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If there\u2019s one topic guaranteed to get Singaporeans talking, it\u2019s housing.<\/p>\n
Recently, TikToker Ray Ng weighed in why some singles in Singapore feel stuck when it comes to buying a home.<\/p>\n
In a TikTok video, Ray, who is married, said he considers himself lucky to have benefited from lower prices when he applied for a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat earlier.<\/p>\n
In Singapore, singles can only apply for a BTO flat once they turn 35.<\/p>\n
The content creator then highlighted a lesser-known catch: singles earning above the income ceiling of S$7K are not eligible for BTO.<\/p>\n
According to Ray, the situation can feel ironic for many career-focused singles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation they face is this; they work hard through their 20s, and early 30s. They built their career, they [have] done reasonably well. But by the time they reach 35, the message is thrown back to them, \u201cYou have done a bit too well for this option,\u201d Ray explained.<\/p>\n
For singles who no longer qualify, Ray said the choices can feel limited.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou [then] only have two options, buy resale at market price or buy a condo,\u201d he said, adding that it is Singaporean to love a good deal, using an example where everyone wants to buy stocks when they are priced low.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when it comes to homes, somehow the system nudges this group of people (singles) to buy later, and pay more, which sometimes means paying a lot more for a home that someone else got much cheaper,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ray also said many older Singaporeans don\u2019t always understand the dilemma, and their suggestions may no longer reflect modern realities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe older generation usually gives this advice: \u201cYou just suck it up and just buy resale or buy private because you earn more. Or maybe you should just get married earlier,\u201d he recounted.<\/p>\n
\u201c[But] this advice probably worked before. But now, people marry later. Some stay single. Life paths are different. So sometimes I wonder if the real question isn\u2019t about whether singles should accept this. It is something simpler: Why is affordable housing only accessible to married couples and not for singles?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
Ray also pointed out that some will choose to marry and apply for a BTO together, but later divorce when they find out they are not compatible.<\/p>\n
According to data from the Department of Statistics Singapore, there were 7,382 divorces or annulments in 2024, a 3.7 per cent increase from the 7,118 recorded in 2023.<\/p>\n
8days.sg has reached out to Ray for comment.<\/p>\n
Still, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel for singles hoping to buy public housing.<\/p>\n
In Parliament on March 4, Chee Hong Tat, Minister for National Development, said the ministry is studying ways to better support housing options for singles.<\/p>\n
These include reviewing suggestions to raise the income ceiling and lower the eligibility age for singles purchasing flats.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of National Development is also looking at schemes that could allow singles to buy larger flats with family members.<\/p>\n
Earlier, on September 26 last year, Senior Minister of State Sun Xueling told Parliament that the Government is taking \u201cactive steps\u201d to ensure housing meets the needs of different groups.<\/p>\n
She noted that changes such as raising income thresholds or lowering the age requirement can only happen \u201cwhen the right conditions are in place\u201d.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, supply of BTO flats has been reportedly increasing.<\/p>\n
Between 2026 and 2028, the Housing & Development Board will boost the supply of 2-room Flexi flats by nearly 50 per cent, aimed largely at seniors and singles.<\/p>\n
Demand remains strong. In the February 2026 BTO sales exercise, the median application rate for first-timer singles was 6.7, with projects like Tampines Nova and Redhill Peaks seeing applications well above the median.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n