Advice How Do I Choose The Right BTO At Bidadari?

Hi Stacked Team!

As a first timer, I have some questions about choosing the right BTO. My partner and I have been recently invited to select a flat for the Toa Payoh/Bidadari exercise and we were hoping to get some insights as to what you guys think of this area & the flats!

For our selection, we will be able to choose from 3 projects – Alkaff Breeze, Bartley Greenrise & Parkedge @ Bidadari.

Ideally, we’d like to be able to select a flat from the Bartley Greenrise stack. However, as our number exceeds the supply of flats available, we might not be able to.

We’re also not too sure and a little on the fence about Alkaff Breeze because most of the units with a balcony & a good view (totally unfair because they come together haha) had already been taken.

We also noticed that Parkedge had the most number of units (as of now) left, possibly because of the area it is sitting on, which used to be the Mount Vernon Columbarium, and opposite this stack will be a future funeral parlour as well.

Given that our number is not exactly fantastic, we might have to select from this stack. While we understand that being invited to select a flat is considered a good thing, we can’t help but wonder are we forcing ourselves into this just because we might not get another chance at selecting flats from other BTO exercises due to the balloting system.

We were hoping to be able to get an expert opinion on these 3 projects before really sitting down and discussing our options. What are your thoughts?

Thank you for taking the time to read this, we hope to hear from you guys!

Hey there,

First and foremost, congrats on getting a queue number for the February Bidadari plots, and thank you for writing to us. Here’s the master plan for the Bidadari precinct and looking at it, the 3 developments are the last plots in the precinct.

ALKAFF BREEZE

Pros:

• Earliest to complete, 2Q 2024

• Small community, 353 units

• Close proximity to upcoming The Woodleigh Mall and Woodleigh MRT station.

• North-south facing for most units.

• Childcare centre in development itself

• Within 1Km range to Cedar Primary and Maris Stella

Cons:

• Inner stacks are pretty close to opposite block.

Bartley GreenRise

Pros:

• Small community of 3- & 4-room, 387 units

• Walking distance to Bartley MRT station.

• Childcare centre in development itself

• Within 1 km range to Cedar Primary and Maris Stella

Cons:

• later to complete, 2Q 2025

• Not many amenities in close proximity, basic amenities located at Hillside BTO

• Stacks closer to Bartley road may face road noise issue.

• Stacks are North-West and South-East facing, tend to get hot during certain months.

ParkEdge @ Bidadari

Pros:

• Extensive park view for some stacks

• To be fair, none of the stacks faces the Funeral parlour complex

• Quieter enclave, away from main road

• Childcare centre in development itself

• Within 1Km range to Cedar Primary and Maris Stella

Cons:

• later to complete, 1Q 2025

• Not many amenities in close proximity, basic amenities located at Hillside BTO

• Inner stacks are pretty close to opposite block.

• Most stacks are non north-south facing hence will tend to get hot during certain months.

All in all; Alkaff Breeze would be my choice especially as it is close to Woodleigh MRT Station and mall. Parkedge is decent as none of the stacks faces the Funeral Parlour directly though it is located across the street. Although stacks facing the park would be the better choice if there is any left.

Alternatively, the stacks facing the Gurkha camp or Maris Stella would be the second-best option. I would say getting a ballot number is already hard enough hence isn’t really recommended to give it up at this point. The location is definitely decent as Bidadari is a young estate and the price is decent for its locality being close to the city and decent schools. We wish you all the best in your BTO selection!

Have a question to ask? Shoot us an email at hello@stackedhomes.com – and don’t worry, we will keep your details anonymous.

For more news and information on the Singapore private property market, or an in-depth look at new and resale properties, follow us on Stacked.