Remember back in the 1990’s? Those were the days when Singapore property investors strutted around, explaining how every home they bought made the next home purchase even easier. The rent from one property paid for the next property, the rent from that property paid for a third, etc. You could say those were the glory days for a property investor in Singapore. Well those days are long over. Today, the massive tax on second or subsequent housing – called the Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD) – has put a damper on it. The good news is, it indirectly makes your first home more affordable. The bad news is, it can cost you a pretty penny when you’re ready to expand your property portfolio. Here are the fair, legal ways you can be excused from paying the ABSD:

• Buy an Executive Condominium (for upgraders)
• Decouple (if the cost doesn’t exceed the ABSD)

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