IRR (internal rate of return) is the most comparable metric across property investments — it accounts for both rental income and capital appreciation on a time-weighted basis.
Singapore private property IRR has historically averaged 4–7% p.a. for OCR buy-and-hold — compare this against CPF OA (2.5%), fixed deposits (~3%), and S-REITs (~5%) before committing.
SSD can eliminate 3 years of returns if you exit within the holding period — always model Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 exits to understand your liquidity risk.
Model exit at Year 5 and Year 10 — holding period has a dramatic effect on annualised returns once transaction costs are amortised over more years.
Total return and cash-on-cash return tell different stories: a negative cash-flow property can still deliver a strong IRR through capital appreciation.