HDB Launches 8,573 flats in 15 projects in October 2024 BTO Exercise, apply by 23 Oct 2024

STARTED TODAY

Starts	16 Oct 2024 (Wed)	Ends	23 Oct 2024 (Wed)
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HDB launched 8,573 Standard, Plus, and Prime flats in 15 projects under a new flat classification framework in the October 2024 Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise today (see Annex A for more information on the new flat classification framework).

This is the largest number of projects launched in a single BTO exercise to date, with the flats offered making up more than 40% of the new HDB flat supply for 2024. In total, HDB has launched 21,225 new flats in 2024, comprising 19,637 BTO flats and 1,588 flats offered under the Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise in February 2024.

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1. Wide Selection of Affordable Flats for Different Budgets and Needs
2. More Housing Options for Singles
3. Flats Priced with Significant Market Discounts
4. Housing Options for Different Household Incomes
   1. 1. First-timer Families/Couples
   2. 2. First-timer Singles
5. Tighter Sale Conditions and Subsidy Recovery Upon Resale for Plus and Prime Flats
6. White Flats
7. Community Care Apartments (CCAs)
8. 7 out of 10 BTO Flats have Waiting Times of 4 Years or Less
9. Advice for Flat Buyers
10. Application for October 2024 BTO Exercise
11. Upcoming BTO Exercise in February 2025

Wide Selection of Affordable Flats for Different Budgets and Needs

A wide selection of flats, ranging from 2-room Flexi to 3Gen flats, as well as Community Care Apartments (CCAs), is offered to meet different housing needs and budgets. Of the 15 BTO projects offered across 9 HDB towns in the October 2024 exercise, 7 are Standard projects, 7 are Plus projects, and 1 is a Prime project:

1. Standard projects: West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok, Taman Jurong Skyline, Costa Riviera I and II, Fernvale Oasis, Fernvale Sails, and Marsiling Ridge
2. Plus projects: Central Trio @ AMK, Bayshore Vista, Bayshore Palms, Kembangan Wave, Merpati Alcove, Kallang View, and Towner Breeze
3. Prime project: Crawford Heights

More Housing Options for Singles

For this launch, first-timer singles can choose from almost 2,000 2-room Flexi flats across 10 projects in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Batok, Jurong West, Kallang Whampoa, Pasir Ris, and Sengkang, where 2-room Flexi flats are available.

With the new classification, eligible first-timer singles will now be able to apply for new 2-room Flexi flats across all locations where such flats are available, regardless of whether they are Standard, Plus, and or Prime projects. Previously, they were limited to applying for projects in non-mature estates.

Flats Priced with Significant Market Discounts

To ensure affordability, all new flats are priced with significant market discounts. Hence, their selling prices are considerably lower than the transacted prices of comparable resale flats. Given their more favourable locational attributes, Plus and Prime flats command higher market values. To keep them affordable, they are priced with additional subsidies, on top of the market discounts applied to all BTO flats. The additional subsidies will help to ensure that these flats remain affordable to Singaporeans across a wider range of income levels.

To provide further support for lower-to-middle income home buyers, eligible first-timer families and singles can benefit from the increased Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG), which was recently announced on 20 August 2024. The EHG was increased from the previous maximum grant amount of $80,000 to $120,000 for families; and from $40,000 to $60,000 for singles. See Table 1 for the starting BTO flat prices before and after grants, and the comparable resale prices. More details on the BTO flat prices and nearby resale transactions can be found in Annex B.

