Let local couples jointly own two private homes without incurring ABSD

LAST year, an old contact told me at a property event that while she found the event insightful, she felt there were limited opportunities to invest in private homes here.

My old contact could be spot on. A Singapore citizen pays Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) of 20 per cent for buying a second home and 30 per cent for buying a third and subsequent home. 

The loan-to-value ratio is capped at 45 per cent for borrowers with one outstanding housing loan, versus 75 per cent for those with no outstanding housing loans.