Property Negative Sales

Losing Money from Property Sale

When I discuss sales of properties with my clients, most or rather all of them naturally assume that there will be a profit or extra money from the sale.

But that is not always the case.

Having encountered such property negative sales situations on 3 separate occasions in this year alone, I figured this might be a useful topic to explore on my blog where I share my take on various property topics.

What is Property Negative Sale?

To explain negative sale plainly, let me use a simple formula:

Sale Price (price at which you sell your flat) – Costs (various costs that are associated with the selling of the flat) = Sale Proceeds (this can be positive or negative)

Some common costs associated with the selling of a flat include outstanding mortgage loan, repayment of CPF amount used with accrued CPF interest and more.

If your property sale price is higher than your costs, then congratulations, you have positive Sale Proceeds – meaning you will have incoming money that goes into your pocket or for your next property purchase.

However, if your costs are higher than your sale price, then you have negative Sale Proceeds – meaning you are now faced with a situation where you will not receive money from the sale and may have to pay from your pocket, just to sell your property

Wondering how it can even be possible to land yourself in the second scenario?

Let me explain with a real-life case study.

Property Negative Sale Case Study

A couple, let us call them Mr. and Mrs. Ong came to me looking to sell their Clementi 5 room flat so they can upgrade to a condo.

As usual, I will do a financial assessment for them to let them know upfront what they should be expecting.

Here is the breakdown:

Potential Sale Price:
Based on the prevailing current market selling price, the flat would be able to fetch around $510,000.

Potential Costs:

They have an outstanding mortgage loan on the flat, which is $135,000.
Mr Ong used $267,000 from his CPF to pay for the flat to-date, with the accruing interest of $68,000 over the entire period of occupation.
Mrs Ong used $90,000 from her CPF, with the accruing interest of $20,000.
This brings the bulk of their estimated costs to be around $580,000.

Using the formula above to calculate:

Potential Sale Price ($510,000) – Potential Costs ($580,000) = Negative Sale (- $70,000).

And there you have it, how it is very possible to land yourself in a situation of negative sale.

While that burst their bubble of expecting to use their sale proceeds to fund their new property purchase, they are not the only ones.

What Are the Main Reasons for Property Negative Sales? Can It Be Avoided?

Like I shared, negative sales are not an uncommon occurrence here in Singapore. If you are keen to avoid landing yourself in such a situation?

Do read on to learn about some of the key factors that result in negative sales and how to avoid them.

1) Home Loans

When most homeowners purchase a property in Singapore, they take out a home loan.

So, it makes sense that you have to repay the bank principal and interest (cost for borrowing) when you sell off your property.

If your mortgage interest rates are higher than the appreciation rate of your property, chances are you will have a deficit.

So how to reduce your chances of a negative sale?

Make sure you keep your home interest rates low, refinancing whenever you can get a lower rate.

It may be a hassle, but it helps you keep the amount you need to repay when selling as low as possible.

2) Repayment of CPF Accrued Interest

With CPF’s goal to ensure that we have sufficient retirement savings, when the property is sold, owners will need to return the drawn down principal amount PLUS the Accrued Interest, back into your CPF OA.

This amount may include the following:

The initial down payment that was withdrawn from our CPF account

The monthly installments that was withdrawn to pay our mortgage loan

Any HDB housing grant(s) that we received for our HDB flat

The CPF Accrued Interest on all the above

Do your best to sell your property at or above market value!

From the net positive sales proceeds, you will be able to repay the interest rates including the CPF accrued interest

3) Selling Within the First 3 Years

Deciding to sell a property within the first 3 years that it was bought will subject the homeowner to Seller’s Stamp Duty – a tax on the sales proceeds ranging from 12% (first year) to 4% (on the third year).

Just imagine, 4% on a $500,000 property is already $20,000, much less 12%.

How to minimize your chances of a negative sale?

Avoid selling within the first 3 years if at all possible. Just waiting for a few months to cross the 3-year mark is worth the while to avoid any unnecessary costs.

4) The Importance of Choosing Your Initial Property

I cannot emphasise enough that the most important factor is as simple as choosing the RIGHT property to buy.

