RENTABILITY. Ask yourself: Will you rent it?

• Location - Near Raffles Place, Shenton Way, Orchard Road, East Coast preferred.
   
• Very near to subway - the MRT should be < 10 stops to down town or the financial districts.
   
• Brand new developments, preferably condominiums.
   
• Studio, 1-bedroom or 2-bedroom or 4-bedroom (over 2,000 sq. ft) and above as there are too many 3-bedroom apartments.
   
• High floor with unobstructed view for living and dining rooms.
   
• Avoid construction sites nearby.
   
• Avoid walk up apartments unless it is well located and not higher than 2^nd floor.
   
• Avoid older apartments as the ambience is not there.
   
• Avoid ground floor apartments as rental will be much lower.
   
• Be realistic. Your rental yields may be less than 3% in Singapore compared to those in other countries. Gross rental yields = Total Rental Income/Purchase Price x 100%. As rental yields are low, make sure you have cash to pay for the mortgages or when there are no tenants.
   
• Buy an apartment with a decent sized balcony.
   
• Don’t buy apartment with triangular, trapezoid sized rooms and very small kitchens, no matter how cheap.
   
• Don’t buy next to a mosque or Chinese temple or any religious buildings.
   
• Don’t even consider an apartment fronting main road. This is where you have to study the Developer’s building plans carefully.
   
• Don’t buy apartments facing the Changi Prison!
   
• Avoid apartments which are on the flight path of airplanes!
   
• Avoid Developers who have poor reputations.
   
• Avoid buying next to a school or railway track!
   
• Avoid buying where the swimming pool is a big fish bowl and/or borders a temple!
   
• Buy within walking distance to the international schools. Many expatriate wives prefer to live within walking distances to the schools if there is an expatriate community such as the Woodgrove Estate, near the American School. 
  
  Location near downtown and near to the subways are the most important factors in buying an investment property for rental.