A guide for Singapore buyers

Five questions that separate a great property purchase from an expensive mistake.

Most Singaporeans buy a private condo based on the showroom. The smart ones buy based on the data. Here's the playbook your agent should already be using.

Cost of a Great Agent
$0
In Singapore, the seller pays the buyer's agent commission.
Cost of a Bad Purchase
$100K+
Plus years of opportunity cost on capital that's locked up.
Read the 5 Questions → Speak with Me
Before the questions

Should you even bother with a property agent? Yes. And here's the honest reason why.

i.

Would you accept one medical opinion on a serious diagnosis?

Of course not. You'd seek a second opinion — and you'd want the most experienced specialist you could find. A multi-million dollar property purchase deserves the same rigour.

ii.

Do you choose the cheapest doctor, or the best one?

You don't optimise for cost when the stakes are this high. You optimise for outcomes. The same logic applies to who guides your largest financial decision.

iii.

And here's the part most buyers don't realise.

In Singapore, the seller pays your agent's commission. A sharp, data-driven agent in your corner costs you nothing — but the wrong purchase will cost you for the next decade.

The five questions

What every agent should answer before you sign anything.

If your agent can't pull this data on demand, you don't have an agent. You have a salesperson.

01

The profitability trend for the area

What you want is the percentage of resale transactions in the district that sold at a profit over the last 3 to 5 years — not just the project, but the surrounding area. URA REALIS, EdgeProp and Squarefoot all publish this. If profitability is trending up, the location has momentum. If it's trending down, even a great-looking unit can be a value trap.

Show me the area's profitability data over the last five years — not just for this development.
02

The best-performing condo at your budget

For your budget, what is the single best-performing condo in Singapore right now? You're not necessarily going to buy it — maybe it's in a location you don't want — but you need to understand the gap. Why is yours underperforming? Shorter remaining tenure? Less efficient layouts? Worse transport access? Make the trade-off consciously.

For my budget, which is the top-performing condo in Singapore right now — and how does this one compare?
03

The bedroom mix of the development

Most buyers miss this entirely. If a condo is dominated by 1- and 2-bedders, it's an investor block — high turnover, transient lobby, resale liquidity dependent on rental yields. Mostly 3-bedders and above? Family-oriented. Owner-occupiers stay longer, the community is stable, resale is driven by lifestyle buyers. Neither is wrong, but they behave very differently.

What's the ratio of 2-bedders and below versus 3-bedders and above in this development?
04

The rental transaction volume

Pull the rental transaction volume for the development over the last 12 to 24 months. High and consistent volume confirms it's investor-driven. Low rental volume means owner-occupied. Cross-check against your goal: investors want active rental markets. Family buyers want neighbours who own, not tenants who rotate.

How many rental transactions has this development seen over the last two years?
05

Active listings versus actual transactions

If a development has 50 units listed but only 5 transactions in the past year, that's a 10-to-1 supply-demand mismatch. Sellers are stuck. Prices will come down — or units will sit there for months. Low listings with high transaction volume is the opposite signal: a healthy condo where demand absorbs supply quickly. This tells you both your negotiating power now and how easily you'll exit later.

How many units are currently listed for sale, and how many actually transacted in the past 12 months?
May, founder of Singapore Property Insights
About May

Hi, I'm May — the advisor your largest financial decision deserves.

I built Singapore Property Insights on a simple idea: buyers shouldn't have to make multi-million-dollar decisions based on a glossy showroom and a sales pitch.

Every consultation I do begins with the data — profitability trends, transaction history, supply-demand ratios, comparable performance — so you walk into your viewing already knowing what to look for, and walk out with the confidence to sign, negotiate, or walk away.

No pressure. No commission paid by you. Just the second opinion every serious buyer should have.

CEA Registration
May · R069776Z
Let's talk

Considering a private property in Singapore?
Let's run the numbers together.

Send me the project you're looking at, and I'll pull the data on all five questions before our first conversation. No obligation. No fee to you. — May

Message May on WhatsApp
WhatsApp: +65 8086 5338
Singapore-based Data-led approach No fee to buyers