With proper market research and analysis, your property will likely be on the right track of growth and prevent you from landing yourself in an unnecessary negative sale situation.

This option seems pretty straightforward but many tend to overlook the key value of decision-making for your first property purchase.

Just remember that this one crucial choice will lead to your benefit and gain, for many years ahead.

Should You Sell in a Negative Sale Scenario?

Assuming you did all you could to minimize your chances of facing a negative sale scenario but still ended up in this unfortunate situation, what should you do?

Do you sell or hold on?

The answer depends on the following factors:

Why Do You Want to Sell?

If the main motivation for selling is something that is not essential, maybe consider postponing it to allow yourself the opportunity to sell above market value or re-evaluate if it is still a wise decision knowing that it will be a negative sale.

What is Your Next Purchase?

If there is nothing more that can be done to reduce the costs, look forward instead.

Will your next home be an asset instead of the loss-making venture this current property is?

Instead, focus on looking out for the next property and do your due diligence to ensure that history does not repeat itself.

Do You Foresee the Negative Sales Situation to Improve?

In certain situations, where the property has only been in the market for a short time or you are trying to sell during a recession, there is a possibility that the negative sales situation could turn around – if selling prices improve.

However, if that is not the situation, and it is unlikely for the selling prices to improve, then the only way to go is down – with CPF accrued interest snowballing and house value dropping over time.

In this case, biting the bullet now would potentially be a better choice as it will only get worse in the future.

Property Financial Calculator

Still not confident of calculating it yourself? You can reach out to me for a FREE Property Report

Property Price Trend

Try to understand different property price trends to avoid property negative sales.

Many owners sell at the wrong time.

Avoid common mistakes.

Conclusion

I hope the above factors can help you understand Property Negative Sales better.

Are you faced with the thorny issue of negative sales and need professional advices? Feel free to reach out to me.

Bonus for my readers

Applying is simple!

Click the Schedule button
Allow me 30min of your time
To go from having questions in your mind to understanding the options available

Awards and Accolades

Property agent review - What my clients say about me

Have you learned something New Today? Please help to share.

Self Introduction

Greetings! My name is Rick Long, and I am proud to serve as the Associate Division Director of Huttons Asia Pte Ltd, with over a decade of experience in the real estate industry.

My passion for helping clients find their dream homes has grown exponentially during my tenure in the field. As a graduate of Singapore Polytechnic, I have always valued the importance of hard work and determination.

My prior experience serving in the airforce instilled in me the value of teamwork, perseverance, and discipline.

Over the years, I have been privileged to receive several accolades for providing exceptional service and dedication to my clients.

My ultimate goal is to ensure that each individual I work with has the best possible experience, whether they are buying or selling a property.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is receiving glowing five-star reviews from satisfied clients.

Knowing that I have positively impacted someone’s life is truly humbling, and it motivates me to continue striving for excellence every day.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending quality time with my loved ones, indulging my passion for sports, and exploring the rich and diverse culinary landscape of Singapore.

Amidst the bustling pace of life, I relish moments of calm by immersing myself in the art of tea-brewing and teapot appreciation.

Thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about me. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you.

Additionally, Rick is a proud fur daddy to two rescue kitties and loves spending his free time with his wife and furbabies. He believes in giving back to the community and volunteers his time to animal welfare causes whenever possible.

Ever wonder if you are suitable for Sell one buy two investment concept? – Read more (Sell one buy two)

Is buying new launch or resale condo have better returns? – Read more (New Launch vs Resale condo)

Looking to upgrade from Hdb to condo? – Read more (Sell Hdb buy condo)

What to take note when selling Hdb resale flat? – Read more (Hdb Resale Process)

Buying another Hdb flat, and using the fund from current home? – Read more (Hdb contra)

Why do some Hdb flat price depreciate so much? – Read more (Hdb depreciation curve)

What is one of the most common reason for property negative sales? – Read more (Cpf accrued interest)

Financial calculation for selling a Hdb flat? – Read more (Hdb resale calculator)

Buying EC before selling your HDB? – Read more (Upgrade to EC before selling your HDB)

Should you sell your EC after 5 years? – Read more (Selling EC)