This is every property decision I've made, in order, with the real numbers. Not a highlight reel. The full story — including the one that went sideways before any of the gains.
Property is one tool. I've used it well. But if you're reading this thinking property is the whole game — it isn't. Equities, options, business. It all works together.
| Type | 3-room BTO |
| Location | Yishun |
| Purchase price | ~$130,000 |
| Unit | 2nd top floor, corner (same instincts, first time) |
| TOP | ~2011 |
| Outcome | Annulment. Flat went to ex-wife and her new husband. |
| Financial gain | $0 |
I'm not going to gloss over this one. A lot of property write-ups start from the first win. Mine doesn't.
My first property was bought during my first marriage. A 3-room BTO in Yishun — $130k. That was a lot of money to me back then. Looking at that number now it seems modest. That's exactly what time does to property in Singapore. I picked a 2nd top floor corner unit — same instinct I've had every time since. The marriage didn't work out. When we annulled it, the flat went to her and her new husband. That was the right and fair outcome.
I walked away with nothing from that property financially. But I was young, I had no dependants, and I had time. The reset wasn't comfortable. It also wasn't fatal. If you're reading this thinking you've missed the boat because of a difficult chapter in your life — you probably haven't. Time and discipline get most people back on track.
| Location | Punggol |
| Type | 5-room BTO |
| Purchase price | $409,000 (incl. floor tiles) |
| Unit | High floor, corner unit |
| Ballot year | 2014 |
| TOP | 2017 |
| MOP | 2022 ✓ completed |
| Current est. resale | $800k+ |
| Unrealised gain | ~$400,000 |
| Status | Holding. Plan to sell after Continuum TOPs (~2027). |
Started fresh with Sylvia. New family unit. First BTO application together. The rationale was brutally simple: we wanted as much space as possible for as little money as possible. In 2014, Punggol was one of the cheapest BTO locations in Singapore. We took it without overthinking it.
Unit selection was never gut feel — it was analysis. I read floor plans carefully. I look at the site plan: orientation, what's blocking the view, where the morning sun hits, which stacks get cross ventilation, what's going up on the adjacent plot in five years. Corner units almost always win on that analysis: more windows, better light, no shared walls on two sides, better airflow, often a wider layout. High floor for the view, the quiet, and the resale premium. We got high floor corner in Punggol — exactly what the analysis pointed to.
We moved in in 2017. Hit MOP in 2022. At that point the estimated resale was already north of $800k on a $409k purchase. We've never been in a rush to cash out. The plan is to sell once we move into the Continuum when it TOPs — probably 2027. We want to be settled first, then sell. Not the other way around.
Every property I've bought — from the Yishun 3-room to the 44th floor Queenstown corner — I picked a high floor corner unit. That's not a coincidence or luck. It's the result of spending serious time on floor plans, site plans, and surroundings before making any decision.
Most buyers look at the showflat, think about the bedroom count, and move on. I look at the development site plan: which blocks are closest to the road, which stacks face the MRT tracks, where the afternoon sun hits hardest, what's going up on the plot next door in five years. I look at the floor plan for every unit type and compare: where does the aircon ledge land, which units have a bay window eating into the living room, which ones have a usable bomb shelter position. I look at the surroundings on Google Maps satellite view, walk the area before deciding.
Knowing the pros and cons of a unit in forensic detail does two things. First, you pick better units — which means you live better and resell better. Second, it tells you when to hold rather than chase. If you've bought a genuinely good unit that you understand completely, you don't panic-sell when the market softens. You know what you have. You wait.
That's the edge I've built: not market timing, not connections — just being more rigorous about the unit itself than most buyers ever bother to be. Patience does the rest.
Between 2017 and 2025 I bought and sold three industrial units at Midview City. All bought for real business use — Vivre Activewear needed space for operations and inventory. All sold at a profit. The last two sold at record prices in the development.
| Development | Midview City |
| Purchase price | ~$748,000 |
| Sale price | ~$788,000 |
| Profit | ~$40,000 |
| Own use | 2 years (business operations) |
| Rented out | 1 year |
| Development | Midview City |
| Purchase price (each) | ~$768,000 |
| Market price at the time | ~$880,000 |
| Discount to market | ~$112,000 per unit |
| Sold (Unit 02) | Above $1,000,000 |
| Sold (Unit 03) | Above $1,000,000 |
| Combined profit | >$500,000 |
| Distinction | Both were record transactions in the development at time of sale |
| Own use | 3 years (both units) |
| Rented out | 1 year (one unit) |
Industrial worked because the units paid for themselves operationally. I wasn't paying rent to a landlord for the same space. I owned the asset, I ran the business from it, I collected rental when I didn't need it myself — and the underlying property appreciated on top.
Units 02 and 03 were the real finding. Market comps were trading around $880k. I found both at $768k. That discount doesn't come from luck — it requires being in the market, moving quickly, and not needing to borrow time to decide.
I have a rule about selling: I don't exit because I'm tired of holding. I exit when the price is the kind of number that history looks back at as a local peak. Both units sold at record prices in the development. That was the signal. The moment they hit record, I acted. If the market hadn't run, I'd still be holding them now — and I'd be comfortable with that.
| Location | Ulu Pandan Banks, Queenstown |
| Type | 5-room PLH BTO |
| Unit | 44th floor, corner unit — unblocked view |
| Purchase price | $724,000 |
| Resale levy | $45,000 (second-timer) |
| Total cost | $769,000 |
| Ballot year | 2022 |
| TOP | ~2029 |
| MOP | 2039 |
| Intention | Trophy home. This one is permanent. |
There are things in life that can't be purchased with money alone. A 44th floor corner unit in Queenstown with a view that genuinely takes your breath away is one of them. You need the ballot to go your way. You need to be eligible. You need to pick the right unit when you're standing there under time pressure with a queue number in your hand.
