(EXPIRED) HDB launches 6,299 flats for sale under the Nov 2021 Build-To-Order (BTO) and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercises

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Starts17 Nov 2021 (Wed)Ends23 Nov 2021 (Tue)
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HDB launched 6,299 flats for sale today (17 Nov), under the November 2021 Build-To-Order (BTO) and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercises.

The 4,501 BTO units launched include projects at Rochor offered under the new Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model that was announced by MND and HDB on 27 October 2021. Another 1,798 SBF units across various towns/estates are also offered for sale.

The November 2021 BTO launch brings the total number of BTO flats offered this year to 17,109 units. Together with the 5,322 balance flats offered this year, HDB has offered a total of 22,431 flats in 2021 to meet the housing needs of Singaporeans.

Wide Range of Flats for Different Budgets and Needs

November 2021 BTO Exercise

The 4,501 BTO flats on offer are spread across nine projects in the Central Area, Choa Chu Kang, Hougang, Jurong West, Kallang Whampoa and Tengah.

A wide selection of flats, ranging from 2-room Flexi to 5-room flats, is being offered to meet the diverse housing needs of first-timers, second-timer families, seniors and singles.

Of these, the flats in Hougang Olive, Parc Clover @ Tengah and Parc Glen @ Tengah will have shorter waiting times, with at least 95% of the 4-room and bigger flat types set aside for first-timer families. The 2-room Flexi flats at the new Integrated Development in Choa Chu Kang – Heart of Yew Tee – will be offered only to seniors (aged 55 years and above) on short leases of between 15 and 45 years (in 5-year increments). Further details can be found in Annex A1.

Flats Priced with Generous Subsidy

The new flats are priced with a generous subsidy, taking into account factors such as location, flat attributes and prevailing market conditions. Hence, their prices are considerably lower than the transacted prices of comparable resale flats nearby. For 2-room Flexi flats, their prices further take into account the length of lease chosen, as shown in Annex A2.

Eligible first-timer families can benefit from the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of up to $80,000. With EHG, flat buyers will pay prices starting from $39,000 for a 2-room Flexi flat, $98,000 for a 3-room flat, $204,000 for a 4-room flat, and $371,000 for a 5-room flat (see Table 1 for the BTO flat prices and the comparable resale prices).

Table 1: Flat Prices in November 2021 BTO Exercise

TownProjectFlat TypeTransacted Prices of
Resale Flats in the Vicinity #
Selling Price
(Excluding Grants
Selling Price
(Including Grants ^)
Non-Mature Towns
Choa Chu KangHeart of Yew Tee2-room
Flexi
(40-yr Lease)
From $72,000From $4,000 +
HougangTanjong Tree Residences @ Hougang ~Hougang Olive ~4-room$460,000 – $560,000From $308,000From $248,000
5-room$525,000 – $560,000From $416,000From $330,000
Jurong WestNanyang Opal3-room$290,000 – $333,000From $173,000From $371,000
4-room$423,000 – $472,000From $264,000From $98,000
TengahParc Glen @ Tengah ~

Parc Clover @ Tengah ~
2-room
Flexi^^
From $119,000From $39,000
3-roomFrom $194,000From $119,000
4-room$430,000 – $518,000From $312,000From $252,000
5-room$568,000 – $620,000From $428,000From $383,000
Mature Town
Kallang / WhampoaKent Heights2-room
Flexi
From $192,000From $112,000
4-room$630,000 – $754,000From $511,000From $466,000
Prime Location Public Housing Model
Central AreaRiver Peaks I & II3-room$490,000 – $555,000From $409,000From $349,000
4-room$630,000 – $770,000From $582,000From $537,000

Note: Selling prices are rounded up to the nearest thousand dollars.

