Decision guide · Buying

Buying at Lentor Signature as a first private home or an upgrade: what to prepare

Whether it's your first private home or you're moving up from an HDB flat or a condo, the work before the preview is the same: the budget, the order of selling and buying, and the first payments. Here's how to get them ready. Lentor Signature is the working name in the developer's material for agents; GuocoLand's public releases call it the Lentor Central site.

Published: 22 Oct 2026
Last fact-checked: 22 Oct 2026
Reading time: 4 min
Next review: 22 Dec 2026

Filed underNew launch

Map of Lentor and its surroundings. The Lentor Central site, outlined in gold, sits at the north-west corner of the cluster of new Lentor condominium sites, a few hundred metres west of Lentor MRT on the Thomson-East Coast Line. Thomson Nature Park lies to the west across Upper Thomson Road, Lower Peirce Reservoir Park to the south-west, Springleaf MRT and Springleaf Nature Park to the north-west, and Yio Chu Kang MRT, Anderson Primary, Presbyterian High and Nanyang Polytechnic to the east and south-east. — Where Lentor Signature sits: Lentor MRT, the mall, nature parks and schools. Tap the map to open it full size. · Map: OneMap © contributors | Singapore Land Authority. Outlines: contains information from the Master Plan 2025 Land Use Layer accessed on 22 Oct 2026 from URA via data.gov.sg, made available under the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0. Drawn by JamesWongHomes.com Select the picture to open it full size.

Quick answer

For a home bought from a developer, 20% of the price, including the booking fee, is due within eight weeks of the option, and stamp duty within 14 days of signing the sale and purchase agreement; the rest is paid in stages. If you own a home, decide first whether to sell before you book: selling first avoids Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty; booking first keeps your home but means paying it upfront, and a lower loan limit if your current home still has a loan.

Option 1

First private home

No home to sell: the budget, the loan and the first 20%.

Option 2

HDB upgrader

Sell first or book first, and what the flat's sale releases.

Option 3

Condo owner moving up

The same choice, with a private sale's proceeds and timing.

Key takeaways

Booking a new launch: a 5% booking fee, then 20% of the price in all within eight weeks of the option date, and stamp duty within 14 days of signing the sale and purchase agreement; the rest in stages under the Housing Developers Rules.
Own a home already? Selling first means no Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty; booking first means paying it upfront and, if your current home still has a housing loan, a lower loan limit unless the conditions for leaving it out are met.
A married couple buying jointly, with at least one Singapore citizen spouse, who book first can apply for a refund of Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty if the first home is sold within six months after the new home's TOP or CSC, whichever is earlier (IRAS sets out the conditions).
Have an in-principle loan approval that counts every existing loan before preview day.

Sell first or book first, for an owner buying Lentor Signature
Question	Sell first	Book first
Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty	Not payable for owning another home	Payable upfront; a married couple can apply for a refund if the first home is sold in time
Loan limit	Full limit, if the sale clears the old loan	Lower limit if your current home still has a loan, unless the conditions for leaving it out are met
The first 20%	Can come from the sale proceeds	From cash and CPF you already have; a second loan needs more cash upfront
Where you live meanwhile	Rent, family or a smaller home	Your current home
The risk	Paying rent for longer	Selling late, or for less than planned

Source: Stamp duty for property (Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore), Updated on 27 Apr 2023. Extracted 22 Oct 2026.

General rules, read 20 to 22 Oct 2026. Your own position depends on your citizenship, the homes you own, your loans and your bank: check with IRAS, your bank and CPF Board.

This guide is for

First-time private-home buyers renting or living with family
HDB owners upgrading to a private home
Condominium owners moving to a newer or larger one

It is not for

Anyone looking for executive condominium rules: Lentor Signature is a private development

What you need to decide

Your household's income and every existing loan
Cash and CPF Ordinary Account savings you can put in
If you own a home: its likely sale price, the loan outstanding and the CPF you've used
When you'd want to move in, and where you'd live in between

Step by step

1
Start with the timeline
Book in 2027, pay in stages, move in later
GuocoLand is targeting Lentor Signature's launch for the first half of 2027 and hasn't published a completion date. A home bought from the developer is paid for in stages while it's built, so the plan runs over several years: the first 20% when you book, the rest as the building goes up, the keys at the end.
Lay your own dates against the schedule with the new launch timeline and the progressive payment calculator.
2
First private home
No home to sell
Without a home to sell, the questions are what you can borrow and what you can pay upfront. Get an in-principle loan approval from your bank, set a total budget that leaves room for stamp duty and the stage payments, and be ready for 20% of the price within eight weeks of the option: the 5% booking fee in cash, the rest in cash or CPF.
Work the figures through with the new launch purchase calculator, Buyer's Stamp Duty and mortgage repayments.
3
Sell first
If you own a home
Selling before you book means no Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty from owning two homes and the full loan limit, and the sale proceeds can fund the first 20%. The cost is where you live until completion: rent, family or a smaller home. HDB sellers must also move out at resale completion.
What your sale leaves in cash is the price less the outstanding loan and the CPF you used, returned to your CPF account with accrued interest; CPF accrued interest when you sell works through it, and the HDB sale proceeds and private sale proceeds calculators give the figure.
4
Book first
Keeping your home until the keys
Booking first lets you stay put, but you pay Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty upfront as an owner of another home. If your current home still has a housing loan, the bank applies the lower limit for a second loan, and a higher minimum cash payment, unless the conditions for leaving the old loan out are met. A married couple buying the new home jointly, with at least one Singapore citizen spouse and no other home besides the one being sold, can apply for a refund if that home is sold within six months after the new home's TOP or CSC, whichever is earlier; IRAS sets out the full conditions.
The rules and the three routes, side by side: selling first or buying first.
5
The numbers to bring to the preview
So the preview is about the unit
Bring three numbers: the most you'll pay in total, the cash and CPF you can put in within eight weeks, and the monthly instalment you're comfortable with once the loan is fully drawn. Then compare units of the same size, on the same floor-area rules, against the launches around it.
How Lentor Signature sits against the launches around it: Lentor Signature against nearby launches. What daily life looks like there: living near Lentor MRT.

