It’s that time of year again: gather your payslips and IRAS tax forms, because the next batch of BTO flat sites are up. This batch of BTO launch sites comes hot on the tail of the giant August 2020 launch – and given how oversubscribed that was, there’s likely to be tough competition this time around as well.
Just to give you a reminder, there were a total of 41,306 applicants for the 7,862 BTO launch flats in the August 2020 round – which is an oversubscription rate of 5.25 times.
Here’s a quick look at the sites so far:
| Location | Available flat types | Number of flats | Maturity |
| Sembawang | 2-room 3-room 4-room 5-room | 720 | Non-mature |
| Tengah | 2-room 3-room 4-room 5-room | 1,570 | Non-mature |
| Bishan | 2-room 3-room 4-room | 1,500 | Mature |
| Tampines | 2-room 4-room 5-room | 750 | Mature |
| Toa Payoh (Bidadari) | 3-room 4-room 5-room | 1,230 | Mature |
1. Sembawang HDB BTO November 2020
Last known BTO prices:
The last launch was Canberra Vista in February 2020:
| Flat type | Price exc. grants | Price inc. grants |
| 2-room | From $89,000 | From $9,000 |
| 3-room | From $177,000 | From $102,000 |
| 4-room | From $272,000 | From $212,000 |
| 5-room | From $350,000 | From $305,000 |
| 3Gen | From $355,000 | From $310,000 |
Sembawang Forecasted BTO Price VS Resale Price
| Min | Max | Resale Prices | |
| 3-Room | $150,000 | $200,000 | $325,000 |
| 4-Room | $250,000 | $300,000 | $360,000 |
| 5-Room | $350,000 | $400,000 | $406,888 |
Overall 10-year price movement of Sembawang flats:
Schools:
- Canberra Primary & Secondary Schools
- Endeavour Primary School
- Sembawang Primary & Secondary Schools
- Wellington Primary School
Malls:
- Sembawang Shopping Centre
- Sun Plaza
Review:
Sembawang is not a mature estate, but this location does make the best of its available amenities.
First, it’s across the road from The Nautical condo; and a little down from there is Sembawang Shopping Centre. While this isn’t the biggest mall, it has most of you need – including a Giant Hypermarket in the basement. There’s also a My First Skool in the mall, for families who need childcare services.
Second, it’s also across the road from Bukit Canberra. This is a 12-hectare sports hub – it will have three kilometres of running track, indoor and outdoor pools, the largest ActiveSG gym in Singapore, and a 500-seater sports hall.
On the non-sporting side, it will also host a hawker centre (so you can replenish the calories as soon as you burn them), and the neighbourhood polyclinic.
Canberra MRT station will be considered quite a walk for some – it’s roughly 800 metres away. Further down (about 1.6 kilometres) is Yishun Industrial Park, so anyone working there might be interested in this site.
Our Take:
We like to think of this as the HDB version of Parc Canberra. While it’s further from the MRT station, it’s in a quiet, family-friendly location. The main draw here is still Bukit Canberra; and what Sembawang is most famous for is its Hot Springs. So overall, the outdoorsy, family-oriented types will get the most mileage from this site.
But if you absolutely need a lot of retail therapy and entertainment (that doesn’t involve sports), you should look somewhere else. Sembawang is relaxing, not exciting.
In future there might be some rental prospects, coming from the Yishun Industrial Park area.
2. Tengah HDB BTO November 2020
Last known BTO prices:
The last launch was Parc Residences @ Tengah in August 2020:
| Flat type | Price exc. grants | Price inc. grants |
| 2-room | From $108,000 | From $28,000 |
| 3-room | From $198,000 | From $123,000 |
| 4-room | From $303,000 | From $243,000 |
| 5-room | From $418,000 | From $373,000 |
Tengah Forecasted BTO Price
| Min | Max | |
| 3-Room | $200,000 | $250,000 |
| 4-Room | $300,000 | $350,000 |
| 5-Room | $400,000 | $500,000 |
There is no 10-year price movement, Tengah is still too new.
Schools:
- Jurong Primary School
- Princess Elizabeth Primary School
- Bukit Batok Secondary School
- Fuhua Secondary School
- Hua Yi Secondary School
- Jurongville Secondary School
- Yuhua Secondary School
- Dulwich College
- Millennia Institute
Malls:
None, the closest is Westmall near the Bukit Batok MRT station.
Review:
If the prices are the same as the last launch – which they likely are – then this site is expensive.
What you’re mainly paying for is that, way down the road in 2027, Hong Kah and Tengah MRT stations will be up and running. Further grand plans include Tengah being the first car-free town centre, underground roads, electric car services, etc.
