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Hi. Our family just got PR status. Now we are considering either buying a condo or waiting 3 years and buy HDB. I'm more inclined to buy a condo now as I feel it's a waste to pay rental for 3 more years. My wife is leaning towards waiting 3 years and buy HDB, the reason is we will be able to buy a bigger house in better location with probably less money. We save around 200k annually. I'm thinking of buying a condo now, and later either upgrade to a bigger condo or downgrade to a bigger HDB.
Questions:
- If we buy condo now, can we downgrade to HDB later ?
- If we buy condo now and later we sell and upgrade to another condo, do we need to pay ABSD again ?
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8 Answers

Dear sir,

You are absolutely on the right direction. Rather than spending on rental for the next 3 years where we can see that rental in Singapore has risen so much over the past 2 years, and help other owners finance their property, why not buy something now while you wait out the 3 years before you do another round of assessment to determine if you should upsize but downgrade to a HDB?

You will be eligible for a resale HDB as long as you dispose ownership of the private residential property within 6 months of taking possession of the resale HDB, and yes, ABSD is applicable on both the purchase transactions if we follow the existing stamp duty guidelines. If we study the trend of real estate market, you will understand the benefits of the ownership of a property in Singapore as a SPR despite the stamp duties applicable.

We have a dedicated team to serve expatriates like yourself settling in Singapore, whether you have just arrived or you have been here for a while. Perhaps we can meet up for a chat without obligations and work out some options for you.

I have been in the real estate business since 2009, with more than 13 years of experience serving the Singapore real estate market.

I am very active in the residential segment of Singapore real estate market, having transacted hundreds of deals from HDBs to private condominiums and landed properties in Singapore, and have handled many unique cases in sales and purchases as well as rental deals.

Over the years, I have also established a network reaching out to more than 9,400 expatriates, bringing my market presence to both in and outside of Singapore. This has created an additional exposure when I manage my client's portfolios, on top of the conventional on and offline platforms, where other estate agents are relying on. This has allowed me to consistently convert leads into results.

With an evolving market, where change is the only constant, I have also been investing in upgrading of my knowledge and skills sets to improve myself and meet the demands of current and future market.

We are offering our clients a complimentary first consultation without obligations (Absolutely FREE!). Schedule for your FREE session today!

Warmest regards,
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Good morning,

Congratulations on getting the PR status! Yes I would think if the finances are ready, it is always better to purchase a property now then later, as one you are saving on the rental expenses as indicated, and two the property price you are looking at may have increased by another few percentage points by the 3rd year when you buy. Both rentals & prices are on a upward moving trend still and renting is not really to your advantage.

Yes if you buy condo now, you still can get a resale HDB after 3 years. Do note that for SPR buying the 1st residential property, a 5% ABSD is payable regardless. Hence buying a condo today will incur that, and selling it and buying a hdb later will also incur, assuming regulations remain the same.

Hope the above clarifies. May I have more info and requirements about your plans so as to make better recommendations? Thanks and look forward to value-add to your housing plans.

Warm Regards,

Ivan Ng Realtor
ERA Senior Marketing Director
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Hi,

I would be most glad to assist you further and please feel free to let me know if you need any assistance. Have a good day ahead. By the way, yes your move is towards the right direction. As most HDB flats would not give you the maximum capital appreciation as compared to a private property.

Regards
Aaron Chong
 9730 8455 
aaronchong2774@yahoo.com.sg Read More
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Hi Sir,

It is a better idea to purchase a condo now instead of waiting for 3 years to buy a HDB, these are the reasons why:

1. Rental market is at a high now and therefore paying rental to a landlord instead of servicing your own house is not a good idea.

2. Your idea of buying a condo now and downgrading to a HDB is a better option because condo appreciate in the long run and therefore the value of your house will continue to go up. Most people will downgrade to a HDB nearing their retirement age so that they can unlock the value from the house and use the funds for their retirement.

3. If you still have many years of working life in front of you, you should purchase a condo first and upgrade to a bigger condo a few years down the road (possibly when you become a citizen so that you can avoid the 5% ABSD). The last step would then be a downgrade to HDB to unlock your assests.

4. A condo is a better option as compared to HDB because HDB price depreciate with the lease decay.

Please feel free to contact me so that I can provide you with an in depth analysis of your situation.

Regards,
Nick Tan
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Dear Sir/Madam,

Hi, I am Brendan!

Buying your own property now is definitely much better than renting. Property prices in Singapore over the long term is always increasing. 3 years later the price may be even higher and you could sell for a profit to upgrade.

Yes, if you buy condo now you can downgrade to HDB in future.
Yes, based on current regulations if you upgrade to another condo you will need to pay ABSD. But your profit from the sales may be able to offset the ABSD.

I had helped many couples and families planned their property wealth creation, if you will like to know more, pls contact me at 9754 5207  .
Or Whatsapp me by clicking this link: wa.me/6597545207 which will direct you to open Whatsapp on your mobile phone.

Thank you!
Brendan Bay, ERA
 +65 9754 5207 
wa.me/6597545207
bay.binhao@gmail.com Read More
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Tan Pei Cheng (Pei)
Hi ,
I would be glad to assist you.
Feel free to contact me @ 97100155  or https://linktr.ee/peiproperty.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Pei @Propnex Read More
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