Most parents who look into buy property under trust in Singapore are chasing one thing. They want to dodge ABSD on a second property, and someone told them a trust could do it.

It still can. But the rules changed hard in 2023, and a lot of the advice floating around online is now outdated. Before you sign anything, here’s what actually applies today.

TL;DR

• ABSD (Trust) is 65% upfront on any residential property transferred into a living trust, as of 27 April 2023.
• You can apply for a refund of the difference if the beneficiary is clearly named, a Singapore Citizen, owns no other property, and the trust is irrevocable.
• Buy property under trust is still one of the few legal ways to secure a property for a child without triggering ABSD, once remission is approved.
• No bank will lend against a trust property held for a minor. You’ll need to fund it fully or use another asset as collateral.
• Decoupling often works out cheaper than a trust if you already co-own a property with your spouse. Trust makes more sense in specific situations, not as a default move.
• Get the Trust Deed and Option to Purchase wording right, or you risk paying 65% ABSD with no way to claw it back.

What Does Buy Property Under Trust Actually Mean?

A trust splits ownership into two parts. One person, the trustee, is registered as the legal owner. Another person, the beneficiary, actually owns the benefits.

Think of it like CPF. The CPF Board holds your retirement savings as trustee, but you’re the one who benefits from it. Property trusts work the same way, just applied to a condo or landed home instead of a savings account.

Parents typically set this up to buy a home in a child’s name. The child, usually under 21, becomes the beneficiary. The parent acts as trustee, handling the paperwork, the taxes, and the property management, while the ownership itself legally belongs to the child.

Trustee vs Beneficiary: Who’s Responsible For What

The trustee doesn’t own the property in any real sense. They manage it. Every dollar of rent, every cent from a future sale, belongs to the beneficiary, not the trustee. That distinction matters more than most people realise, especially when it comes to bank loans (more on that below).

A trust deed spells all of this out. It should name the trustee and beneficiary clearly, describe the property, and set out the trustee’s powers, including the ability to rent, sell, or reinvest on the beneficiary’s behalf. Lawyers draft this, not property agents, so budget for legal fees from the start.

The 65% ABSD (Trust) Rule, and How Remission Actually Works

This is the part that trips up almost everyone.

Since 9 May 2022, transferring residential property into a living trust triggers ABSD. The rate started at 35% and jumped to 65% on 27 April 2023. That’s payable upfront, in full, regardless of who the beneficiary is.

The government did this specifically to stop people using trusts to flip property and dodge ABSD without any real intention of holding it long-term.

Here’s the part that actually matters for genuine buyers: you can apply for a remission (a refund) of the difference between 65% and the ABSD rate that would normally apply to your beneficiary, provided you meet IRAS’s conditions.

Most people who lose money on property didn’t pick a bad unit. They skipped the math.

That’s not an exaggeration. It’s what happens over and over when buyers get caught up in a showflat and forget the real estate investment calculations that would have told them the numbers didn’t work.

TL;DR

• Real estate investment calculations aren’t complicated. Most of it is basic percentages, not advanced finance.
• Check your TDSR and MSR before you view a single unit. It sets your real budget.
• Gross yield is a quick filter. Net yield, DSCR, and cash-on-cash return tell you the real story.
• The 1% rule is a rough screen, not a rule most Singapore condos will pass today.
• Capital appreciation should be modelled conservatively, not off the best year the market ever had.
• Run the full set of real estate investment calculations before you exercise the Option to Purchase, not after.

Why These Numbers Actually Matter Here

Property in Singapore runs on leverage. With a bank loan covering up to 75% of the price, your cash outlay is a fraction of the unit’s value. That’s exactly why the returns on your cash can look so much better than the returns on the property itself.

But leverage cuts both ways.

Get your real estate investment calculations wrong on a $1.5 million condo and you’re not looking at a rounding error. You’re looking at a five or six figure mistake. Add ABSD, TDSR limits, and monthly maintenance fees into the mix, and you’ll find the numbers Singapore investors actually use are quite different from what a generic American property blog will tell you.

Here’s what this guide covers, in the order most buyers should actually run them.

1. Downpayment and Loan-to-Value (LTV) Ratio

Every purchase price splits into two parts: the bank loan and your downpayment.

In Singapore, the maximum LTV for a first home loan (tenure under 30 years, borrower under 65) is 75%. That leaves a minimum downpayment of 25%, split between 5% cash and the rest from cash or CPF.

Push the loan tenure past 65, or stretch it beyond 30 years, and LTV drops to 55%. Already servicing another mortgage? Same 55% cap applies.

