By DENNIS NG-February 23, 2012
Property cooling measures - how do they affect your housing loan?
If you have an existing housing loan, for the next property you purchase, you can get a maximum of only 60 per cent financing, which means you will need to come up with at least 40 per cent of the purchase price yourself including at least 10 per cent cash.
If you have an existing property which uses Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings, when you purchase a second property and wish to use your CPF, you need to set aside the CPF Minimum Sum Cash Component, which currently stands at $65,500. This CPF Minimum Sum Cash Component is made up of balances in your CPF Ordinary Account and CPF Special Account.
Here's an example.
If you have $50,000 in your CPF Ordinary Account and $30,000 in your CPF Special Account totalling $80,000, how much CPF savings can you use to purchase your second property? You need to deduct the CPF Minimum Sum Cash Component (currently at $65,500 and revised upwards annually on July 1 of each year). In this example, the maximum CPF savings you can use for the purchase of your second property is $14,500, not the full $50,000 balance in your CPF Ordinary Account.
However, if you have an existing property which is fully paid up, you can still get the maximum 80 per cent financing on your next property purchase. This is regardless of how many properties you currently own, as the maximum 60 per cent financing applies only to people with at least one existing property loan. Thus, some clients with a very low housing loan outstanding on their existing home will choose to pay off the existing loan in order to qualify for the 80 per cent financing for their next property purchase.
If you are looking at property as an investment and are in no hurry to invest, do not rush to pay off your existing property loan because there is a possibility that this maximum 60 per cent financing rule might be abolished when the property market turns sluggish. If history serves as any guide, in May 1996, a slew of property cooling measures were announced, but these were removed when the property market corrected significantly a few years later
Taking housing loans on home purchase vs property investment: any difference?
If you ask most people, they will probably tell you that they want to borrow as little money as possible for property purchase, and if they can afford it, they will pay off their housing loan as soon as possible. Is there a difference in taking housing loan on home purchase vs property investment?
For a home purchase, I would suggest taking the maximum financing approved by the bank, which is currently 80 per cent for the first property purchase, even if you can afford to borrow less. Why? Because to me, I see a housing loan instalment as a form of 'rental replacement', because if you decide not to buy a property for own use, you would have to pay rent. So taking a lower loan, in a way, is similar to paying rent in advance, which does not make sense.
Furthermore, a housing loan is the cheapest loan you can ever get; currently the interest rates are about 1.2 per cent - less than half of the 2.5 per cent that CPF pays you.
So for a home purchase, it is okay to take the maximum 80 per cent financing and as for the loan period, this should tie in with your intended retirement age. If you intend to retire at age 60, then the loan should be fully paid off by age 60 and not 70, for example.
You should also only buy a home that you can comfortably afford by making sure that your housing loan instalment does not exceed 35 per cent of your gross income. For a home purchase, you can consider using two thirds of your CPF Ordinary Account contribution and top up in cash payment any excess amount. Why not use up all of your CPF Ordinary Account contribution? The reason is we must remember that the primary objective of our CPF is to build a retirement nest egg and thus, we should try not to use up all of our CPF Ordinary Account savings for property financing.
For property investment, even prior to the current loan-to-value limits taking effect and when you could take 80 per cent financing, for prudence's sake, you might want to limit maximum financing to 70 per cent of the property price.
By doing so, even if property prices fall, you minimise the risk that the bank would ask you to top up money. For instance, if you take 80 per cent financing and if property prices fall by 30 per cent, the bank might ask you to top up 10 per cent. However, if you take 70 per cent loan, this is unlikely to happen.
Should you apply for a loan for a property that will receive Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) three years from now?
If you buy a property under construction, you can choose to apply for a housing loan later rather than at the point of purchase. However, you should consider applying for a loan now because firstly, property prices can move up or down and banks would only grant financing based on latest valuation figures. In the event that property prices fall when the property is completed and the valuation falls, you might fail to get the quantum of financing you need. Furthermore, there might also be changes to your income and financial situation, which might affect loan approval. Thus, it is advisable for you to apply for a housing loan at the point of property purchase rather than to wait.
Would interest rates remain low for housing loans?
Singapore Interbank Offered Rate (Sibor) is the average market interest rate banks pay when they borrow from or lend to one another in the interbank market. The three-month Sibor is used by banks as a gauge of interest rate trends. Thus, If you want to know the trend of interest rates on housing loans, you should keep a close watch on the movement of the three-month Sibor.
Currently, the three-month Sibor is at about 0.39 per cent and may remain low for the next six to 12 months if US interest rates stay low. However, interest rates do not stay at low levels forever. Thus, if you are worried about the possibility of interest rates moving up in 2013 and beyond, you might want to choose a housing loan package with fixed interest rates for the next three years, or a Sibor-pegged package that has a 'cap' on interest rates for the next few years.
If you plan to sell your property within the next two to three years, then you might want to consider home loan packages with a shorter penalty period or with zero penalty period instead. There are frequent changes to packages offered by banks and at any one time, there might be over 113 different packages offered by 16 major financial institutions in Singapore. Thus, you may wish to consider engaging the services of an independent mortgage broker who can provide you with unbiased analysis and comparison of all home loan packages from all banks. Typically, the service is provided to you free as banks would pay them a fee separately.
The writer is an accountant by training and has 19 years of bank lending experience.
He founded http://www.HousingLoanSG.com, a mortgage consultancy in Singapore, in 2003 and also set up http://www.MasterYourFinance.com, a financial education portal, in 2009
Ref:housingloansg
CPF Minimum Sum Now $123k – Buying a 2nd Property?
