HDB Upgrader
Case Study
The case studies below are 2 success stories from my clientele that wanted to upgrade from their HDB housing.
Couple 1 – Combined income $11,000
Summary
Couple 1, both early 40s with a combined income of $11,000, approached us to find out their options if they were to upgrade from their HDB Executive Apartment (EA) in Punggol. They wanted to know if they could upgrade to a condominium comfortably without any stress financially, and can they eventually plan to own a second investment property. They have been staying in their current HDB flat for 15 years, and still have an outstanding mortgage loan.
After doing their sums, they were shocked! They said that 5 years ago, they were thinking about upgrading to Condo but decided not to because they wanted to wait for the prices to increase before selling so that they can have better profits. Now, 5 years later, not only did their sale price dropped, their profit decreased by a lot too because of CPF accrued interest.
After understanding their home requirement needs, we went ahead to plan for them towards owning 2 properties safely, without any financial stress and still maintaining their current lifestyle.
Today, Couple 1 are proud owners of 2 properties! They first upgraded to a 3-Bedroom New Condo for own stay.
3 months later, they got their second 1-Bedroom Condo for Investment.
Furthermore, they now have a proper asset progression plan to grow their wealth in a safe yet effective manner.
Couple 2 – Late thirties, combined income $20,000
Summary
Couple 2 owned a 5 room HDB in Pasir Ris with its MOP met and wanted to upgrade to a condo that fits their homestay requirement as well as a good investment with capital appreciation. Before they met me, they did a lot of window shopping and have seen many projects but were confused and uncertain of which option is best for them.
They had thought of buying 2 condos, a 3 bedder for homestay and a 1 bedder for investment. But by doing so and splitting their funds, they have to compromise on both, meaning they are not able to get their desired 4 bedder for homestay and also they are unsure of 1 bedder as an investment.
After understanding their situation, I did detailed planning based on their needs and recommended that they get an affordable 4 bedder instead which is good for homestay and has investment value. Today, they are a happy owner of a 4 bedder condo, just minutes walk away from Queenstown MRT station.
Instead of overleveraging and committing to 2 condos, they did the upgrade safely without touching their own savings and yet had a rainy day sum of more than $100,000 set aside. After the purchase and when Covid happened, they are grateful that their condo is not a financial burden to them and they own it stress-free without any impact to their daily lifestyle.