Discussion About Single & Hdb Flat Ownership + Hdb Loan (Compiled)

[cbm]

@coffeetea When I bought my unit, the seller did ask for extension for 3 months. I wasn't in a hurry to move in so I agreed to it, without charging rent.

 

You can read the HDB website regarding the details. Max extension is 3 months. There is a small admin fee that buyer has to pay. 

 

Utilities will still be under seller's account and not your account for the same address. So they will bill the seller directly. 

 

Property tax and S&C will be borne by you though. 

 

This kind of arrangement is by mutual agreement between buyer and seller. While I did not ask for rent, you can make this request and see if the seller agree or not. 

[Why?]

16 hours ago, cbm said:

@coffeetea When I bought my unit, the seller did ask for extension for 3 months. I wasn't in a hurry to move in so I agreed to it, without charging rent.

 

You can read the HDB website regarding the details. Max extension is 3 months. There is a small admin fee that buyer has to pay. 

 

Utilities will still be under seller's account and not your account for the same address. So they will bill the seller directly. 

 

Property tax and S&C will be borne by you though. 

 

This kind of arrangement is by mutual agreement between buyer and seller. While I did not ask for rent, you can make this request and see if the seller agree or not. 

If you ask for rent,  you probably won't get the unit.  The seller will sell to a different buyer who can accomodate the request for free.  Me think?

[cbm]

2 hours ago, Why? said:

If you ask for rent,  you probably won't get the unit.  The seller will sell to a different buyer who can accomodate the request for free.  Me think?

No lah, if seller asking for extension, means they already go past that stage liao. 

[Why?]

1 hour ago, cbm said:

No lah, if seller asking for extension, means they already go past that stage liao. 

Not advisable.  Better made know publicly and have them on paper so as to avoid any inconveniences when people view your unit.  Don't surprise them after they made their deposit.    

[QinWei]

in order to win your votes, they are Trying really very hard!!!

so good luck to all of you 

Waits are shorter 
Chance are higher soon!

Sg even plan to close down so many golf clubs for... if you have been faithfully following sg news
 

 

BTO income ceilings, eligibility age for singles under review: Chee Hong Tat

Changes to the public housing policies will be made at an “appropriate time” depending on supply and demand, says National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/bto-income-ceiling-singles-age-review-chee-hong-tat-5284381

i dont even need to read further or to see the link , the min the golf club news are announced few weeks ago, i get the msg

 

government will be “building more and building faster”, Mr Chee said.

For a start, it will launch around 55,000 BTO flats from 2025 to 2027, 10 per cent more than an initial target of 50,000 flats over the three years.

These will be in new estates such as Mount Pleasant, Woodlands North Coast, Sembawang North and the former Keppel Club golf course.

Around 4,500 new flats with shorter waiting times of less than three years will also be put up for sale this year, up from an initial target of 3,800 and exceeding the 2,800 in 2024.

 

 

 

MONITORING TARIFF IMPACT

Mr Chee was also asked if the United States’ tariff blitz could result in cost or production issues for housing developers and contractors in Singapore. 

Singapore faces the 10 per cent baseline tariff on exports to the US.

He said the government was closely monitoring global supply chains and the impact of tariffs on the cost of products imported into Singapore.

It is looking at working with “different partners, besides the US”, to ensure supply security, he added.

The local built environment industry can also navigate the new environment by becoming more productive and efficient.

[gayboysgx]

anyone have a calculated guess on which year the government would potentially decrease the age limit for singles to purchase their own bto? and decrease to what age?

[cbm]

No idea bro. The current balloting process already has a lot more applicants than available units. If they reduce the age limit and more people can buy, the probability of getting selected in the ballot would be harder wouldn't it?

 

https://services2.hdb.gov.sg/webapp/BP13BTOENQWeb/AR_Oct2025_BTO?strSystem=BTO

 

The data for the Oct 2025 BTO exercise says that for every unit available for singles, the median application rate was 7.4. Each flat had more than seven singles applying for it.

 

What you can do now is start saving up money. A bigger amount of down payment in cash and lesser use of CPF would cushion you better in the future when you retire.

Edited January 4 by cbm

[Why?]

18 hours ago, gayboysgx said:

anyone have a calculated guess on which year the government would potentially decrease the age limit for singles to purchase their own bto? and decrease to what age?

Although they acknowledged the difficulty of lowering the age, they never stated that they would not do so. There is no official announcement to back up the rumors that the lowest age is 28 or 30.  You would be middle-aged or senior by the time they made the decision to lower the age.  If you don't want to wait another five years for your BTO, it would be more sensible for you to look ahead to your 35th birthday and then purchase your preferred resale apartment instead of waiting for HDB to lower the age for single people. 

