almost every other question about a new launch resolves differently depending on which of these you're on.

Executive Condominium

The EC track

A hybrid — built by a private developer but launched under HDB-style eligibility with a resale timeline. The launch discount is real, and the restrictions got materially heavier on 8 May 2026.

  • Income ceiling applies at application — a hard gate, not a guideline
  • Eligibility scheme required (Public Scheme, Fiancé/Fiancée and others)
  • CPF housing grants available, tiered by household income
  • MOP of 10 years on new EC sites — 5 years on the sites tendered before 8 May 2026
  • Privatisation at 15 years under the new rules, 10 under the old
  • No Deferred Payment Scheme — withdrawn 8 May 2026
  • 90% of units reserved for first-timers, with a two-year priority window
  • MSR applies on top of TDSR, which tightens your loan ceiling

Best for: Upgraders under the income ceiling who want maximum floor area and can commit for the full MOP — now a decade on new launches.

Private Condominium

The private launch track

No eligibility gate, no MOP, no grants. You buy on location, developer, product and price, and exit whenever the numbers work — subject to Seller's Stamp Duty in the early years.

  • No income ceiling, no eligibility scheme
  • No MOP — but Seller's Stamp Duty runs four years: 16% / 12% / 8% / 4%
  • No CPF housing grants
  • TDSR only (no MSR), though LTV steps down on second and later housing loans
  • ABSD from your second residential property; PRs and foreigners from the first
  • Generally better-located than ECs — you're paying for that location

Best for: Buyers above the EC income ceiling, those who need liquidity flexibility, and anyone prioritising location over floor area.

The process

Eight steps from ballot to keys.

A new launch purchase runs over three to five years. Knowing the shape of it upfront is what stops the middle from being stressful.

  1. 1

    Confirm which track you're on

    Step 1

    EC or private. ECs carry an income ceiling, eligibility scheme and MOP; private carries none of those but no grants. This choice changes every step — and for an EC, which side of the 8 May 2026 change it's on.

  2. 2

    Financing before the launch weekend

    Step 2

    Get your IPA before you walk into a showflat. Launch weekends run on scarcity and a queue number — the worst time to find your ceiling is while an agent holds a unit for you.

  3. 3

    Benchmark launch pricing against nearby resale

    Step 3

    The check most buyers skip: compare the launch psf against recent comparable resale nearby and against other launches. A launch can be priced well or badly — the showflat won't tell you which.

  4. 4

    Preview, balloting and unit selection

    Step 4

    For popular launches, a ballot sets your selection order. Have a ranked list — stack, floor, facing, layout — before your slot; you'll have minutes, not hours.

  5. 5

    Booking fee and Option to Purchase

    Step 5

    You pay a booking fee and get the Option plus the S&PA, with a statutory window to exercise. Read the S&PA — TOP date, specifications and defects liability are all in it.

  6. 6

    Stamp duty and loan drawdown

    Step 6

    Buyer's Stamp Duty (plus ABSD) is due within 14 days of exercising. Your loan is approved against the progressive schedule, not drawn all at once.

  7. 7

    Progressive payments through construction

    Step 7

    You pay in stages as construction hits milestones, so your instalment grows and is largest at TOP. Plan the cash flow — the TOP payment dwarfs your first.

  8. 8

    TOP, defects and CSC

    Step 8

    TOP means keys and move-in — inspect and submit defects within the liability period. CSC follows, and legal completion with it.

Payment

The progressive payment schedule.

You don't pay for an uncompleted unit all at once. You pay as it gets built — which means your monthly instalment grows through construction and reaches full size around TOP.

Milestone% of pricePaid from
Booking fee (on Option to Purchase)5%Cash
Exercise of Option / signing S&PA15%Cash or CPF; stamp duty also due within 14 days
Completion of foundation work10%Loan drawdown begins
Completion of reinforced concrete framework10%Loan
Completion of brick walls5%Loan
Completion of roofing / ceiling5%Loan
Completion of door frames, window frames, wiring, plastering5%Loan
Completion of car park, roads and drains5%Loan
Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP)25%Keys collected; full instalment begins
Certificate of Statutory Completion (CSC)15%Final payment

Illustrative standard schedule under the Housing Developers Rules. Individual projects and payment schemes vary — always check the schedule in your own Sale & Purchase Agreement, and confirm current stamp duty and ABSD rates against IRAS before committing.

MOP and exit

When can you actually sell?

The restriction that most affects an EC buyer — and since 8 May 2026 there are two different answers depending on which project you're looking at.

