First, Government HDB flats

HDB is the most common type of housing in Singapore, about 80% of the country's population lives in this type, it is developed, sold and managed by the government.

There are very strict restrictions on buying government HDB flats. New HDB flats are only available to families who are Singapore citizens and the sale of second hand HDB flats can be done between citizens and permanent residents.

If both husband and wife are permanent residents, they can only buy second-hand HDB flats. Currently, permanent residents need to have been granted this status for at least 3 years before they are eligible to buy a resale HDB flat.

HDB flats are in principle owned by the government, so HDB flat owners only own the interior use of their house, the hallway, elevator, corridor and downstairs land are all under the government's control.

There are public recreational facilities underneath the HDB flats, such as fitness equipment and playgrounds for children. Living facilities such as coffee shops, supermarkets, grocery stores, etc.

Second, Executive Condominium

Launched by the Singapore government and built by private developers. The sale is mainly for the middle class and only Singaporean families with monthly income below S$16,000 are eligible to buy.

EC has the usual amenities of a private condominium such as swimming pool, gym, parking lot, tennis court and 24-hour security.

At first glance, it does not look much different from a regular private condominium, but because it is a government subsidized real estate project, the price is lower, usually 20-30% cheaper than the same type of private condominium.

New EC can only be sold to citizens and the house can be sold to PR after 5 years. after 10 years it can be completely converted into private housing and sold to foreigners or companies.

EC is a finely renovated house, including installed flooring, air conditioning, kitchen cabinets, oven, sink, bathroom, etc.. You only need to install the fixtures yourself and you can move in.

Third, private apartment

There are two types, Condominium and Apartment.

Condominium is at least 4,000 square meters in size, and the residential floor area does not exceed 40% of the total area. Condominium facilities, including swimming pool, gym, clubhouse, meeting rooms, tennis courts, etc., are almost standard.

Less than 4,000 sq. m. in size is the Apartment. in many cases, the Apartment is a separate building. Due to the limitation of land area, there is only a swimming pool, gym and parking lot, etc.

Private apartments are less restricted and foreigners can buy them in unlimited numbers. One can buy it alone or several people can buy it jointly. The apartments have new design, complete facilities, and well-made materials.

Fourth, landed property

These include townhouses, also known as row houses, strata deeded landed houses, detached houses, semi-detached houses, townhouses, high class houses and black and white houses.

Landed properties have their own land ownership and the buyers can build their own houses subject to the regulations of the relevant authorities and many are freehold.

Such houses are usually only allowed to be purchased by local Singapore citizens. Unless special permission is obtained, but the requirements are very high.

Strata-deeded landed houses are low-density, low-rise houses, similar to landed houses. They do not own the land deed of the house, but share the land deed with the other owners of the entire development, i.e. strata deeds.

Strata-deeded homes include strata-deeded townhomes, semi-detached and row houses.

Generally, a strata-deeded condominium located in a land-owned residential zone is called a cluster condominium, and a strata-deeded condominium located in a mixed-use residential zone or with a non-landed residential zone is called a strata-deeded condominium.

Foreigners are not allowed to purchase landed houses in Singapore unless special permission is granted.

A good quality house has a minimum lot size of 1400 square meters and the floor area cannot exceed 40% of the lot size. Currently, there are only 2500-2800 quality houses in Singapore, so they are very expensive, usually above S$10 million.

Black and white houses, also called black and white houses, are a relatively rare existence, with only 300 or so in Singapore.

These old houses have a large footprint, unique style and beautiful environment. Most of them are elevated on the second floor and live only on the second floor. Scattered in many places throughout the island, outsiders know little about them.