What do you look out for when buying a residential investment property? How do you know if it is worth investing in?

Woah, this is a big question that could require several volumes to answer. But here's a highly simplified list of basics:

• Proximity to public transport. Ideally, you want to be within three to five minutes' sheltered walk of the MRT station.

• Within one kilometre of multiple schools is preferable (even if you don't have children, future buyers might). Whille all schools are good schools etc., the fact is that most buyers do care about "brand name" schools.

• Close to amenities like food, retail, etc. At the very least, you want to make sure there's a nearby supermarket for day to day groceries. As for things like park connectors, nature walks, etc. it's mainly subjective; good to have but not equally appealing to everyone.

• Good view, just above the treeline or surrounding properties. This does tend to mean low density housing areas are more in demand and expensive.

• The URA Master Plan is the main guidepoint for me (we have a long article on how to use this: https://stackedhomes.com/editorial/how-to-use-t...)

• Gross rental yield of around three per cent. If you know the costs in detail (e.g. maintenance fees and so forth), look for a net rental yield that's at least 1.5 per cent.

• Within the same development, make sure you get a good facing, and a unit that's not too far from the condo's key facilities.

• Your investment horizon will determine whether freehold or leasehold is a better choice. For leasehold, you don't want a unit that's too old due to lease decay (but conversely, a more advanced group of investors specificially seek out very old properties; they do this to buy at steep discounts and push for higher rental yields).

This is a huge topic though, so these are general pointers. Do give us a shout at Stacked Homes if you want an in-depth look at any specific properties. ​​​