Steps to Buying a Resale HDB: A Beginner's Guide (2023)
If you are looking to obtain an HDB flat in Singapore, you have come to the right place. Resale HDB...
Congratulations, you have reached the 5-year MOP for HDB. Reselling HDB flats is something you might need to do often if you plan to or have already invested in the Singaporean property market. Now, even though it is not difficult to go about selling your resale HDB in Singapore, it is a very specific process that you need to know about in order to do so.
In this article today, we will be guiding you on how to sell resale HDB in Singapore. Continue reading until the very end to gain maximum knowledge about the subject and have a smooth experience when trying to resale HDB in Singapore, that too on your own terms.
13 Easy Steps to Sell Resale HDB
Here are 13 easy steps to sell resale HDB in Singapore as of today.
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Register
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Go About Financial Planning
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Make a Posting
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Negotiations
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The OTP
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The Option Fee
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The Exercise Fee
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Cancellation of the OTP (Optional)
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Complete the Application for Resale HDB in Singapore
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The Terms and Conditions
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Paying Legal Fees
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Prepare for Completion of the Transaction
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Attend the Appointment
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Register
Once you have made the decision to resale HDB in Singapore, you need to register an intent to sell. HDB has a resale portal that you need to sign up at. Once you sign in, you will immediately be assessed to check if you are eligible to sell. This intent to sell remains valid for 12 months after inception on the portal.
Go About Financial Planning
Once cleared to resale your HDB, you will be required to calculate your profits and/or losses in accordance with the resources you have available. You must make adjustments keeping in mind that HDB will also have a legal fee included in the sale price which you may not estimate for yourself. This fee will be added to the transaction at the end of the entire process.
This is also a good time to research the HDB resale price around your area to see how much you can expect to fetch.
Make a Posting
Once your financials are in order, you can proceed with posting your unit for sale. The involvement of an agent is not necessary to do this. Read more on how to use PropertyGuru more effectively.
After making your posting, check back regularly to see if there are any interested buyers. If you seem to notice a lack of interested buyers, then you may need to make some adjustments to your initial posting or work with an agent you trust.
Negotiations
Someone has reached out with intent, great! When more than a few reasonable buyers line up, you will want to start negotiations with them to turn the transaction more so in your favour. Once you are satisfied with the amount in place, you will be ready for the next and final steps in the process of selling your resale HDB.
The OTP
An essential step in the process of your resale of HDB in Singapore is the HDB-generated OTP that you will receive. After at least 7 days have passed after you register for an intent to sell, HDB will provide you with an OTP (Option to Purchase) that you may download from the HDB portal itself. Keep in mind that if you accept the OTP, it means you have officially accepted the offer from a potential buyer and you may no longer change your mind about it.
The Option Fee
At this point, the buyer will be required to pay you the option fee. The option fee is collateral in case the buyer backs out of the deal. If the buyer backs out of the deal at any point, this option fee is yours to keep. However, if the buyer goes through with the purchase, the option fee is included as part of your sale price.
While the value of the option fee ranges between $1 and $1000, most who tend to resale HDB in Singapore opt for the highest value of $1000.
The Exercise Fee
The option fee and the exercise fee together form the deposit fee from the buyer. Hence, after the option fee has been paid, the buyer needs to make the payment for the exercise fee. A single rule is in place regarding the amount of the deposit and it states that it may not total more than $5000. Hence, if the option fee paid is $1000, the exercise fee may be no more than $4000.
Cancellation of the OTP (Optional)
In the rare case of the buyer backing out at the last moment, the OTP will eventually expire. In such a case, you are to restart the process from the point of finding more potential buyers for your property.
Complete the Application for Resale HDB in Singapore
You and the buyer will have to individually complete the resale application and submit it on the HDB resale portal. You do not need to submit it at the exact same time or even day, but both your applications do need to be submitted within 7 days of the other.
The application form will include the need for you to submit a few crucial details including the flat address, the OTP, and a few personal credentials.
The Terms and Conditions
HDB will officially send you a text message including the terms and conditions of resale HDB in Singapore. After a maximum of 6 days of receiving the text message, you will be required to accept these terms and conditions. Be sure to go through the document sent to you diligently before accepting these terms and conditions.
Paying Legal Fees
You must either have partnered with an HDB solicitor or have a third-party solicitor helping you with these transactions. If it is an HDB solicitor you have been working with, then you will pay a visit to HDB’s Legal Fee Enquiry Facility.
If the latter is the case, then your solicitor will let you know what action to take next.
Prepare for Completion of the Transaction
Shortly after receiving a notification regarding a completion appointment, you will have to prepare for the said appointment. During this time, you will have a chance to fix any existing damages in your flat.
Attend the Appointment
The main focus of the completion appointment is the signing of the transfer document, along with some more formalities. Once this takes place, you would have officially partaken in selling your resale HDB in Singapore. Congratulations!
Concluding Remarks
If you have made this far into the article, congratulations!
You are now set to sell resale HDB even if you are based in a country other than Singapore itself. By following the steps provided for you above, you will be able to go about the process without any unnecessary interruptions or hiccups along the way.
Sell your HDB in Singapore today!
