First Time Seller Series · Part 7 of 8
The full cost stack when you sell your property in Singapore
By Winfred Quek · CEA R073319H · Published 1 September 2026
Facts verified: 1 September 2026 · Sources linked below
Key Takeaways
- Your loan discharge figure, requested from your bank or HDB, includes any early repayment consideration and is deducted first from your sale price.
- Your CPF refund returns principal plus accrued interest at 2.5 percent a year to your CPF Ordinary Account, reducing cash proceeds without disappearing.
- Agent commission is negotiated, not fixed. A commonly cited example for private property sits in the 1 to 2 percent range, agreed in writing upfront.
- Seller Stamp Duty only applies to private property inside four years of purchase. HDB flats are exempt entirely.
- Maintenance, conservancy or property tax arrears must typically be cleared before or at completion, and are deducted from your proceeds if outstanding.
Part 6 of this series covered getting to a signed Option to Purchase. This part covers what happens between that option and the money in your bank account, the complete stack of costs a seller carries at completion, so nothing on the completion statement is a surprise.
The line items in your cost stack
| Line item | Applies to |
|---|---|
| Outstanding loan discharge | Both HDB and private, if a loan remains |
| CPF refund, principal plus accrued interest | Both, if CPF was used toward the property |
| Legal and conveyancing fees | Both |
| Agent commission | Both, if an agent was engaged, rate negotiated |
| Seller Stamp Duty | Private property only, inside four years of purchase |
| Maintenance, conservancy or property tax arrears | Both, if any balance is outstanding |
Note what is missing from this list: Buyer Stamp Duty. That cost sits entirely with your buyer, not with you, so it should never appear in your own net proceeds calculation.
Loan discharge and prepayment considerations
Your bank or HDB provides a redemption figure valid to your projected completion date, which includes interest accrued to that date and, if you are still inside a lock in period, an early repayment consideration commonly around 1.5 percent of the outstanding balance. If you have an outstanding HDB loan, our guide to selling with an outstanding HDB loan covers the specifics. This figure is deducted first, directly from your sale proceeds at completion.
CPF refund, principal plus accrued interest
Every dollar of CPF Ordinary Account money used for the property, downpayment and monthly instalments alike, must be refunded to your CPF account, together with the accrued interest that money would otherwise have earned at the Ordinary Account rate of 2.5 percent a year. This is the item first time sellers most often underestimate, since it does not appear anywhere until requested. Our seller net proceeds guide covers a full worked example.
Legal and conveyancing fees
Your conveyancing lawyer handles the legal completion, title checks, redemption of your loan, CPF Board coordination and lodgement of the sale documents. Our guide to what your conveyancing lawyer does covers this role in full. Fees are a modest, fairly predictable line item compared to the loan discharge and CPF refund, but they are a real cash cost, not something CPF can cover.
Agent fee
If you engaged an agent, commission is a cost that comes off your proceeds at completion. This is negotiated between you and your agent, not fixed by any rule, and market practice varies between transactions. Our guide to property agent commission covers common ranges used in the market as illustrations, not as a rate you are obliged to pay. Agree the exact rate and what it covers in writing before marketing begins, so it is a known number by the time you reach completion, not a negotiation at the finish line.
Seller Stamp Duty, if you are inside the window
This line applies only to private property sold within four years of purchase, on a sliding scale of 16 percent in year 1, 12 percent in year 2, 8 percent in year 3 and 4 percent in year 4, computed on the higher of sale price or market value. HDB flats are exempt from Seller Stamp Duty entirely, since the five year Minimum Occupation Period already governs how soon a flat can be sold. Confirm your own position early using your original purchase date, as covered in part 1 of this series.
Arrears and the final adjustment
For an HDB flat, service and conservancy charges must be paid up to the resale completion date, with a signed confirmation letter from your town council produced at the completion appointment. Our guide to HDB maintenance fees covers what this actually includes. For a condo, outstanding MCST maintenance or sinking fund contributions typically need to be settled or apportioned at completion, and our guide to selling with MCST arrears covers that process. Any outstanding property tax is generally apportioned between buyer and seller as at the completion date as well.
Winfred's Take
Nobody is upset by a cost they saw coming. Every difficult completion day conversation I have had with a first time seller traces back to a number they did not know existed until the lawyer read it out, usually the CPF refund, occasionally an arrears figure nobody chased down earlier. This entire series exists to remove that moment. If you worked through part 1 honestly, nothing in this cost stack should be new information, only confirmation of numbers you already have on paper.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main costs a seller pays when completing a property sale?
The main items are your outstanding loan discharge, your CPF refund including accrued interest, legal or conveyancing fees, agent commission if you engaged one, Seller Stamp Duty if your private property is inside the holding period window, and any outstanding maintenance, conservancy or property tax arrears. Together these determine your actual net cash proceeds, which is almost always less than the headline sale price.
Do I pay Buyer Stamp Duty when I sell my property?
No. Buyer Stamp Duty is paid by the purchaser on their acquisition, not by you as the seller. Your own stamp duty exposure, if any, is Seller Stamp Duty, which only applies to private property sold within four years of purchase. HDB flats do not attract Seller Stamp Duty at all.
Is agent commission a fixed percentage I have to pay?
No. Commission is negotiated between you and your agent and market practice varies, so there is no single fixed rate you are required to pay. A commonly cited example for private property sits in the 1 to 2 percent range, while some HDB sellers pay a lower rate or none at all depending on their arrangement. Agree the rate in writing before your agent begins marketing.
What happens if I still owe money on my HDB loan when I sell?
Your outstanding HDB loan is repaid directly from your sale proceeds at completion, using the redemption figure HDB or your bank provides. If your CPF refund and loan discharge together exceed your net proceeds after other costs, the shortfall must be topped up in cash before completion can proceed, so it is worth checking this early rather than assuming it will resolve itself.
Do I need to clear maintenance or conservancy arrears before I can complete my sale?
Yes. For an HDB flat, service and conservancy charges must be paid up to the resale completion date, with a confirmation letter from your town council produced at the completion appointment. For a condo, any outstanding MCST maintenance or sinking fund contributions typically need to be settled or accounted for at completion as well.
Want your full cost stack worked out in real numbers?
Loan discharge, CPF refund, fees and any stamp duty exposure, all laid out together against your actual sale price, so completion day holds no surprises.
Book a free 30 minute call WhatsApp WinfredWinfred Quek is an Associate Marketing Consultant at Crestbrick Pte Ltd (CEA Licence No. L31010886H), CEA Registration No. R073319H. The information on this page is general information only and does not constitute financial, legal or investment advice. Figures reflect published rules as at 1 September 2026 and can change. Always confirm your exact redemption figure, CPF refund and stamp duty position with your bank, CPF Board and IRAS before relying on any number.