sehnsucht

AFAIK that rule only kicks in for 2nd property purchases. Any CPF usage for 2nd property purchase (whether it being loan or legal/stamp fee payments) is only allowed after you meet the MSS requirement. This of course assumes that there is CPF usage for the first property. For sole property purchase (first property etc) this will not matter. You can drain your CPF to 0. The rule also applies to borrowers who have chosen to withdraw 50% of their OA at 55 as per the retirement scheme. In dual transaction situations (selling house and buying another within a close time frame), any intended proceeds from the impending property sale is usually ignored as the funds will more often not arrive in time for the stamp duty payment. This is the main reason why borrowers in such situations have to opt for bridging loans to settle their temporary commitments (stamp, downpayments etc).