Table 1: Flat Prices in October 2024 BTO Exercise

Town	Project	Flat Type	Selling Price(Excluding Grants)	Selling Price(Including Grants)	Transacted Prices of Resale Flats Nearby #)
Standard Projects
Bukit Batok	West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok~	2-roomFlexi	From $140,000	From $20,000	$303,000 – $380,000
		3-room	From $247,000	From $142,000	$450,000 – $488,000
		4-room	From $335,000	From $255,000	$555,000 – $648,888
		5-room	From $496,000	From $441,000	$630,000 – $828,888
		3Gen	From $529,000	From $474,000	–
Jurong West	Taman JurongSkyline	2-room Flexi	From $109,000	From $6,000*	$305,000 – $355,000
		3-room	From $209,000	From $104,000	$450,000 – $480,000
		4-room	From $290,000	From $210,000	$563,000 – $680,000
		5-room	From $427,000	From $372,000	$680,000 – $712,888
		3Gen	From $465,000	From $410,000	–
Pasir Ris	Costa Riviera I & II	2-room Flexi	From $194,000	From $74,000	$388,000 – $430,000
		3-room	From $329,000	From $224,000	$525,000 – $540,888
		4-room	From $481,000	From $401,000	$612,000 – $745,000
		5-room	From $635,000	From $580,000	$825,000 – $843,000
		3Gen	From $644,000	From $589,000	–
Sengkang	Fernvale Oasis~Fernvale Sails~	2-room Flexi	From $126,000	From $7,000*	–
		3-room	From $277,000	From $172,000	$440,000 – $515,000
		4-room	From $324,000	From $244,000	$526,000 – $668,000
		5-room	From $465,000	From $410,000	$640,000 – $790,000
Woodlands	Marsiling Ridge	4-room	From $329,000	From $249,000	$560,000 – $696,000
		5-room	From $488,000	From $433,000	$680,000 – $826,000
Plus Projects
Ang Mo Kio	Central Trio @ AMK	2-room Flexi	From $187,000	From $67,000	–
		4-room	From $481,000	From $426,000	$740,000 – $915,888
Bedok	Bayshore VistaBayshore Palms Kembangan Wave	2-room Flexi	From $190,000	From $70,000	–
		3-room	From $369,000	From $279,000	$605,000 – $663,000
		4-room	From $453,000	From $398,000	$728,000 – $930,000
Geylang	Merpati Alcove	CCA+(30-year Lease)	From $102,000	From $6,000*	–
		4-room	From $530,000	From $475,000	$878,000 – $1,080,000
Kallang / Whampoa	Kallang ViewTowner Breeze	2-room Flexi	From $216,000	From $96,000	–
		3-room	From $388,000	From $298,000	$780,000 – $820,000
		4-room	From $522,000	From $467,000	$868,000 – $1,200,000
Prime Projects
Kallang / Whampoa	Crawford Heights	3-room	From $390,000	From $300,000	–
		4-room	From $568,000	From $513,000	$890,000 – $938,000

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) CCA: $120,000

ii) 2-room Flexi flat: $120,000

iii) 3-room flat: $105,000 (Standard project) and $90,000 (Plus and Prime project)

iv) 4-room flat: $80,000 (Standard project) and $55,000 (Plus and Prime project)

v) 5-room/3Gen flat: $55,000 (Standard project)

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

~ Prices include the costs of floor finishes, internal doors and sanitary fittings.

* Buyers need to pay 5% of the published price using their CPF and/or cash savings when their EHG amount exceeds 95% of the published price.

+ CCA prices include costs of pre-installed senior-friendly fittings and features, and do not include the costs of the mandatory Basic Service Package and optional services.

# 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.

Housing Options for Different Household Incomes

With a wide selection of flats on offer, interested flat applicants will be able to choose from different housing options to suit their budgets and needs. Below are some examples where flat applicants can service their monthly mortgage payments using their CPF contributions, with little or no cash payment:

1. First-timer Families/Couples

• An eligible first-timer family with a monthly household income of $4,000 will receive an EHG of $80,000. They will be able to buy a 3-room Standard flat offered in any of the Standard projects in the October 2024 exercise, or a 4-room Standard flat in West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok, Taman Jurong Skyline, Fernvale Oasis, and Marsiling Ridge, while servicing their monthly mortgage payments using their CPF contributions, with little or no cash payment.For example, they may buy a Standard 3-room flat in West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok at $290,000 using 16% of their income, or a Standard 4-room flat at $390,000 using 24% of their income, and service their monthly mortgage payments using their CPF contributions, with little or no cash payment.
• An eligible first-timer family with a monthly household income of $7,000 will receive an EHG of $30,000. They will be able to purchase a 3-room Standard, Plus or Prime flat in any of the projects offered in the October 2024 exercise, a 4-room Standard flat in any of the Standard projects, a 4-room Plus flat in Kembangan Wave and Central Trio @ AMK, or a 5-room Standard flat in West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok, Taman Jurong Skyline, Fernvale Oasis, and Marsiling Ridge, while servicing their monthly mortgage payments using their CPF contributions, with little or no cash payment.For example, they may buy a 4-room Standard flat at West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok at $390,000, using 17% of their income, or a 4-room Plus flat at Central Trio @ AMK at $540,000, using 24% of their income, with little or no cash payment. They can also consider buying a 3-room Prime flat at Crawford Heights at $455,000, using 20% of their income, and service their monthly mortgage payments using their CPF contributions, with no cash payment.
• An eligible first-timer family with a monthly household income of $9,000 will receive an EHG of $5,000. They will be able to purchase most of the Standard, Plus and Prime flats in the projects offered in the October 2024 exercise, while servicing their monthly mortgage payments using their CPF contributions, with little or no cash payment.For example, they may buy a 5-room Standard flat at Marsiling Ridge at $550,000 using 21% of their income, or a 4-room Prime flat at Crawford Heights at $665,000 using 25% of their income, and service their monthly mortgage payments using their CPF contributions, with little or no cash payment.