But the immediate reality is a terrible lack of amenities. If you look at the map, you’ll see some of the roads (Tengah Boulevard, Tengah Garden Avenue) aren’t even built yet; and every other feature says “proposed” (proposed park, proposed petrol station, proposed health and medical centre, etc.)
There isn’t much to say beyond that.
Our Take:
If you’re going to stay in a non-mature neighbourhood, Sembawang has more amenities that are closer to fruition. Also, do compare the prices of the last launch in Sembawang, to understand why we say Tengah is expensive.
If you trust in a Jurong Lake-like transformation of Tengah however, then this site will get you in on the ground floor. You’ll be among the closest flats to the MRT (many years from now).
For now, it’s just not very convenient to live here.
3. Bishan HDB BTO November 2020
Last known BTO prices:
The last launch was Bishan Towers in August 2020:
| Flat type | Price exc. grants | Price inc. grants |
| 2-room | From $176,000 | From $96,000 |
| 3-room | From $302,000 | From $242,000 |
| 4-room | From $484,000 | From $439,000 |
Bishan Forecasted BTO Price VS Resale Price
| Min | Max | Resale Prices | |
| 3-Room | $350,000 | $450,000 | $361,500 |
| 4-Room | $500,000 | $650,000 | $538,000 |
| 5-Room | – | – | $765,000 |
Overall 10-year price movement of Bishan flats:
Prices have appreciated by around 32.5 per cent from 2010, from $453 psf to $695 psf.
Schools:
- Guangyang Primary & Secondary Schools
- Beatty Secondary School
- Catholic High School
- Raffles Institution
Malls:
Junction 8
Review:
This site is very well located, between Bishan Street and the Kallang River (which means a good river view for some units). If you know the famous Sky Habitat condo, well, this launch site is just behind it.
The site right next to Kuo Chuan Primary School and the Kallang Park Connector; on the other end of the site is Bishan stadium and the swimming complex. It’s only around five to six minutes’ walk to Bishan MRT station, where you’ll also find Junction 8 Mall. This is a major mall with a cinema, FairPrice Finest, and DBS and OCBC branches.
Our Take:
This is hands-down the best launch site next to Toa Payoh (Bidadari); and we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s oversubscribed despite having the second-largest number of flats (1,500).
It’s rare to see a BTO flat in a location as mature as Bishan. Before this year, the last launch was way back in 2006. Given the proximity to the MRT station, the BTO prices are an absolute steal; especially compared to what you’d pay for a resale flat in Bishan.
(Four-room flats in Bishan currently average over $530,000).
4. Tampines HDB BTO November 2020
Last known BTO prices:
The last launches were Tampines GreenCrest, GreenGlade, and GreenOpal in August 2020:
| Flat type | Price exc. grants | Price inc. grants |
| 3-room | From $205,000 | From $145,000 |
| 4-room | From $311,000 | From $266,000 |
| 5-room | From $423,000 | From $393,000 |
Tampines Forecasted BTO Price VS Resale Prices
| Min | Max | Resale Prices | |
| 3-Room | – | – | $326,500 |
| 4-Room | $300,000 | $400,000 | $425,000 |
| 5-Room | $450,000 | $500,000 | $530,000 |
Overall 10-year price movement of Tampines flats:
Prices have appreciated by 15.7 per cent, from $378 to $438 psf.
Schools:
- Changkat Changi Primary & Secondary Schools
- Junyuan Primary School
- Springfield Secondary School
- Temasek Polytechnic
Malls:
- Century Square
- Tampines Mall
- Tampines 1
Review:
This site will cause some people to ask “is this really Tampines?”
The launch site straddles the border between Tampines and Bedok Reservoir; it’s along Bedok Reservoir Road, just across from the Bedok canal. In fact, the site is about equidistant between Bedok Reservoir and Tampines West MRT stations (about 11 minutes’ walk each way).
Do note there’s a connector to the Bedok side, making it quite easy for residents to access Bedok Reservoir and its park facilities.
While Tampines is a mature estate, this site doesn’t feel like it. A lot of the immediate surroundings are still in the “proposed” stage; do be ready to take the bus up to Tampines Hub, or to IKEA and Giant, for most of your shopping needs.
Our Take:
This is a strange location. The BTO flats are priced as if they’re in a mature estate (which Tampines admittedly is), but the launch site lacks equivalent amenities. The upshot is that, unlike the increasingly crowded central areas of Tampines, this area feels less densely packed. It might appeal to buyers who want a less urban environment, as Bedok Reservoir is also nearby.
