Hey guys, i’m 21, currently half way through army. Considering i have no outstanding loans of any sort. Is it smart to get a property, be it BTO, resale or private, as soon as i can afford it?

Assuming that you’re buying with your girlfriend, at least one of you needs to have a stable job for at least a year to be eligible.

Would highly recommend BTO because it’s WAYYYYY cheaper & able to get lots of grants! But you need to wait a few years....

If you really want resale.., look for those flats which are not super old... if not next time, you’ll have a hard time to sell etc

Private — if you can afford it :)

For any property related to HDB, you will need two names for the purchase.

Second point... I cannot really justify property as an investment option. It is, but after the last five years of trying to sustain an investment property, I just find it a sub-optimal investment, with likely returns equal to an SSB. if you did your math right, after deducting stamp duties, property taxes, interest on the loan, maintenance fees / repairs and finally depreciation, the actual cumulative return on residential property is very very low. To me, what other people consider as the gain when you resell it... More or less covers the property tax and interests they have been paying during the holding period.

If they have been financing the property via cpf, I actually think it might be slightly negative after you consider the cpf accrued interest as well.

Buy the property because its somewhere you want your family to live for a long while, not for the investment aspects. For investments, I think you will need to look at those good class bungalows, multi room penthouse... The type that James Dyson / Jet Lee would be considering...

However I must say, as a form of forced savings, it is a pretty good tool. But I am not liking having the constant stress and fear of having to deal with the mortgage... Definitely not worth it.

I would definitely recommend getting a BTO as soon as you found a suitable partner. There are a few reasons.

1) Getting a BTO early means your total gross income is at your lowest. You are eligible for the highest grants possible.

2) There is a waiting time of a few years, use that time to save up for your downpayment. Else you would have to look at resale flats only.

3) Once you buy private property, you are not eligible to buy BTO which in my opinion is an investment opportunity because it appreciates over time and if you rent it out after you move to private, you can generate monthly rental revenue.

Get your BTO or resale as long as you can afford it and you found a life partner to get married. Otherwise you just have to wait till you are 35 years old.

Alot of clients over leveraged by getting private property and get stressed. End up working for money to pay off loans and...die. Because it took them too long to clear the loans and by the time it was cleared, they don't have the luxury or energy to enjoy life anymore.

It's our privilege as citizens to own a BTO flat and you would want to take advantage of that. I will keep suggest to keep debts low and look at property investment only after getting your first property.