[cbm]

You need to rephrase and share a better picture of what your situation is. I catch no ball at what you said above.

 

Questions:

Is your loan from HDB or from bank?

How much returns in % are those investments you mentioned?

What is the size of those investments as a percentage of your loan amount?

 

There's a limit to how much CPF money you can use for your flat. If you hit this limit, you must pay the rest in cash. If you plan on using your OA to finish off your loan, check that the amount is below the limit. 

 

You want to pay off your home loan and then buy BTO?

 

Plenty of people sell their current house and buy another one when they haven't cleared their home loan yet. 

 

Why do you feel that you need to pay off your home loan?

Edited March 26 by cbm

[cbm]

Your salary top 20% in Singapore still need to take bank loan meh?

[kantian]

OCBC is offering 1.5% for 2 years fixed and 1.55% for 3 years fixed term. Suggest you refinance with OCBC instead of repricing with UOB. 

[cbm]

Back then, I was cheeky. I took bank loan even when I didn't need to. Because the five year fixed loan interest rate from bank was low. 

 

The loan principal amount which I had in cash, I invested it with returns higher than the loan interest rate. 

 

At the end of the five year term, the loan interest rate jumped. At that time, I could not make low risk investments that returned higher than the loan interest rate. So I cashed out my investments and paid off the loan.

[cbm]

The opportunity was there and the market conditions were suitable back then. I think banks got smarter now and are no longer offering five years fixed loan. 

 

Interest rate arbitrage works, but the conditions must be right for it to make sense.

 

 

[HavleLife]

I think you need to shorten the tenure by putting in partial repayment. That u will save some interest along the way. 😁

[kantian]

Oc also offers a 5 year fixed but at a higher rate of 1.88%, it’s still lower than a 2.6% hdb loan. You can still arbitrage if you put aside the cash for investments. 

[cutejack]

On 3/30/2026 at 10:45 PM, cbm said:

Back then, I was cheeky. I took bank loan even when I didn't need to. Because the five year fixed loan interest rate from bank was low. 

 

The loan principal amount which I had in cash, I invested it with returns higher than the loan interest rate. 

 

At the end of the five year term, the loan interest rate jumped. At that time, I could not make low risk investments that returned higher than the loan interest rate. So I cashed out my investments and paid off the loan.

Not cheeky. But u r itchy.🤣

[wanton_mee]

I did all my paperwork myself because I bought over from my dad 😬.  Not very difficult and call HDB for guidance.

[cbm]

It's definitely easier now to DIY sell your flat compared to last time. Thanks to HDB's improved resale portal and companies like OhMyHome that allow sellers to post listing directly. 

 

Last time there was no OhMyHome. On propertyguru and 99co, only property agents can post listings. They had the power because buyers will go to those sites to search for flats for sale.

 

You do need to do a lot of research if you want to DIY. Not everyone will have the will to put in effort to do this. 

 

If DIY is too difficult and you prefer going with property agent, the alternative is to engage agents who charge a fixed fee, rather than charge 2% of the sale price. This would help you save on costs while saving you from stress of trying to figure out how to sell the house yourself. 

[Why?]

2 hours ago, wanton_mee said:

I did all my paperwork myself because I bought over from my dad 😬.  Not very difficult and call HDB for guidance.

Why do you need to buy from your dad if he can simply transfer his ownership to you?

 

57 minutes ago, cbm said:

It's definitely easier now to DIY sell your flat compared to last time.

It is worthwhile if the agent can assist you in selling your HDB for the greater amount you anticipate. If the agent demanded that you lower your selling price expectations, you should definitely do it yourself because you would lose a lot of money if you paid them commission and your expectations weren't fulfilled.     Above all, it is preferable to have somewhere else to stay while selling your flag so that you may wait it out without feeling compelled to sell urgently.     However, the HDB portal has advantages and disadvantages. You are not allowed to establish a high price, but you can list your flag there for free. I believe you can set any price you want if you use an agent without using the HDB portal???

  

[Guest bhjk]

I am asking this question on behalf of a church cell member.. He is a 54-years-old single Singaporean with no kids no siblings no nieces and no nephews.

He stayed in other countries for the past 3 decades and he recently returned to Singapore. He now has $839,000 cash in his bank account but his CPF has no money because he did not work in a job in Singapore for the past 3 decades. He does not intend to find a job. He is very firm on not finding a job.

What is the best financial advice to give him based on his $839,000 cash?

1. Should he go buy a resale $500,000 flat and then he permanently rent out his room for passive income?. If he buys a $500,000 flat, his $839K will left $339,000 and what is the best prudent way to invest his $339,000?

2. Or should he go apply for a $110,000 45-years-lease 2-room BTO? If he does that, his $839K will left $729,000 but if he choose this option then he cannot rent out his 2-room BTO.

