More young Singaporeans rushing into private property in 2026, but not for the reasons you might think
More young Singaporeans are buying private property, with some saying they entered the market for investment.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes
PUBLISHED ON
May 18, 2026 11:36 AMBY
RYAN J ONG
A recent Straits Times article highlighted a growing trend:
More Singaporeans under 35 are buying private properties, with some saying they entered the market for investment.
Kudos to them, because before I turned 35 years old, I didn’t know what I’d order for lunch that day, let alone what condo to buy and when to sell.
On paper, it does sound like a sign of growing wealth and financial confidence among younger Singaporeans.
Think how impressive it would be during Chinese New Year when you can tell everyone your 25-year old son or daughter is buying a condo, and they’re deciding between Great World or River Valley, or some other equally impressive CCR district.
(That’s not too implausible these days, with developers keeping the quantum lower.)
It’s also been reported that between 20224 and 2025, DBS posted a 40 per cent jump in home loans from borrowers who are under 35 years old. OCBC says that it saw a rise in singles buying private homes for investment.
From my experiences on the ground though, the emotional undercurrent here doesn’t feel like greed or even ambition. It’s more like a buzzing, unpleasant sense of anxiety and fear.
I’ve been following the market long enough to recall previous property peaks, like the surge in 2013. That year is widely regarded as the turning point that created ever-intensifying property cooling measures.
However, the market sentiment leading up to the government measures in 2013 was very different compared to what we see going around today.
Back then, home loans were relatively affordable (and much cheaper than HDB loans for close to a decade at that point), financing restrictions were fewer, and there was a buoyant sense of confidence that whatever property you bought stood a good chance of bringing in the dough.