^^ Unless otherwise stated, the starting prices of the flats are based on 99-year leases. For illustration purposes, the assumed EHG amounts are:

i) 2-room Flexi flat: $80,000
ii) 3-room flat: $75,000 in non-mature towns and $60,000 in mature towns and Prime Location Public Housing Model
iii) 4-room flat: $60,000 in non-mature towns and $45,000 in mature towns and Prime Location Public Housing Model
iv) 5-room flat: $45,000 in non-mature towns

The starting prices after grant amounts are illustrative, assuming that the household incomes of eligible first-time buyers of flats in the mature towns are higher. The actual grant amount received will depend on the buyers’ income and eligibility. Read more on EHG in HDB InfoWEB.~ Prices include the costs of floor finishes, internal doors and sanitary fittings.# Details on the comparable resale flats can be found on the HDB Flat Portal. In making comparison, please take into account the differences in attributes between the comparable resale flats and the BTO flats.^^ Singles who apply for a 2-room Flexi flat under the Single Singapore Citizen (SSC) Scheme will pay $15,000 more than married couples. Eligible singles can also apply for the EHG of up to $40,000. The actual grant amounts will vary according to income.+ Buyers need to pay 5% of the published price using their CPF and/or cash savings when their EHG exceeds 95% of the published price.

Projects under Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) Model

The BTO flats launched include River Peaks I and II located in Rochor which are launched under the new Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model. Announced by MND and HDB on 27 Oct 2021, the new PLH model aims to ensure that new public housing built in prime and central locations will remain affordable, accessible and inclusive for Singaporeans (see Annex B for a summary of the key features of the model).

Subsidy Recovery for PLH Projects

As PLH flats are priced with additional subsidies, on top of the substantial subsidies already provided for all BTO flats today, PLH flat owners will have to return to HDB a percentage of the resale price of the flat upon the sale of their homes. The additional subsidies will keep PLH flats affordable for a wide range of Singaporeans, while the subsidy recovery will ensure parity with other BTO flat owners who are not accorded these additional subsidies. For River Peaks I and II, the amount to be recovered from the flat buyers is fixed at 6 percent of the higher of the resale price or valuation, and will apply regardless of when the flats are sold in future. This amount to be recovered is commensurate with the extent of the additional subsidy that has been provided.
Reduced Priority Allocation Quota for Married Child Priority Scheme

For River Peaks I and II, the priority quotas for the flat allocation under the Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) will be reduced to two-thirds of the usual quotas. The MCPS quotas for these projects are up to 20% for first-timer families, and up to 2% for second-timer families[1]. This allows public housing in prime central locations to be more inclusive, as it provides more opportunities to Singaporeans who do not have family members living near the area, to also live in these neighbourhoods.

November 2021 SBF Exercise

In addition to the BTO flats, HDB will also offer 1,798 balance flats in the SBF exercise. They comprise 553 units of 2-room Flexi, 300 units of 3-room, 667 units of 4-room, 243 units of 5-room, 31 units of 3Gen and 4 units of Executive flats across various towns/estates. The vast majority of the flats under the SBF exercise are reserved for first-timer families[2]. Eligible first-timer singles may also apply for a 2-room Flexi flat in the non-mature towns.

The SBF flats come in a wide range of flat types, locations and selling prices (see Table 2). About 31% have been completed while the rest are in various stages of construction. Similar to BTO flats, the SBF flats are heavily subsidised and priced considerably lower than comparable resale flats in the vicinity. The pricing details and applicable ethnic quotas of the SBF flats offered are in Annex C.

Table 2: Summary of November 2021 SBF Prices

Flat TypeSelling Price
(Excluding Grants)
Selling Price
(Including Grants)^
Non-Mature Towns
2-Room Flexi
(99-year/ remaining lease)*
From $94,000From $14,000
3-RoomFrom $123,000From $48,000
4-RoomFrom $161,000From $101,000
5-RoomFrom $273,000From $228,000
3GenFrom $353,000From $308,000
Mature Towns
2-Room Flexi
(99-year/ remaining lease)*
From $136,000From $56,000
3-RoomFrom $138,000From $78,000
4-RoomFrom $241,000From $196,000
5-RoomFrom $388,000From $358,000
3GenFrom $533,000From $503,000
ExecutiveFrom $510,000From $510,000

Note:
1) ^ The starting prices of flats are based on 99-year/ remaining leases. For illustration purposes, the assumed EHG amounts are:

i) 2-room Flexi flat: $80,000
ii) 3-room flat: $75,000 in non-mature towns and $60,000 in mature towns
iii) 4-room flat: $60,000 in non-mature towns and $45,000 in mature towns
iv) 5-room/3Gen flat: $45,000 in non-mature towns and $30,000 in mature towns

The starting prices after grant amounts are illustrative, assuming that the household incomes of eligible first-time buyers of flats in the mature towns are higher. The actual grant amount received will depend on the buyers’ income and eligibility. Read more on EHG in HDB InfoWEB.

