I Sold My $2.48M Condo For A $930K HDB — After 8 Moves In 20 Years, Here’s Why It’s My Forever Home

Rising property prices and longer minimum occupation periods have made it even more challenging for most Singaporeans to climb the property ladder. At best, a typical homeowner could aspire to start with a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat, selling it after a few years to move into a larger resale property.

We rarely hear of homeowners who have bought and sold properties more than four times, let alone experienced nearly all types of housing in Singapore. But for homeowner Lynda, her 20-year property journey has seen her move eight times.

From a rental HDB flat, to a three-room resale flat, then an Executive Maisonette, followed by rental condos, and then a new launch condominium; she has stayed in different homes over the past two decades.

Her latest move has her seemingly downgrade from a recently completed condo, into a resale HDB flat in Upper Boon Keng. At this point in her life, she says that she wants to find a forever home where she can settle down with her two adult sons and pet poodle.

After experiencing different types of residences over the years, it has shaped her priorities and enabled her to decide what she values in a home. “I think having lived in all these different housing types has somewhat changed what I value in a home today,” she says.

A winding property journey that ended with a HDB flat

Lynda’s journey as a property owner started when she got married, but alas it did not turn out to be the marital home she envisioned.

For close to three years, her home was a two-room HDB rental flat at Beo Crescent, where she lived with her spouse. But the couple eventually bought their first home, a three-room flat at 363 Clementi Avenue 2, for $183,000.

Unfortunately, about six years later, they sold the Clementi flat for $373,000 following their divorce. Lynda found herself buying an Executive Maisonette at 405 Jurong West Street 42, where she stayed for close to six years.

But then she sold the maisonette and purchased a two-bedroom unit at Riverfront Residences for $782,000 when the project launched for sale in 2018. While waiting for the completion of Riverfront Residences, Lynda rented a two-bedroom unit at Commonwealth Towers for three years.

When Riverfront Residences reached TOP status, she decided to sell the unit for $865,000 and purchased a four-bedroom + study unit at Normanton Park when the project launched for sale in 2021. Just as before, she rented a unit, this time a two-bedroom unit at Parc Botannia, for two years while Normanton Park was being built.

When Normanton Park was completed in 2023, she stayed at her unit for close to three years, before selling it for $2.48 million in July 2026.

Not a million-dollar purchase, but close

When Lynda bought her condo unit at Normanton Park, it wasn't initially for capital appreciation. But she once again found that her personal circumstances had changed, and she says that this came with the realisation that perhaps it was time to reconsider what she truly wanted from her home.

“Like most people, I don't have unlimited funds and I eventually had to ask myself how I could unlock the value of my property to suit my long term plans,” she says.

While most condo residents enjoy the convenience of a large number of facilities at their doorstep, Lynda found that she hardly used them when she stayed at Normanton Park. “The facilities were nice to have, but I wasn't exactly swimming laps every morning or spending my evenings at the clubhouse” she mused.

She found that she prioritised a home that was practical and accessible. She also wanted a home that sat within an established neighbourhood with amenities such as supermarkets, hawker centres and clinics, and proximity to a park connector, as she and her kids enjoy cycling.

“I like the idea of stepping out of my home and having a neighbourhood to enjoy, instead of relying on facilities within the development. Activities such as walking and cycling along the park connectors are more in line to the lifestyle I want now,” she says.

That’s why she felt that returning to a HDB flat wasn’t a downgrading step in her view, instead it reflected a better understanding of what she values at this stage of her life.

A slight detour to her dream home

When she once again started her search for her latest home, she knew that she wanted a flat that was on a high floor, and spacious with a layout that could be easily reconfigured. But this search turned out to be more challenging than she expected.

She viewed more than 20 units across different developments, and some of the resale units that she considered was a four-room unit at Lake Vista @ Yuan Ching - a Design Build Sell Scheme development - as well as resale flats at Eunos Crescent, Geylang Bahru, Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, and Bidadari.

But each one didn’t fulfill her desired layout and size requirements, especially in the kitchen since she is also an avid home cook and had specific requirements for her kitchen and dining configuration. “I wanted a proper kitchen with a large island that could be used for food preparation and induction cooking, but I didn't want the island to double up as my family's dining table,” she says.

Eventually, she found a high-floor corridor flat at Boon Keng Ville, a HDB estate along Upper Boon Keng Rd. With close to 72 years left on its lease, the estate is one of the newest public housing developments in that part of Kallang.

For Lynda, she liked the unblocked view from the unit, and the estate’s connectivity to public transport and major roads including Upper Boon Keng Road and Kallang Paya Lebar Expressway.

She admits that the four-room resale unit wasn't in the best condition when she first viewed it. But the 1,109 sq ft layout gave her a sufficiently large canvas to create the home she had in mind, while the location gave her the accessibility and lifestyle she was looking for.

At the time, the seller was asking for $950,000 for the flat, and a valuation by HDB pegged the property at $910,000. But Lynda was reluctant to pay a cash over valuation (COV) of $40,000, and she negotiated with the seller to reduce the sale price to $930,000.

The seller agreed and issued an Option To Purchase (OTP) for $930,000, which was matched by a second valuation by HDB. As a result, Lynda avoided paying COV out of her pocket.

Conclusion 

After moving houses for eight times within 20 years, Lynda found that what matters to her when finding a home goes beyond the property type.

Looking back, she reflected that she probably would have questioned some of the housing decisions that were made by her younger self. “If I had the chance, I would ask: Am I buying this because it is the right home for me, or because of what owning it represents?”

It certainly took her a few moves and some time to realise that her priorities had changed, as well as her definition of what a home meant to her. But today, she says that a home means having enough space for the people she loves and designing it around her family’s lifestyle, with everyday amenities within easy reach.

“In a way, I think all those moves helped me slowly figure out what I actually wanted — it just took me quite a few addresses to get there!” she says.