# Home, through every stage of life: A National Day 2026 special - **Source:** EdgeProp Singapore - **Published:** 2026-08-07T03:00:00.000Z - **Author:** Fiona Lam - **Original:** https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/home-through-every-stage-life-national-day-2026-special - **Topics:** HDB & Public Housing ## Featured rationale This moderation may give informed buyers more negotiating room while steady demand potentially limits a prolonged slowdown and supports continued transactions across housing segments. ## AI summary Singapore’s HDB resale price index recently dipped after a multi-year rise, although transaction volumes and upgrader demand remain healthy. ## Original article Every National Day, we return to the same word: home. It anchors our national anthem, our heartlands, our sense of belonging on this little red dot. But ask 10 Singaporeans what the word means to them, and you will get 10 different answers — because home isn’t a fixed idea. It changes as we do: from a newlywed couple’s first Build-To-Order (BTO) application, to parents hoping to live near a sought-after primary school, to a young high-earner exploring alternatives to homeownership. For seniors, it could mean ageing in place, retiring overseas, or moving in with their adult children and grandchildren. Read also: What's moving the market: Singapore's biggest property deals and hottest searches (August 7) This week, EdgeProp Singapore’s newspaper brings together stories and commentaries that trace those different chapters of home in Singapore. We begin with the choice at the heart of nearly every young Singaporean’s first home: which BTO flat to buy, and where. With new flats classified as Standard, Plus or Prime, buyers must sort through the push and pull of location, size, price, flexibility and upgrading aspirations. Where do you want to build the next five to 10 years of your life? The public housing story doesn’t end there. We also take stock of the HDB resale market, which has moderated after a multi-year run-up. But the recent dip in the price index may not signal a repeat of the prolonged slowdown seen in previous years. Resale volumes are still healthy, upgrader demand is holding steady, while buyers are entering the market better informed and under less pressure to pay above valuation for a resale flat. From there, we turn to a distinct, if still niche, segment of high-income, young Singaporeans who are intentionally turning away from the traditional property ladder. Who are they, and what are they doing instead? Read also: A more expansive life: Why Singaporeans are eyeing retirement in Johor Bahru Some are renting for the foreseeable future, swapping ownership for flexibility. Others favour co-living, serviced apartments, or staying put in the family home, while a number split their time between Singapore and elsewhere as digital nomads. Their choices challenge assumptions about the housing ideal that generations have followed, and reflect changing household and family structures. In Singapore, it turns out, owning a home is not the only answer. We then look at how the definition of a desirable address is evolving. Up-and-coming precincts such as Bayshore, Turf City and Berlayar are transforming into compelling options, each with its own strengths — be it waterfront living, greenery, heritage or future upside. Gen Zs and millennials are also showing a strong preference for Tengah, Jurong Lake District and Punggol. Buyers, it seems, are looking past location labels alone and paying closer attention to an estate’s liveability and character. Then come the family years. School proximity often drives buying decisions for parents with school-going children, with certain condos usually in high demand and quick to sell out. These projects may also see prices appreciating more quickly than their counterparts in the vicinity. Recent policy changes have further stoked buying interest. Competition is intensifying for school placement, prompting more families to move within 1km of their preferred educational institution. Read