Why transaction volume matters more than you think — The Trilinq vs Parc Riviera
- Ben Tan
- Oct 22
- 3 min read
Transaction volume tells you how active and healthy a condo really is.
It measures how many units in a development have changed hands over a period of time — but raw numbers alone don’t tell the full story. You always want to look at it as a percentage of total units, not just the absolute number of sales.
For example, if you hear that “a condo had 100 transactions in two years,” your first question should be: 100 out of how many? In a 1,000-unit project, that’s just 10%. In a 500-unit project, that’s 20%.
Same number of sales, but two very different stories.
At CapStacked, we focus on profitable transactions only, because those represent real demand — buyers who are confident enough to pay more than the last owner. Loss-making sales don’t build momentum; they reflect weakness.
So when you evaluate a project, transaction volume isn’t just about how often units move — it’s about how much belief the market has in that development.
Why is transaction volume important?
1. It drives price momentum
Every transaction sets a new benchmark. When a unit sells higher than the last, it lifts valuations across similar stacks and layouts. A project with steady turnover keeps resetting its own price floor — and that’s how capital appreciation compounds over time.
2. It builds confidence — for buyers and banks
When profitable sales happen regularly, valuers and buyers see proof that the project is desirable and stable. Banks have no issue supporting higher valuations, and buyers feel justified paying more. Without this transaction data, pricing confidence disappears — and so does your resale value.
3. It reflects liquidity
High transaction volume means you’ll always have a ready pool of buyers. That’s liquidity — and liquidity gives you exit confidence. On the flip side, condos with barely any sales for years can get stuck. All it takes is one desperate seller to drag the benchmark price down for everyone.
4. It captures other risks automatically
Worried about lease decay or foreign ownership concentration? You don’t even need to dig too deep — the transaction volume already tells the story. If buyers are staying away, it’ll show up in the numbers.
Let’s take The Trilinq as our first example.
Over the past two years (at the time of writing), it recorded 78 profitable transactions out of 755 units — that’s 10.3%, meeting our minimum standard.
Zooming out to five years, there were 224 profitable transactions, translating to 29.6%. Again, just hitting the lower end of our benchmark.
Even so, look at the price trend — it’s been climbing steadily from around $1,500 psf in January 2021 to above $1,750 psf today. That’s a solid 17% rise, showing how steady transaction activity helps maintain momentum.
The Trilinq might not be a gold-standard performer, but it’s proof that consistent sales — even at the minimum level — can keep prices moving upward. That’s transaction volume in action.
Now, compare that with Parc Riviera.
In the past two years, it recorded 114 profitable transactions out of 752 units, or 15.2% — comfortably meeting our gold standard.
Over the past five years, 315 profitable transactions have given it a 41.9% turnover, again gold-standard performance.
And the results speak for themselves: every single resale to date has been profitable — 100% success rate. Its average price rose from $1,370 psf in early 2021 to above $1,700 psf today, reflecting clear, broad-based demand.
When buyers and banks see that kind of activity, it reinforces confidence — and that confidence keeps prices buoyant.
The bigger picture
These two examples show how transaction volume directly links to demand and price performance.
But here’s the key — you should never pick a condo based solely on transaction volume. It’s one part of the bigger framework.
Strong numbers are great, but without other supporting factors — like project density, healthy unit mix, or proximity to schools — your upside could still be limited.
If you’d like to understand the full picture, download our free Resale Condo Playbook — it breaks down all eleven factors that help you choose your next property not just as a home, but as your best-performing asset:
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