BTO vs resale for our first home, we can't decide?

Question

Just got married, both 28. BTO means waiting 4-5 years but cheaper and grants. Resale we can move in now but pricier and possibly high COV. We stay with in-laws now and it's getting tense. What would you do?

Renovation Bro Alvin · Accepted Answer

We were in your exact spot and chose resale specifically because living with in-laws was straining our marriage, and no flat is worth your relationship. Here's the honest breakdown. BTO: cheaper, more grants (Enhanced CPF Housing Grant can be substantial for your income), but 4-5 year wait and you might not get your preferred location after multiple ballots. Resale: move in within months, pick your exact area, but you pay market price plus possibly COV (cash over valuation, which is back now in hot estates). We did resale in a mature estate, paid some COV, but got our own space immediately and our marriage is much healthier for it. If in-law tension is real, resale. If you can genuinely wait and want to maximise grants, BTO. Also apply for BTO anyway as a backup ballot even while looking at resale, options don't hurt. Just know once you take the resale you can't also take a BTO.

Uni Undergrad Haziq · Answer

One angle people miss: BTO is essentially the government giving you instant equity because it's priced below market, so on paper BTO builds wealth faster if you can wait. But you can't put a price on 4 years of marital peace. We stayed with in-laws to save for BTO and it nearly broke us. If I could redo it, resale. Your call depends on how bad the in-law situation really is.

SMU Grad Xinyi · Answer

Resale lets you see exactly what you're buying, the actual unit, floor, view, neighbours, vs BTO where you gamble on a floor plan and photos. That certainty was worth the premium for us. Just budget for the CPF/cash mix carefully and get a proper valuation before agreeing to any COV, don't overpay in a bidding frenzy.

Physio Coach Marcus · Answer

Run the numbers with the grants properly on the HDB site before deciding, the resale grants stack differently and for some couples the gap narrows a lot. Also factor MOP: both lock you in 5 years from key collection/purchase before you can sell. We went BTO, waited 4.5 years, and honestly the wait flew by and we saved a ton that went into renovation and investments. Patience paid for us. But we weren't in an in-law pressure cooker.

BTO vs resale for our first home, we can't decide?

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