Property ยท Philosophy
I'm not an agent. I don't earn commission from anyone's purchase. What's here is what I actually think, based on decisions I made with real money across six properties.
Buy what makes sense for your life. Live in it. Let time do the rest. The gain will come, and when it does, you'll know when to sell.
Most property content in Singapore is written by people who earn when you buy. That creates a certain kind of advice. Everything looks like a good buy. Every launch has strong fundamentals. Every location is up and coming.
My angle is different. Six properties across residential and industrial. Two BTOs still held: one with about $400k of unrealised gain, one a 44th-floor home I intend to keep forever. Three industrial units at Midview City, bought for real business use and all sold at a profit, the last two at record prices in the development. One freehold condo in D15 that is the foundation of my retirement.
The total across realised and unrealised gains is north of a million dollars. Not because I'm a genius, but because I spend serious time understanding what I'm buying (floor plans, site plans, orientation, what's going up next door) and then I hold with patience. That combination does most of the work.
Not timing the market. Knowing what you own.
Most people treat property as a financial instrument. They look at the district, the tenure, the quantum, and they make a decision. That's fine as far as it goes. What they miss is the unit itself.
I read every floor plan before I commit. I study the site plan to understand orientation, which blocks face road noise, where the afternoon sun punishes which stacks, and what's going up on the next plot. I check the surroundings on satellite view. I walk the area. I compare every unit type in the development with the same footprint, because two units on the same floor can have very different layouts once you factor in the bomb shelter, the aircon ledge and the bay windows.
A good unit in a decent location will always outperform a mediocre unit in a great location. You'll live in it comfortably, you'll hold it without second-guessing yourself when the market softens, and you'll resell to a buyer who sees exactly what you saw.
My honest view on the most popular move in Singapore property.
Sell the HDB, use the proceeds to buy two private properties, double the exposure, double the gain. It's pitched everywhere. I think it's usually the wrong move.
Most Singaporeans are already heavily concentrated in property. Your flat is your biggest asset. Your CPF is largely tied up in property. Buying a second and third means doubling down on an illiquid, leveraged bet on one city-state, with ABSD, legal fees and interest eating into the upside.
The better question is usually whether some of that capital should go into equities, options or a business instead. A diversified portfolio with one good property you live in often beats two properties you're trying to manage and rent out, with far less stress and far more flexibility.
That's why I write about this at all. Honest, experience-backed writing about Singapore property is rare, and I'm not selling anything here.
My own account of what I did with my own money. Not financial or property advice, and I don't take commission on anyone's purchase. HDB rules change: check the current ones with HDB before you decide anything.