Episode 7 · 53s
Bridging the Gap: Upgrading Without a Double Mortgage
The fear of carrying two mortgages stops more upgraders than any tax. How the timing gap actually works — and the six-month clock that decides whether you get your stamp duty back.
Key takeaways
- 1
Sell first and the money and your CPF land before you buy — clean, with no extra stamp duty. The trade-off is you may have to live somewhere in between.
- 2
Buy first and you pay the Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty upfront. A married couple can have it refunded, but only if the old home sells in time.
- 3
That window is six months — and when it starts depends on what you bought. A completed resale starts the clock on the date of purchase; a new launch doesn't start it until TOP or CSC, potentially years later.
- 4
A bridging loan covers the down payment gap, not the whole purchase. Your CPF refund only comes back after your sale completes.
- 5
IRAS grants no extension to the six-month sale timeline. The remission also requires at least one Singapore Citizen spouse and the property held in both names only — check your own case before committing either way. (Source: IRAS, Remission of ABSD for a Married Couple.)
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