New rules · sites tendered from 8 May 2026

10-year MOP · privatises at 15

  • Years 0–10: cannot sell, cannot rent out the whole unit, cannot buy another residential property.
  • Years 10–15: sellable to Singapore Citizens and PRs.
  • Year 15+: fully privatised, open market including foreign buyers.
  • No Deferred Payment Scheme. Progressive payment only.

Old rules · sites tendered before 8 May 2026

5-year MOP · privatises at 10

  • Years 0–5: cannot sell, cannot rent out the whole unit, cannot buy another residential property.
  • Years 5–10: sellable to Singapore Citizens and PRs.
  • Year 10+: fully privatised, open market.
  • Deferred Payment Scheme still available — the last ECs that can offer it.

Announced by MND on 8 May 2026, applying to “all EC Government Land Sale sites with tender closing dates on or after 8 May 2026”. Not retroactive — every existing and resale EC stays on the old timeline, as do sites whose tenders had already closed.

The “five pipeline projects” quoted elsewhere (Senja Close, Sembawang Road, Miltonia Close, two Woodlands Drive 17 sites) are not named in the official release — that's the industry's reading of which parcels closed tender before the cutoff. Consistent across sources, but confirm your specific project with the developer.

Source:MND, “Strengthening the Executive Condominium Housing Scheme and Supporting First-Time Home Buyers”, 8 May 2026.

Private condominiums have no MOP — but "no MOP" is not the same as "free to exit".Seller's Stamp Duty now runs over a four-year holding period for properties bought on or after 4 July 2025, at 16% in year one, then 12%, 8% and 4%. On a $2m purchase that is $320,000 if you sell inside twelve months. It's a cost rather than a prohibition, but it is not a small one — check the current IRAS schedule before planning any short hold.

New launch FAQ

The questions launch buyers actually ask.

Is a new launch better value than resale?+
Sometimes. A launch gives a fresh 99-year lease, current specs, developer warranty and staged payments while you keep living where you are. Resale gives a completed product you can inspect, immediate occupancy or rent, and usually more space per dollar. Compare launch psf against recent resale nearby — and against your holding period.
Who does the showflat agent work for?+
The developer — that's the structure, not a criticism. Their guidance on pricing, unit and timing comes from the developer's side of the table. An independent read on whether a project is priced sensibly has to come from someone the project doesn't pay.
What is MOP, and does it apply to a new launch?+
The Minimum Occupation Period runs from key collection and applies to ECs and HDB flats — during it you can't sell or rent out the whole unit. For ECs the length depends on the project: 10 years for sites tendered from 8 May 2026, 5 years for those tendered before. Private condos have no MOP — but Seller's Stamp Duty runs a four-year holding period (16% / 12% / 8% / 4%) for purchases from 4 July 2025.
How does progressive payment affect my monthly cash flow?+
Your loan draws down in stages as construction hits milestones, and you pay interest only on what's drawn — so the instalment starts small and reaches full size around TOP. Plan for two things: the TOP payment dwarfs your first, and if you're renting or servicing another mortgage meanwhile, you carry both.
Can I sell my EC before the MOP is up?+
No — the MOP is a hard restriction, not a fee you can pay to exit. On a new EC site that's now ten years, then sale to SCs and PRs, full privatisation at fifteen. A decade in which you can't sell, rent the whole unit out, or buy another residential property. If there's a real chance your life changes inside ten years, a new EC is the wrong instrument.
What happened to the Deferred Payment Scheme?+
Withdrawn on 8 May 2026. Under DPS you paid ~20% upfront and deferred the rest until TOP, usually at a premium — handy for HDB upgraders still servicing their flat. Now you pay progressively through construction, carrying both commitments if you haven't sold. If you were counting on DPS to bridge an upgrade, redo that plan before committing.
I'm upgrading from an HDB. What's the sequence?+
The one to get right. Buy the launch before selling and you pay ABSD upfront on the second property, with remission if you sell your existing home within six months. On an uncompleted launch that six months runs from TOP or CSC, whichever is earlier — not your purchase date — so the clock may not start for years. Sell first and you have certainty but may need interim accommodation. Progressive payment makes buy-first more manageable here than for a resale — so we work the sequence against your actual cash, not a rule of thumb.
Do I pay you if I buy through you at a launch?+
No. On a new launch my commission comes from the developer, the same whether you walk in alone or with me. Your own representation costs nothing and gets you a second opinion from someone not on the developer's payroll.

Get an independent read before the launch weekend.

Tell me which project you're looking at. I'll benchmark the launch pricing against recent transactions nearby, run your progressive payment cash flow, and tell you plainly if I think it's priced badly. Costs you nothing — my fee comes from the developer either way.

Ask about a launchWhatsApp +65 9806 0007

I reply within one business day. · Eugene Tan · CEA R074026J · PropNex Realty