How I’d Invest $12 Million On Property If I Won The 2026 Toto Hongbao Draw

Every time a large TOTO jackpot makes the headlines, everyone starts contemplating what exactly they’d buy if that money materialised for them. With the total jackpot for the upcoming TOTO Hong Bao Draw 2026 hitting $12 million, that’s a windfall that opens the door to a lot more expensive things.

But most Singaporeans aren’t the sort to blow all that money on something like luxury vacations, apparel, or lifestyle products. Most of us are more realistic and tend to turn their once-in-a-lifetime windfall into something more lasting

This is where the possibilities in the real estate market start to draw attention. We looked at what a TOTO big winner could actually buy in today’s local property market, using recent new launches and well-known projects.

A quick note on our top prize assumptions. This upcoming Chinese New Year TOTO Hong Bao Draw sits at $12 million, but for those unfamiliar with the system, it doesn’t mean one person usually walks away with all of it.

Group 1 prizes are for tickets that match all six winning numbers. The largest share of the prize pool is allocated here. There can be more than one winner in Group 1, so this amount is split equally among them.

Group 2 and Group 3 prizes go to tickets with at least five matching numbers (with or without the additional number). These groups receive smaller, fixed portions of the overall prize pool. Lower groups are then paid out for matching fewer numbers, with progressively smaller winnings.

For this reason, we’re working with a post-split, Group 1 windfall of around $4 million to $6 million, rather than the full $12 million. This is how the top prize was split back in last year’s draw, when the jackpot was shared among multiple winning tickets.

To keep things simple, we’ll also assume:

• The property is fully paid in cash with no loan
• No CPF usage 
• The buyer is Singaporean and not subject to ABSD
• The aim is owner-occupation or at least long-term wealth preservation

Note that in practice, realtors, financial planners, and mortgage experts will probably counsel the Toto winner to use a home loan anyway, as it may not be wise to lock up so much capital at once. But in this case lets treat this for what it is – an aspirational daydream.

Option 1: A freehold semi-detached home

Unfortunately, even the Toto Group 1 winnings are unlikely to nab you a trophy landed home in a prime residential area like Orchard. But what it can get you – without stretching too far – is a sizable freehold semi-D in a city fringe enclave.

We’d probably look at somewhere like Jalan Baiduri, where we last saw a freehold semi-D transact at around $4.4 million in 2025. That figure sits within our post-split Group 1 windfall assumptions, even if there are multiple winners.

What this typically buys you is:

• A semi-detached house on its own plot of land
• Freehold tenure, with no lease decay to worry about
• More internal living space and privacy than any condo at a similar quantum
• A location that’s residential and established, but not priced at ultra-prime levels

A property like this would be ideal for those who want to preserve that newfound wealth in the form of a multi-generational family home.

Bonus: the exclusive private enclave, off East Coast Road, might be a great way to avoid relatives and old friends who suddenly need a friendly loan.

As an alternative, you can also consider Fowlie Road. This is another landed enclave that provides better access to the Katong lifestyle stretch, if you’re a die-hard East-ender.

Option 2: A centrally located new launch condo 

Newport Residences is a good example of this one. The project is a 246-unit freehold development along Anson Road, forming the residential component of the mixed-use Newport Plaza. Based on our review, the family-sized units sit comfortably within a $4 million to $6 million budget.

Newport’s three-bedroom units range from 980 sq ft to 1,227 sq ft, which is on par with 4-room to 5-room flats. Indicative pricing starts from around $3.24 million, with higher floors and better views moving closer to the upper end of our budget range

At this quantum, you get:

• Freehold tenure in the CBD
• A condo at the edge of the Greater Southern Waterfront
• Homes that start from the 23rd floor upwards, with elevated city or sea views
• A mixed-use environment with offices, retail, and serviced apartments integrated into the same development

This is mainly a lifestyle-led choice for our Toto winner, but as an asset, it can also act as a rental unit in a pinch (thanks to CBD access). It can also provide a “safety buffer” in case our Toto winner ever needs to liquidate the property. New launches can come with substantial discounts in the earliest sales phases, so prices may already rise even before TOP. This helps to lock in gains in case it needs to be sold soon after.

