Buying a New Launch Based on Artist’s Impressions: Read This First (2026)

An artist’s impression is a picture designed to sell a home that does not exist yet. It is not a promise. What binds a Singapore developer is the approved building plan and the specifications in your sale and purchase agreement. Check the real site, the real surroundings and the real unit size, using the sources below, before you pay a booking fee.

At a glance

• Brochure images, models and show units are marketing. The contract’s specifications and the approved plans are what the developer must build.
• Check zoning and plot ratio around the site on the URA Master Plan before you trust a “lush green” view.
• Ask for the strata area breakdown. Balconies, air-con ledges and voids are counted in the size you pay for.
• The show unit may be a different unit type from yours. Walls, doors and decor may differ.
• The developer must fix defects reported within 12 months. Surroundings, views and neighbours are not defects.

What a picture does and does not promise

Developers show trees, sky and a sea view because it sells. The picture can leave out the road, the nearby tower or the substation next door. Nothing in the picture is a legal commitment.

The commitments are in the documents. Under the standard sale and purchase agreement, the developer must build the unit and the common areas to the specifications and approved plans in that agreement. It cannot change them without your consent unless the authorities require it. If the sales team offers anything else, such as a free washing machine, URA says to get written confirmation, because it is not in the specifications.

Read the specification list as carefully as the brochure. It tells you the floor finish, the fittings and the appliances, and the common facilities that must be built.

Check the real surroundings yourself

Do not rely on the model. Visit the site, at different times of day, and walk the route to the MRT station.

• Look at what is next door. Ask what sits across the road, behind the site and at the end of the block. A swimming pool in a brochure can be tiny in practice, so check the dimensions on the site plan.
• Check the Master Plan. URA’s Master Plan 2025 sets zoning, land use and plot ratio. You can see it on URA SPACE. If the plot next to your unit is zoned for high-rise housing, the view in the drawing may not last. If the agent says an unwelcome neighbour will be relocated, ask for the plan, not the promise.
• Use the developer’s own disclosures. The developer must show a scaled location plan with schools, shops and places of worship within 500 m. It must also show a site plan and model with every facility, including the electrical substation and the bin centre.
• Look at upcoming supply. More homes near the site means more competition for tenants and buyers when you sell. See our guide to land supply.

If feng shui matters to you, check it before you pay. It is a personal criterion, and the contract gives you no remedy if you dislike what you find.

Check what size you are really buying

Floor area is the part buyers feel most when they collect the key. Terms differ: strata area, gross floor area, sellable area, and areas inside and outside the unit.

Before taking your booking fee, the developer must give you the strata area of the unit with a breakdown, such as bedroom, balcony, air-con ledge and void. Use it to calculate the price per square foot of usable space.

Here is a labelled example. Say you are offered an 800 sq ft unit at S$1.92m, or S$2,400 per square foot. The breakdown shows 100 sq ft of balcony, air-con ledge and void. The usable indoor area is about 700 sq ft, so you are paying about S$2,743 per square foot of usable space. That is not wrong, but compare it with other projects on the same basis.

After the project is complete, the title survey fixes the final area. If the area is smaller than the contract area by more than 3%, the price is reduced for the extra shortfall. Here is an example. The contract says 100 sqm for S$2m, which is S$20,000 per sqm. The surveyed area is 95 sqm. A 3% allowance covers 3 sqm, so 2 sqm of shortfall counts. The reduction is about S$40,000. Check the exact formula in your agreement, and keep in mind that a shortfall within 3% earns you nothing.

The show unit is not your unit

A show unit depicts one unit or unit type. If you buy another, layout, materials or fittings can differ. Look for these items:

• Walls, railings, windows or doors that were left out to make space for visitors. URA requires them to be marked on the floor with solid lines and explained in writing.
• Curtains, lighting, wallpaper and appliances shown as decoration. They are not provided in the actual unit.
• Wardrobes, cabinets and vanity units. These must match what you will get.
• Lofts or furniture decks. Ask whether they are built or whether you will pay extra. A loft over 5 square metres, or one not fully timber, needs BCA approval through a Qualified Person.

Do not sign anything under pressure. URA says a “blank” cheque handed over as an expression of interest is not a commitment to buy. Ask for it back if you do not proceed. The agency at the sales gallery is usually appointed by the developer, so its agents represent the developer’s interests, not yours.

Your rights after the launch

Once you have an option and sign the agreement, the contract protects you in specific ways:

• Late delivery. The agreement states the vacant possession date. If the developer misses it, you can claim liquidated damages. An “estimated TOP date” given in marketing is not binding.
• Defects. The developer must rectify defects that appear within 12 months of handover, or from the 15th day after you receive notice that TOP has issued and the infrastructure is complete, whichever is earlier. It must fix them within one month of your notice. If it does not, you can hire your own contractor and claim the cost from the money held by the Singapore Academy of Law.
• Quality of the developer. Before you buy, check the developer’s past projects using BCA’s CONQUAS banding.

These rights cover defects against the contract. A smaller balcony than you hoped for, a closer neighbour or a blocked view is not a defect unless it breaks the contract. See our guides to the ugly truth about new launches and developer defects.

Bottom line

Treat the brochure as an advertisement and the contract as the product. Check the site and the Master Plan yourself, calculate price on usable area, compare your unit with the show unit and read the specifications. Follow our pre-showflat checklist before you visit, and our guide to choosing the best unit once you are serious. For the choice between new and resale, see New launch vs resale. This is general information, not advice for your situation.

Sources

• Home Buyers’ Guide — URA, 5 Sep 2025
• Master Plan — URA, checked Oct 2026
• URA SPACE Master Plan viewer — URA, checked Oct 2026
• Before owning a condo: what to know — BCA, checked Oct 2026