By the way, he said his current monthly expenses are between $950 to $1050

 

[Why?]

1 hour ago, Guest bhjk said:

I am asking this question on behalf of a church cell member.. He is a 54-years-old single Singaporean with no kids no siblings no nieces and no nephews.

He stayed in other countries for the past 3 decades and he recently returned to Singapore. He now has $839,000 cash in his bank account but his CPF has no money because he did not work in a job in Singapore for the past 3 decades. He does not intend to find a job. He is very firm on not finding a job.

What is the best financial advice to give him based on his $839,000 cash?

1. Should he go buy a resale $500,000 flat and then he permanently rent out his room for passive income?. If he buys a $500,000 flat, his $839K will left $339,000 and what is the best prudent way to invest his $339,000?

2. Or should he go apply for a $110,000 45-years-lease 2-room BTO? If he does that, his $839K will left $729,000 but if he choose this option then he cannot rent out his 2-room BTO.

By the way, he said his current monthly expenses are between $950 to $1050

 

He should top up his CPF account to meet the Full Retirement sum, (let's say $255K)  which will be transferred to his RA account at 55yo and earn high interest. At 55, he can apply for short least BTO (look for non-prime location and pay around $200K), which is cheaper and then he will most probably have the remaining cash of $380K in his bank.

 

Given that he needs only $1050 monthly, around #130K for 10 years,  he can stay jobless until 65yo before monthly CPF pension kicks in (most likely at least $1600/month)  and he still have $250K cash in his bank.  

 

The above, is how he should squeeze his $839K available fund with no fuzz in exchange for future income security and a roof for the rest of his life.    Just my opinion. 

Edited April 23 by Why?

[cbm]

Yup I agree with the above post from @Why?. If I were in that situation as guest's friend, since he is Singaporean, the first thing I would do is max out my CPF retirement account up to full retirement sum. It's 4% guaranteed return per year while the capital is completely protected. You can search the markets all you want but you cannot find any investment product like this. After 10 years, at 65 years old, CPF Life monthly payouts begin and continue paying every month until you die. All things considered, CPF is a very good deal.

 

After setting aside CPF, buy a HDB two room flexi flat for seniors, since he doesn't want any job. Renting out rooms is a job. He will be a landlord. And he will need to pay income tax from his rental earnings.

 

With the balance of his money, he can put it in less risky products like Singapore Savings Bonds, SGS bonds, T-bills, Astrea private equity funds (sold as a bond), or blue chip stocks like DBS, UOB, OCBC, SIA, Singtel to collect dividends.

 

[Mm89]

For those who have had the experience, what would you recommend: an interior designer or a general contractor? Thoughts, pros/cons and recommendations much appreciated! 

[Why?]

11 hours ago, Mm89 said:

For those who have had the experience, what would you recommend: an interior designer or a general contractor? Thoughts, pros/cons and recommendations much appreciated! 

If you want your house to have a theme, an upper class look, to maximise space, to think out of the box, to meet challenging corner and most importantly you have completely no idea at all, then interior designer might comes in handy to help you out.

 

If you have your own idea, and your HDB is small,  want a practical and functional home, and prefer to keep things as simple as possible, and plan to sell your home eventually, then go straight to the contractor with your own plan. 

 

The above decision is based on personal budget.  If you are already wealthy, then the above question is no long relevant, you can spend on renovation equivalent to the price of your home.  

[QinWei]

good news :
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1801405127900101 for some of u
last round was 2 rm BTO flats to island flat, but w parents ...

[QinWei]

On 7/28/2026 at 1:29 PM, QinWei said:

good news :
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1801405127900101 for some of u
last round was 2 rm BTO flats to island flat, but w parents ...

Dear guest, 

it  is shared: 28th daytime

Mod shall combine 

 

[Guest No big deal]

5 hours ago, QinWei said:

Dear guest, 

it  is shared: 28th daytime

Mod shall combine 

 

Above news is good for those in their early 20s to start planning for early home ownership.  If you are already 30yo, by the time lowering age limit came into effect, you are already 35yo which makes no difference to you by then. Not to mention is you plan to apply BTO, you need to wait another 4 -5 years.  You already 40yo liao. 

[QinWei]

now moistly married later right?

1 hour ago, Guest No big deal said:

Above news is good for those in their early 20s to start planning for early home ownership.  If you are already 30yo, by the time lowering age limit came into effect, you are already 35yo which makes no difference to you by then. Not to mention is you plan to apply BTO, you need to wait another 4 -5 years.  You already 40yo liao. 

 

[sphere]

Finally from the National Day Rally tonight - the higher income ceiling (highlighted in RED), hopefully many of us can now apply for new flats eh!   

