No need to stop decoupling and minors buying private homes

IN the July episode of the podcast PropertyBT, I discussed with analysts the lure and pitfalls of investing in homes overseas. In our discussions, I was reminded why some locals invest in overseas homes because of a push factor in the form of Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD). A Singapore citizen buying a second home here pays ABSD of 17 per cent.

If there are ways to get round paying ABSD, many locals may prefer buying homes here instead of overseas. For couples comprising Singapore citizens or permanent residents (PRs), decoupling can help to lower transaction costs when buying another home here.

De-coupling