S’porean couple, aged 36 & 37, sell Yishun HDB flat & relocate to KL, M'sia

In 2025, a Singaporean couple in their mid-30s packed up their belongings, relocated to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and sold their Housing and Development Block (HDB) flat in Yishun.

In a YouTube video posted on Jul. 5, 2026, Rachell Tan, 36, and her husband Sean Lee, 37, shared why they decided to make the move.

The couple, who co-run an e-commerce business, had lived in their four-room flat in Yishun for around six years.

However, they revealed that relocating was not their first choice initially.

But as curveballs go, they now live in Desa ParkCity in KL, a gated township.

Home is a 135 sq m (1,453 sq ft) three-bedroom condominium apartment that they bought for around RM1.7 million (S$539,000), reported The Straits Times.

Considerations

Even before fulfilling the five-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) for their flat, the couple had already started discussing what to do next.

They considered several options, including staying put, selling the flat to upgrade to another property, or relocating overseas.

Their goal was to be able to retire in their 40s, reported ST.

Lee and Tan had only envisioned relocating to Kuala Lumpur in about 20 years or so when they were in their 50s, for a slower pace of life.

Initial plans

One of their initial plans was to sell their flat and buy a condominium unit.

In this scenario, they would rent out the purchased condominium while renting an HDB flat to live in themselves, allowing them to "enjoy the capital appreciation" of the private property.

Realistically, however, Tan admitted that she was unsure how many people could follow through with such a plan, as many would naturally want to live in the property they had bought.

At the time, the couple were also deciding between renting another place or moving into the home of Lee's mother, where there were spare rooms available.

They eventually leaned towards staying with Lee's mum for a few months before finding a new place to live.

Mum's place

Rather than spending around S$36,000 a year on rent elsewhere, the couple thought they could use that money to renovate Lee's mum's house instead.

Once they moved out, the renovated rooms could be rented out to generate passive income for her.

However, towards the end of the renovation works, Lee's mum lost her job and no longer had a source of income, changing the couple's plans.

They decided not to move into her house so that she could rent out the spare rooms instead.

As a result, the couple postponed their move and continued living in their own HDB flat.

Around the same time, they viewed several potential homes in Singapore but could not find one they liked.

Just for fun

That was when they decided to look at properties in Malaysia.

"'Just for fun... Just for fun,'" Lee recalled.

To their surprise, they found homes they genuinely liked, and what began as a casual idea, gradually turned into a serious plan.

After moving to KL

After deciding to relocate, the couple had to choose whether to sell or rent out their Singapore home.

The couple had initially bought the 900 sq ft resale flat, which was around 30 years old, for about S$268,000, which they considered affordable because of its age.

They ultimately decided to sell the flat due to lease decay and concerns over potential maintenance issues that could come with renting out an older property.

They sold the Yishun flat for S$520,000, almost double the price they bought it for, reported ST.

How has it been?

In the video, Tan said they have enjoyed the move thus far, describing it as an opportunity to experience a new environment and constantly discover new things.

The estimated monthly expenditure has decreased by at least 30 per cent, ST reported.

"Sometimes you can plan all you want in life, but life can just turn 180 degrees," Tan said. "Then you just have to adapt and go with the flow."