Formula: Downpayment = Purchase Price − Loan Amount

2. Total Upfront Cash Outlay

Downpayment is just the start. BSD, ABSD, legal fees, and (occasionally) agent commission all stack on top, and together they’re what you actually need in the bank before collecting your keys.

Rough shortcut: under $1 million, BSD is about (Price × 3%) − $5,400. Above $1 million, it’s about (Price × 4%) − $15,400.

ABSD depends on residency and how many properties you already hold.

If ABSD applies to you, look into the legal ways to reduce it before you commit. It’s often the single biggest line item in the entire budget, bigger than legal fees and agent commission combined.

3. TDSR and MSR: Will the Bank Even Say Yes?

This is the one most first-timers skip. It’s also the one that kills deals at the worst possible moment.

Total Debt Servicing Ratio caps all your monthly debt, including the new mortgage, at 55% of gross monthly income. Buying an HDB flat? Mortgage Servicing Ratio applies too, capping housing repayments at 30% of income.

Formula: TDSR = (Total Monthly Debt Repayments ÷ Gross Monthly Income) × 100

Run this before you fall for a unit, not after. There’s no point touring a $2 million condo if the bank will only lend against $1.4 million.

4. Net Rental Income

Net rental income is what’s actually left after collecting rent and paying every real expense tied to owning the unit.

Formula: Net Rental Income = Gross Rental Income − Operating Expenses

5. Gross Rental Yield

Gross rental yield is the fastest way to compare two condos, because it ignores financing and expenses and just looks at rent versus price.

Formula: Gross Rental Yield = (Annual Rental Income ÷ Purchase Price) × 100

A $1,000,000 condo renting at $3,500 a month works out to ($3,500 × 12) ÷ $1,000,000 × 100 = 4.2%.

It’s a blunt tool. Most decent luxury condos for sale in Singapore sit somewhere between 2.5% and 4% gross yield, so anything well above that range deserves a second look at why.

6. Net Rental Yield (Cap Rate)

Net rental yield, or cap rate if you want the technical name, takes gross yield and strips out the real running costs. Property tax, maintenance, insurance, commission, all of it.

Formula: Net Rental Yield = (Net Rental Income ÷ Purchase Price) × 100

This is the number serious buyers trust. Gross yield can make a property look great right up until the maintenance bill shows up.

7. The 1% Rule

Borrowed from US property investing, but still a decent quick screen here. Monthly rent should be at least 1% of the purchase price for a unit to earn a closer look as a rental play.

On a $1,000,000 condo, that’s $10,000 a month in rent.

Very few Singapore condos actually clear a full 1% today. Prices have run well ahead of rents in most prime areas. Treat it as a screening tool, not gospel. Anything near or above 1% deserves priority attention. Anything under 0.5% needs a much stronger appreciation story to justify the price tag.

8. Gross Rent Multiplier (GRM)

GRM tells you roughly how many years of rent it would take to “buy back” the property, purely based on rental income.

Formula: GRM = Purchase Price ÷ Annual Rental Income

On that same $1,000,000 condo earning $42,000 a year in rent, GRM = $1,000,000 ÷ $42,000 = 23.8.

Lower GRM generally means better rental value. It’s one of the simpler real estate investment calculations on this list, and a fast way to rank a shortlist before digging deeper.

9. Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR)

DSCR checks whether the rental income actually covers the mortgage repayment, which matters a lot more once interest rates move against you.

Formula: DSCR = Net Rental Income ÷ Annual Mortgage Repayment

A DSCR above 1.0 means rent covers the loan. Below 1.0, you’re topping up the shortfall from your own pocket every month. Most banks and seasoned investors like to see DSCR comfortably above 1.2, since that buffer absorbs a vacancy month or a rate hike without turning into a crisis. Of all the real estate investment calculations here, this is the one that quietly protects you when the market turns.

10. Cash-on-Cash Return

Cash-on-cash return measures cash flow against the actual cash you put in, not the full purchase price. Arguably more honest than gross yield, since it accounts for leverage.

Formula: Cash-on-Cash Return = (Annual Net Cash Flow ÷ Total Cash Invested) × 100

Take Peter and Jane. They buy a $1,000,000 condo with a $250,000 downpayment. Total cash outlay, downpayment plus closing costs, comes to $397,000. The unit rents for $3,500 a month, or $42,000 a year.

Cash-on-Cash Return = $23,520 ÷ $397,000 = 5.9%

If cash flow matters more to you than paper gains, this is the number to watch. It tells you how hard your money, not the bank’s, is actually working.

