Decision Guide
EC vs Private Condo — Which One Fits You
An Executive Condominium is a private condo with a discount and a long leash. What you give up for the ~20–30% lower price, who can buy one, and when it stops being the better deal.
By Ailsa JinCEA Registration Number R071279APropNex Realty Pte. Ltd.Published 2026-09-04
Side by side
Who can buy
- New EC (from developer)
- At least one Singapore Citizen, plus a family nucleus (spouse / parents / children / fiancé)
- Private condo
- Anyone — citizens, PRs, foreigners, companies
Income ceiling
- New EC (from developer)
- $16,000 household ($18,000 for EC sites tendered from 24 Aug 2026)
- Private condo
- None
Price vs a comparable condo
- New EC (from developer)
- About 20–30% lower (MND)
- Private condo
- Market price
CPF housing grants
- New EC (from developer)
- First-timer families: Family Grant up to $30,000, income-tested (nothing above $14,000 household income)
- Private condo
- None
ABSD
- New EC (from developer)
- A Singapore Citizen buying a first home pays none
- Private condo
- Same ABSD rules by buyer profile
Minimum Occupation Period
- New EC (from developer)
- 10 years (EC sites tendered from 8 May 2026); 5 years for earlier launches
- Private condo
- None — sell or rent whenever
Rent out the whole unit
- New EC (from developer)
- Not during the MOP
- Private condo
- Anytime
Sell to foreigners / companies (privatisation)
- New EC (from developer)
- After 15 years (new sites) / 10 years (older)
- Private condo
- Anytime
Resale levy
- New EC (from developer)
- Payable if you previously took a subsidised flat, EC or housing grant
- Private condo
- None
Payment while it is built
- New EC (from developer)
- Normal progressive payments — no Deferred Payment Scheme for new sites
- Private condo
- Progressive for a new launch; lump sum on completion for resale
EC rules from HDB and MND; ABSD from IRAS. See our [EC scheme overhaul](/news/ec-scheme-overhaul-2026/) note for the 8 May 2026 changes.
A new-generation EC, year by year
- 1
Buy from the developer
Ballot for a unit — 90% of the project is reserved for first-timers for the first 2 years.
- 2
Progressive payments as it is built
Roughly 3–4 years to TOP. No Deferred Payment Scheme.
- 3
Collect keys — the 10-year MOP starts
Counted from the date of TOP.
10-year MOP — no sale, no whole-unit rental, no second property - 4
Years 0–10: locked in
Cannot sell, cannot rent out the whole unit, cannot buy another residential property.
- 5
Year 10: sell to SC / PR, rent out, buy again
The MOP is over.
years 10–15: sell to Singapore Citizens and PRs only - 6
Year 15: fully privatised
Can sell to any buyer, including foreigners and companies.
An EC makes sense if
You are inside the income ceiling and want condo facilities for meaningfully less money.
You are buying a home to live in for a decade or more — not a stepping stone you plan to sell in 5 years.
You are a first-timer family: you get the 90% / 2-year priority and up to $30,000 in grants that a condo buyer never sees.
Buy the private condo instead if
Your household income is over the ceiling, or you are a PR-only or foreigner couple who cannot buy a new EC at all.
You want to keep your options open — sell, rent out, or upgrade again within 10 years.
You want to rent the whole unit out for income; a new EC cannot be rented whole during the MOP.