You’ve decided to buy a landed home. Unlike a standard condominium, there are lots of things to consider.
Buying a resale landed property in 2026 runs through eight clear stages, from confirming you’re eligible to buy (which is very troublesome in itself if you’re not a Singapore Citizen) to collecting your keys.
P.S. if you’re looking to sell a landed home before buying one, you might want to read our full guide to selling landed property first instead!
From start to finish, most buyers should plan for 3 to 6 months: time to confirm eligibility and secure your financing, however long it takes you to find the right house, and then about 8 to 12 weeks once you’ve secured an Option to Purchase. Here’s the full timeline at a glance:
| Stage | What happens | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Confirm you’re eligible to buy landed | Check ownership eligibility (and LDAU approval if a PR/foreigner) | Upfront (LDAU ~30 working days) |
| 2. Secure an In-Principle Approval (IPA) | Confirm how much a bank will lend you | ~1 week |
| 3. Sort out your full budget | Downpayment, stamp duties, CPF, cash, fees | Alongside Stages 1-2 |
| 4. Search, view & do your due diligence | Find the house; check tenure, title, rebuild potential | 2 weeks to a few months |
| 5. Engage a conveyancing lawyer | Line up your legal representation early | During property search |
| 6. Get the Option to Purchase (OTP) | Seller grants you the OTP; you pay the Option Fee | 1 day |
| 7. Exercise the OTP & pay stamp duties | Sign, pay the balance deposit; BSD/ABSD within 14 days | Within the option period |
| 8. Completion & key collection | Balance paid, keys handed over | ~8-12 weeks after exercising |
That’s the top-down view. Now let’s walk through each stage so you know exactly what happens and the action(s) required on your end.
1. Confirm you’re eligible to buy landed
This is the stage that sets landed apart from every other property purchase in Singapore. Landed homes are restricted residential property under the Residential Property Act, so before you do anything else, you need to confirm you’re actually allowed to buy.
Here’s where you stand by profile:
- Singapore Citizens: You can buy landed property freely – no approval needed.
- Singapore Permanent Residents: You need approval from the Land Dealings Approval Unit (LDAU), the body under the Singapore Land Authority that vets landed purchases by non-citizens. Approval is assessed case-by-case and is not easy to get: in practice, you generally need to have been a PR for at least 5 years and be able to show an exceptional economic contribution to Singapore. Approved PRs are limited to landed properties of up to 15,000 sq ft outside Good Class Bungalow areas, and the home must be for your own occupation – you can’t rent it out.
- Foreigners (non-PR): On mainland Singapore, you generally cannot buy landed property. The one practical exception is Sentosa Cove, where foreigners can buy a landed home with LDAU approval, on a plot of up to 1,800 sq m, again strictly for owner-occupation.
If you need LDAU approval, factor it into your timeline early: the application fee is $1,220 per property and the assessment takes around 30 working days. You can apply for in-principle approval before you’ve found a specific property so you know where you stand.
For the full criteria and to apply, go to the Singapore Land Authority.
2. Secure an In-Principle Approval (IPA)
Once you know you’re eligible, find out how much a bank will actually lend you. The way to do that is an In-Principle Approval (IPA) – a free assessment from a bank that confirms, based on your real income and debts, the loan amount you qualify for.
Two things worth knowing upfront:
- You can borrow up to 75% of the price or valuation, whichever is lower, for a first housing loan (tenure of 30 years or less, not running past age 65). That leaves a 25% downpayment to fund yourself – and on a landed quantum, that’s a large sum.
- Your loan is capped by TDSR. The Total Debt Servicing Ratio limits all your monthly debt repayments to 55% of your gross monthly income, stress-tested at an interest rate floor of 4%.
An IPA is free and valid for a period of 30 to 90 days. The exact validity period differs from bank to bank, so make sure to double-check on this prior to applying for the IPA.
3. Sort out your full budget
Your IPA tells you what you can borrow. This step is about deciding how you’ll actually pay – and with landed, the numbers are large enough that small percentages turn into very real sums.
There are five pieces to get straight: your downpayment, your CPF, your Buyer’s Stamp Duty, your Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty, and your legal and valuation fees.
a. Your downpayment
With a 75% loan, you cover the remaining 25% as a downpayment: a minimum 5% in cash, and the remaining 20% in cash, CPF, or a mix of both. You can’t pay the entire 25% from CPF – the 5% cash minimum is a hard rule. On a multi-million-dollar landed home, even that 5% is a substantial cash outlay.
b. How much CPF can you use?