11. Payback Period

Payback period is how long it takes to recover your initial investment purely through rental income.

Formula: Payback Period = Purchase Price ÷ Annual Rental Income

Same $1,000,000 condo at $3,500 monthly rent: $1,000,000 ÷ $42,000 = 23.8 years.

Shorter is generally better, but a long payback period isn’t automatically a dealbreaker. Plenty of prime district units carry long payback periods because buyers are paying for appreciation and prestige over pure yield. Just know the number before you sign, not three years after.

12. Capital Appreciation

Nobody can predict this one with real precision, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. Singapore private property has appreciated anywhere from 2% to over 16% in a given stretch, depending entirely on where you are in the cycle.

For planning purposes, model conservatively. Somewhere around 2.5% to 3% a year is a safer assumption than extrapolating off the best years the market has ever had.

Formula: Return on Equity = (Estimated Profit ÷ Downpayment) × 100

A $1,000,000 property appreciating 3% a year for 5 years generates roughly $100,000 in paper profit. Against a $250,000 downpayment, that’s a 40% return on equity over 5 years, around 8% annually once leverage is factored in. That’s a genuinely solid figure.

13. Price Per Square Foot

The simplest tool in the whole toolkit, and still one of the most misused. PSF lets you compare units of different sizes on equal footing, whether within one development or across projects in the same district.

Formula: Price Per Square Foot = Purchase Price ÷ Floor Area (sq ft)

Don’t use PSF alone though. A lower PSF sitting next to a higher one in the same project usually points to a worse layout, a lower floor, or an awkward facing, not a bargain. Pair it with layout efficiency before drawing any conclusions.

Putting the Numbers Together

None of these real estate investment calculations mean much on their own. A property with a fantastic gross yield but a 40-year payback period and negative cash-on-cash return isn’t a good investment. It’s a trap wearing one flattering number as a disguise.

Here’s roughly how we sequence it for buyers we work with:

1. Check TDSR and MSR first, so your real budget is set before you view anything.
2. Work out total upfront cash outlay, including ABSD, so nothing surprises you at OTP stage.
3. Run gross and net rental yield to build a shortlist.
4. Apply the 1% rule and GRM as quick screens if rental income matters to you.
5. Check DSCR, cash-on-cash return, and payback period on your top two or three picks.
6. Model capital appreciation conservatively as the final gut check.

Do this properly and you walk into a purchase with your eyes open, instead of discovering three years in that the “great deal” barely broke even.

Getting the Numbers Right Before You Buy

You can run these calculations yourself, no question. But cross-checking them against current cooling measures, TDSR limits, and the specific development you’re eyeing takes local, up-to-date knowledge, and that’s really where a second pair of eyes helps.

If you’d like someone to run these numbers against your actual budget before you view a single unit, our team offers a straightforward property consultation covering your TDSR, target yield, and holding strategy. For buyers thinking longer-term about entry timing, unit selection, and exit strategy, it’s worth a conversation with a dedicated Singapore property investment advisor before making an offer.

Still narrowing down where to put your money? Our guide on which condo is good for investment and our breakdown of how much a condo actually costs in Singapore are worth reading next.

At SG Luxury Condo, we’ve sat through enough of these conversations to know the buyers who do well aren’t the ones who moved fastest. They’re the ones who ran the real estate investment calculations first. If you’re browsing luxury condos for sale in Singapore and want someone to check your math before you commit, we’re happy to help.

TL;DR: Buying a property mainly for its en bloc potential in Singapore is a gamble dressed up as a strategy. In 2025, only two residential en bloc sales went through, Chiku Mansions and River Valley Apartments, both freehold and over 40 years old. Most attempts fail, the process can drag on for years, and you’re left holding an ageing asset with rising maintenance costs and a thinner sinking fund the whole time you wait. If the en bloc happens, great. If it doesn’t, and statistically it usually doesn’t, you’re stuck with a property that was never really the point.

Someone will always tell you the story. A friend of a friend bought an old condo in the 2010s, barely thought about it for years, and then one day got a call saying the whole estate is going en bloc. Suddenly they’re sitting on a payout worth double what they paid. Tulip Garden’s 2018 sale is the one everyone still brings up, some owners walked away with $4.3 million to $7.6 million per unit.

Stories like that are why “en bloc potential” gets thrown around so casually by agents showing older units. But here at SG Luxury Condo, we’ve sat across the table from enough buyers who bought purely chasing that dream to know it rarely plays out the way the story goes. This is an update to our earlier piece on the topic, with the latest numbers on en bloc potential in Singapore and what’s actually changed heading into 2026.