2. First-timer Singles

• An eligible first-timer single with a monthly income of $2,000 will receive an EHG of $40,000. They will be able to purchase a 2-room Flexi Standard flat at Taman Jurong Skyline and Fernvale Oasis, while servicing their monthly mortgage payments using their CPF contributions, with little or no cash payment.For example, they may buy a 2-room Flexi (Type 2) Standard flat at Taman Jurong Skyline at $180,000* using 22% of their household income, without any cash payment.* Including an additional amount of $15,000 payable by singles when buying a new 2-room Flexi flat
• An eligible first-timer single with a monthly income of $3,000 will receive an EHG of $25,000. They will be able to purchase a 2-room Flexi Standard flat at Taman Jurong Skyline, Fernvale Oasis, Fernvale Sails and West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok, or a 2-room Flexi Plus flat at Kembangan Wave, while servicing their monthly mortgage payments using their CPF contributions, with little or no cash payment.For example, they may buy a 2-room Flexi (Type 2) Plus flat at Kembangan Wave at $260,000* using 26% of their income, and service their monthly mortgage payments using their CPF contributions with little cash payment.* Including an additional amount of $15,000 payable by singles when buying a new 2-room Flexi flat

Tighter Sale Conditions and Subsidy Recovery Upon Resale for Plus and Prime Flats

To ensure that buyers purchase Plus and Prime flats for genuine owner-occupation needs, these flats will come with tighter resale and rental conditions. Flat owners of Plus and Prime flats will be required to occupy their flats for at least 10 years (i.e. the Minimum Occupation Period or MOP) before they can sell their flats in the open market or invest in a private residential property. They will also not be allowed to rent out the whole flat, even after fulfilling the MOP.

To maintain parity with other BTO flat buyers who are not accorded additional subsidies, Plus and Prime flat owners will be required to pay HDB a percentage of the resale or valuation price (whichever is higher) of the flat upon selling it, after meeting the 10-year MOP. The subsidy recovery percentages will be 6-8% for the seven Plus projects and 9% for the Prime project as detailed in Table 2. They are commensurate with the extent of the additional subsidies provided for the respective projects.

Table 2: Subsidy Recovery Percentages for Plus and Prime Projects in October 2024 BTO Exercise

Housing Model	Project	Subsidy Recovery Percentage
Plus	Central Trio @ AMK	6%
	Kembangan Wave
	Bayshore Vista	7%
	Bayshore Palms
	Merpati Alcove	8%
	Kallang View
	Towner Breeze
Prime	Crawford Heights	9%

In determining the subsidy recovery percentages of the Plus projects, HDB takes into consideration the additional subsidies required to keep individual Plus projects of varying market values more affordable. For instance, while Kembangan Wave, Bayshore Vista, and Bayshore Palms are in Bedok, the latter two projects in the new housing area of Bayshore are more favourably located near East Coast Park and a proposed sports and recreation facility. As their more favourable locations command higher market values, higher additional subsidies are required to lower their flat prices so that they are more affordable to a wider range of Singaporeans. Hence, compared with Kembangan Wave where the subsidy recovery percentage is 6%, a higher subsidy recovery percentage of 7% for Bayshore Vista and Bayshore Palms will be imposed to be commensurate with the higher level of additional subsidies for both projects.

In comparison with the two Bayshore projects, Merpati Alcove in Geylang which is right at the doorstep of Mattar MRT station and closer to the city centre, has a higher subsidy recovery percentage of 8% to be commensurate with the higher level of additional subsidies provided.

The additional subsidies, along with the more stringent ownership conditions, will help to keep these Plus and Prime HDB flats affordable, both at initial sale and subsequent resale. Taken together, these measures will benefit current flat buyers, and future generations buying from the resale market.

White Flats

HDB will pilot a new White flats concept at the Crawford Heights Prime project, which offers 312 units of 3-room and 4-room flats. Home buyers who prefer an open concept flat with greater flexibility in configuring their living spaces can opt for a contiguous living and bedroom space without internal partition walls when they are invited to book a flat.

