How it played out
- Deciding proximity mattered most
With a toddler and both parents working full-time, the couple decided that living near the wife's parents (who could help with childcare) mattered more than getting the cheapest possible flat further away.
- Measuring the distance rule
Before house-hunting, they checked the actual distance between candidate flats and her parents' address against HDB's roughly 4km "living near" threshold for the Proximity Housing Grant, ruling out a few otherwise-attractive listings that fell just outside the boundary.
- Confirming grant stacking
Their HFE letter confirmed they could combine the Proximity Housing Grant with the Family Grant and EHG, since PHG has no income ceiling and their household income qualified them for the other two as well.
- Finding a qualifying flat
They found a resale 4-room flat roughly 2km from her parents, comfortably within the PHG distance threshold, in a similar-sized estate with good transport links between both flats.
- Weighing living together vs living near
They considered the higher PHG quantum available for living in the same flat as parents, but decided their own separate unit better suited their family's daily routine, accepting the lower "living near" tier grant instead.
- Completing the purchase
With three grants stacked, their net cost came down substantially versus the headline resale price, and the purchase completed within the typical 8-12 week resale timeline.
- Life after moving in
The short distance made regular childcare help practical without the friction of a long commute between households, which had been the entire point of the location decision.