Why registration matters more than turning up

Every major launch — Thomson Reserve, Chuan Grove Residences, the upcoming ECs — opens with a VVIP preview window of roughly one to two weeks. Only registered visitors see the showflat in the first days, receive the official price list first, and qualify for the booking-day ballot. Walk-ins after the price release face the leftovers. Registration is free and non-binding — but it is effectively the queue ticket for the whole process.

The launch timeline, start to finish

  1. Register interest (T-4 to T-2 weeks). You receive the e-brochure, indicative pricing and preview appointment slots. This is also when a good advisor flags your budget stacks and shortlists unit types.
  2. VVIP preview (T-2 to T-1 weeks). Walk the showflat, study the model, compare facing and stack premiums. Come with a shortlist of 5–10 specific units — booking day moves too fast to browse.
  3. Price release (usually the night before booking). Official prices by stack. Recheck your affordability at the real numbers — stamp duties with the ABSD calculator, loan ceiling with the TDSR/MSR calculator.
  4. Balloting (booking day). Registered buyers are assigned queue numbers by ballot. When your number is called, you choose from what remains and pay the booking fee — typically 5% of the price, by cheque — for the Option to Purchase.
  5. Exercise the S&P (within ~8 weeks). The developer sends the Sale & Purchase Agreement; you exercise and pay a further ~15% (bringing you to 20%), plus stamp duties within 14 days of signing.
  6. Progressive payments. Stage payments through construction (roughly 40% in total), 25% at TOP when you collect keys, and the final 15% at legal completion (CSC).

What to bring on booking day

  • NRIC of all purchasers (and marriage certificate if buying as a couple).
  • Cheque book — the 5% booking fee is conventionally paid by cheque on the spot. No cheque book, no unit: order one from your bank a week ahead.
  • In-Principle Approval (IPA) from a bank — a written loan approval amount, valid typically ~30 days. Without it you are guessing your ceiling; with it you can bid decisively.
  • CPF statement (Singpass app works) — to confirm OA balances for the downpayment.
  • Income documents for the IPA: latest payslips, CPF contribution history, NOA.
  • Your unit shortlist, ranked — with price ceilings per choice, decided in advance.

How balloting actually works (and how people lose units)

Each registered buyer gets a ballot number; numbers are drawn randomly and buyers pick in that order. The painful ways to lose: arriving without a cheque book, hesitating between two stacks while the queue moves on, or discovering your IPA is short of the stack you wanted. The disciplined approach: shortlist 8–10 acceptable stacks across two or three price bands, pre-commit your walk-away price, and decide in seconds, not minutes. EC launches add a second filter — first-timer quota rules (90% of units on old-rules ECs are effectively allocated to first-timers at launch month) — so knowing your eligibility tier matters; see the EC guide.

Honest advice you will not hear at the showflat: showflats are engineered to make you stretch. Set your ceiling from your IPA and TDSR math — not from the sales gallery's mood lighting. Remember the new 4-year SSD regime (16/12/8/4% if you sell early, for properties bought from 4 July 2025): a new launch is at minimum a 4-year commitment, realistically 7–10 years including construction.

Frequently asked questions

You register (free, non-binding) with an appointed agency before the preview opens. Registered visitors get first access to the showflat, the official price list on release, and a slot in the booking-day ballot. Without registration, you typically only see remaining units after the first booking weekend.

Typically 5% of the purchase price, paid by cheque on booking day in exchange for the Option to Purchase. A further ~15% is due when you exercise the Sale & Purchase Agreement within about 8 weeks, plus stamp duties within 14 days of signing.

An IPA is a bank's written confirmation of how much it will lend you, based on your income, debts and credit. It turns your budget from a guess into a number, lets you act instantly at balloting, and prevents the classic mistake of booking a unit the bank will not finance.

Before exercising the S&P, you forfeit a portion of the booking fee (typically 25% of it). After exercising, backing out means forfeiting the full 20% paid plus potential legal consequences. Ballot only when your financing and commitment are certain.

No. On developer sales, the developer pays the agency's commission — the price is the same whether you register through an agent or walk in alone. What an agent adds is unit/stack analysis, eligibility checks, IPA coordination and someone in your corner on ballot day.

New launches offer new facilities, progressive payments and no renovation cost, but a 3–4 year wait and typically higher psf than nearby resale. Resale offers immediacy, larger layouts and what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Compare both against your timeline with our resale buying guide.