Mortgagee-sale listings hit six-year high in H1 2026 as financing conditions tighten

[SINGAPORE] Mortgagee-sale listings in Singapore’s property auction market climbed to a nearly seven-year high in the first half of 2026 amid tighter financing conditions, an ETC report released on Monday (Jul 27) showed.

ETC recorded 216 mortgagee-sale listings in H1 this year, the highest level since 2019, when 321 listings were reported in the second half.

The H1 2026 tally was up 31 per cent from 165 in the preceding six-month period, and 29 per cent from 168 in H1 2025.

Mortgagee-sale listings accounted for nearly three-quarters of the 292 auction listings in H1 2026, up from about two-thirds in H2 2025.

“The larger proportion of mortgagee-sale listings in this first half of the year is reflective of tighter financing conditions in the current macro environment,” said ETC head of auction and sales Joy Tan.

Knight Frank, another major auction player, similarly reported an increase in mortgagee-sale listings, seeing 109 of them in the second quarter of 2026 – 5.8 per cent higher than in the preceding quarter.

“It was the second consecutive quarter that mortgagee listings exceeded the 100 mark, a level not seen since Q1 2021, when 117 listings were recorded during the pandemic,” said Tan Tee Khoon, Knight Frank head of auction and sales. “This could be a sign of banks and lending institutions starting to act on non-performing mortgages as financial pressures increase.”

Knight Frank’s Q2 mortgagee-sale listings comprised 53 residential properties, 42 industrial assets, and eight retail shops and six office units.

Based on ETC data, owner-sale listings totalled 53 in H1 2026 – down 20.9 per cent from the previous six months, and 38.4 per cent lower year on year. This also marked the lowest level since 2016, when 191 such listings were recorded.

ETC’s Tan attributed the decline in owner-sale listings to a healthy resale market, which has allowed borrowers to dispose of their properties on the open market ahead of foreclosure.

Other auction listings – including estate, trustee, MCST, liquidator, receiver, bailiff and sheriff sales – stood at 23 in H1 2026, falling 17.9 per cent from the previous six-month period, said ETC. But it noted the figure was up 53.3 per cent from a year earlier.

Knight Frank recorded a total of 157 auction listings in Q2 2026, marking a fifth consecutive quarter of growth since Q2 2025. Of these, 109 were mortgagee-sale listings, 32 were owner-sale listings and 16 were other listings.

Separately, ETC recorded 292 auction listings in H1 2026 overall, 12 per cent higher on a half-year basis, and up 9 per cent on the year.

ETC’s Tan said: “It is important to view the market as a whole ecosystem, rather than isolating any single segment. While the increase in mortgagee listings is driven by tighter financing conditions, we must also assess this alongside the owner-sale activity. Taken together, these trends reflect a market that remains selective rather than a signal of distress.”

Knight Frank’s Tan noted that of the nine properties sold at auction in Q2, almost half were other types of listings: two MCST sales, one bailiff sale and one sheriff sale.

Residential and industrial properties continued to make up the bulk of mortgagee-sale listings, mirroring the broader auction market, said ETC’s Tan.

ETC data showed that residential properties remained the largest category, with 144 listings accounting for 49.3 per cent of the total. Industrial properties followed with 87 listings, or a share of 29.8 per cent, up from 58 in H2 2025 and 61 in H1 2025. The increase in industrial listings was driven largely by units in B1 and B2 strata factories, most of which had fewer than 30 years remaining on their leases.

Retail properties accounted for 46 listings, or 15.8 per cent of the total, extending their decline from 52 in H2 2025 and 63 in H1 2025. ETC attributed the fall to “healthy occupancy, tight supply and the rapid absorption of vacant units by new entrants”.

Auction sales totalled S$27.7 million in H1 2026, with 13 properties changing hands primarily across the residential and industrial segments, said ETC.

Notable deals included a terrace house at Carisbrooke Grove that fetched S$5.2 million; a single-storey intermediate terrace in Geylang that transacted at S$3.5 million; and a strata-titled two-storey factory with a basement at Paya Ubi Industrial Park that sold for S$1.85 million.

“Similar to the general resale market, residential auction demand is primarily driven by upgraders seeking larger family homes and investors eyeing future capital gains,” said ETC’s Tan.

“On the industrial front, sustained demand from logistics and warehousing businesses – coupled with investor appetite for diversification and attractive yields – continues to support sales.”

This is “further aided by limited industrial land supply and fewer regulatory constraints compared to residential properties”, she added.

Analysts expect auction activity to stay resilient in H2 2026, particularly in the residential and industrial segments.

“Even though overall market conditions have become more selective in light of economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, value-driven demand remains evident, particularly among purchasers seeking assets with attractive entry prices, redevelopment potential or for immediate use,” said Knight Frank’s Tan. He noted younger buyers being active in the residential auction market, seeking competitively priced homes or upgrading opportunities.

ETC’s Tan expects the total value of auction sales in H2 2026 to “maintain a modest but steady pace”.