How We Found The Right 3-Bedroom Condo Despite Strict Feng Shui Requirements: A Buyer’s Case Study

When these buyers first approached the Stacked Consultancy team, they had just sold their five-room HDB flat and were looking for a replacement home that could accommodate their family of four.

Before the initial consultation, the family were living in a cramped three-room HDB flat. It was an uncomfortable arrangement, especially considering the fact that their two young adult children also needed their own space.

Their initial urgency to sell their original flat was partly driven by health concerns, and brought on by their belief that their previous residence had unfavorable Feng Shui. As they later recounted, this prompted them to move out of the flat even before securing a suitable replacement property.

The buyers also felt that the previous property agent they had engaged with offered little help beyond coordinating property viewings. This fostered a more cautious and careful approach when dealing with other agents later on.

As a result, Rachel, a property agent with the Stacked Consultancy Team, had to work hard to prove herself to the couple, in the face of their prior bad experience with other agents.

Rachel also took note that the couple would be close to their retirement in about a decade or so. Thus, she took it upon herself to map out a property planning path that would take their future post-retirement funds into consideration. This plan prioritised their budget and long-term retirement, with the aim of helping them secure a suitable property as a financial safety net that would positively contribute to their retirement income.

Navigating unexpected obstacles

Truth be told, the initial property search kicked off to a challenging start as Rachel sought to learn and understand the couple’s staunch Feng Shui layout requirements, as well as some unsuccessful transaction attempts.

But Rachel was able to shortlist a few options based on the buyers’ specific requirements and lifestyle preferences. They were able to identify three neighbourhoods to focus their attention:

• District 12 (Balestier / Toa Payoh / Serangoon)
• District 16 (Bedok / Upper East Coast)
• District 20 (Bishan / Ang Mo Kio)

This enabled Rachel to shortlist a few condominiums for the couple to consider. The developments were: Thomson Grand, Kovan Regency, The Summit, Springleaf Residences, The Panorama, Esparina Residences, and Eight Riversuites.

Since she knew that the couple would likely be approaching their retirement in a decade or so, Rachel focused on finding properties that had the potential of seeing consistent price growth over the coming years. This would go a long way in ensuring that their property would have a good chance of seeing good upside potential for their exit strategy in future.

Taking a development like The Panorama as an example, average prices at that District 20 project were about $1,289 psf in 2014. This was higher than the average price of $1,196 psf for 99-year leasehold condos back then, and higher than the average price of $1,274 psf for 99-year leasehold condos in D20.

When units at The Panorama hit the resale market in 2017, its annualised gains over the next eight years outperformed the islandwide average price growth but not the D20 average. This was due to the condo’s relatively higher resale prices when it entered the secondary market, which did not reflect the strong absolute gains that it transacted across every unit size.

We have a more comprehensive analysis of the price movements at The Panorama here.

Moving on to Springleaf Residence, the project is the first mega development in the mostly landed enclave at District 26, and so far it has enjoyed no direct comparables. Nevertheless, the development has some strong attributes that should positively contribute to its future resale price trajectory. 

First, the development stands out because it sits on a large plot of almost 345,000 sq ft, and this means there is space to accommodate a wide range of condo facilities. Meanwhile, residents will also benefit from its proximity to Springleaf MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).

Turning to its unit layouts, most of them are also designed under the latest post-harmonisation guidelines, which more closely reflects the actual usable space that homeowners can enjoy.

“While the properties were primarily shortlisted based on the buyers’ layout requirements, there were also other important criteria to consider.  I also took note of the price performance and selected the projects which had exhibited positive growth that was also moving in tandem with the private residential market,” says Rachel.

She adds that keeping the shortlisted units with the couple’s budget was also an important consideration for her.

The first unit they viewed was a three-bedroom 1,356 sq ft unit at Thomson Grand. Unfortunately, due to their Feng Shui master’s unavailability, the couple ended up missing out on the unit which was snapped up shortly after their viewing.

Next, they also viewed a penthouse at the same development, and they were quite keen on it at first. But that sale also failed to go through despite things advancing through to the final price negotiation, but this was due to the seller’s abrupt change of plans.

Going back to the drawing board, Rachel identified a three-bedroom unit at the conservation block within Springleaf Residence as an alternative. The project was one of the best-performing new projects in 2025, and sold more than 92% of its units during its initial sales launch weekend.

Specifically, this three-bedroom + Flexi (Type CC2) unit, due to its regularly shaped floor plan, did not have the so-called ‘missing sectors’ that were featured in previous units they had viewed. This refers to a Feng Shui based abstract division of the unit into various quarters, which had to align with the buyer metaphysically.

They found that this three-bedroom + Flexi unit layout satisfied their Feng Shui master’s requirements, and the couple were eager to proceed with the purchase. But just when they were about to complete the sale, they encountered yet another delay.

This came when the developer announced a layout re-configuration for the three-bedroom unit that they had decided on, and it led to a one-month wait while the developer secured the necessary regulatory approvals.

Type CC2: 1,259 sq ft Three-Bedroom + Flexi

As a result, the buyers and Rachel were in a somewhat uncertain scenario as they waited for the developer to confirm the final layout and pricing. But Rachel made sure that the couple felt her support was there, reassuring them throughout the process.

Rachel recalls how, in situations like this, how important it is to communicate clearly and in a timely manner – even if there was no news. “I understood how important this unit was for them. I would send them a brief update saying there is no new information yet, but I’m still following this and will update you by a certain date. We were keeping our fingers crossed for this unit, since it offered them a layout that checks all of their requirements,” she says.

Financial and lifestyle considerations

In the meantime, Rachel also worked on a cash flow analysis with the couple, which offered them clarity in how they could manage the mortgage payments, while potentially renting another unit during the two-year wait for the new condo to be completed.

She gave them a situation: Compared to a resale unit of similar value at approximately $2.7 million to $2.8 million, Springleaf Residence – being a new launch project – could potentially save the buyers the renovation cost associated with an older property, which would have come up to around $100,000.

Springleaf Residence also enjoys good transport connectivity, with the Springleaf MRT station a few minutes’ walk away and the Seletar Expressway about three minutes’ drive away. There are also several nature parks in the vicinity, including Upper Seletar Reservoir Park and Springleaf Nature Park.

The site next to Springleaf Residence was also awarded to a consortium led by Wee Hur Holdings, after they put in the winning bid of $613.9 million ($1,061 psf per plot ratio) in October 2025. The new development planned will also include a commercial component. Taking all of this into account gave the buyers a greater sense of confidence in their choice of investment.

Final thoughts

Even though the six-month journey was not without its hiccups, Rachel shares that the buyers remained committed to their decision and eventually found their ideal home. She adds that for clients with complex or stringent requirements, it was always important for her to establish trust early at the earliest stage through regular and proactive communication.

Resourcefulness was also key, as she had to source for layouts that met the clients’ stringent requirements. These included specific directional facings and the avoidance of “missing sectors” in the floor plan and unit layout. “Despite the delays, my experience working with different clients helped to ensure this journey moved forward for this family was eventually a success” she says.

This case study is based on a recent consultation conducted by Norman Koh (R015193B) and Rachel Xu (R006569F), property agents and partner property consultants with Stacked. This write-up walks through the key decisions, trade-offs, and market considerations involved, with insights that buyers and sellers may find useful.