Right-size, and keep more of what your home is worth.
Whether you’re carrying a mortgage that no longer fits your income, or you’re 55 and above and eligible for government support — right-sizing is a financial decision before it’s a property one. We’ll show you the numbers first.
The 15-month wait-out period for private property owners buying a resale HDB flat was removed on 28 Jul 2026. Right-sizing from private to HDB no longer means renting in between. What this changes
Path 1
I want a lower monthly commitment
Your mortgage was sized for a household that’s changed. We’ll model three options side by side — right-size, refinance, or stay — and show you the monthly figure and the net proceeds for each. If refinancing serves you better, we’ll tell you that.
See my three optionsPath 2
I’m 55 or above and planning for retirement
Silver Housing Bonus, Lease Buyback bonus, Proximity Housing Grant. Most seniors qualify for one path, not all three — and the right one depends on whether you want to move or stay. We’ll map it out.
Check which schemes I qualify forThree things people get wrong
Your sale proceeds are not your cash proceeds.
When you sell, the CPF you used — plus accrued interest — returns to your CPF account. If you’re 55 or above and pledged the property, that refund first restores your Retirement Account toward the Full Retirement Sum. Only what’s above that comes to you in cash. We calculate this before you list, not after.
Buying resale means no resale levy.
Second-timers pay a resale levy only when buying another subsidised flat — a BTO, an SBF unit, or a new EC. Buy on the open resale market and there’s no levy at all. For a right-sizer, that’s often the difference between two otherwise similar flats.
The Proximity Housing Grant doesn’t care that you’re a second-timer.
Most grants are closed to you once you’ve had a subsidised flat. The Proximity Housing Grant isn’t — for moving in with your children or within 4km of them. No income ceiling, once in your lifetime, resale flats only.
Government support for right-sizers
Figures below are maximums. Eligibility and quantum are assessed by HDB and CPF Board, and several of these changed within the past eight months.
Silver Housing Bonus
$40,000
Maximum amount. Actual eligibility and quantum are assessed by HDB and CPF Board.
At least one Singapore Citizen owner aged 55 or above, moving to a 3-room or smaller flat, who commits a net Retirement Account increase and joins CPF LIFE. A household income ceiling applies.
OfficialLease Buyback Scheme bonus
$30,000
Maximum amount. Actual eligibility and quantum are assessed by HDB and CPF Board.
All owners aged 65 or above. You sell the tail-end of the lease and keep living in the flat — an alternative to moving, not a complement.
OfficialProximity Housing Grant
$30,000
Maximum amount. Actual eligibility and quantum are assessed by HDB and CPF Board.
Buy a resale flat to live with, or within 4km of, your children. Open to second-timers, no income ceiling, once per lifetime.
OfficialEnhanced CPF Housing Grant
First-timer households only, so usually not available to right-sizers, who are second-timers.
OfficialABSD refund — single SC senior
Single Singapore Citizen aged 55 or above right-sizing to a lower-value home. Sell the first property within six months of the second purchase.
OfficialABSD refund — married couple
Married couple with at least one Singapore Citizen spouse, buying jointly, selling the first property within six months to claim a full refund.
OfficialMost right-sizers are second-timers, which usually rules out the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant and the Family Grant. It does not rule out the Proximity Housing Grant.
Figures verified 2026-07-29
How it works
- 01Week 1
Position and proceeds review
We value your current home against actual transacted comparables, pull your CPF refund and accrued interest position, and calculate what you’d hold in cash after every deduction — CPF, outstanding loan, Seller’s Stamp Duty if applicable, agent fee, legal fees, and resale levy if it applies. We also review the homes actually open to you: resale flats you could move into within months, and brand-new options like a 2-room Flexi or a Community Care Apartment, which are built to order and take years to be ready. Which one you choose sets everything that follows.
- 02Week 1
Scheme and eligibility mapping
We confirm which schemes you qualify for and what each requires of you. Where the answer depends on an HDB or CPF assessment, we say so rather than guessing — and we help you get the HFE letter moving early. It is required for a new flat, or a resale purchase using CPF grants or an HDB loan, and it can gate the rest of your timeline.
- 03Weeks 2–4
Market and shortlist
For a resale move, we market and sell your current home and view replacement flats with you, including resale options near your children. A brand-new 2-room Flexi or Community Care Apartment is different — it is applied for and balloted directly through HDB, not bought on the open market — so here our work is advisory, and on lining up the sale of your existing home with that longer timeline.
- 04Weeks 4–16
Timeline alignment
The whole transaction turns on sequencing, and what binds it depends on the move. We decide sell-first or buy-first with you, build the timeline backwards from your must-move date, and hold both sides to it.
When right-sizing isn’t the answer
Four situations where we’d tell you not to move.
The problem is purely the monthly payment.
Bank packages in 2026 are running well below the HDB concessionary rate. Refinancing from a legacy package may deliver most of the relief without the roughly 4–6% of value that selling and buying costs. One caveat: moving from the HDB concessionary loan to a bank loan is one-way — you cannot switch back.
You’d rather stay put.