Common mistakes

Choosing a unit before deciding whether to sell first or book first.
Forgetting that the first 20% is due within eight weeks of the option, and stamp duty within 14 days of signing.
Counting the whole sale price of your current home as cash, without taking off the loan and the CPF refund.

Analysis · opinion

James's practical view

The question I spend most time on with upgraders isn't which unit; it's the order. Sell first and you're free of the extra stamp duty, but you need somewhere to stay. Book first and you keep your home, but the money and the deadlines get tighter. We should settle that before the preview, not on the day.

For first-time private buyers, I'd rather you walk in knowing your three numbers than fall for a layout you can't comfortably carry. Get the in-principle approval, run the stage payments, and the choice of unit becomes much easier.

Questions to ask your bank, lawyer or agent

1.My bank: what will it lend me in principle, counting every existing loan?
2.IRAS: what stamp duty applies to my purchase, given the homes I own?
3.James: should I sell first or book first, and what could my home sell for?

Seen in practice

Case studies and videos where this decision came up.

Case study

635B Senja Road to Copen Grand: buying an EC while still living in the HDB flat

HDB flat, 635B Senja Road, Bukit Panjang; next home an executive condominium at Copen Grand, Tengah

Step 1: Challenge
So the sale had to meet the bridging loan's timeline, while the family still needed somewhere to live until Copen Grand was ready.
Step 2: Strategy
The bridging loan's timeline set when the flat had to be sold.
Step 3: Result
The flat was sold for S$642,000.

Read the case study

Video · Market analysis

New Upper Changi Road land bid of $1,537 psf ppr: what it means for buyers

A consortium of UOL, SingLand and CapitaLand placed the top bid of $1.425 billion, or $1,537 per square foot per plot ratio, for the New Upper Changi Road site.

@jameswong.sgproperty · Posted 4 Sept 2026

Watch

Video · Buyer education

Moving for Primary 1: why the plan starts three years early

For parents planning a move before Primary 1 registration, James sets out the full timeline: sell, buy, move and settle in, all before registration opens.

@property.elites.clique · Posted 23 Aug 2026

Watch

Video · Buyer education

A bigger 2-bedroom here, or a smaller 3-bedroom further out?

Buyers often ask whether to take a bigger 2-bedroom in one location or a smaller 3-bedroom further out.

@property.elites.clique · Posted 10 Feb 2026

Watch

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty if I still own my HDB flat?

Yes, if you book before selling: it's paid upfront as the owner of another home. A married couple buying jointly, with at least one Singapore citizen spouse, can apply for a refund if the flat is sold within six months after the new home's TOP or CSC, whichever is earlier; check IRAS's conditions.

How much do I pay when I book?

A 5% booking fee, then 20% of the price in all within eight weeks of the option date. Buyer's Stamp Duty is due within 14 days of signing the sale and purchase agreement.

Can I use CPF?

CPF Ordinary Account savings can go towards the payments after the booking fee, within CPF Board's limits. Check your own limits with CPF Board.

Limitations

General rules, not advice for your case. Stamp duty, loan limits and CPF use depend on your own circumstances: check with IRAS, your bank and CPF Board. GuocoLand hasn't released prices or a payment scheme for Lentor Signature.

Sources

1.
GuocoLand secures S$634.7 million green financing for development of latest Lentor Central site (media release on SGX, 2 July 2026)
GuocoLand Limited · Period: Released 2 Jul 2026 · Extracted 22 Oct 2026
About 553 homes in three towers of 26, 26 and 27 storeys; launch targeted for 1H 2027; adjacent to Lentor Modern; future Hillock Park and Linear Park.
2.
Housing Developers Rules
Singapore Statutes Online, Attorney-General's Chambers · Period: Current version as at 20 Oct 2026 · Extracted 22 Oct 2026
Payment Schedule.
3.
Stamp duty for property
Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore · Period: Updated on 27 Apr 2023 · Extracted 22 Oct 2026
Refund within 6 months after the date of purchase, TOP or CSC.
4.
Rules for new housing loans
Monetary Authority of Singapore · Period: LTV limits for options granted on or after 6 Jul 2018 · Extracted 22 Oct 2026
Loan-to-value limits.

Wong Say Tian (James) · CEA Reg. No. R007728G · +65 9696 9567 · PropNex Realty Pte Ltd · Licence No. L3008022J

General information only, not financial, legal or tax advice. Figures reflect the data period shown and may since have changed; your own circumstances will differ. Full disclaimer.

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Moving from an HDB flat to the next home?

Have your sell-and-buy sequence mapped out: which comes first, what the bank and HDB need from you, and where the timing can slip.

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The options at a glance

First private home

HDB upgrader

Condo owner moving up

Key takeaways

This guide is for

It is not for

What you need to decide

Step by step

Start with the timeline

First private home

Sell first

Book first

The numbers to bring to the preview

Common mistakes

James's practical view

Questions to ask your bank, lawyer or agent

Related guides

Seen in practice

Frequently asked questions

Limitations

Sources

Continue exploring

Moving from an HDB flat to the next home?