What “En Bloc Potential” Actually Means

An en bloc, or collective sale, happens when the majority of owners in a condo agree to sell the whole development to one buyer, almost always a property developer. The developer tears it down and builds something new, usually with more units, thanks to unused plot ratio the old low-rise building never took advantage of.

For a sale to go through, owners need to hit a consent threshold. Right now that’s 80% for developments 10 years or older, and 90% for anything younger, measured by both strata share value and floor area at the same time. This is being reviewed in 2026, and there’s real discussion about lowering that threshold, so it’s worth keeping an eye on if you’re weighing this decision.

When agents say a unit has “en bloc potential,” they usually mean the building sits on a large freehold or 999-year leasehold plot, has a low plot ratio compared to what the URA Master Plan now allows, and is old enough that maintenance costs are starting to bite. On paper, that sounds like a smart, patient investment. In practice, it’s a lot messier.

The Real Pitfalls of Buying a Property for En Bloc Potential

Let’s go through what actually goes wrong, because the risks here are bigger than most buyers realize going in.

It Might Never Happen

This is the big one. In the whole of 2025, only two residential en bloc sales closed in Singapore, Chiku Mansions and River Valley Apartments. Both were freehold, both over 40 years old. Out of hundreds of ageing condos across the island, two crossed the finish line. That’s the actual base rate you’re betting against, not the Tulip Garden story from 2018.

Developers now have an easier path anyway. The government has been ramping up Government Land Sales, giving developers cleaner, faster land without needing to negotiate with hundreds of individual owners. Why would a developer go through years of committee meetings and legal objections when a GLS tender gets them land in months?

The Timeline Is Brutally Long and Uncertain

Even when an en bloc does go somewhere, the process from forming a Collective Sale Committee to actual completion typically takes two to five years. The Collective Sale Agreement itself is only valid for twelve months, so if owners can’t agree on a price or find a buyer in time, the whole thing can collapse and owners have to start over from scratch.

If you’re buying with en bloc potential as your main reason, you need to be genuinely fine with your money sitting there for five, ten, even fifteen years with zero guarantee of a payout at the end.

Ageing Buildings Come With Real, Ongoing Costs

Here’s the part a lot of buyers overlook. While you’re waiting for an en bloc that may or may not happen, you’re still living in, or paying maintenance on, an ageing building. Condos over 30 years old typically need electrical rewiring, plumbing replacement, lift overhauls, and pool refurbishment, all of which cost real money.

Before buying into any older development for its en bloc potential, always ask for the MCST’s audited financial statements. A thin sinking fund means a special levy bill could land on your doorstep on top of your mortgage, regardless of whether the collective sale ever materializes.

You’re Often Paying an “En Bloc Premium” Already

The moment a development becomes known as a potential en bloc candidate, buyers start paying above its actual market value just for the hope attached to it. That premium reflects speculation, not the value of the home itself. If the en bloc falls through, and it usually does, you’ve overpaid for a unit that might now be harder to resell, since the next buyer will ask the same questions you should have.

Minority Owners Can Block or Delay the Sale

Singapore’s collective sale laws exist specifically to protect owners who don’t want to sell. Anyone who doesn’t sign the Collective Sale Agreement can object to the Strata Titles Board once the application is submitted, citing an unfair price, an inequitable distribution formula, or a lack of good faith in the process. Corporate unit owners are another wrinkle buyers rarely think about, they sometimes have different incentives than individual owner-occupiers and can slow negotiations considerably.

Higher Developer ABSD Has Cooled the Whole Market

Developer Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty currently sits at 35%, with a conditional remission of 30% if the developer completes construction and sells every single unit within five years of the collective sale. That’s a tight, risky window, especially for large mega-sites with 800 or more units. It’s a big reason developers are now chasing smaller, boutique sites under $100 million with 50 to 100 units instead of the sprawling estates that dominated the 2017 to 2018 boom.

If your building is a large multi-block estate, this ABSD structure alone makes a successful en bloc materially less likely than it would have been a decade ago.

You Might Face Seller’s Stamp Duty If It Actually Happens Too Soon

Ironically, if the en bloc does succeed but happens shortly after you bought your unit, you could get hit with Seller’s Stamp Duty. For residential property bought on or after 4 July 2025, the SSD holding period is four years, and the rate starts at 16% if you’ve held the unit for less than a year, stepping down by four percentage points each additional year. Buy in hoping for a quick payout and you might end up handing a chunk of it straight back. We’ve broken down how stamp duty costs stack up for different buyer profiles in our guide on how to avoid overpaying on ABSD, which is worth a read alongside this one since the two costs often show up together in the same transaction.

