Invisible clock starts ticking after an en bloc deal is agreed upon

ALL eyes are on the en bloc frenzy that is brewing within Singapore's property industry. Already, the number of collective sales of around 20 projects year-to-date has surpassed the seven deals recorded in 2015 and 2016 in total.

Along with this comes the fear of soaring private home prices, as buyers fear that developers who put in high bids would push up their eventual selling prices.

This is a real concern, especially to homeowners who may need to purchase a replacement property after signing the collective sale agreement.

Against this backdrop, one common question is: When should these homeowners purchase a replacement property?

If the homeowner is using the proceeds of the collective sale to buy a replacement property, he or she would only be able to collect the …