Last 2020 BTO exercise provides few plum locations for buyers

by Ravi Chandran November 19, 2020, 12:42 am 243 Views

This is the last 2020 BTO exercise and there are a few plum locations which buyers will definitely be looking at – Bishan, Bidadari and Tampines

Last 2020 BTO exercise provides last plot of land in Bishan

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Huttons commenting on the last 2020 BTO exercise said: “This is probably the last plot of land available for residential homes around Bishan MRT Interchange and the location is a mere 500m walk to the MRT station/bus interchange and amenities like Junction 8.”

“It is probably going to see a very high application rate of up to 10. Competition among second timers is expected to be stiff as not many flats are set aside for them,” it added.

Bidadari is another hot location in the last 2020 BTO exercise as it is in an upcoming central location. The new town is slowly taking shape and amenities will be ready by the time the flats are completed.

Huttons said: “We do not think the Mount Vernon columbarium will affect demand much as the design of the columbarium will be sensitive to the residents and will blend into the surroundings.”

Huttons noted that for Tampines BTO, it is closer to Bedok rather than Tampines. “The MRT station is a short 5 minutes’ walk away and Bedok Reservoir is right across the road. Buyers will have the best of both worlds – good connectivity and proximity to nature.”

Overall the last 2020 BTO exercise application rate may be between 5 and 8.

HDB launched 11,015 flats for sale on 17 November, under the November 2020 Build-To-Order (BTO) and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercises. This comprises 5,795 BTO units and 5,220 SBF units across various towns/estates.

The November 2020 BTO launch brings the total number of BTO flats offered this year to 16,752 units. Together with the 5,220 balance flats offered in the November 2020 SBF exercise, HDB has offered a total of 21,972 flats in 2020 to meet the housing needs of Singaporeans. In addition, as part of HDB’s efforts to make flats even more accessible to potential homebuyers, HDB has offered another 1,298 flats for open booking this year. This enables home seekers to book a flat as early as the next working day, where possible, after their online application.

Members of the public have 7 days to make an online application at HDB InfoWEB.

HDB Launches Wide Range of Flats for Different Budgets and Needs

November 2020 BTO Exercise

The 5,795 BTO flats on offer are spread across seven projects. Three projects in the HDB launches are in the non-mature towns of Sembawang and Tengah, and four projects in the HDB launches are in the mature towns of Bishan, Tampines and Toa Payoh (Bidadari). Of these, the flats in Tengah will have shorter waiting-time, and at least 95% of the 4-room and bigger flats will be set aside for first-timer families.

A wide selection of flats ranging from 2-room Flexi to 5-room flats is offered to meet the diverse housing needs of first-timers, second-timer families, elderly and singles. In view of the eldercare services and facilities in the vicinity, the 2-room Flexi flats at Bishan Ridges are offered only to seniors (aged 55 and above) on short leases of between 15 and 45 years (in 5-year increments). Seniors will also benefit from easy access to facilities and public transport at Bishan Town Centre and Bishan MRT/Bus Interchange.

Flats Priced with Generous Subsidy

New HDB flats are priced with a generous subsidy, taking into account factors such as location, flat attributes and prevailing market conditions. HDB’s prices are considerably lower than the transacted prices of comparable resale flats in the vicinity. For 2-room Flexi flats, their prices further take into account the lease chosen.

Eligible first-timer families can benefit from the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of up to $80,000. With EHG, flat buyers could pay prices starting from $12,000 for a 2-room Flexi flat, $88,000 for a 3-room flat, $200,000 for a 4-room flat, and $291,000 for a 5-room flat.

Table 1: November 2020 BTO Prices

Town	Project	Flat Type	Transacted Prices of Resale Flats in the Vicinity	Selling Price (Excluding Grants)	Selling Price (Including Grants ^)
Non-Mature Towns
Sembawang	Sun Sails	2-room Flexi	–	From $92,000	From $12,000
		3-room	–	From $163,000	From $88,000
		4-room	$375,000 – $388,000	From $260,000	From $200,000
		5-room	$435,000 – $485,000	From $336,000	From $291,000
Tengah	Garden Court @ Tengah~ Garden Terrace @ Tengah~	2-room Flexi	–	From $108,000	From $28,000
		3-room	–	From $194,000	From $119,000
		4-room	$380,000 – $455,000	From $288,000	From $228,000
		5-room	$515,000 – $580,000	From $394,000	From $349,000
Mature Towns
Toa Payoh	Bartley Beacon ParkView @ Bidadari	3-room	$358,000 – $460,000	From $324,000	From $264,000
		4-room	$510,000 – $610,000	From $466,000	From $421,000
		5-room	$695,000 – $862,500	From $627,000	From $597,000
Bishan	Bishan Ridges	2-room Flexi (40-year Lease)	–	From $121,000	From $41,000
		3-room	–	From $374,000	From $314,000
		4-room	$445,000 – $715,000	From $528,000	From $483,000
Tampines	Tampines GreenEmerald~	2-room Flexi	–	From $130,000	From $50,000
		4-room	$515,000 – $588,000	From $334,000	From $289,000
		5-room	$560,000 – $650,000	From $460,000	From $430,000

First-timer families will continue to enjoy priority in flat allocation1. Applicants who wish to live close to their parents or married children in the same BTO project can submit a joint application under the Multi-Generation Priority Scheme (MGPS).

November 2020 SBF Exercise

In addition to the BTO flats, HDB will offer 5,220 balance flats under the SBF exercise. They comprise 1,977 units of 2-room Flexi, 701 units of 3-room, 1,740 units of 4-room, 668 units of 5-room, 120 units of 3Gen and 14 units of Executive flats across various towns/estates. The majority of the flats offered under the SBF exercise are reserved for first-timer families3. Eligible first-timer singles may also apply for a 2-room Flexi flat in non-mature towns.

SBF flats come in a wide range of flat types, locations and selling prices. About 22% are already completed and the rest are under construction. Similar to BTO flats, SBF flats are subsidised and priced considerably lower than comparable resale flats in the vicinity.

In February 2021, HDB will offer about 3,500 BTO flats in Bukit Batok, Kallang Whampoa, Tengah and Toa Payoh. In May 2021, HDB will offer another 3,800 BTO flats in Bukit Merah, Geylang, Tengah and Woodlands.