Dedicated east-siders will still go for it, for want of further options – but it’s a little lacklustre as far as the other mature estate offerings go.
5. Toa Payoh (Bidadari) HDB BTO November 2020
The last launches were Kim Keat Ripples and Toa Payoh Ridge in February 2020:
| Flat type | Price exc. grants | Price inc. grants |
| 2-room | From $90,000 | From $10,000 |
| 3-room | From $351,000 | From $291,000 |
| 4-room | From $395,000 | From $350,000 |
Toa Payoh Forecasted BTO Price VS Resale Prices
| Min | Max | Resale Prices | |
| 3-Room | $300,000 | $400,000 | $252,500 |
| 4-Room | $450,000 | $550,000 | $681,000 |
| 5-Room | $580,000 | $650,000 | $813,888 |
Overall 10-year price movement of Toa Payoh flats:
Toa Payoh flats have appreciated around 8.8 per cent; from $452 psf to $492 psf over the past decade.
Schools (Upper Aljunied)
- Cedar Primary School
- Cedar Girls Secondary School
- Stamford American International School
Schools (Mount Vernon)
- Maris Stella High School
- Bartley Secondary School
Malls:
- Macpherson Mall
- The Venue Shoppes
- Woodleigh Mall (in 2022)
Review:
There are two different launch sites in Toa Payoh.
The first is site along Mount Vernon Road, adjacent to Bartley MRT station and Maris Stella High School. It is also across the road from Bartley Secondary School. This site is a few minutes further from the “parkland” developments like Alkaff Lake and Bidadari Park; but it’s slightly closer to Bartley MRT station than the second site is to Woodleigh station.
The second site is along Upper Aljunied Road, right next to Alkaff Lake (currently under construction). On the other side of the lake is Bidadari Park Drive; across that is The Woodleigh Mall (note that The Woodleigh Mall is an integrated development, which will also include residential units). This site is closer to Woodleigh MRT station.
Our Take:
Both sites are likely to see the greatest amount of demand; Bidadari remains one of the hottest HDB estates to date. It’s a District 12 (city fringe) location, and will be highly sought after by those who work in the CBD.
In addition to that, the Mount Vernon site is next to two schools and an MRT station, which is an unbelievably good deal at BTO prices. The Upper Aljunied side, however, will be preferable for those who want quicker access to the “green” areas like Bidadari Park.
Given that the distance between the sites is minimal – and that both are near MRT stations – we’d be surprised if there’s any real price discrepancy.
Before you apply, make sure you know what’s coming up in the February 2021 launch
The upcoming launch in February includes 960 flats in Bukit Batok, and 630 flats in Kallang / Whampoa. Tengah will also be up again in February, with 760 flats.
The important news is that there’s an additional 1,200 new flats in Toa Payoh (Bidadari) in February, so there’s another chance if you can’t get that prime site this time.
Do follow us on Facebook, so we can update you when the next launch comes around.
A quick summary of pointers before applying for a flat:
- For HDB loans, you’ll need a minimum down payment of 10 per cent of the flat price, payable with CPF.
If you’re told to take a bank loan, you’ll need to pay the first five per cent in cash; the next 20 per cent can be paid through CPF.
- The Mortgage Servicing Ratio is 30 per cent. This means your home loan repayment cannot exceed 30 per cent of your combined monthly income, assuming an interest rate of 3.5 per cent.
- If you’re self-employed, note that your income counts as being 30 per cent less for the purposes of loan qualification.
- If anything is going wrong (e.g. you can’t secure the home loan, or you decide against buying in the end), be sure to back out before you sign the Agreement for Lease. Ideally, back out before you even sign the Option for the flat (as the Option is not refundable). See our previous article on backing out of an HDB application, for more details.
And if you are considering a resale HDB, here’s the median prices for September 2020.
And the median lease remaining – if that helps.
If you need further help on your BTO launch choices, do drop us a message on Facebook. Otherwise, follow us on Stacked for more updates on the Singapore property market, and in-depth reviews of Singapore’s top properties.
At Stacked, we like to look beyond the headlines and surface-level numbers, and focus on how things play out in the real world.
If you’d like to discuss how this applies to your own circumstances, you can reach out for a one-to-one consultation here.
And if you simply have a question or want to share a thought, feel free to write to us at stories@stackedhomes.com — we read every message.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main factors to consider when choosing a BTO site in November 2020?
How do the prices of BTO flats in November 2020 compare across different sites?
Which BTO site in November 2020 offers the best value for families looking for mature estate amenities?
What are the future development plans for Tengah, and how might they affect property prices?
What should applicants know about the loan process for purchasing a BTO flat?
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