🏡⏳ Your condo has been listed for weeks, but the offers just aren't coming in?

You might be tempted to blame the market.
But the 2026 resale market isn't frozen.

In Q2 2026, private resale transactions actually rose 18.2% quarter-on-quarter to 3,813 units, with resale making up 62% of all private residential sales. The bigger issue is that buyers are becoming much more selective.

If your listing has stalled, I would look at these 7 things:

1️⃣ Recheck your price
Benchmark against the latest transactions in your development, not what your neighbour is asking.

2️⃣ Compare against new launches
Today's buyers can compare your resale unit directly against brand-new projects.

3️⃣ Look at your unit's efficiency
An older 1,100 sqft unit may not necessarily offer more usable space than a newer 1,050 sqft unit because of changes in floor-area measurement.

4️⃣ Fix the first impression
Your first few photos and listing headline can determine whether someone even books a viewing.

5️⃣ Don't waste the first few weeks
The freshest period of a listing tends to generate the most attention. If you started too high, small price cuts over months may do more harm than a proper relaunch.

6️⃣ Understand the buyer's financing
LTV, TDSR, stamp duties and the overall purchase quantum all affect whether your buyer can actually complete.

7️⃣ Negotiate with data
When an offer comes in below asking, compare it against recent caveats rather than simply saying, "I paid more than this."

The interesting part?

RCR prices fell 1.4% and OCR prices fell 0.2% in Q2, while CCR prices rose 2.0%. So your property's location matters even more when deciding how aggressive you can be.

🔗 https://propertynet.sg/condo-listing-stalled-2026-fixes-slow-private-resale/

📌 A stalled listing doesn't always mean you need to slash the price.

Sometimes you need to fix the positioning.

Sometimes the marketing.

Sometimes the buyer you're targeting.

And sometimes, the market is simply telling you that your original asking price was wrong.

🏡💰 EC income ceiling is now $18,000. So can you buy an EC today if your household income is above $16,000?

Not quite.

The headline from NDR 2026 is correct: the EC household income ceiling has increased from $16,000 to $18,000, effective 24 August 2026.
But there's an important catch.

The new $18,000 ceiling only applies to new EC projects where the land sale tender closes on or after 24 August 2026. It does not apply to existing EC projects or developments based on land tenders awarded earlier.

So if you're looking at an EC that is:

🏗 Already launched
🏗 Launching soon
🏗 Based on an earlier land tender

The household income ceiling remains $16,000.
This matters if your combined income sits between $16K and $18K.

You may have heard that you're now eligible for an EC, but the specific project you're considering may still be out of reach under the existing rules.

And for existing ECs, the higher ceiling doesn't suddenly apply to unsold balance units either.

The bigger picture:

📈 $18K ceiling = more households can qualify eventually
🏡 Existing ECs = still $16K
⏳ New qualifying ECs = benefit from the higher ceiling
💰 Higher eligibility doesn't automatically mean higher affordability

So before assuming you can buy an EC, check the project's land tender date, not just the latest income ceiling.

🔗 https://propertynet.sg/ec-income-ceiling-18000-2026-still-runs-16000-current-launches/

📌 The $18K EC ceiling is real. But if you're shopping for an EC today, the old $16K rule may still apply to the project you're looking at.

The timing matters.

The Straits Times 06 Sep 2026- The risk of buying properties in someone else’s name

The Straits Times 06 Sep 2026- Woman has no claim on daughter’s home despite helping to pay over $1m

🏡💰 You sold your HDB for $800K. So how much actually goes into your bank account?

This is one of the biggest misconceptions I see when homeowners calculate their next property budget.

Your selling price is not your cash proceeds.

For an HDB resale, the money generally goes towards:

🏦 Outstanding housing loan
📋 CPF refund + accrued interest
💵 Other amounts payable, such as resale levy or upgrading costs where applicable
⚖️ Sale-related expenses

Only after these deductions do you get your actual balance sale proceeds. HDB specifically recommends estimating your net proceeds before selling, especially if you need the money for your next home.

And there's an important distinction between CPF refund and cash in the bank.

If you used $250K of CPF over the years, your required refund can be higher because accrued interest is included. That refunded amount goes back into CPF, not directly into your bank account.

For example:
🏠 Selling price: $800K
🏦 Less loan: $300K
📋 Less CPF refund: $250K
💰 Approx. balance: $250K

That $250K is much closer to your actual sale proceeds before other applicable costs.

And if you're 55 or older, the CPF refund may first be used to meet your applicable retirement sum before any remaining amount stays in your OA.

🔗 https://propertynet.sg/hdb-sale-proceeds-2026-agent-fees-cpf-refund-cash-in-bank/

📌 Before you decide what property you can afford next, don't start with your HDB selling price.

Start with your estimated net proceeds.

That's the number that tells you what you actually have to work with.

🏡💰 $2.1M for a new launch in Lentor, or a resale condo in District 15?

For a family with around $2.1M to spend, this is the kind of decision that looks simple on paper but can turn out very differently depending on what you're actually prioritising.

A new launch gives you:

🏗 Brand-new home and facilities
📐 Modern layouts and newer specifications
💰 Progressive payments during construction
⏳ A fresh lease with a longer runway
📈 Potential upside as the surrounding Lentor precinct develops

But a resale condo can offer something equally valuable:

🏡 More space for the same quantum
👀 You can inspect the actual unit
🚇 Established amenities and transport links
💰 More room to negotiate
🔑 Move in or rent out almost immediately

In 2026, comparable resale condos can trade at a meaningful discount to new launches, although the actual gap varies significantly by location and project.

And that's where the family decision gets interesting.

You're not really choosing between "new" and "old."

You're choosing between:

Future potential vs. immediate certainty.