The prices for the White flats will be lower by $6,000 and $8,600 for 3-room and 4-room flats respectively, taking into account the non-provision of internal partition walls and some electrical points. Buyers who do not wish to opt for the White flats layout can choose the default layout with internal partition walls.

Community Care Apartments (CCAs)

265 Community Care Apartments (CCA) units in Merpati Alcove in Geylang are on offer to support seniors to age independently in the community. This is the fourth CCA project to be launched, following Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok, Queensway Canopy, and Chai Chee Green in Bedok.

7 out of 10 BTO Flats have Waiting Times of 4 Years or Less

In this October BTO launch, about 7 out of 10 flats on offer will have a waiting time of 4 years or less. Amongst them, the 2,085 flats at Fernvale Oasis, Fernvale Sails and West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok are Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) flats with waiting time of less than 3 years. Another 767 flats at Costa Riviera I & II will have a waiting time of slightly over 3 years. Flat buyers who are looking to move into their flats sooner may consider applying for these projects.

Overall, in 2024, close to 7 in 10 of the flats launched have a waiting time of 4 years or less. Going forward, HDB is committed to offering more BTO projects with waiting time of 3 to 4 years, in addition to offering 2,000 to 3,000 SWT flats with waiting times under 3 years, each year.

Advice for Flat Buyers

Applicants are encouraged to plan their finances (including renovation costs) carefully and select a suitable flat based on their budget and needs. Flat buyers should also take into consideration the revised Loan-to-Value (LTV) limit for HDB housing loans, which has been lowered from 80% to 75% from this BTO exercise.

Flat applicants may apply for one flat type in one town during the 8-day application period. Applicants who wish to improve their chances of securing a flat are encouraged to apply for Standard projects, where at least 95% of the 4-room and bigger flats are set aside for first-timer families. To further increase their chances, applicants are encouraged to look out for projects with lower application rates. Information on application rates of each BTO project is available on the HDB Flat Portal, which is updated several times a day throughout the 8-day application window.

HDB encourages all flat applicants to carefully consider the timing of their new flat application and to proceed with booking a flat when invited to do so. Applicants who received a queue position within the flat supply (e.g. in the June 2024 BTO exercise) will not be eligible to apply for a flat in subsequent BTO/ SBF exercises (e.g. in the October 2024 BTO exercise) until after their flat booking appointment. This ensures that they do not crowd out other sincere applicants who have not secured a queue position.

Application for October 2024 BTO Exercise

Applicants who wish to participate in the October 2024 BTO exercise must have a valid HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter[1] when they submit their flat application. It takes about a month to process an HFE letter application after HDB receives all the required documents, and processing may take longer during peak periods like a BTO sales launch. As announced earlier, flat applicants should have applied for an HFE letter and submitted all required documents by 15 September 2024, to be able to apply for a flat in this sales launch. More information on the HFE letter are available on the HDB InfoWEB.

Flat applications can be made online via HDB Flat Portal from today (16 October 2024) to 23 October 2024. There is no need to visit HDB Hub to get the information or make an application. HDB will shortlist applicants using a computer ballot, and not on a first-come-first-served basis. Hence, applicants do not need to rush to submit applications within the first few hours or even the first few days of the application period, and can submit their application any time during the 8-day period[2]. More details on the application procedures can be found in Annex C.

All information on the flats offered is available on the HDB Flat Portal

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.

Upcoming BTO Exercise in February 2025

In February 2025, HDB will offer about 5,000 flats in Kallang/Whampoa, Queenstown, Woodlands, and Yishun. The supply will be subject to review as project details are firmed up closer to the launch date. Flat buyers interested to apply for a flat must have a valid HFE letter. HDB encourages all flat buyers to apply for an HFE letter early, if they are interested to participate in the February 2025 sales launch. More details on the projects including their classification will be shared at the February 2025 sales exercise.

HDB is committed to providing affordable and accessible housing options to buyers, and will continue to monitor the housing demand closely, making adjustments where necessary. HDB says it is on track to launch a total of 100,000 flats from 2021 to 2025.

[1] The HFE letter will inform flat buyers upfront of their eligibility for a new or resale flat purchase, CPF housing grants, and HDB housing loan, including the respective grant and loan amounts. With effect from 7 Nov 2023, HDB extended the validity of all existing and new HFE letters to 9 months.

[2] To allow more time for applicants to make an informed choice during the sales launch, the application window had been extended to 8 days with effect from the Feb 2024 BTO exercise.

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