also: The Assembly Place net profit climbs 80.7% on co-living expansion, looks ahead to 'robust' pipeline Family ties run deep in our cover story this week, as the rise of multigenerational living takes centre stage. Buyers are going for bigger and 3Gen HDB flats, snapping up large-format or multiple condo units at new launches, and moving into landed properties that can comfortably house the whole family. Their reasons range from shared caregiving and childcare support to balloting priority and investment potential. But at the heart of it is a shared desire to grow old, and grow up, together. On the other end of the spectrum, we explore why some buyers are drawn to smaller condos in the Core Central Region. It is a diverse crowd: young professionals, small families and empty-nesters — each weighing city living and long-term address value against a more compact footprint. Thoughtful design does the rest, turning a modest space into a liveable home. And we arrive, too, at what it takes to grow old at home. Ageing in place starts at the estate level, long before you reach your front door, with barrier-free access, intuitive wayfinding and communal spaces that keep everyone active and socially engaged. Inside the home, unit layouts are increasingly planned for flexibility so they can adapt as residents move through life stages and living arrangements. Senior-focused interior designers also work hand in hand with occupational therapists to design around each individual. And for those looking outside of the city-state’s shores, we speak with Singaporeans retiring in Johor Bahru, drawn by lower living costs, the ability to stay close to Singapore for work or family and, soon, greater connectivity via the RTS Link. Other retirees are casting their net farther, to cities like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Melbourne and Perth. Read together, these stories are about how Singaporeans, at every stage of our lives, keep answering the same question: Where, and how, do I want to live? It is fitting to ask, on the day we celebrate all the ways we call this island home. Here’s wishing Singapore a happy 61st birthday. ## Chinese translation > Translation model: openai_codex_cli ### 人生每个阶段的家：2026 年国庆日特别专题 从首套住房到退休生活，本期国庆专题探讨新加坡人的住房愿景如何持续演变。 每逢国庆日，我们都会回到同一个词：家。它承载着我们的国歌、我们的邻里社区，以及我们在这个小红点上的归属感。 但如果问 10 位新加坡人这个词对他们意味着什么，你会得到 10 个不同答案，因为家并不是一个固定不变的概念。 它会随着我们而改变：从新婚夫妇首次申请预购组屋（BTO），到父母希望住在热门小学附近，再到年轻高收入者探索购房以外的选择。对于年长者而言，它可能意味着原居安老、到海外退休，或搬去与成年子女和孙辈同住。 延伸阅读：市场动向：新加坡最大房地产交易和最热门搜索（8 月 7 日） 本周，EdgeProp Singapore 的报纸汇集了一系列报道和评论，梳理新加坡“家”的不同人生章节。 我们从几乎每位年轻新加坡人首套住房选择的核心问题开始：要买哪一种 BTO 组屋，以及买在哪里。 随着新组屋被划分为 Standard、Plus 或 Prime，买家必须权衡地段、面积、价格、灵活性和升级置业愿景之间的取舍。你希望在哪里构建未来五到 10 年的生活？ 公共住房的故事并未到此结束。我们也盘点了 HDB 转售市场；在经历多年上涨后，该市场已有所放缓。 但近期价格指数下滑，未必意味着会重演以往多年持续放缓的局面。转售成交量仍然健康，升级置业需求保持稳定，而买家入市时信息更充分，也没有那么大的压力要为转售组屋支付高于估值的价格。 接着，我们转向一个独特但仍属小众的群体：高收入、年轻的新加坡人，他们有意避开传统的置业阶梯。他们是谁？又在选择什么样的生活方式？ 延伸阅读：更宽广的人生：为什么新加坡人把目光投向柔佛新山退休 其中一些人在可预见的未来选择租房，用所有权换取灵活性。另一些人偏好共居、服务式公寓，或继续住在家庭住所；也有一些人作为数字游民，在新加坡与其他地方之间分配时间。 他们的选择挑战了几代人所遵循的住房理想假设，也反映出家庭和家庭结构的变化。事实证明，在新加坡，拥有住房并不是唯一答案。 随后，我们观察理想住址的定义正在如何演变。Bayshore、Turf City 和 Berlayar 等新兴区正在转变为有吸引力的选择，各自拥有不同优势，例如滨水生活、绿意、历史传承或未来升值空间。 Z 世代和千禧一代也明显偏好 Tengah、Jurong Lake District 和 Punggol。买家似乎不再只看地段标签，而是更关注一个市镇的宜居性和特色。 接下来是家庭阶段。对于有学龄儿童的父母而言，学校距离往往会影响购房决定，某些公寓通常需求旺盛并迅速售罄。这些项目的价格涨幅也可能快于周边同类项目。 近期政策变化进一步推高了购房兴趣。学校学位竞争正在加剧，促使更多家庭搬到心仪教育机构 1km 范围内。 延伸阅读：The Assembly Place 净利润随共居业务扩张攀升 80.7%，展望“稳健”项目储备 本周的封面故事聚焦家庭纽带，跨代同住的兴起成为核心主题。 买家正在选择更大的组屋和 3Gen HDB 组屋，在新盘中抢购大户型或多套公寓单位，并搬入能够舒适容纳全家的有地住宅。 他们的原因包括共同照护和育儿支持、抽签优先权以及投资潜力。但其核心，是共同变老、共同成长的愿望。 在另一端，我们探讨为什么一些买家被核心中央区的小型公寓吸引。 这是一个多元群体：年轻专业人士、小家庭和空巢人士，每个人都在城市生活和长期地址价值，与更紧凑的居住面积之间权衡。周到的设计则完成其余部分，把有限空间变成宜居的家。 我们也谈到如何在家中变老。原居安老从社区层面开始，早在抵达家门之前，就需要无障碍通行、直观的导向系统，以及让每个人保持活跃和社交参与的公共空间。 在住宅内部，单位布局越来越多地为灵活性而规划，以便随着居民进入不同人生阶段和居住安排而调整。专注于年长者需求的室内设计师也与职业治疗师密切合作，围绕每位个人进行设计。 对于把目光投向城邦之外的人，我们采访了在柔佛新山退休的新加坡人。他们被较低的生活成本、能够继续靠近新加坡以兼顾工作或家庭，以及即将通过 RTS Link 实现的更强连通性所吸引。其他退休人士则把选择范围扩大到吉隆坡、曼谷、墨尔本和珀斯等城市。 合在一起看，这些故事讲述的是新加坡人在生命每个阶段如何持续回答同一个问题：我想在哪里、以怎样的方式生活？ 在我们庆祝以各种方式把这座岛称为家的日子里，提出这个问题再合适不过。 祝新加坡 61 岁生日快乐。