Buying In Singapore

When you’re looking for a house for sale in Singapore, know that there are a few different property types:

Public Housing or HDB

Public housing or HDB apartments – this stands for Housing Development Board and is used as short-hand to describe any government housing in Singapore. These are not available for foreigners to purchase.

Public-Private Hybrid

Executive condominiums – a public-private hybrid property, which foreigners can only purchase 10 years after completion of construction. The executive condominium shares most of the design and facilities of a private condominium with the edge of being HDB-issued. Executive condominiums come with a 5-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), which means that you have to live in it for at least 5 years before you are granted the rights to sell it on the open market to Singapore Citizens and PRs.

Private Residential Housing

The different types of private residential property can be subdivided into two main cadres: landed property and condominiums/apartments. Condominiums and apartments are really popular with private property enthusiasts. These are basically the more luxurious version of the HDB flats. If you want to buy a condo in Singapore, these do not have restrictions on foreign ownership and are the common choice for expats.

Landed properties

Landed properties include bungalows, houses, cluster houses, terrace houses and shophouses. While these require more maintenance, they are also considered unrivaled in terms of size, spacious living and privacy. While Singaporeans can purchase landed properties without restrictions, foreigners are required to seek approval from the Land Dealings Authority Unit before they can purchase, unless the house is part of a larger condominium project, or located at Sentosa Cove. For these properties, buyers can obtain a fast-track approval from the Singapore Land Dealing Unit.

Note that if you want to rent a house in Singapore, private properties are available to all foreigners and expats, while public housing such as HDBs do have more regulations.