The prevailing CPF Minimum Sum will be increased to $123,000 effective 1 July 2010 (source: Straits Times). This is a $6k increase from the previous $117,000.
If you are thinking of using CPF to pay for a second property, you will need to set aside half of the prevailing Minimum Sum. This amount is currently $58,500, but from 1 July it will be $61,500.
The CPF policy is: If you are already using CPF for an existing property, you have to first set aside half of the prevailing CPF Minimum Sum in your Ordinary Account + Special Account. Then you can use the excess savings in your Ordinary Account for the second and subsequent properties.See these illustrative examples from CPF – but remember to replace “$58,500″ with “$61,500″.
However, some people (myself included) think that the current property prices are simply too high.
What is the total sum in your Ordinary and Special Accounts? (Poll Closed)
Zero. 4.2% -
$1 to $30,000. 23.8%
$30,001 to $60,000. 24.1%
$60,001 to $90,000. 16.6%
$90,001 to $120,000. 7.7%
$120,001 to $150,000. 7.4%
$150,001 to $300,000. 10.4%
$300,001 to $600,000. 3%
More than $600k. 2.7%
PollDaddy.com
Ref:salary.sg
Singapore Property Investor and CPF funds for second property
September 5, 2009 by property
Singapore Property Investors and CPF funds for Second Property
CPF is abbreviation for Central Providend fund. It is similar to the American 301k plan. CPF funds are supposed to be saved for retirement.
Every Singaporean must contribute 20% of their income into CPF. Therefore Singapore’s CPF has billions of dollars of funds. Singapore property investor and Singapore property buyer also have lots of fund and liquidity, unlike other markets. The Singapore market is more about confidence than about liquidity.
CPF causes you to overpay?
Singapore government likes to get maximum value for its land. If too many people can afford Housing, it is time to raise prices. In other circumstances, we can say it’s market forces or free market as supply and demand are determined by private enterprise. But not in this case.
HDB Government Housing market is Not a free market
But in Singapore’s case, government housing (HDB) is a controlled market, www.propertybuyer.com.sg is often critical of the way some policies are dished out, to the disadvantaged of the Singapore property buyers.
Many people along with us also see the setting of prices as arbitrary, because the government controls much the state land and there is no question of supply, but rather that of demand and affordability. The government can freely control supply to set prices.
CPF funds adds to affordability
Allowing the use of CPF funds for HDB and property in general raises the affordability
With this new found liquidity, the government can then raise the selling prices of HDB, by putting in more frills and of course enhancing the construction industry producing more value add.
Of course, ultimately the home buyers and the Singapore property investors are the ones that pay for it through sapping up their retirement funds in CPF.
Raising prices of HDB flats is a means to sap liquidity out of the individual’s CPF account into the government coffers through land sales.
Since the Singapore property investor – buyer may have limited cash, the Singapore government allows the use of individual’s CPF funds to pay for their government “subsidized” housing. As a result properties become more and more expensive, effectively becoming an indirect tax.
Coupled with more funds (through the use of CPF) money, plus low interest rate environment, many Singapore banks cannot reduce rates much more rather they start to come out with newer terminology and features. Comparing Singapore Home loan has become much more tedious exercise, it is prudent to engage www.PropertyBUYER.com.sg mortgage consultants to help.
They can be contacted at +65-6100-0608.
Refinancing home loan can also be tedious.
Singaporeans have lesser and lesser CPF money for retirement
Singaporeans have lesser and lesser CPF monies left for their retirement as they pay for ever more expensive properties. At some stage, we have to say, “Mr. Government, stop eying our CPF money!!!”
Since so many people are resigned to the fact that they will never really see their CPF money as cash as more and more rules are put in place to tap into their CPF.
Even after retirement age at 55 years, there is the minimum sum that you have to set aside. Currently (as at 2009) the minimum sum is $117,000 for retirement. This is the minimum sum that a person must have in the account. You can only withdraw any CPF funds in excess of the minimum sum upon retirement age.
Many Singaporeans have already given up on hoping to see their CPF money. As a result, many Singaporeans and PR used CPF to buy their second property before 1st July, 2006.
Can I use my CPF to purchase more than one property?
(Source: www.cpf.gov.sg)
Yes, you may use your CPF to purchase more than one property.
If you currently own more than one property bought with CPF savings before 1 July 2006, you need not set aside the prevailing Minimum Sum cash component unless you subsequently buy another property using your CPF savings on or after 1 July 2006.
Please note that this is not applicable if you are applying to use your CPF to purchase a second or subsequent property with non-related singles. Non-related singles can only jointly use their CPF to purchase their one and only property (private property or HDB flat).
Your first property can be used as a pledge for half the monies required under the Minimum sum. This means that if you with to use CPF for your second property (as at 2009), you must have at least $58,500 ($117,000 x 50%). Any CPF above $58,500 can be used for your second property.
Is Singapore Property Market over Leveraged?
Although Singapore is no where near as dangerous as other markets where there are plentiful “no cash down” home loans. With CPF being allowed to make up the 15% down-payment on the purchase price and only 5% is cash down-payment, we at www.PropertyBUYER.com.sg would consider the Singapore market rather leveraged compared to the early say 5 years ago or pre-2000.
The current property boom in 2009 lacks fundamentals (Refer to Property Buyer update July 2009 in the article section of www.PropertyBUYER.com.sg/articles/article.php) as its underpinnings, so it is still hard to say whether sentiments will change the economic fundamentals or economic fundamentals will eventually bring the sentiments back in line.
There are good and bad deals in every property cycle, please exercise your own good judgement.
Ref:propertybuyer
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