Guide

From preview to keys: how a new-launch purchase runs

Buying a home in a new launch stretches over years, from a preview weekend to the day title passes to you. Most of the steps are fixed by the standard agreement under the Housing Developers Rules, and the dates that matter can be worked out in advance. This guide follows the purchase in order and notes the deadline attached to each step.

Before launch: preview and expressions of interest

Developers usually open a project to viewing before sales begin, often with an expression of interest (EOI) exercise. An EOI is a way of registering intent and, in some cases, of getting a place in the queue for booking day. It is not a purchase, and there is no statutory form for it. Any cheque or deposit asked for at this stage should be refundable; read the terms before you hand one over.

Use this period to do the homework that is hard to rush later:

  • Get an approval in principle from a bank, so you know your loan limit under TDSR, and MSR for an EC. The loan limits guide explains both.
  • Work out your stamp duty, including ABSD if you own other property. The stamp duty guide has the bands.
  • For an EC, check eligibility, since HDB's conditions are checked at booking. See the EC guide.
  • Read the developer's mandatory information on the project and the unit; URA requires developers to provide it before accepting a booking fee.

Booking day: the option to purchase

When you choose a unit, you pay a booking fee and the developer issues an option to purchase (OTP). URA's home buyer's guide puts the booking fee at 5% to 10% of the price. The date of the option matters: several later deadlines count from it, and for seller's stamp duty, the holding period starts when the option is accepted.

Within 14 days: the sale and purchase agreement arrives

Within 14 days of the option date, the developer has to hand you or your lawyer the agreement and the title documents. This is when you instruct a lawyer if you have not yet done so, and when your bank should be finalising the loan.

Within three weeks of receiving it: exercise the option

You exercise the option by signing the agreement and returning it within three weeks of receiving it. If you do not, the option lapses. On exercise, the downpayment is due: 20% of the price including the booking fee already paid, either on signing or, if the developer allows, within eight weeks of the option date. For an EC, the window is nine weeks.

Within 14 days of signing: stamp duty

Buyer's stamp duty, and ABSD where it applies, is due within 14 days of signing the dutiable document in Singapore, or within 30 days of receiving it in Singapore if it was signed abroad. This is often the first large payment after the booking fee, so have the cash ready.

During construction: progress payments

After the downpayment, the balance follows the construction milestones: foundation, framework, partition walls, roofing, fittings, and the car park and roads. Each payment is due within 14 days of receiving the developer's notice that a stage is done. Your bank draws the loan to pay these stages, so monthly instalments begin low and grow with each drawdown. The progressive payment guide gives the share at each stage.

Temporary occupation permit and keys

When the Commissioner of Building Control issues the temporary occupation permit (TOP), and the roads, drains and sewers serving the project are complete, 25% of the price falls due. The developer then delivers vacant possession, usually by key collection appointment. The agreement states a latest date for this; if the developer is late, the agreement provides for damages.

On collecting the keys, inspect the home carefully. A defects liability period of 12 months runs from vacant possession or shortly after the TOP notice, whichever is earlier. Report defects in writing, and the developer must put them right within the period set by the agreement.

Legal completion and the certificate of statutory completion

Legal completion is when title passes to you. The developer serves a notice to complete by the date in the agreement or three years after vacant possession, whichever is earlier, and completion takes place within 14 days of your receiving that notice. The certificate of statutory completion (CSC) confirms the building meets all building rules; the final 15% of the price is tied to the CSC and to completion, with part held by the Singapore Academy of Law as stakeholder until then.

A timeline at a glance

StepDeadline
Option to purchase issuedBooking day
Agreement deliveredWithin 14 days of the option date
Option exercisedWithin 3 weeks of receiving the agreement
Downpayment of 20%On signing, or within 8 weeks of the option (9 for an EC)
Stamp dutyWithin 14 days of signing
Each construction paymentWithin 14 days of the stage notice
KeysAfter TOP, by the date in the agreement
Legal completionWithin 14 days of the notice to complete

Completed projects follow a shorter path

A completed project skips the construction stages. You still pay a booking fee for an option, exercise it and pay stamp duty within 14 days of signing, but the balance is paid at completion and the keys follow soon after. The directory's completed page lists projects with homes still available from the developer, such as Cape Royale and Seascape.

Projects at different stages

To see where projects stand today, the new launches page lists projects still at pre-launch, and the open for sale page lists those already selling, including projects under construction such as Narra Residences.

Calculators

Put your own price through the private home progressive payment calculator or the private home stamp duty calculator to see these steps as figures.

Sources and date checked

Steps and deadlines checked on 12 November 2026 against these primary sources:

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