Showflat Visit Checklist: 30 Questions to Ask at a New Launch Condo

A condo showflat in Singapore is designed to impress. Good lighting, styled furniture and a smooth sales presentation make it easy to forget what you actually came to find out. The fix is simple: walk in with a list of questions and tick them off before you leave.

This checklist works for any Singapore new launch, but we’ve applied it to LinkTown Residences (Hougang Central Residences), the integrated development on the Hougang Central GLS site above Hougang MRT (NE14), a new bus interchange and a large mall. The showflat location and preview dates are not yet announced; the sales launch is expected in early 2027 (UOL’s August 2026 results guide a 2H 2027 launch). If you want to know how preview, EOI and booking day usually run, our showflat and launch page covers the sequence. This page is about what to ask once you’re in the room.

A. Developer and timeline

1. Who exactly is the developer and seller? For LinkTown Residences, the residential component is a joint venture of CapitaLand Development (50%), UOL (40%) and Kheng Leong (10%). Check the name of the selling entity on the sale documents. Ask about the partners’ recent projects.
2. What is the expected TOP date, and what is the legal completion deadline in the Sale and Purchase Agreement? Expected completion is 2030/2031, but the contractual dates are what count.
3. Who is the main contractor and architect? Ask what else they have built, then look at those projects.
4. Has construction started, and what stage is it at? This tells you when the progressive payment instalments begin.
5. What is the tenure and when does it start? The site is on a 99-year lease; the lease usually starts from the land award, not from TOP.

B. Unit and layout

6. What is the strata area, and how much of it is balcony, AC ledge, bay window or household shelter? Our guide to reading a condo floor plan explains why this matters.
7. Is the showflat unit a mirror image, or modified from the actual layout? Showflats sometimes hack walls or add features that aren’t sold.
8. What fittings and appliances are included? Ask for the specifications list: kitchen appliances, wardrobes, flooring, air-conditioning, water heater.
9. Which fittings in the showflat are for display only? Loose furniture, feature walls, mirrors and decorative lighting often are.
10. What is the ceiling height in living and bedrooms? Bulkheads for air-con ducting can lower it in places.
11. Is the kitchen open or enclosed, and can it be enclosed later? Relevant if you cook heavily.
12. Where do the columns and structural walls sit? These can’t be removed during renovation.

C. Facilities and site

13. Which direction does each stack face? Ask for the site plan with a north arrow. Our stack selection guide goes deeper.
14. What is the full facilities list, and on which levels are they? The facilities for LinkTown Residences have not been announced, so don’t rely on assumptions.
15. What is the car park allocation, and is there EV charging? Ask about the ratio of lots to units.
16. How many units share each lift lobby, and how many lifts serve them?
17. What will my unit look at? Ask what sits directly in front at your chosen floor, then check the URA Master Plan for nearby land.

D. Pricing and payment

18. What is the price of my shortlisted units, and how does it change by floor and stack? Analysts expect an average of roughly S$2,500–2,600 psf, but official prices are not out. Ask for the full price list, not just the “from” price.
19. Are there any early-bird discounts, and are they reflected in the option price or given later?
20. Is only the standard progressive payment scheme offered, or also a deferred payment scheme? Deferred schemes, where offered, are usually priced higher.
21. How much is the booking fee, and how long do I have to exercise the OTP and pay the next instalment? Typically 5% at OTP, then the balance of 20% at S&P signing within about eight weeks.
22. What will stamp duty be? Work out BSD, and ABSD if applicable, with our stamp duty calculator.
23. What are the estimated maintenance fees? Figures are usually set later by the developer and then the MCST; ask when an estimate will be available.

E. Legal and financing

24. Which law firm acts for the developer, and can I appoint my own conveyancing lawyer?
25. Which banks are on the project’s panel? You’re free to borrow elsewhere, but panel banks already know the project. Compare fixed and floating home loan packages before you choose.
26. What happens if I can’t proceed after paying the booking fee? Usually a portion of the booking fee is forfeited. Ask for the exact terms.
27. If buying with a spouse or family member, whose names go on the OTP? Names generally can’t be added later without cost, and ABSD follows the highest-rate buyer (see our ABSD rates guide).

F. Integrated-development questions

These are specific to a Hougang Central integrated development, where homes sit above or beside a mall, bus interchange and public plaza. Our integrated development explainer covers the wider picture.

28. Where are the bus interchange entrances, mall loading bays and the town plaza relative to each tower? These are the likely noise sources: buses idling, service vehicles and weekend events.
29. How do residents get to the MRT, and is the route sheltered and separate from mall traffic? Ask how long the walk is from each tower’s lift lobby to the station, and where residents’ access points are. Our condo near MRT checklist lists what to measure.
30. How are shared costs and spaces split between residents and the commercial owner? The mall is to be owned by CICT. Ask which areas, such as driveways, lifts, drop-off points or common structures, are shared, and how their upkeep is charged under the strata arrangements.
31. Is residential security separate from mall access? Ask about card access, visitor management and whether the public can reach residential decks.

What to do after a showflat visit in Singapore

Once you’re home, sort your answers into three groups:

• Deal-breakers: anything that rules the unit out, such as a stack facing loading bays when you work from home.
• Trade-offs: things you’d accept at the right price, such as a west facing on a high floor.
• Unanswered: questions to follow up on before booking day.

Then check your numbers: total price, stamp duty, cash needed at each stage and your loan limits. Our progressive payment guide helps you map the cash flow over the four to five years until completion.

Finally, visit Hougang Central itself at peak hours and on a weekend evening. The showflat shows you the unit; the site shows you how it will feel to live there.

A quick word on showflat pressure

You may hear that a stack is “almost gone” or that prices will rise after the weekend. Sometimes that’s true, but it’s not a reason to skip your checklist. Have first choices and backups ready before you arrive, set a price ceiling for each, and walk away if the answers you need aren’t there.

We’ll share the LinkTown Residences preview dates, site plan and price list with registrants as soon as they’re released, and we’re happy to go through this checklist with you before your visit. Register your interest to be kept updated.

General guidance only. LinkTown Residences’ showflat location, facilities, prices, payment schemes and maintenance fees have not been announced. Published by an independent licensed salesperson, not the developer.

Before your visit, skim the project brochure page so you know what is confirmed and what is still indicative.