February 2026’s BTO Includes Flats Ready in Under 3 Years — With Big Implications for Buyers

What’s interesting about the February 2026 BTO launch? If you’re eyeing a new BTO flat, your attention might be focused on the upcoming offerings in Bukit Merah, Tampines, and Toa Payoh. These are areas where most HDB homeowners might set their sights on.

While it’s exciting to see how these new BTO projects fare in the upcoming sales exercise, it may have obscured an equally important bit of news that the government dropped over this past weekend.

On Saturday, Jan 31, HDB announced that around 1,316 of the flats offered during this month’s exercise are Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) flats. This is about 28% of the 4,692 flats offered across six projects in the upcoming sales exercise. These SWT flats will have a construction time of under three years, which addresses some longstanding concerns in the market.

They are able to be delivered more quickly because SWT projects typically begin construction nine months to a year ahead of launch, enabling faster delivery once flats are offered for sale, says Eugene Lim, key executive officer of ERA Singapore.

“Coupled with more efficient designs and streamlined construction processes, this approach gives HDB greater flexibility to calibrate housing supply in response to demand,” he says.

 Here’s what you should know about it:

SWT flats in each upcoming BTO area

Before we dive into these three projects, it’s noteworthy to mention that this month’s BTO sales exercise will include 1,151 flats in Toa Payoh/Kim Keat. This development has an estimated completion time of three years and one month. While it doesn’t qualify them as SWT flats, which must be under three years to count, it does come very close to it.

Read our preview of the locations listed in the February 2026 BTO sales exercise here.

Going back to the SWT flats. Traditionally, BTO projects take about three to five years to complete, depending on site conditions and design complexity.

The shorter wait times are significant for two reasons. For homeowners, their main consideration is being able to move in sooner. This is particularly relevant to families who want access to nearby schools, as being within one-kilometre of a school significantly improves enrolment chances.

The second reason might be more pertinent to those who are focused on upgrading soon as part of their property journey. The Minimum Occupancy Period (MOP), which is five years or 10 years, depending on the flat’s classification, begins from the point of key collection (not from the sale date). For example, if a flat takes four years to complete, it will be nine years before it can be sold on the open market.

For Tampines Bliss, one of the three projects listed in the ST list, and which has a completion time of only around two years, the flat can be on the resale market in just seven years. This can be significant to aspiring upgraders, many of whom may worry that the price gap between HDB flats and private condos can widen each year.

The selection of ST flats in the upcoming sales exercise signals a deliberate shift by HDB to meet evolving buyer needs, says Lim. “By introducing more SWT flats, HDB aims to attract first-time buyers who might otherwise turn to the resale market due to urgency, thereby helping to stabilise resale prices that have been climbing in recent years,” he says.

Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist of Realion (OrangeTee & ETC) Group, adds that if more flats in mature estates also experience short waiting times in the future, it could indicate that this shift toward providing more SWT flats across the entire BTO market is not just a temporary trend, but a lasting transformation that will have a significant impact on secondary-market demand and resale prices.

Completing flats faster also has a subtle, but significant, effect on the resale market.

A common reason most HDB upgraders turn to the resale market, where units are typically pricier than new BTO flats, is if they urgently need to move in. This is not always a matter of convenience or luxury.

Besides school enrollment, as mentioned above, we are mindful that there are cases of dysfunctional families, caregiving responsibilities, and various circumstances that make long construction periods untenable. Though these cases are a minority.

Lim adds that increasing the number of SWT flats reduces the need for interim housing arrangements, such as renting, which can be costly and erode savings meant for renovation or future investments.

If the completion time of a flat is sufficiently accelerated, however, this could reduce some of the demand on the resale segment. Some buyers might prefer the lower prices of BTO flats – as well as the lack of Cash Over Valuation (COV) – so long as the completion period is sufficiently short.

The number of SWT flats offered this time around may not be high, but SWT flats don’t need to absorb all the resale demand to have this effect. They only need to divert the most time-sensitive buyers, who can be the ones stretching their budgets and making bigger offers.

Location is also a crucial factor. For example, Tampines Nova is close to Tampines MRT Interchange on the East-West and Downtown Lines (EWL, DTL) and the cluster of malls and offices around Tampines Central. These attributes make it a high-demand location, precisely where resale flats tend to command higher prices and COV.

“Sembawang Deck will include five-room flats, offering an option for buyers who value both timeliness and space. This is likely to appeal to larger households seeking to move in sooner, without having to compromise on comfort or liveability,” says Lim.

In our view, it would make sense for HDB to prioritise having SWT flats in these locations, as this could help to redirect some resale demand and moderate prices.

The upcoming sales exercise will also see more than 4,300 balance flats under the Sale of Balance Flat (SBF) exercise. This is a 40% increase from the previously committed 3,000 flats, expanding options for households seeking earlier moves.

“While SBF flats are typically priced higher than BTO units, about one in five flats has already been completed, with the remainder under construction, offering a viable pathway for buyers who prioritise shorter waiting times,” says Lim.

Perhaps it’s also time for HDB to be freed of the BTO concept, so they can start work on more flats sooner 

The original concept of Built To Order (BTO) was a consequence of oversupply in the 1990s. Back then, the government decided flats would only be built after demand was proven.

But when was the last time we saw a BTO launch site that failed to garner sufficient interest? In recent years, oversubscription has overwhelmingly been the norm. Even non-mature estates are generally expected to see a solid response. 

As such, it may be a good time for HDB to start building earlier and without BTO shackles, and in the process give us more SWT flats. In a market where demand is largely assured, speed can take greater priority over fears of vacant flats. 

“For buyers to secure BTO flats quickly and with some entailing additional facilities, will be a game charger. It fundamentally alters the market dynamics, as immediate occupancy and proximity to amenities or transport nodes used to be a primary advantage of purchasing resale flats,” says Sun.

As a result, older, less well-located flats, may experience greater downward pressure on prices from both the BTO and MOP resale markets. At the same time, newly MOP flats in prime locations continue to attract strong demand.

“The net effect may lead to a further slowdown in resale price growth for the overall market this year, and some towns or areas even see price stagnation or modest price declines,” says Sun.

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