You can use your CPF Ordinary Account (OA) savings for the 20% portion of the downpayment, the monthly instalments, and your stamp duties (for a completed property, you typically pay the stamp duty in cash first and reimburse yourself from CPF afterwards). For most buyers, CPF covers part of the upfront cost – but the first 5% has to be cash, and CPF can’t be used for the option fee when you collect the OTP.
c. Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD)
Everyone pays Buyer’s Stamp Duty when they buy property in Singapore, and on landed it’s a bigger number than most buyers expect, because the price climbs into the higher tiers. BSD is tiered from 1% on the first $180,000 up to 6% on any amount above $3,000,000, calculated on the price or valuation, whichever is higher. These rates have been unchanged since 15 February 2023:
| Portion of price/valuation | BSD rate |
|---|---|
| First $180,000 | 1% |
| Next $180,000 (up to $360,000) | 2% |
| Next $640,000 (up to $1,000,000) | 3% |
| Next $500,000 (up to $1,500,000) | 4% |
| Next $1,500,000 (up to $3,000,000) | 5% |
| Remaining amount | 6% |
On a $6,000,000 house, your BSD works out to $299,600. You pay it within 14 days of exercising the OTP, and you can use CPF for it.
d. Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD)
Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) is an extra tax on top of BSD, and how much you pay depends on your profile and how many residential properties you already own. A Singapore Citizen pays no ABSD on their first property – which is the common case for landed, since most buyers are moving into the home. But if the landed home is your second property, a citizen pays 20% ABSD, and on a landed quantum, this figure can easily run into the hundreds of thousands. The rates have been unchanged since 27 April 2023:
| Buyer profile | 1st property | 2nd property | 3rd & subsequent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore Citizen | 0% | 20% | 30% |
| Singapore PR | 5% | 30% | 35% |
| Foreigner | 60% | 60% | 60% |
Check your profile against the current rates on IRAS before you commit – on landed values, ABSD is the single line item that most often decides whether a purchase is feasible.
e. Legal and valuation fees
Two smaller costs to budget for are conveyancing (legal) fees, typically around the range of $2,500 to $5,000 – landed transactions sit at the higher end because the title and due diligence work is heavier – and a valuation fee of $350 to $800 when you take a bank loan (though some banks waive this cost as part of a loan package perk).
4. Search, view and do your due diligence
With your eligibility and financing sorted, you can safely commence house-hunting. Property portals like PropertyGuru and 99.co carry most listings, and you can search, shortlist, and arrange viewings yourself.
Landed property comes with checks that don’t exist for an HDB flat or a condo, and they matter enormously because you’re buying the land and the building, not a unit in a shared development:
- Tenure: Landed homes can be freehold, 999-year leasehold (effectively freehold), or 99-year leasehold. Freehold and 999-year tenures hold value differently from a 99-year leasehold, where the remaining lease affects price, financing, and resale.
- Rebuild potential (URA envelope control): If you plan to rebuild or extend, the URA’s envelope control guidelines determine what you’re actually allowed to build. For landed housing these are form-based controls which together define the 3D “envelope” your house must fit inside. The allowable floor area falls out of that envelope, so a big plot doesn’t always mean a big house. Tip: Get your architect or agent to confirm the buildable envelope before you commit!
- Title and condition: A title search (via the land registry) confirms ownership and flags encumbrances, while a structural look at the building tells you what you’re really taking on. This can be handed over to your lawyer – more on this in the next step
This is where Propseller comes in. Our agents handle the legwork most people don’t have time for: shortlisting homes that fit your budget and plans, arranging viewings, pulling recent transacted prices so you know what’s fair, flagging tenure and rebuild constraints early, and negotiating the price down rather than letting you overpay. You get an experienced negotiator on your side, which with landed properties, can save you tens or even hundreds of thousands. Find out how Propseller helps buyers achieve the best outcome or request for a free, non-obligatory phone consultation below!
5. Engage a conveyancing lawyer
Engage a conveyancing lawyer early, ideally in parallel with your property search.
The reason for this is how legal work is more complicated with landed property as compared to a condo: your lawyer runs the title search, checks for encumbrances and any restrictive covenants on the land, liaises with your bank and CPF, and makes sure you exercise the OTP correctly and on time.
6. Get the Option to Purchase (OTP)
You’ve found your dream house. The next step is to secure it with an Option to Purchase (OTP) – a legal document the seller grants you that gives you, and only you, the right to buy the property at the agreed price for a set period.
To get the OTP, you pay the seller an Option Fee, typically 1% of the purchase price (though this can go up to 4-5%, depending on what you agree with the seller), in cash. Once you’ve paid and the seller signs, you hold an exclusive option on the house.