I've stayed in 5-star hotels with worse views. This flat — when it's done — will have a view you can't put a price on. And I never intend to find out what that price is, because it's not for sale.
The BTO timing story — how I pulled this off
Here's the part people ask about. I applied for the Ulu Pandan Banks BTO while still under MOP for Punggol. Technically, second-timers must have fulfilled their MOP by the application closing date — not the ballot date. The Ulu Pandan Banks BTO application closing date landed exactly on the month I hit MOP for Punggol. I applied. I was eligible by the closing date. Not by much. But enough.
Luck? Some. But I was watching the calendar very carefully. I knew the BTO launches, I knew my MOP date, and when the right launch appeared at the right time, I moved. You can't get lucky on timing you're not paying attention to.
This is also why I pay the $45k resale levy. That's the price of being a second-timer — you've already benefited from HDB's first-timer subsidies (on Punggol), so when you come back for another, you contribute the levy. Totally fair. I'd pay it again for this unit.
High floor, corner unit. Consistent with every BTO decision I've made. I picked a high floor corner unit in Yishun on my first BTO. High floor corner in Punggol. And now the highest floor corner in Ulu Pandan Banks. If you're ever balloting, think about what makes the unit genuinely better to live in, not just what the market currently values. You're going to be there for years.
| Project | The Continuum |
| District | D15 East Coast |
| Tenure | Freehold |
| Type | 2-bedroom + study |
| Purchase price | ~$2,050,000 |
| Purchased | February 2024 |
| TOP | ~2027 |
| Plan | Move in on TOP. Sell Punggol. Eventually rent Continuum when we move to Ulu Pandan Banks. |
Freehold was a deliberate choice, not a nice-to-have. HDB depreciates to zero over 99 years. A freehold condo doesn't. When I think about this property as a retirement asset — something generating rental income in 20 years, or something I sell at peak market during retirement — I want the asset to still have full tenure value. Freehold gives me that optionality forever.
D15 is a location I believe in for the long term. East Coast has a character that doesn't go out of style — proximity to the beach, established amenities, a certain kind of resident who stays because they genuinely like being there. Supply is constrained. Demand is durable.
The 2-bedder + study is intentional too. Small enough to be efficiently rentable. Functional enough for us to live in comfortably during the period between Continuum TOP (~2027) and Ulu Pandan TOP (~2029). The plan is clean: Continuum TOPs → we move in → sell Punggol → wait two years → Ulu Pandan Banks TOPs → move to Ulu Pandan → rent Continuum as passive retirement income.
One property you live in that you love. One property generating income while you're retired. That's the end state.
Fair question. The short answer: deliberate sequencing and an understanding of HDB rules. No loopholes, no tricks. Just planning.
BTO 1 (Yishun): First marriage. When the marriage was annulled, the flat went to my ex-wife. I had no remaining ownership. Clean slate.
BTO 2 (Punggol): Applied with Sylvia as a new family unit in 2014. Fresh first-timer application. Fully legitimate. Balloted, got lucky, moved in 2017. MOP 2022.
BTO 3 (Ulu Pandan Banks): Second-timer BTO application in 2022 — the year Punggol hit MOP. As a second-timer who previously benefited from a subsidised BTO, I pay the $45k resale levy. In return, I still get access to BTO pricing, which is well below market. The levy is the trade-off. Worth it for a 44th floor corner unit in Queenstown.
The sequencing matters: None of this works if the order is wrong. Each step is enabled by the one before it — and the BTO 3 application closing date landing exactly on the MOP date wasn't an accident. I was watching the calendar. That's the whole point.
Note: HDB rules change. What applied in 2022–2024 may not apply when you read this. Always verify current rules with HDB directly before making decisions. This is my personal account of what I did, not advice on what you should do.
Over a million dollars in gains from property — industrial profits, unrealised gains on Punggol, and assets still compounding. The trophy home (Ulu Pandan Banks) is sorted. The retirement asset (the Continuum, freehold) is in place. Those two things together give me a permanent home I love and a golden egg I can collect from in retirement. That's the property chapter done.
Everything else — equities, options trading, share lending, business income — sits on top of that base and funds the life I want to live now. Not a different life. A better version of the same life.
Could we have bought a landed? Yes. We could afford it if we stretched. But I've lived in landed before — nearly a decade of it. Sylvia and I talked about it and landed just isn't us. We're high-floor, big-view people. A good view from a high floor does more for daily quality of life than a garden and a driveway ever did. And the maintenance costs of a landed are a constant: a few thousand here, a few thousand there, every few months without fail. It doesn't fit how I think about money.
The financial theory is simple: minimise unnecessary outflow, let assets compound, deploy capital into things with better returns than a bigger house you don't need. A landed locks up the capital and generates nothing. The Continuum freehold holds its value and generates rental income when I'm ready. That's the better trade.
Property is a powerful tool when used with discipline and patience. But it's still just one tool. The full stack is what matters — and property is the foundation, not the ceiling.
One hour, $2,000. Refunded if you buy through my recommendation. No agenda, no agent commission.