Guide · Resale condos
Don't buy a resale condo before you understand GLS and harmonisation
When people buy a resale condo, they often jump straight to how much they like it, the renovation or the view. Those matter, but before any of that there are three fundamentals to get right. Get them right and your property holds its value better, and when you sell there's less resistance, fewer objections and more buyers. Here's the checklist I go through with my clients, plus a newer risk every resale buyer now has to check.
Prefer to watch? This guide follows the video, with extra detail and what has happened since.
In short:
- Check 1: a well-received project: sizeable (300 units or more), visible, from a reputable developer, with good layouts.
- Check 2: buy as big as you comfortably can. Larger, livable units appeal to more buyers and sell first.
- Check 3: buy where nearby land sales and new launches are priced well above you, so future prices support yours. When the gap narrows, the new launch becomes the safer buy.
- Then check harmonisation: a newer harmonised launch next door can offer almost the same usable space for far less.
Check 1: a well-received project
What makes a project well received? Location and schools matter, but on their own they don't make resale easy. To judge whether a project is popular, and stays popular, I look at four things. (I go deeper into this framework in my Penrith video.)
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Land size: ideally 300 units or more | More transactions, and owners benchmark against the last price and aim slightly higher. With 500, 800 or 1,000 units doing that over time, prices get pushed up faster than in a small development where sales are few and far between. A larger site also means better facilities, which own-stay buyers value more than they realise. |
| Visibility | Can people in the area recognise it from afar: "Oh, I know that condo"? Popular developments tend to stay popular, even 10 to 15 years later. |
| Developer | A reputable developer gives buyers confidence in build quality, maintenance and long-term upkeep, and confidence is part of resale demand. |
| Layout | Good layouts age much better. Years later, buyers still walk in and think, "This makes sense. I can live with this." |
Check 2: the size of the unit
Say your budget is $1.8 million. In today's resale market you usually end up with two choices: a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom in the city or city fringe, or, further out, a proper 3-bedroom or even a 3-bedroom premium in the heartland or the resale EC market. My advice is usually simple: buy as big as you comfortably can within your budget.
I recently worked with clients who had lived around Queenstown for years and really valued space. A 3-bedroom in the city or city fringe wasn't realistic on their budget, so instead of forcing a smaller unit for a better location, they moved further out to a 3-bedroom that fits their lifestyle. That reflects what's happening in the market: new launches keep getting smaller, and for families, at some point space becomes non-negotiable. People say, "I'm willing to travel a bit more if my family gets a more comfortable home."
A larger unit, especially one with a practical layout in a well-known development, appeals to a wider pool of buyers, and the larger, livable units are often the first to sell when owners start exiting. Size matters not just for today, but for how easily you can sell later.
Check 3: nearby land sales and new launch prices
This is the one many buyers overlook. You're not just buying what the property is worth today; you're positioning yourself relative to what's coming next.
Example: Prive vs the Lentor launches
In 2022 you could buy a resale EC at Prive, in Punggol, at about $1,200 psf, while new launches in Lentor were selling at around $2,000 psf. Ask yourself: if you bought the new launch at $2,000 psf, what would you hope to sell at three years later? Most people would say about $2,400 psf. Possible, but not guaranteed. If you bought Prive at $1,200 psf while new launches were above $2,000, is selling at $1,600 psf achievable? Between hoping for $2,400 and aiming for $1,600, which feels more realistic and protected?
Fast forward: Prive has appreciated to about $1,600 psf, and the gap between it and the Lentor new launches has narrowed from about 69% in 2022 to about 41%. Who took more risk, and who had more downside protection? That's why nearby land sales and upcoming launch prices matter so much when you buy resale.
Example: The Panorama vs AMO Residence and Lentor
Here's how to tell when resale is protected, and when it gets riskier. In Ang Mo Kio, The Panorama is a resale condo, and around 2022 AMO Residence launched nearby.
| Stage | Gap between The Panorama and new launches | The safer choice |
|---|---|---|
| AMO Residence launches | About 20%, roughly $300 psf: about $300,000 more on a 1,000 sq ft home | The resale: buyers could get a 3-bedroom in the same area without stretching by $300,000, and Panorama's transactions picked up after AMO launched |
| More Lentor launches at about $2,000 to $2,100 psf, while The Panorama keeps rising | Narrowed to about 7%, with The Panorama about 10 years old | The new launch: when resale is that close to new, buyers ask, "Why not just buy the newer one?" |
That's why I tell buyers that resale isn't always safer and new launches aren't always riskier. It depends on where you enter relative to future supply and land prices.