En Bloc Success vs Failure: A Quick Snapshot

Even developments that check every box on the “higher odds” side still fail more often than they succeed. That table tells you what improves your chances, not what guarantees an outcome. It’s the exact framework SG Luxury Condo uses when we’re asked to assess a specific building’s en bloc odds for a client.

So Should You Ever Buy With En Bloc Potential in Mind?

Not as your main reason, no. If you’re buying an older, well-located freehold condo because you genuinely like living there, the price is fair on its own merits, and the building is well maintained, then a possible en bloc down the road is a nice bonus you might never see. That’s a very different mindset than buying a tired 40-year-old unit purely because an agent mentioned “en bloc potential” three times during the viewing.

At SG Luxury Condo, our honest advice is this. Buy the property because it makes sense today, the location, the layout, the price per square foot compared to similar resale units nearby. Treat any future en bloc as a lottery ticket that came free with the purchase, not the reason you bought it. We’ve written a deeper breakdown of these risks, including real 2024 and 2025 case data, in our guide on the real dangers of buying an en bloc property in Singapore, worth a read if you’re seriously weighing this route.

If you’re an HDB upgrader stepping into private property for the first time, this decision matters even more, since your capital is likely more limited and less able to absorb years of uncertainty. Talking it through with a Singapore property investment advisor before you commit can save you from a decision you’re locked into for a decade. Our property agents in Singapore can also pull the actual transaction and en bloc history for any specific building you’re eyeing, rather than relying on what a listing agent tells you.

What to Check Before You Buy an Older Condo “For En Bloc Potential”

If you’re still considering it, at least go in with your eyes open. Here’s what SG Luxury Condo tells every client to actually verify before signing anything.

• Request the MCST’s latest audited financial statements and sinking fund balance
• Check the building’s plot ratio against current URA Master Plan allowances for that district
• Find out the tenure, freehold and 999-year leasehold sites are far more attractive to developers than 99-year leasehold
• Look at how fragmented ownership is, smaller unit counts generally reach consensus faster
• Ask whether any past en bloc attempts failed and why, repeat failures are a red flag, not a sign it’s “due”
• Factor in five to fifteen years of holding costs, maintenance, and opportunity cost if the sale never happens

A Word From SG Luxury Condo

We’ve walked plenty of clients through this exact decision, and the pattern is always the same. The buyers who end up happy are the ones who bought a home they actually wanted to live in or rent out, where any future en bloc potential was simply icing on the cake. The buyers who end up frustrated are the ones who bought purely on the promise of a payout that, statistically, almost never comes.

If you’re weighing an older resale unit against a newer launch and want an honest read on the numbers rather than a sales pitch, our team at SG Luxury Condo is happy to walk through it with you. You can also browse our full range of luxury condos for sale in Singapore if you’d rather skip the guesswork entirely and go with something that stands on its own value today.

TL;DR: Right now, ParkTown Residences, Skye at Holland, The Orie, Springleaf Residence, and Rivelle Tampines EC are the standout best selling condos in Singapore, most of them crossing 90%+ sold within months. What they share is simple: good MRT access, fair launch pricing, and real scarcity in that specific pocket of town. Fast sales are a good signal, but they’re not the whole story. Keep reading and we’ll get into why.

Every few months someone asks us the same thing at SG Luxury Condo: “which condo is everyone buying right now?” Fair question, honestly. When a project sells out fast, it usually means buyers are seeing something in it worth paying for, whether that’s the location, the entry price, or just the fact that there’s nothing else like it nearby.

So instead of guessing or repeating the same old marketing lines, we went and pulled the real sales numbers. Here’s an honest look at the best selling condos in Singapore based on what’s actually happened at recent launches, not what a developer’s brochure claims.

Why “Best Selling” Actually Matters

A lot of people hear “best selling” and think it’s just a sales pitch. It isn’t, or at least it shouldn’t be treated that way. When a condo moves 80% or 90% of its units within launch weekend, that’s the market voting with real cash. Buyers aren’t guessing here. They’re comparing that project against everything else on the table and still picking it.

That’s why we keep such a close eye on this at SG Luxury Condo. If you want to know where demand is really heading in Singapore’s property market, the best selling condos usually give you a clearer picture than any analyst forecast will. It’s one of the main reasons clients come back to SG Luxury Condo before they commit to anything.

The Best Selling Condos in Singapore Right Now

Based on 2025 through early 2026 launch data, here’s what’s genuinely been flying off the shelf.

