I'm going through the resale process now too. Luckily, I got some good advice from a property agent friend who gave me some guidance without asking for a commission (I ended up giving her an ang pow for her time).

*Make a list of what you're looking for in a flat. It helps to narrow down the areas you want, how many rooms, low/mid/high level, remaining lease, etc.

*Decide which of these requirements are non-negotiable and which are optional. No single flat is going to tick all your boxes and if it does, it may be above your budget or other people may outbid you for the flat.

*Stalk property listings so you have an idea of what the market rate is. After a month or so of stalking, you'll be able to tell what is overpriced and what is a good deal. Check against recent transactions in the same area because this affects your COV.

*If you are really not sure about the whole resale process, you can consider taking the resale class from HDB, I think it's about $30 to take the seminar. But frankly there are many guides on Youtube, as well as the official HDB website. If you want something easier to understand, finance blogs like Singsaver will have guides on the whole resale process.

*Do note that although the resale process is a lot simpler now than it used to be, this is provided your seller isn't an asshole and the whole deal goes through smoothly. You can go to HWZ's Homemakers forum and take a look at the number of posts with sellers causing problems, such as suddenly asking for extensions, refusing to sell, going bankrupt, threatening to go to MP, etc. A buying agent will be worth their weight in gold in terms of handling problematic sellers.

Good luck and all the best!