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If you did not know, the most Singaporean way to propose is to ask your partner if they want to BTO together with you.
Build-to-Order (BTO) flats are launched three to four times per year and applicants have the choice to apply for one that is in a mature estate or non-mature estate. In November 2020, there are 5,770 BTO flats in five different estates for applicants to choose from. These BTO flats will typically take 3 to 4 years to be completed.
In the dreadful event that you and your partner decide to put a full stop to the relationship after applying for a BTO flat, it will cause some financial losses. However, the amount lost depends on the stage of BTO purchase the applicants are at. Other costs to factor in are the opportunity cost (i.e. you could have put the sum into an investment and generate a 4% interest) and the privileges of applying for a flat as a first-timer (e.g. CPF Housing Grant).
Before unit selection
Financial damage:
$10 application fee
Total: $10
Upon cancellation of the application, before selecting the unit, you will lose your $10 application fee. This is considered as rejecting to select the flat as you were given the chance to do so but you chose not to. After rejecting to select a flat twice, your first-timer priority will be suspended for a year.
After unit selection / Before signing the agreement
Financial damage:
$10 application fee
$500 to $2,000 option fee
Total: $510 to $2,010
Option fee ranges from $500 for 2-room Flexi flat, to $1,000 for 3-room flat, to $2,000 for 4- or 5-room and Executive flats.
After the cancellation, you will have to wait for a year before you are allowed to apply for a new HDB flat, Executive Condo from developers, resale flat with Housing Grant, resale flat that will be undergoing Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS), or DBSS flat from developers.
After signing the agreement / Before collection of keys
Financial damage:
$10 application fee
$500 to $2,000 option fee
5% to 20% downpayment
1% to 4% Buyer’s Stamp Duty
$250 legal fees (estimated)
Housing grants (if applicable)
Total: From $26,260 onwards (for a 4-room, $400k flat)
If you have reached this stage in you and your partner’s BTO application, be prepared to face a substantial amount of financial loss. Assuming that the 4-room flat is $400k with no grants taken up, the bare minimum amount that will be lost is $26,260.
Downpayment amount varies from 5% to 20% of the purchase price.
5% - under a HDB loan with Staggered Downpayment Scheme (SDS)
10% - under a HDB loan without SDS OR a bank loan with SDS
20% - under a bank loan without SDS
Buyer’s Stamp Duty can be calculated using IRAS’s stamp duty calculator while the legal fees can be calculated using HDB’s calculator. Additionally, if any grants were taken up for the flat, the full amount plus interest will have to be returned.
As for the non-financial cost, you will have to wait for a year before you can apply for another flat.
After keys collection
Financial damage:
$10 application fee
Option fee ($500 to $2,000)
5% to 20% downpayment
1% to 4% Buyer’s Stamp Duty
$250 legal fees (estimated)
Housing grants (if applicable)
$38.30 registration fee for lease in-escrow or for mortgage in-escrow
Survey fees ($150 to $375)
Fire insurance ($1.62 to $8.10)
Home Protection Scheme (HPS) Premium
Bank loan (if applicable)
Registration fee comes in two types – lease in-escrow or mortgage in-escrow. Regardless of which type of registration fee it is, both will come up to $38.30.
Survey fee ranges from $150 to $375, depending on the type of flat that was purchased.
1-room: $150
2-room: $150
3-room: $212.50
4-room: $275
5-room: $325
Executive: $375
Fire insurance ranges from $1.62 to $8.10. Premium for HPS is dependent on the loan amount and can be calculated using CPF’s calculator here.
Adding on to the financial losses, you will not be able to apply for another flat for a certain number of years. First-timer privilege will be lost as well.
*Above figures are for illustration and do not constitute any form of advice. Please consult the Mortgage Consultancy Team if you need further clarifications.