Line these up side by side and a pattern starts to show. None of this is luck. It’s the same handful of factors showing up again and again, and it’s exactly what SG Luxury Condo looks at with clients trying to spot the next best selling condo in Singapore before everyone else catches on.

What These Best Selling Condos Have in Common

Here’s what stood out once we actually dug into the numbers instead of just skimming headlines.

• MRT connectivity isn’t optional anymore. Nearly every project on this list sits a short walk from a station. Buyers just won’t budge on this these days.
• Scarcity sells. Skye at Holland moved quickly partly because Holland Village hasn’t had a new launch in years. Same story really with The Orie in Toa Payoh.
• Pricing at launch matters more than people admit. Developers who price close to nearby resale stock tend to see faster take-up. Overpriced launches just sit there, no matter how good the showflat looks.
• Mixed-use projects have an edge. ParkTown Residences did so well partly because it’s not only a condo. It’s a mall, a transport hub, and a neighbourhood centre in one package.
• ECs are having a real moment. Rivelle Tampines sold out in under a month. HDB upgraders are clearly still chasing value, especially before the newer EC rules stretched out the privatisation timeline.

Best Selling Doesn’t Always Mean Best Investment

This is the bit a lot of guides skip over, and honestly it’s the most important part. A best selling condo in Singapore tells you what buyers wanted at launch. It doesn’t automatically tell you what will perform best over the next ten years. Some projects sell fast because they’re genuinely undervalued. Others sell fast because of a tight preview window, sharp marketing, or a bit of FOMO that doesn’t always hold once the crowd calms down.

At SG Luxury Condo, we tell clients the same thing every time. Look past the take-up rate. Ask why it sold fast. Was it the psf compared to resale units nearby? The schools within a kilometre? The MRT line? Once you actually understand the “why,” you can judge whether that same logic still holds up when you’re ready to sell in five or ten years.

If you’re weighing a new launch against something already built, talking to a Singapore property investment advisor before you commit can save you from paying a premium for hype you didn’t need to chase in the first place.

How to Spot the Next Best Selling Condo Before It Launches

You don’t need insider info to get ahead of the crowd here. A few things tend to repeat themselves.

1. Check the URA Master Plan for the area. New MRT lines or commercial rezoning almost always push demand up later.
2. Compare the land price (psf ppr) the developer paid against nearby recent launches. A cheaper land cost usually leaves room for a more competitive launch price.
3. Look at how many competing launches are scheduled nearby that same year. Less competition means a better shot at a fast sellout.
4. Pay attention to school proximity within 1km. It drives owner-occupier demand and, longer term, resale value too.
5. Watch first-weekend take-up rates closely. Anything above 80% is usually a sign the project will be fully sold within a few months.

We track all of this at SG Luxury Condo for every upcoming launch, so clients don’t have to sit and read through URA reports on their own. If you’d rather have someone walk you through which projects are actually worth queuing up for, our property agents in Singapore can get you access to previews before the general public even hears about it.

We’ve also put together a separate breakdown on what 2025-2026 launch prices are likely to look like, which pairs well with this list if you’re trying to time your entry.

Should You Buy a Best Selling Condo or Wait?

Honestly, it depends on why you’re buying. If it’s for your own stay and the unit fits your budget and lifestyle, don’t overthink the sales numbers too much. But if you’re buying to invest, the best selling condos in Singapore right now are worth studying even if you never buy into that exact project. They show you where demand is piling up, which districts are heating up, and which price points still feel reachable to the average upgrader.

For a wider look at how project pricing tends to move after launch, our guide on luxury condo investments in Singapore covers how early buyers in past hot sellers actually did once the dust settled.

New Launch vs Resale: Which One Actually Makes More Sense Right Now

This question comes up in almost every conversation we have with buyers, and there’s no single right answer. It really depends on what you’re after.

Buying at launch, like grabbing an early unit at The Orie or Springleaf Residence before it sold out, usually gets you a lower entry price and first pick of the best stacks. You’re paying today’s price for a home that won’t be ready for another three or four years. That’s fine if you’re patient and don’t need to move in soon. It’s a lot less fine if you’re renting elsewhere and watching that cost pile up while you wait.

Resale works differently. You walk in, see exactly what you’re getting, and move in within a couple of months. The catch is you’re often paying a premium if the project already built a reputation, and older units might need some renovation work that new launches don’t. A resale unit at a project that already proved itself as one of the best selling condos in Singapore, say something like The Continuum a couple of years after launch, can actually be a smart middle ground. You get the track record without the multi-year wait.

