The Move Framework

Why this exists

Most people get their property advice from agents trying to sell them something. Sometimes that's fine. Often it isn't.

This is a framework I've used with 20+ Singapore families to diagnose what they actually have, what they actually want, and what's actually possible. Not a unit-pick. A way of thinking.

If you read this and decide you want to run your specific numbers with me, great. If you read this and decide you can do it yourself, also great , that means it worked.

The five moves

Every property decision turns on four checks. Most people optimise one and ignore the other three. That's how a $1.5M condo on paper becomes a $200k regret in practice.

Income & Cashflow

The boring one nobody wants to look at first. But it determines:

• TDSR (max 55% of gross income for total debt)
• MSR (max 30% for HDB/EC)
• The mortgage you actually qualify for at MAS-stress rates (4% for private, 3% for HDB)
• What happens if rates spike 1pp

ABSD & Tax

The pillar that quietly costs S$80k, S$200k+ per misstep.

• ABSD on 2nd property for SC: 20%. PR: 30%. Foreigner: 60%.
• BSD: 1-6% tiered, depending on price.
• SSD: up to 12% if you sell within 3 years.
• Restructuring (transferring spouse's share) is often cheaper than ABSD on the next purchase. Sometimes by S$80k+. Most couples never run this math.

Financing & Lock-in

• Lowest fixed 2yr rate today: ~1.40%. Walk-in to a bank? Probably ~1.55%.
• Difference: S$40-60/mo per S$500k borrowed. S$5-7k over a 2yr lock.
• Refinance window: 3 months before lock-in expires. Most people miss it because nobody alerts them.

Time horizon & exit

• Capital gain takes time. SG private property has done ~3-4%/yr long-run.
• Rental yield by district: D1 ~2.8%, D18 ~3.9%. The "cheap" districts often yield more.
• SSD pushes you to a 3+ year horizon minimum.
• En-bloc: high reward, low probability. Only relevant for ageing freehold.

How the pillars interact

This is where most analysis goes wrong. People look at pillars one at a time. They miss the interactions.

Example 1: You can afford the property (Cashflow check), but the ABSD makes the deal stupid (ABSD check). Skip.

Example 2: ABSD check is fine , you're SC, it's your first property, no ABSD. But the financing check says you're locking in at 2.4% when the market is 1.4%. You'd save S$10k/yr by rate-shopping. Suddenly that "good deal" isn't.

Example 3: The timeline check says rental yield in D9 is 2.8% and D18 is 3.9%. But the cashflow check says you only qualify for D18 anyway because of MSR. The "I want D9" preference died at the cashflow check , but you didn't realise until you'd spent 3 weeks viewing D9 units.

The pillars don't just stack. They constrain each other.

The diagnostic questions

For your specific situation, run yourself through these:

1. What's your gross household income? Existing debts?
2. What's your current property , value, outstanding loan, CPF used, accrued interest?
3. Citizenship of buyer(s)?
4. How many property transactions across both spouses, lifetime?
5. Time horizon for next move: 0-12 months, 1-3 years, or 3+?
6. Cash on hand for the next move?
7. What problem are you actually solving , more space, better yield, ABSD optimisation, exit?

If you can't answer #5 or #7 specifically, that's where to start. Not at "should I buy this unit."

What this framework misses

Honesty matters in lead-magnet PDFs.

This framework doesn't capture:

• Lifestyle , sometimes the right answer is "I want to live near my parents." The framework says nothing about that.
• Risk tolerance , two people with identical numbers can want very different exposures. That's fine.
• Family complexity , divorce, remarriage, blended families, inheritance. Each warps the pillars in non-generic ways.
• Estate planning , especially relevant for landed + GCB. Different specialists.

If your situation has any of these, get a 1:1 conversation with someone who can hold all four checks + your real life simultaneously. (That's me, but it doesn't have to be.)