Selling a property for $1.8M does not mean you receive $1.8M. From the sale proceeds, you must repay the outstanding mortgage, return CPF used plus accrued interest, pay agent commission (1–2%), legal conveyancing fees, and potentially SSD if within the holding period. The actual cash in your bank account after all deductions can be $200,000–$400,000 less than the sale price — and many sellers discover this number for the first time at the point of legal completion.
The single most important number this calculator reveals is net cash proceeds — the actual cash amount after all deductions, excluding CPF refund. This is the liquidity you have available for your next purchase, investment, or lifestyle choice. CPF returned goes back into your OA account (not spendable cash), so distinguishing between "cash in hand" and "CPF refunded" is essential for planning your next move.
The most common mistake sellers make is planning their next purchase based on the sale price rather than net cash proceeds. If you sell at $1.8M but receive only $320,000 in cash after mortgage repayment and CPF return, you cannot put $600,000 down on your next purchase. Sellers who have not run this calculation before signing the OTP can find themselves unable to complete their upward-move purchase because they overestimated their available cash.
Use this calculator before every property sale to plan your cash position, and pair it with the Total Acquisition Cost Calculator for your next purchase to ensure the numbers align.