The extra check: harmonisation
Up to now I've said: buy resale supported by higher future land sales, so your price can catch up. Here's the catch. You don't want to buy a resale that sits next to a land sale site that will launch under the new harmonisation rules. It sounds contradictory, "buy near land sales, but don't buy near land sales", but it's an extra layer of homework resale buyers now have to do.
Under GFA harmonisation, new launches look smaller on paper. Because the overall size is smaller, the total price often looks very attractive, while the usable space you actually live in is often not very different. Harmonisation mainly removes non-livable areas like oversized balconies and air-con ledges, not the space you use every day.
Riviere vs Zyon Grand, room by room
These two sit right next to each other in River Valley: Riviere, a resale condo, and Zyon Grand, a recent new launch. Compare their 3-bedroom units: Zyon Grand's is 1,076 sq ft, harmonised; Riviere's is 1,216 sq ft, not harmonised. On paper Riviere looks much bigger, so people assume it's more valuable. Break it down:
| Space | Difference |
|---|---|
| Living room and study | Riviere about 3 sqm (about 32 sq ft) bigger |
| Kitchen and yard | Riviere about 3 sqm bigger |
| Balcony | Zyon Grand slightly larger |
| Master bedroom and bathroom | The same |
| Bedrooms 2 and 3 | Riviere about 1 to 3 sqm larger |
| Common bathroom and household shelter | Almost identical |
Yes, Riviere is bigger in some areas. But would you pay about $667,000 more for a living room and kitchen that are about 6 sqm bigger? And ten years later, when both are on the resale market, will future buyers say, "I must pay $600,000 more because the living room is slightly bigger"? Very unlikely.
That's why harmonisation matters so much. A new launch can look much smaller on paper, yet its total price can be so much more attractive that it changes how buyers compare: they may choose something newer and cheaper with the same layout feel and very similar usable space. So even if a resale ticks all three boxes, be careful not to overpay today, only to have a harmonised project nearby launch at a much lower total price. Check whether your resale layout can still compete with future harmonised layouts when they reach the resale market.
The full checklist
- A popular development: sizeable, visible, a reputable developer, good layouts.
- A spacious, livable layout: as big as you comfortably can.
- Supported by higher land sale and new launch prices nearby, with a gap wide enough to protect you.
- Competitive against future harmonised launches: compare usable space room by room, and the total price, not the strata area.
Get these right and even as the second or third owner, your downside is much better protected over time. Most buyers don't get into trouble because they made bad decisions; they get into trouble because they didn't know what to check.
What has happened since
The Lentor benchmark kept moving. Lentor Gardens Residences launched in July 2026 at an indicative average of about $2,350 psf, and the Lentor Central site sold in March 2026 for $1,278 psf ppr, the highest land price in Lentor so far, with analysts expecting future launches there to start from about $2,700 psf. Meanwhile Prive's 2026 transactions have been around $1,500 to $1,650 psf. As new launch prices step up again, the gap that protects well-chosen resale homes nearby can widen again. Always check the latest land sales and launch prices around a resale home before you buy: my launches page and upcoming launches show what's coming.
Not sure how to apply these checks to your own shortlist? I'll look at the project, the land sales around it and any harmonised launches nearby with you, before you commit.
Questions people ask me
What makes a resale condo easy to sell?
A sizeable, recognisable development from a reputable developer, a spacious and livable layout, and new launches and land sales nearby priced well above it, so buyers see it as good value.
Is a resale condo safer than a new launch?
Not always. When new launches nearby are priced 20% or more above it, the resale is usually well protected. When the gap narrows to single digits, buyers prefer the new project, and the new launch becomes the safer choice.
How do GLS prices affect resale condo prices?
Higher land prices mean higher launch prices nearby, which make older resale homes look better value and support their prices. That's why Prive's gap to the Lentor launches narrowed from about 69% to 41% as it appreciated.
How does harmonisation affect resale condos?
Harmonised launches exclude areas like air-con ledges and big balconies from their size, so they look smaller but offer similar usable space, often at a lower total price. Older resale units can struggle to justify a big premium for space that's mostly on paper.
How many units should a condo have for good resale?
I prefer at least about 300. Bigger developments have more transactions to benchmark from and better facilities, which helps prices move up over time.
Related guides
- OCR hits $3,000 psf. Here's what still works in resale.
- GFA harmonisation: the hidden risk to your condo's resale price.
- Should you buy an older property?
- When launch hype doesn't mean gains.
Prices, gaps and room sizes are as shown in my video of 22 December 2025. Lentor Gardens Residences' indicative average and the Lentor Central land price as reported by EdgeProp in 2026; Prive's 2026 transaction range from public listings data. This guide is general information, not financial advice.