Behaviors of Flippers, Rental Housing Investors and Owner-Occupiers in the Singapore Private Housing Market

Abstract

We classify housing investors into flippers, rental housing investors and owner occupiers. We adopt the Singapore private housing transaction database between 2006 and 2010 to analyze their trading behaviors. The investigation period witnessed a full housing price cycle and had limited policy interventions. By comparing the trading behaviors of the three types of housing investors, we find that flippers can always buy at the highest price discounts and sell at the highest price premiums in housing transactions. Flippers show the highest propensity for trend chasing and act as momentum traders. When the housing market moves from its upward trend to a downward trend, flippers’ price discounts at buying increases, but their likelihood of buying decreases, while flippers’ price premiums at selling decrease, and their likelihood of selling increases. Rental housing investors show slightly higher price discounts at buying or price premiums at selling when trading with owner occupiers. However, they show a lower propensity for trend chasing than owner-occupiers. The findings have policy implications for anti-speculation policy designs.