Beliefs, meet the record

We fact-checked Singapore's favourite property beliefs. Only some survived.

The ones your uncle swears by. The ones from the coffee shop, the office pantry and the group chat. We put them against real transaction records and let the numbers vote.

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Two neighbours chatting over a garden gate on a leafy street, illustrative scene — Where most property advice comes from · illustrative

First, a deep breath

Most property beliefs started true. Somewhere. Once.

That's what makes them sticky. Your uncle really did double his money on that condo in the nineties. Your colleague's brother really did lose on that resale flat. One true story becomes a rule, the rule outlives the market that made it, and twenty years later families are making million-dollar decisions on it. The fix isn't to laugh at the beliefs. It's to check them, respectfully, against what's actually been happening.

Two kopis and hands mid-conversation at a hawker table, illustrative scene — The kopi table economic forum · illustrative

The verdict board

Five famous beliefs, and how they held up

One-line verdicts here. The full workings, with the actual sale records and dates behind each verdict, are in the guide.

"New launch sure make money."

Plenty of launches have done well. Enough haven't that "sure" is doing dishonest work in that sentence. Entry price and project choice decide it, not the word "new".

Didn't survive

"Resale means you're buying someone's problem."

The records show plenty of resale buyers doing quietly fine, with keys on day one. Older isn't broken. It's just priced differently.

Didn't survive

"Freehold always beats leasehold."

Over some periods and places, yes. Over others, the leasehold home nearby did better after you count what was paid for the word "freehold". It depends on the price gap, not the label.

Depends

"Location is everything."

Location matters enormously and the record backs it. But the same project holds winners and losers, so the unit you pick inside the location matters more than the slogan admits.

Mostly held up

"Property always goes up in the long run."

Broad market, long horizon: history has been kind. Your specific home, your specific decade: no promise. Anyone selling certainty is selling.

Depends

What you'll receive

The guide, plus a check on your belief

Yours, free

Free

✓The full myth-check guide. Each belief above with the actual sale records behind the verdict, dated, in plain English you can retell at dinner.
✓The bonus beliefs. A few we couldn't fit on this page, including one that surprised us.
✓Your belief, checked. Tell us the rule your plan is quietly resting on. We'll check it against the records and give you a straight verdict.
✓Ammunition for the group chat. Every verdict comes with its source, so when someone says "sure or not?", you have an answer.

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Straight talk

How we keep the checking honest

•The records are public. Every private home sale in Singapore is filed and published. We read what's there, we date every number, and you can check us.
•"Depends" is a real verdict. Some beliefs are true in some years and false in others. We'd rather give you a boring, accurate "depends" than a satisfying, wrong "always".
•The past isn't a promise. The records tell you what happened, not what's next. Anyone who reads history as prophecy is doing astrology with extra steps.

Highlighted printouts and an uncapped highlighter beside coffee, illustrative scene — We did the boring reading · illustrative

A note from us

"The belief that costs families the most isn't a wrong one. It's an old one. It was true when your parents bought. The market it described retired before you did."

We're not here to make anyone's uncle look foolish. His advice was good advice, for his market. We just think your decision deserves this decade's numbers. Send us the belief you're leaning on, and we'll check it with the same respect we'd want for our own family's rules.

The Homebody SG teamHere when you're ready

Free · sources included

Get the myth-check guide

The guide comes right away. If you share a belief to check, your verdict follows, usually within the day.

What would you like?

The myth-check guide The guide, plus check a belief I'm relying on Just a quick question first

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One more short step, then the guide is yours.

On its way. Prepare to win an argument.

Check WhatsApp shortly. Shared a belief? The verdict follows once we've done the reading.

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Good questions

Fair challenges, answered

Who decides what counts as "survived"? +

The records do, and we show our reading. Where the data genuinely splits, the verdict says "depends" and explains when the belief holds and when it doesn't. You're free to read the same numbers and disagree.

Where do the numbers come from? +

The prices recorded when private homes actually change hands, kept as public record by URA, plus published government data on housing. Every figure in the guide carries its date and source.

Isn't every agent biased toward "buy now"? +

The incentive exists and pretending otherwise would be its own myth. Our answer is the format: verdicts tied to public records you can check, including verdicts that make buying look less urgent. Judge us on those.

Can you check a really specific belief? +

The more specific the better. "Condos near good schools hold value" is checkable. "Property is a good investment" needs narrowing first, and we'll help you narrow it.

Does this cost anything? +

No, and there's no obligation. If a verdict changes your plans and you want help with the next step, we're around.