Newer facilities vs. larger living space.

Progressive payments vs. full financing from completion.

A developing precinct vs. an established neighbourhood.

For a $2.1M budget, I'd also look beyond PSF.

📊 Total quantum
📐 Usable space
🏫 Schools and daily convenience
🚇 MRT accessibility
🏦 Financing and monthly cash flow
📈 Future competing supply
🏡 Likely resale demand when you eventually exit

🔗 https://propertynet.sg/lentor-new-launch-vs-d15-resale-2026-2-1m-family-decision/

📌 There isn't a universal winner between Lentor new launch and D15 resale.

The better choice is the one that fits your family's timeline, cash flow and next 7–10 years.

Sometimes paying a premium for new makes sense.
Sometimes buying the larger resale and keeping the difference makes more sense.

The important part is knowing what you're actually paying the premium for.

7/9/26 BT - No longer a rising tide’: Upcoming Q4 launches will test Singapore homebuying demand

7/9/26 BT - Beijing’s tax crackdown tests wealthy Chinese property buyers in Singapore

SORA just made its biggest move this year.

1M Compounded SORA jumped from 1.10% to 1.30% in a month. 3M SORA is up from 1.12% to 1.19%. The bottom is officially behind us.

What this means if you're holding a floating loan: your rate is heading up, and the gap between floating and fixed has nearly closed. Best floating today is 1.39% (private). Best 2-year fixed is 1.40%, now from two banks after Citi cut to match HSBC.

For 0.01% more, you lock your rate for 2 years while SORA climbs. That's the trade on the table right now. UOB expects 3M SORA to hit around 1.39% by year end, which would push floating packages past 1.5%.

HDB owners, take note too: bank floating from 1.44%, fixed from 1.45%, both still far below the 2.60% HDB concessionary rate.

Full September rates across all banks, updated 4 Sep:
propertynet.sg/latest-bank-mortgage-loan-rates-across-singapore/?v=sep

🏡💰 Sell your HDB first, or buy the condo first?

For HDB upgraders in 2026, this isn't just a timing decision.

It can mean the difference between $0 ABSD and potentially $300K to $400K+ of cash being tied up temporarily.

If you sell first, then buy your condo:

✅ The condo becomes your first private residential property
✅ No 20% ABSD for a Singapore Citizen
✅ You know your actual HDB sale proceeds before committing
✅ Your financing position may also be cleaner

But there's a trade-off.

🏠 You may need temporary accommodation
⏳ You could be caught between selling and securing the next home
📈 The property you want may move in price while you're waiting

If you buy first, you get to secure the condo you want before selling the HDB.

But if you still own the HDB when you purchase, a Singapore Citizen buying a second residential property generally pays 20% ABSD upfront.

For a $1.8M condo:
💰 20% ABSD = $360,000

For a $2M condo:
💰 20% ABSD = $400,000

For eligible married Singapore Citizen couples, that ABSD can be reclaimed if the existing property is sold within the required six-month window. But the refund is not automatic, and the deadline is strict.

That's why the real question isn't simply:

"Should I sell first or buy first?"

It's:

📊 How much cash do I have?
🏦 What happens to my loan eligibility?
🏡 How quickly can my HDB realistically sell?
💰 How much CPF will actually be refunded?
⏳ Can I comfortably manage the six-month ABSD timeline?
🏠 Am I buying resale or a new launch?
A sell-first strategy usually gives you more financial certainty.

A buy-first strategy gives you more certainty over the home you're buying.
Neither is automatically better.

🔗 https://propertynet.sg/sell-first-vs-buy-first-upgraders-2026-cash-flow-absd-comparison/

📌 For most upgraders, the biggest mistake isn't buying the wrong condo.

It's getting the sequence wrong.

Before you exercise that OTP, work out both scenarios on paper. A few hours of planning can potentially save you hundreds of thousands in unnecessary cash flow exposure.

🏦💰 Your home loan lock-in is ending. Could refinancing really save you $890 a month?

With Singapore mortgage rates much lower in 2026, homeowners who locked in at 3% or more in previous years may want to take another look at their existing package.

As of August 2026, some bank packages are around 1.3% to 1.4%, although the actual rate depends on the bank, loan size and borrower profile.

For example, on an $800K outstanding loan, moving from 3.50% to around 1.32% could save roughly $870 a month, based on a 25-year remaining tenure.

But before refinancing, don't just look at the headline rate.

Check:

🔒 Lock-in expiry
Most packages have a lock-in period, commonly around 2 years, with an early redemption penalty that can be around 1.5% of the outstanding loan.

⚖️ Legal & valuation costs
These can reduce your actual savings, especially if your outstanding loan is smaller.

📅 Timing
If your lock-in expires within the next 3 to 6 months, it's worth starting the review early because the refinancing process can take several weeks.

🏦 Repricing vs refinancing
You don't necessarily have to move banks. Sometimes your existing bank may offer a competitive repricing package, so compare both options.

📊 Break-even period
A lower monthly instalment doesn't automatically mean refinancing is worthwhile. Work out how many months it takes for your interest savings to recover the refinancing costs.

And one more thing:

Don't refinance simply because the rate is lower.

Look at your remaining loan tenure, outstanding balance, lock-in period and how long you intend to keep the property.

🔗 https://propertynet.sg/first-refinancing-lock-in-expiry-2026-cut-monthly-mortgage-890/

📌 Your mortgage rate is one of the easiest property costs to overlook because the payment happens automatically every month.

But a rate difference of 1% or 2% on a large outstanding loan can add up to thousands of dollars a year.

Sometimes, the best property saving isn't selling or buying.

It's simply reviewing the loan you already have.

The Business Times 08 Sep 2026- Are developers over-optimistic with bullish housing land bids?