2) * The starting prices of flats offered under 2-room Flexi scheme are based on 99-year/ remaining lease. Buyers can refer to the prices of individual flats on short lease in the HDB InfoWEB.

3) Selling prices are rounded up to the nearest thousand dollars.

4) To check the lease commencement date of each block, please refer to HDB Flat Portal.

Application for November 2021 BTO and SBF Exercises

Applications for the flats launched in the November 2021 BTO and SBF exercises can be made online on HDB InfoWEB from today, 17 November 2021 (Wednesday) to 23 November 2021 (Tuesday). Applicants can apply for only one flat type/category in one town under either the BTO or SBF exercise.

Applicants who wish to take up an HDB housing loan for their flat purchase need to produce a valid HDB Loan Eligibility (HLE) letter when they book a flat, except for young couples who are eligible for deferment of income assessment. The HLE letter will indicate the loan amount based on applicants’ individual financial situation. All applicants are encouraged to apply for an HLE letter early, at www.hdb.gov.sg/hleapply, so that they can book a flat within their budget.

All the information on the BTO and SBF flats on offer is available on the HDB InfoWEB, and members of the public have 7 days to make an application online. There is no need to visit HDB Hub to get the information or make an application. Applicants without internet access may seek support from their family members. Those who need further assistance, such as seniors without family support, may call the HDB Sales/Resale Customer Service Line at 1800 – 866 3066 for help.

Advice for Flat Buyers

Applicants are encouraged to apply for a BTO flat in the non-mature towns to enjoy a higher chance of success in securing a flat. Although SBF flats have a shorter waiting time to completion, the number of units offered in each town is usually small, and they are likely to attract high application rates. More details on the application procedures can be found in Annex D.

HDB will shortlist applicants using a computer ballot, and not on a first-come-first-served basis. There is therefore no need to rush to apply online at HDB InfoWEB within the first few hours or even first few days of the application window. The number of applications received will also be updated regularly on the HDB InfoWEB. Applicants are advised to apply for flats with lower application rates for better chances of success.

Flat buyers are advised to take the estimated project completion timelines into consideration before applying for a flat. The implementation of necessary safe management measures at construction sites arising from the COVID-19 pandemic has led to some slow-down in construction progress. In addition, projects with challenging site conditions, more complex designs, large number of dwelling units or storeys may take longer than usual to complete.

For the BTO projects launched in November 2021, the range of waiting time is generally between 3 to 5 years, similar to the BTO projects launched in the past year, with a median waiting time of about 4.4 years. The exceptions are the 3 projects with shorter waiting time at Hougang Olive, Parc Clover @ Tengah and Parc Glen @ Tengah – which will have waiting times ranging from 29 to 33 months, or about 2.4 to 2.8 years – and River Peaks I and II which have a waiting time of 71 months. The longer construction time of the latter is due to additional preparation works required for the site given its proximity to the existing Jalan Besar MRT station and the need to comply with more stringent authorities’ requirements, as well as the design of the projects – the residential blocks are at 47 storeys high, taller than most of the other BTO projects.

Those who are in urgent need of housing may consider buying a resale flat instead where first-time buyers may enjoy up to $160,000 in housing grants.

Upcoming BTO Launch in February and May 2022

Come February 2022, HDB will offer about 3,900 BTO flats in towns/estates such as Geylang, Kallang Whampoa, Tengah and Yishun. More details will be announced when ready.

In May 2022, HDB will offer about 5,200 to 5,700 BTO flats in towns/estates such as Bukit Merah, Jurong West, Queenstown, Tampines, Toa Payoh and Yishun. This number is subject to review as more project details will be firmed up closer to the launch date. More information on the BTO flats is available on the HDB InfoWEB. HDB will continue to monitor the housing demand and make adjustments where necessary.

[1] The priority quotas for other BTO flats are up to 30% for first-timer families, and up to 3% for second-timer families..

[2] At least 95% of the supply of balance flats (for 3-room and bigger) are set aside for first-timer families.

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