Option 3: A large freehold family condominium

Perhaps you like the idea of a convenient location, and that means not needing a car just to drive out from your landed estate. Or perhaps maintenance is an issue, and you don’t define the idea of vacuuming the second and third floors as “a fun weekend.”

Well, the next reasonable choice, which can also double as a long-term investment, is to aim for a spacious freehold condo in an established residential district. 

A good suggestion is The Continuum in District 15, which we reviewed here. It’s a rare, large-scale freehold development with 816 units, which means solid price support in the future. The location also caters clearly to families and owner-occupiers rather than investors, thanks to factors like school proximity.

Based on transactions highlighted in our review, four-bedroom units measuring 1,500 sq ft to 1,700 sq ft have already changed hands at around $5.05 million in 2025. This puts them within a realistic post-split Group 1 Toto windfall.

Compared with the landed options, a large freehold condo is a more hands-off optionin terms of household maintenance, and a condo unit can be easier to rent out or sell later. The freehold tenure also provides better price resilience, if it’s meant to last between generations. 

Option 4: An architecturally significant landmark in its district

Maybe you appreciate architecture and are one of those people who can name an architect besides Frank Lloyd Wright. Or maybe you believe that architectural icons carry prestige value and are less likely to be demolished to make way anytime soon. 

Well, a good and relatively newer option here is a project like Promenade Peak. Priced from about $4.4 million (around $3,150 psf) and rising to as high as $5.9 million on the upper floors (roughly $3,786 psf), the four-bedder units here are ideal as family homes, and for long-term hold.

They’re an especially alluring choice versus older freehold projects along Kim Seng Road, and the more volatile boutique luxury launches in the wider River Valley area. 

There are also resale options here, like the famous Interlace. On the resale market, specific unit types and recent pricing examples that fall within or near the budget include:

• 4-Bedroom / Multi-Generation (1,938 sq ft – 5,694 sq ft): typical resale prices for units in this category have ranged from about $2.2 million to $4.8 million+, depending on size and level.
  
• Penthouse units (3,154 sq ft – 6,308 sq ft): resale prices for larger penthouses have been seen around $4.8 million to approximately $5.0 million in past transactions.

All ideal if you want to live in a place that’s appeared in international features and that you can show off as a trophy home.

Bonus option: An ultra-large unit in a boutique condo, in the off chance there’s only one winner

For Toto winners who want space first and facilities second, a boutique new launch might work. These are small-unit count projects that feel almost bespoke, typically allowing for more spacious units and higher privacy.

(Due to the smaller land area, though, facilities are almost always a bit more limited; and due to the invariably low transaction volumes, subsequent resale prices can be a bit more volatile.)

A standout example is 32 Gilstead, a freehold, 14-unit development in the Novena–Newton area in District 11. This is the kind of luxury project we usually associate with prestigious residential enclaves like Nassim Road or Ardmore Park, but this one is somewhat outside the traditional ultra-prime residential zone.

What immediately sets 32 Gilstead apart is unit size. There are only four-bedroom units here, and they’re lavishly spacious when judged against luxury new launch projects in recent years. The smallest units start at about 3,821 sq ft, with some larger variants reaching around 4,219 sq ft. To put that in context, these are larger than some landed homes.

Thanks to the palatial living spaces, some units include dedicated bar spaces (a feature we’d normally criticise as inefficient, but makes sense at this scale and grandeur).

In quantum terms, this is likely to reach the $12 million mark, or possibly even more. So it’s only going to be possible if someone is so lucky that they’re holding the only ticket with all six matching numbers.

Perhaps it’s a bit telling that, even with a potential $4 million to $6 million, you’re still not in the “buy anything you like” category in Singapore. 

This is one of the sure signs of how huat or property market has been. Or maybe the opposite, if you’re concerned with housing prices right now. But in any case, not having to deal with a mortgage for the rest of your life comes down to more than just housing – it also means more security and happiness all around. 

And perhaps that, more so than the nice unit can buy, is the real Toto win. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to check our tickets.