Free guides for buyers, sellers and landlords

The upgrader's five-step sequence

The order that keeps you out of a bridging loan. Read this before you book a viewing.

Work out the real budget before you view anything

TDSR, loan-to-value, cash on hand, CPF — and the number a bank will actually agree to.

Buying before selling: ABSD and the remission window

What you pay upfront, what comes back, and the dates that decide whether it does.

The 15-month wait-out rule, in plain terms

Who it applies to, who it doesn't, and how it moves your timeline by more than a year.

New launch or resale: the honest trade-offs

Progressive payments, three years of waiting, and what each path costs a family with school-going children.

Every fee in a $1.6m purchase, listed

Stamp duty, legal, valuation, agent, and the renovation buffer most people forget to hold back.

Eighteen things I check at a viewing that photos hide

Afternoon sun, water pressure, corridor noise, the lift lobby at 7pm.

What your flat is worth today, and why

How to read the transacted prices in your block, and set a price the market will pay.

Sell first or buy first: the two paths, side by side

Same family, same budget, two sequences. The cash-flow difference, month by month.

Cash proceeds: what actually lands in your account

Outstanding loan, CPF refund with accrued interest, fees — then the balance you can use.

MOP: what to prepare in the six months before

Paperwork, valuation, and the small repairs that are cheaper done early.

Pricing in a quiet month without leaving money behind

What a slow first fortnight tells you, and the two adjustments worth making.

The five fixes worth doing before viewings

Under a thousand dollars, and they change the first ten seconds of a viewing.

From listing to keys, week by week

A realistic twelve-week calendar, including the weeks where nothing happens.

Rent it out, or sell it? Run both numbers

Holding costs and net rent against sale proceeds. Two columns, one page.

Rental yield after everything you actually pay

Maintenance, property tax, agent commission, vacancy weeks, repairs. Then the real number.

Tenancy clauses landlords regret leaving out

Diplomatic clause, minor repairs, aircon servicing, early termination. Plain wording for each.

HDB rental rules: rooms, whole flat, and MOP

What needs approval, how long a tenancy can run, and the occupancy caps.

Screening tenants without relying on a gut feeling

Employment pass, payslips, references, and the two questions that tell you most.

Repairs, the minor-repair clause, and who pays

A worked example: a $180 tap, a $900 compressor, and where the line sits.

Handover and inventory, photographed properly

The list I use at check-in, so the check-out conversation is short.