The standard Option Period is 14 days, but for landed it’s often negotiated longer – sometimes up to around two months – precisely because buyers need time for the heavier due diligence and to finalise financing. Use the window to complete your loan, instruct your lawyer, and confirm the tenure and rebuild checks.
7. Exercise the OTP and pay your stamp duties
This is the point of commitment. To exercise the OTP, you sign it and pay the seller the balance of the deposit – typically 4%, bringing your total deposit to 5% of the purchase price – usually by cashier’s order, returned through your lawyer before the option expires.
Within 14 days of exercising, you pay your Buyer’s Stamp Duty and, if it applies, your Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty. Your lawyer normally handles payment to IRAS, drawing from CPF and cash as arranged.
One thing to watch, and it’s the landed equivalent of HDB’s cash-over-valuation problem: the bank values the property independently. If its valuation comes in below your agreed price, your 75% loan is calculated on the lower figure and you make up the shortfall in cash. Get an indicative valuation before you exercise, not after to avoid such situations.
8. Completion and key collection
The final stage. On the completion date – usually around 8 to 12 weeks after you exercised the OTP – your lawyers finalise the transaction between them, typically at the seller’s lawyer’s office. You usually don’t need to attend in person, though you can if you want to.
On the day:
- The balance of the purchase price is paid to the seller, drawn from your loan, CPF, and cash as planned.
- Ownership is legally transferred to you.
- The keys are handed over, and the house is yours.
How much cash do you actually need upfront?
This is the question that matters most with landed, because the quantum is high and there are no grants to soften it. Let’s walk through a realistic example: a $6,000,000 freehold terrace house, bought by a Singapore Citizen as their first property, with a 75% loan.
| Cost | Amount | Payable from |
|---|---|---|
| Loan (75%) | $4,500,000 | Bank loan |
| Downpayment (25%) | $1,500,000 | Min $300,000 cash + $1,200,000 cash/CPF |
| Buyer’s Stamp Duty | $299,600 | Cash/CPF |
| Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (1st property) | $0 | – |
| Legal & valuation fees | ~$5,000 | Cash |
Two things jump out. First, even with no ABSD, the BSD alone is nearly $300,000. Second, you need a large sum in actual cash before completion: the 5% downpayment is $300,000 on its own, on top of legal fees and whatever your CPF can’t stretch to cover.
And if this landed home is your second property, add 20% ABSD – $1.2m on a $6m house. That single figure is why your profile and existing holdings matter more than almost anything else in a landed purchase.
FAQ
Can foreigners buy landed property in Singapore?
Generally no, not on mainland Singapore. Landed homes are restricted property, and a non-PR foreigner would need approval from the Land Dealings Approval Unit, which is rarely granted. The main exception is Sentosa Cove, where foreigners can buy a landed home with approval, for their own occupation.
Can PRs buy landed property?
Yes, but only with LDAU approval, which is assessed case-by-case. In practice you generally need to have been a PR for at least 5 years and show an exceptional economic contribution to Singapore. Approved PRs are limited to landed homes up to 15,000 sq ft outside Good Class Bungalow areas, for owner-occupation only.
How long does it take to buy a landed property?
Plan for 3 to 6 months. If you need LDAU approval, that’s about 30 working days on its own. Once you’ve exercised the OTP, the legal process and completion run roughly 8 to 12 weeks.
How much cash do I need to buy a landed house?
At minimum, the 5% cash portion of the downpayment – which on a $6 million home is $300,000 – plus legal and valuation fees. How much more depends on your CPF balance and whether ABSD applies to you.
Freehold or leasehold landed – which is better?
Freehold and 999-year landed tend to hold value more predictably, while a 99-year leasehold landed home is usually cheaper but its shrinking lease affects financing and resale. Neither is automatically better – it depends on your budget, time horizon, and plans for the property.
How much can I build on a landed plot?
Plot ratio, together with URA’s envelope control rules on height and setbacks, determines how much you can legally build on the land. If you’re buying with plans to rebuild or extend, check the buildable envelope before you commit – a large plot doesn’t always allow a large house.
Buying a landed home isn’t complicated once you can see the whole path – confirm you’re eligible, secure your financing, line up a lawyer, find the house and do your due diligence, secure it with an OTP, and let the legal process run to completion. The part that trips people up is rarely the steps. It’s the money and the checks beneath them: the BSD that runs into six figures, the ABSD on a second property, the bank valuation that came in under the price, the rebuild you assumed was allowed.
That’s where having someone experienced in your corner pays for itself. At Propseller, our agents help buyers find the right home, read the tenure, valuation and rebuild constraints honestly, and negotiate a price that doesn’t leave you overpaying. Get a free, non-obligatory consultation to help plan your property needs properly!