The Lease Buyback Scheme (all owners 65 and above) lets you sell the tail-end of your lease and keep living in the flat. Renting out a room is a lighter option again — though Plus and Prime owners cannot sublet the whole flat even after the 10-year MOP, and room rental has its own conditions.
Inheritance matters to your family.
Every monetisation route reduces what your beneficiaries receive. This should be a decision the family makes together, not one made under time pressure.
The replacement home has a short lease.
Moving to a 2-room Flexi or a Community Care Apartment can earn the largest Silver Housing Bonus — but a short lease is the trade-off. These homes can only be returned to HDB, not sold, and a short remaining lease can restrict CPF use and remove your ability to withdraw CPF savings above the Basic Retirement Sum. We make sure the bonus is worth what you give up.
Questions we get asked
Do I still have to wait 15 months to buy an HDB flat after selling my condo?
No. The 15-month wait-out period was removed on 28 Jul 2026. Private property owners and former private property owners can now buy a non-subsidised HDB resale flat of any size, at any age, with no waiting period — provided they do not take an HDB housing loan. The separate 30-month wait-out for subsidised flats still applies, and you must still dispose of your private property within six months of completing the flat purchase.
How much is the Silver Housing Bonus and do I need to top up cash to get it?
The scheme was enhanced from 1 Dec 2025. You qualify by committing to a net increase in your CPF Retirement Account after right-sizing and joining CPF LIFE — and that increase can now be funded from your CPF housing refunds rather than a fresh cash top-up. A larger bonus applies if you move to a 2-room or smaller flat, including a Community Care Apartment.
Should I take the Lease Buyback Scheme or right-size?
They are alternatives, not a package. The Lease Buyback Scheme suits households who want to stay in their current flat and neighbourhood; you sell the tail-end of the lease and keep living there. Right-sizing suits households who want more liquid cash, a lower running cost, and a smaller home they still fully own. Lease Buyback requires all owners to be 65 and above; the Silver Housing Bonus route starts at 55.
Will I get any grants as a second-timer?
Usually not the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant or the Family Grant — those are for first-timers. The Proximity Housing Grant is different: it is open to second-timers, has no income ceiling, and applies when you buy a resale flat to live with or near your children. It can only be claimed once in your lifetime.
Do I pay a resale levy if I move to a smaller flat?
Only if your next flat is a subsidised one — a BTO, a Sale of Balance Flats unit, or a new EC. If you buy on the open resale market, no levy is payable at all. Where a levy does apply, the amount is fixed by the type of your first subsidised flat, not the one you’re buying, and it is reduced for short-lease 2-room Flexi flats.
How much of my sale proceeds do I actually keep in cash?
Less than most people expect. Your outstanding loan is repaid first, then the CPF you used plus accrued interest returns to your CPF account. If you are 55 or above and pledged the property, that refund restores your Retirement Account toward the Full Retirement Sum before any cash is released to you. Selling costs and, in some cases, Seller’s Stamp Duty and a resale levy come off as well. We model this figure for you before you commit to anything.
Can I buy the new home before selling the old one?
It depends on what you are moving between, and the sequence must be planned before you exercise any Option to Purchase. Selling one HDB flat to buy another, you must dispose of the existing flat, so it is normally sequenced sell-then-buy — and as a citizen buying your only flat, there is no ABSD to bridge. Moving out of a private home, you can complete the new purchase first, but you must dispose of the private property within six months; if you still own it when you buy, Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty is payable upfront and, for those who qualify — married Singapore Citizen couples, and single Singapore Citizens aged 55 and above right-sizing to a lower-value home — reclaimed when the first property is sold within that window.
I’m 60 — how long a loan can I get, and how much?
Your loan-to-value limit drops sharply if the loan runs past your 65th birthday, which for a borrower in their late fifties or sixties usually means a shorter tenure and a larger cash or CPF contribution. Your borrowing is also capped by the Mortgage Servicing Ratio for HDB purchases and the Total Debt Servicing Ratio overall, both stress-tested at a rate well above current market rates.
What is a Community Care Apartment and who can buy one now?
It is a senior-friendly flat bundled with care services under a compulsory Basic Service Package. From the October 2026 BTO exercise the minimum age drops from 65 to 55, and the monthly service fees are being reduced substantially. If you want to apply in October, HDB recommends having your HFE letter application and documents in by 15 Sep 2026 — and anyone who obtained an HFE letter while under 55 needs to re-apply.
Does right-sizing affect what my children inherit?
Yes, and it is worth discussing openly. Every route that converts housing value into retirement income reduces what passes on. A smaller flat that you own outright still passes to your beneficiaries; a short-lease flat or a Community Care Apartment can only be returned to HDB. We set this out plainly so the family can decide together rather than discover it later.
This page provides factual information on housing schemes and property transactions. It is not financial advice. Decisions about CPF LIFE payouts and retirement income adequacy should be discussed with CPF Board or a licensed financial adviser.
Start with the numbers, not the listings.
A right-sizing review takes about 45 minutes. You’ll leave with your net cash position, the schemes you qualify for, and a timeline. No obligation, and no listing agreement required to get it.