When it comes to housing, it’s easy to get caught up in the headlines about skyrocketing prices or cooling measures. But to truly understand the shifts in HDB flat affordability, it’s essential to dig deeper than just average price tags or one-off sales records. By examining how the proportion of flats sold within each price band has changed over the years, we can gain a clearer picture of the market’s trajectory. This approach allows us to see how price movements have evolved across different flat sizes, providing a more nuanced perspective on affordability and market trends since 2000. Price movements of 3-room flats Between 2000 and 2006, it was very rare for a 3-room flat to go above a quantum of $100,000. Over 90 per cent of 3-room flats were below this price, and it’s probable that the remaining few were highly desirable, central area flats. Over the next four years, however, prices of 3-room flats skyrocketed, alongside their other counterparts...