# The 15-Month Policy Was Protecting First-Time Buyers. What Happens to You Now?

> **The take:** Young first-time buyers are the clear losers of this change.
> **Angle source:** Community: "1,800 appeals vs. a whole generation of youths" (216 upvotes).
> **A/B alt title (declarative):** 15-Month Policy Removed: First-Time Buyers Just Lost Their Protection
> **Runtime:** ~60 seconds · **Keyword:** 15-Month Policy

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## TALKING SCRIPT

Let me say the unpopular thing about the 15-month policy removal. Somebody lost here, and it's young first-time buyers.

Here's the number that proves it. Between January and September 2022, before the rule came in, private property owners were about thirty-four percent of buyers of million-dollar HDB flats. Roughly one in three. By late 2024, under the rule, that fell to twelve percent.

The 15-month policy did exactly what it was designed to do — it kept cash-rich downgraders out of the queue.

That protection is now gone. Those buyers are coming back, and they arrive with condo sale proceeds and no loan pressure. If you're a young couple bidding with a bank loan and CPF, you're not bidding on equal terms.

I'm not going to dress this up as good news for you. It isn't.

What I will tell you is where they won't be hunting.

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## DM MAGNET

DM me **"15FIRST"** with your target estate and flat type. I'll tell you honestly whether downgraders will compete with you there — and where the quieter options are.

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## FACTS USED

- PPO share of million-dollar HDB buyers: ~34% (Jan-Sep 2022) to ~12% (Jan-Nov 2024)
- 3-room prices -1.1% YoY, non-mature estates -0.5% YoY as at June 2026

*Data as at 31 July 2026. Verify against HDB/MND before posting.*