Practical reading on buying, selling and financing property in Singapore — no jargon, no fluff.
URA's Q1 2026 Private Residential Price Index was revised up to +0.9% quarter-on-quarter, from a +0.3% flash estimate. Mass-market (OCR) condos led the gains at +2.2%, while landed properties corrected -1.8% — and transaction volume fell 39.7% to 4,041 units as the post-launch surge cooled.
Ask Alvin about thisBTO prices range from $328K in non-mature estates to $780K+ in mature/prime towns, with waits of 3-4 years (though 28% of units now come in under 3 years). Resale lets you move in within 3-6 months, and CPF Housing Grants can still get first-timers up to $230,000 toward it.
Ask Alvin about thisSingapore Citizens pay 0% ABSD on a first property, 20% on a second and 30% on a third or beyond. Permanent Residents pay 5% / 30% / 35% at the same tiers, while foreigners face a flat 60% on any residential purchase — though some US, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtenstein nationals qualify for citizen rates under FTAs.
Ask Alvin about thisHDB's Resale Price Index slipped 0.1% in Q1 2026 — the first dip since Q2 2019 — yet 412 flats sold above $1 million, a new record (up from 368 in Q4 2025), averaging about $1.15M. Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio and Bukit Merah led on price, with 5-room resale medians of $1.1M, $1.09M and $1.085M respectively.
Ask Alvin about this