Seller Guide
Understand what is payable, what returns to CPF and what remains as cash.
A stronger selling decision starts with the amount available after completion, not just the headline price. Use this guide to organise your costs, compare selling services and plan your next home.
Reviewed 8 October 2026. General planning information; confirm your individual amounts and current requirements with the relevant authority and advisers.
Separate transaction expenses from money that repays your housing loan or returns to CPF. Budget for agent services, legal work, applicable taxes, moving and preparation costs. Your loan and CPF refund often make the largest difference between the sale price and cash available. Gather your lender’s redemption statement, CPF housing refund figures and written quotations before committing to the next purchase.
CEA does not set a fixed commission rate. Discuss the service scope, marketing responsibilities, fee calculation, payment timing and GST treatment before signing the prescribed estate agency agreement. Agency-specific policies still apply; a negotiable fee does not mean an agent can offer an unauthorised discount. Compare written scope and overall selling strategy alongside the fee.
CEA: engaging a property agent ↗A GST-registered agency may charge GST on its services. The current GST rate is 9%. Ask whether the quotation includes GST, and avoid adding it twice. For illustration only, a S$10,000 service fee excluding GST becomes S$10,900 including GST. This is a tax example, not a quoted commission or promotional rate. Check the tax treatment of each supplier’s invoice separately.
IRAS: professional services and GST ↗Check your eligibility and register an Intent to Sell through HDB’s process. Review applicable resale application and conveyancing charges with HDB or your solicitor, outstanding loan, CPF refund, any upgrading charges, moving expenses and whether a resale levy affects your next subsidised home. A levy is situation-dependent; do not assume every resale seller pays one. Align completion, accommodation and the next purchase instead of treating the sale in isolation.
HDB: process for selling a flat ↗Obtain a written conveyancing quotation and lender redemption statement. Discuss property tax and maintenance adjustments with your solicitor, tenancy arrangements, preparation costs and agent scope. Check Seller’s Stamp Duty before setting a completion timeline. A bank lock-in or insufficient redemption notice may create extra charges; use your loan terms rather than a generic penalty percentage.
Conveyancing covers the legal transfer and completion arrangements. Ask what the quotation includes: professional fees, disbursements, searches, mortgage discharge work and GST where applicable. More complex ownership or loan arrangements can change the work needed. Obtain a property-specific quotation; this guide does not prescribe a standard legal fee.
The balance shown in an app may differ from the final amount needed at completion. Ask your lender for a redemption figure covering interest, notice requirements and any contractual charges. Have your solicitor coordinate the redemption date. Keep next-home funding and cash timing separate from a headline sale-price estimate.
CPF housing money used and accrued interest generally need to be refunded when the property is sold. Use the refund figures for each owner from CPF, rather than estimating from the original purchase price. The refund goes to CPF accounts and is not ordinary cash proceeds. Age and retirement requirements can affect the account allocation and later use; confirm your position with CPF Board.
CPF Board: housing refund requirements ↗CPF Board states that where a property is sold at market value, the refund may be limited to proceeds remaining after the outstanding housing loan. Selling below market value can require a cash top-up. Do not apply this rule yourself from a rough calculator: confirm the market-value and refund treatment with CPF Board and your conveyancer. Our estimator flags a shortfall and does not decide whether cash is payable.
CPF Board: insufficient sale proceeds ↗Seller’s Stamp Duty depends on the acquisition date, disposal date and applicable exemptions. Residential property acquired on or after 4 July 2025 has a four-year SSD holding period, with rates of 16%, 12%, 8% and 4% across successive years. Earlier acquisitions follow their applicable schedule. Check IRAS for your exact liability.
IRAS: residential Seller’s Stamp Duty ↗Start with expected sale price, subtract loan redemption, required CPF refunds and the expenses payable. Show CPF refunds separately from cash. Illustration only: a S$800,000 sale less a S$250,000 loan, S$200,000 CPF refund and S$15,000 total expenses leaves S$335,000 cash, plus S$200,000 returned to CPF. Actual completion amounts and CPF treatment can differ. The S$15,000 is an illustrative combined expense, not a fee quotation.
Compare recent transactions and competing listings, choose a realistic pricing range, agree a marketing plan and review buyer feedback. Prioritise presentation work that improves clarity rather than expensive renovations by default. Compare service scope and costs in writing. Model several selling-price scenarios and coordinate the sale with your next housing commitments; no savings or sale price is guaranteed.
Request a review before listing or committing to another property. Bring the location, property type, likely selling timeframe, loan figure and CPF refund estimate. Tony can discuss pricing, marketing scope and estimated expenses with you. Use the estimator below for a first view, then request a personalised breakdown through WhatsApp.
Your selling price is only the starting point
Your housing loan, CPF principal and accrued interest refund, legal fees, agent service fees and applicable GST, and other selling expenses affect the cash left for your next move. CPF refunds return to your CPF accounts; they are separate from cash you receive.
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