 

 

 

NDR 2026: Higher income ceiling for BTO flats, ECs; more ballot chances for first-timers with kids

The current income ceiling for BTO flats is $14,000 for families and $7,000 for singles. It is $16,000 for executive condominiums.

 ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

 

SINGAPORE – The income ceiling for Build-To-Order (BTO) flats will be increased to $16,000 for families and $8,000 for singles, so more Singaporean couples can have access to subsidised public housing.

 

For buyers of new executive condominiums (ECs), it will be increased to $18,000, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said in his National Day Rally speech on Aug 23.

 

The current income ceiling for BTO flats is $14,000 for families and $7,000 for singles. It is $16,000 for new ECs.

 

For HDB buyers, this will take effect for those applying for an HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter from Aug 24.

 

The new EC income ceiling will apply to developments with land sale tender closing dates from Aug 24. It will not apply to balance units in existing ECs.

 

Explaining the increase, PM Wong noted that Singaporeans have been marrying later.

 

“By the time they settle down, many are further along in their careers and earning more. So more young couples are crossing the current income ceilings,” he said.

 

“We want to ensure that the vast majority of Singaporean couples can continue to have access to subsidised public housing.”

 

The monthly household income ceiling for BTO flats was last raised in September 2019 – from $12,000 to $14,000 for families, and from $6,000 to $7,000 for singles.

 

The Ministry of National Development (MND) and HDB said on Aug 23 that the higher income ceiling will also apply to those buying an HDB resale flat with the CPF Housing Grant and Singles Grant.

 

The CPF Housing Grant gives up to $80,000 for first-timer families buying a two- to four-room resale flat, and up to $50,000 for those buying a five-room or larger resale flat.

 

Singles are eligible for $40,000 in grants when buying a two- to four-room resale flat, and $25,000 for a five-room or larger resale flat, under the Singles Grant.

 

Eligible buyers under the new income ceiling can also get an HDB housing loan for a new or resale flat.

 

National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat first said in August 2025 the BTO income ceiling was being reviewed.

 

He said then that when the policy change is made, “we will not end up with a situation where there is insufficient supply”.

 

In May, he added that HDB will likely exceed its target of launching 55,000 BTO flats from 2025 to 2027, as current trends show a strong demand for housing.

 

PM Wong said “encouraging results” have been seen from the Government’s efforts to ramp up housing supply.

 

Success rates for booking BTO flats are higher, waiting times are shorter and the resale market has stabilised, he said.

 

HDB resale prices declined in the second quarter of 2026. They dipped for the first time in close to seven years in the first quarter of the year.

 

In 2025, the median household market income for resident households was $12,446, an increase from $9,099 in 2020, according to the General Household Survey released by the Department of Statistics in June.

 

Market income refers to income from employment and non-employment sources, such as rental and investment earnings.

 

The income ceiling for the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme, which is currently the same as that for singles, will be raised. The same applies to schemes for second-timer families such as the Fresh Start Housing Scheme and Step-Up CPF Housing Grant.

 

Schemes for seniors such as the Lease Buyback Scheme, Silver Housing Bonus and community care apartments, will also see the income ceiling increased.

First-timer families with children get more help to secure a flat

During his Rally speech, PM Wong also said first-timer families with children will get one additional ballot chance for every child they have or are expecting, to significantly improve their chances of getting a flat in BTO or Sale of Balance Flat exercises.

 

This will take effect from the February 2027 BTO sales exercise.

 

Noting that married or engaged couples already have priority access, PM Wong added: “But once you have children, I believe you should receive even greater priority.”

 

Currently, eligible families under the First-Timer (Parents and Married Couples) category receive three ballot chances. They also get first priority under the Family and Parenthood Priority Scheme when applying for a four-room or smaller BTO flat in Standard projects.

 

Those who have been unsuccessful in two or more BTO applications for Standard flats – those with a five-year minimum occupation period and no subsidy clawback upon resale – get an extra ballot chance for each subsequent application.

 

The overall ballot chances for this category are capped at five.

 

There is no cap on the ballot chances first-timer families with children can receive for every child they have.

 

PM Wong added: “So the more children you have, the more ballot chances you will receive – because we want to help these growing families secure a home sooner.”

 

MND and HDB said that the next BTO sales exercise will be held in November instead of October, to give buyers enough time to review their housing plans and apply for an HFE letter.

 

They advised buyers who are keen to participate in the upcoming exercise to apply for an HFE letter by Sept 25.

 

HDB is expected to roll out about 7,960 flats in Bedok, Geylang, Sembawang, Tengah, Toa Payoh and Yishun in the next exercise.

 

Assisted living flats, also known as community care apartments, will also be offered in Toa Payoh. These flats come with senior-friendly fittings, such as wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and other health and community services.

 

 

[source: here]