Here’s a rough way to think about it. If your budget is tight and you can afford to wait, new launch usually stretches your dollar further. If timing matters more than price, or you want to see the actual unit and building before committing, resale tends to make more sense.

Rental Yield by District: Where Investors Are Actually Getting Returns

Take-up rate tells you how fast a condo sold. It doesn’t tell you what kind of rent you’ll actually collect once it’s built, and that’s the part a lot of buyers overlook until they’re already holding the keys.

Broadly speaking, prime districts like Orchard, River Valley, and the rest of the Core Central Region tend to sit around 2% to 3% gross rental yield. You’re paying a premium for the address and the tenant pool skews toward expats and executives who can afford it, but the yield itself is usually the lowest across the island simply because purchase prices are so high to begin with.

Outside the central region, districts like Tampines, Sengkang, and other OCR pockets typically run higher, somewhere around 3% to 4.5%. Lower entry prices mean your rent as a percentage of what you paid looks a lot better on paper, even if the actual dollar amount is smaller than what a Core Central unit might fetch.

A few districts worth watching if yield is your main goal:

• Tampines and the East – strong tenant demand from the regional business hub and Changi-related jobs, plus decent MRT coverage
• Toa Payoh and the central fringe – close enough to the CBD to attract tenants who don’t want to pay CCR rent, without the CCR price tag
• Lentor and the North – newer precinct, still building up its tenant base, but early numbers look promising given the MRT access

If rental income is the main reason you’re buying, it’s worth running the yield math before you fall for a unit just because it’s on our best selling condos list. A project that sold out fast at launch isn’t automatically the one that’ll rent out fastest or fetch the strongest yield down the line. Those are two different questions, and it’s easy to mix them up.

A Quick Word From SG Luxury Condo

We’ve been tracking Singapore’s best selling condos for years now, and one thing hasn’t really changed. The projects that sell fast at launch almost always share the same three or four traits: good connectivity, fair pricing, and genuine scarcity in that specific spot. Everything else is just noise around it.

If you’re comparing a few shortlisted projects and want a second opinion before you commit, that’s exactly the kind of call SG Luxury Condo helps clients work through every week. Whether you’re chasing the next best selling condo Singapore has to offer or you’d rather browse the full range of luxury condos for sale in Singapore, our team can talk you through what’s actually worth your money, not just what happens to be trending this month.

TL;DR: Yes, foreigners can buying property in Singapore; no special approval needed. Landed houses and HDB flats are mostly off limits. The catch is the 60% Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty on top of the purchase price, plus regular Buyer’s Stamp Duty. Banks will still give you a mortgage, just expect a lower loan amount and a bit more paperwork. Talk to a local agent before you fall in love with a unit, it’ll save you money and stress.

If you’ve been eyeing a home in Singapore and typing “can foreigners buying property in Singapore” into Google at midnight, you’re not alone. It’s one of the first questions almost every overseas buyer asks us at SG Luxury Condo, usually right after “which neighbourhood should I even be looking at?”

The good news is that the answer isn’t complicated once someone walks you through it properly. The confusing part is that most of what’s online mixes up rules for citizens, Permanent Residents, and foreigners, and doesn’t tell you what it actually costs to buy as a non-resident. So let’s clear that up here, in plain English, without the legal jargon.

The Short Answer: Yes, Foreigners Buying Property in Singapore

Foreigners are allowed to buy private condominiums and apartments in Singapore without needing any special government approval. This has been the case for years and hasn’t changed. What you can’t do freely is buy landed houses (think terrace houses, bungalows, semi-detached homes) or HDB flats, which are Singapore’s public housing. Those come with restrictions that make them impractical for most overseas buyers anyway.

So if your plan is a condo, and for most foreign buyers it is, you’re in good shape. This is actually one reason why luxury condos for sale in Singapore have become such a popular entry point for foreign investors and expats. It’s the one property category where ownership is genuinely straightforward.

What Foreigners Can and Can’t Buy: The Breakdown

Here’s how it actually splits, based on Singapore’s Residential Property Act.

You can buy without approval:

• Private condominiums and apartments (any size, any launch)
• Executive condominiums, but only once they’re more than 10 years old
• Strata landed homes within approved condo developments, like some units in Sentosa Cove
• Leasehold landed property with a lease of 7 years or less

You’ll need approval from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA):

• Landed houses such as bungalows, terrace houses, and semi-detached homes on the mainland
• Vacant residential land

You generally can’t buy at all:

• HDB flats, unless you’re married to a Singapore citizen and meet other conditions
• Good Class Bungalows (GCBs), except under very rare circumstances tied to significant economic contribution

Sentosa is the one exception worth knowing. It’s the only part of Singapore where foreigners can buy landed homes without prior SLA approval, which is part of why Sentosa Cove bungalows attract so much overseas interest.

