Buying Guide · Resale Condos
What to actually check
at a condo viewing.
For new launches you’re buying a floor plan. For resale, you get to inspect the real thing. Here’s what to actually look for — before you make an offer.
For new launch condos, you’re buying a show flat and a floor plan — the actual unit doesn’t exist yet. For resale, you get to inspect the real thing. This is an advantage, but only if you know what to look for.
Viewings matter more than most buyers realise. A first visit often passes in a blur of first impressions — the renovation, the view, the light at that particular hour. The structural and mechanical details that actually determine long-term cost and comfort get missed.
Many buyers spend viewings admiring the renovation, then discover post-purchase that the aircon system is 15 years old.
Here’s what to actually check — from the car park to the questions you ask before leaving.
Car park and arrival condition reflects MCST financial health. Lift condition, speed, number per block. Security and access control — guard post, CCTV, visitor management. Pool and facilities condition — milky pool water, broken gym equipment are red flags. Ask when facilities were last upgraded.
Water pressure: turn on all taps and shower simultaneously. Aircon age: ask how old the system is, turn on every unit. Window seals and sills: look for water marks, mould, discolouration (water ingress). Floors: listen for hollow knocking (debonded tiles — S$5,000–15,000 to fix). Mobile signal: check every room.
Check at different times of day — a unit pleasant at 10am may be unbearably hot at 3pm facing west. Understand what’s actually outside — ECP or next-door block? Check URA masterplan for planned developments that could block the view. For Bayshore: check if unit is under the Changi approach flight path (can be noisy for upper floors facing northeast).
Why is the seller selling? How long on the market? What’s included? Any known defects? What are the neighbours like? What are the monthly maintenance fees — and have they increased recently? Ask to see the last 2 years of MCST AGM minutes.
Get an In-Principle Approval
Before making your offer — not after
Your bank will do a valuation before approving the mortgage, but you can commission an independent valuation beforehand to calibrate your offer. For properties under 60 years remaining lease, get an IPA first — banks may apply an internal LTV haircut that isn’t published anywhere.
Commission a Building Inspection
S$400–800 · Increasingly common for resale
Not yet standard in Singapore but worth it for older resale units above S$1.5M. A professional inspector checks structural elements, electrical, plumbing, and finishes systematically — things that viewings miss.
Check the Reserve Fund
Request last 2 years of AGM minutes
A healthy sinking fund means the estate can handle major works — lift replacements, roof repairs, exterior painting — without emergency special levies. A depleted fund means you may face an assessment shortly after moving in.
Always do a second viewing — at a different time of day, without the seller present.
The second visit is when you notice what you missed the first time: the noise from the nearby road, the lift lobby smell, the kitchen that doesn’t have enough counter space for how you actually cook. For a S$1M+ decision, a second hour is always worth it.
Going to view a unit
in Bayshore?
We can give you context on comparable transactions and help you assess whether the asking price is fair — before you make an offer, not after.
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