JONATHAN TAN · Singapore Property
Free eBook · 2026 Edition

Same condo. Same launch. One buyer made $276K more.

Treasure at Tampines, 2019. Two buyers, roughly the same budget. Buyer A bought one 4BR. Buyer B bought two 2BRs. Both sold in late-2025. Buyer A walked away with $752K of profit. Buyer B with $476K — combined. The difference comes down to 5 factors — plus 2 long-game strategies most agents never explain.

See the data first
↓
1,000+
URA Records
15+
Condos Studied
$500K
Max Profit Gap
The Problem

The right project doesn't guarantee a profit. The wrong unit guarantees a loss.

Two buyers at the same Singapore condo, on the same day, routinely walk away with $200K–$500K profit gaps. It's not luck. It's a pattern.

What the agent doesn't tell you

When you walk into a showflat, the conversation is always about three things: price psf, layout, and quantum. None of those reliably predict whether your unit will outperform — or underperform — the unit two stacks over.

The five factors that actually drive a $300K–$500K profit gap get glossed over, spun, or never mentioned at all. Because if the agent told you the truth, they'd lose half their inventory.

  • Facing — agents push the units they need to clear, not the ones that appreciate fastest
  • Floor height — sometimes the premium is worth it, sometimes it's a $90K trap
  • Distance to MRT — buyers assume nearer is always better. The data says otherwise. Often dramatically otherwise.
  • Development size — boutique projects look "exclusive" but the resale math is brutal
  • Entry price — the foundation factor most buyers never benchmark properly. Get this wrong and the rest can't save you.
The Framework

Five factors. Every one backed by real URA caveat data.

The full eBook unpacks each factor with matched-pair case studies from 1,000+ URA records. Here's the snapshot.

01
Factor One

Facing

Pool-facing or PIE-facing? The data flips your assumption.

Penrose · 3BR · Block 11 · Matched Resale
PIE-facing #18-08 · 1,012 sqft · entry $1.485M
Pool-facing #10-16 · 1,012 sqft · entry $1.560M
PIE-facing produced +$112K MORE in cash profit
02
Factor Two

Floor Height

High-floor premium isn't a guarantee. Sometimes it's a $73K mistake.

Whistler Grand · 3BR · Same Stack
High floor #28-12 · 1,066 sqft · +$73K premium
Low floor #07-12 · 1,066 sqft · cheaper entry
Low-floor buyer ended up +$48K AHEAD in absolute cash
03
Factor Three

Distance to MRT

Most buyers pay 20% more to be "5 minutes closer." The math punishes them.

Sims Urban Oasis vs Tre Residences · 2BR
Tre Residences · 250 units · 200m to MRT
Sims Urban Oasis · 1,024 units · 450m to MRT
Sims (further) buyers averaged +$313K MORE
04
Factor Four

Development Size

Boutique vs mega-development. "Exclusive" loses to "vibrant" almost every time.

Midtown Residences vs Riverfront Residences
Midtown · 160 units · next to Hougang MRT
Riverfront · 1,472 units · 12-min walk to MRT
Riverfront average profit was 3.5× HIGHER
★
05
★ Factor Five · The Foundation

Entry Price.

Get this wrong. Nothing else matters. Entry price is the multiplier that compounds every other factor — or buries them.

01
Nearby New Launch
Aim at or below the district's new-launch median.
02
Nearby Resale
Defensible gap above resale comps, not a runaway premium.
03
Project's Trajectory
For resale: where does your entry sit vs the 12-mo rolling avg?
Part II · The Long Game
Beyond the framework.
Once you've bought right, the long game is just two more decisions.
IX
Chapter Nine

The Swap Playbook

Holding is the default. But when 3 specific conditions line up, swapping outearns holding by $300K+.

Lakefront vs Whistler Grand avg psf by year. URA caveats.
+$344K
The Swapper out-earned the Holder by

Two Lakefront buyers, same 2010 entry. One stayed. The other swapped to Whistler Grand in 2018 and out-earned by $344K. Whistler pulled ahead — and stayed ahead.

X
Chapter Ten

Quantum Strategy

Same $1.8M budget. Buyer A bought one 4BR. Buyer B bought two 2BRs. Both sold late-2025.

Treasure at Tampines avg psf by year. 4BR overtook 2BR in 2023.
+$276K
Buyer A (1 × 4BR) out-earned Buyer B (2 × 2BR) by

Treasure at Tampines: Buyer A's 4BR launched cheaper ($1,293 psf) but overtook the 2BR by 2023 — and finished at $1,927 psf vs the 2BR's $1,753 in 2026.

What's Inside

20 pages. 10 chapters. Every claim backed by real URA data.

This isn't theory. It's a pattern-recognition playbook built from 1,000+ URA records across 15+ Singapore condos.

Free Edition · 2026

The 5-FACTOR Profit Framework

How to pick the Singapore condo unit that outperforms by $200K–$500K.
A Practical Guide By
Jonathan Tan
Singapore Property · CEA Registered

Table of Contents

Five factors. Two strategies. One framework.
  • IThe $400K MistakeWhy identical buyers walk away with different profits
  • IIThe FrameworkFive factors. One decision filter.
  • IIIFactor 1 — FacingThe cheaper view often wins
  • IVFactor 2 — Floor HeightWhen the premium is a trap
  • VFactor 3 — MRT DistanceWhy "closer" can cost $300K
  • VIFactor 4 — Development SizeMega beats boutique three-to-one
  • VIIFactor 5 — Entry PriceThe foundation. Get this right or nothing else matters.
  • VIIIThe 12-Question ChecklistWalk into any showflat with this
  • IXThe Swap PlaybookPart II · When to hold. When to redeploy.
  • XQuantum StrategyPart II · Why one bigger unit beats two smaller ones.
Jonathan Tan View Master Analysis →
About the Author

Jonathan Tan

Singapore Property Specialist · CEA Registered

8 years in Singapore real estate. Helped 100+ clients navigate their property journey — from first-time buyers to investors building a portfolio.

I built the 5-Factor Framework after watching too many well-meaning buyers pay six figures for the wrong unit at the right project. My work focuses on matched-pair analysis — comparing real URA caveats to isolate what actually drives outperformance, not what sounds good in a showflat.

8 Years in Industry
100+ Clients Served
CEA Registered
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