The Real Cost: ABSD and Stamp Duty for Foreign Buying property in Singapore

This is the part most people underestimate, and honestly, it’s the number that changes the whole conversation. On top of the price of the property, every buyer in Singapore pays Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD), and foreigners also pay Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) on top of that.

Yes, 60% is a big number, and it applies regardless of how many properties you already own here. It’s the biggest single factor in your budget planning, and it’s exactly why we always recommend foreign buyers speak to a proper Singapore property investment advisor before they start browsing listings, not after they’ve already fallen in love with a unit. Getting the tax math right at the start saves a lot of headaches later.

A few nationalities get a break here. Buyers from the US, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland pay the same rate as a Singapore citizen would, thanks to free trade agreements. Worth checking if you qualify before you assume the worst.

Buyer’s Stamp Duty is a smaller, tiered cost that everyone pays regardless of nationality, ranging from 1% to 6% depending on the purchase price. It’s not the deal-breaker ABSD can be, but it still needs to be in your budget.

Financing: Can Foreigners Get a Mortgage in Singapore?

Yes, and Singapore banks are generally quite comfortable lending to foreign buyers, though the terms are a bit tighter than what locals get. Here’s roughly what to expect:

• Loan-to-value (LTV) ratio typically sits between 60% and 75%, meaning you’ll need 25% to 40% in cash or CPF (if applicable) upfront
• Interest rates for foreigners can run slightly higher than for citizens or PRs
• Banks will look closely at your income, employment stability, and existing debt obligations
• ABSD and BSD must be paid fully in cash upfront, they can’t be financed through your home loan

If you’re not planning to finance and intend to pay in cash, this whole process moves a lot faster. Either way, it’s worth getting a mortgage in-principle approval before you start viewing units seriously, so you’re not negotiating on a property you can’t actually finance.

How the Buying Process Actually Works, Step by Step

1. Set your budget including ABSD, BSD, legal fees, and agent commission, not just the sticker price of the unit
2. Get pre-approved for financing if you’re taking a loan, so you know your real spending power
3. Shortlist properties with a property agent in Singapore who understands what foreign buyers can and can’t purchase, this avoids wasted time on ineligible listings
4. View units and negotiate the price and terms with the seller or developer
5. Pay the Option Fee (usually 1% to 5% of the price) to secure an Option to Purchase (OTP)
6. Exercise the option within the agreed period, typically 2 weeks, paying the balance deposit
7. Engage a conveyancing lawyer to handle the Sale and Purchase Agreement and title transfer
8. Complete the transaction, pay remaining stamp duties, and collect your keys

New launch purchases follow a slightly different, more regulated process through the developer, but the core idea is the same.

Where Foreigners Buying Property in Singapore

There’s no single “right” district, but certain areas come up again and again with our foreign clients. Orchard and River Valley remain popular for their central location and prestige. The Core Central Region attracts investors chasing capital appreciation and rental demand from expats. Sentosa Cove is the obvious pick for anyone specifically wanting a landed home by the water. And districts near good international schools, like Bukit Timah and Holland Village, tend to draw families relocating for work.

If you’re still weighing up whether Singapore property is the right investment for you at all, our piece on why foreigners are buying property in Singapore digs into the actual motivations we’re seeing on the ground, beyond just the tax numbers.

Is the 60% ABSD Worth It?

This is the honest question everyone eventually asks, and it deserves an honest answer. For some buyers, yes. Singapore’s political stability, strong currency, transparent legal system, and consistent long-term capital growth make it a market where the upfront cost can pay off over a 5 to 10 year horizon, especially with prime freehold condos that hold value well.

For others, particularly short-term speculators, the 60% ABSD makes the math much harder to justify. There are also legitimate ways to reduce your exposure depending on your structure and nationality, which is a conversation worth having with a specialist rather than guessing. If you want the mechanics spelled out, our guide on how to avoid overpaying on ABSD walks through the legal options available to foreign buyers.

Final Thoughts

Buying property in Singapore as a foreigner isn’t complicated once you understand the rules, but it’s also not a market where guessing your way through it is a good idea. Between ABSD calculations, financing limits, and picking the right district and unit type, a lot of foreign buyers end up overpaying or missing better options simply because nobody walked them through it properly.