'We're living in the now': Young couples live abroad to wait out BTO time

SINGAPORE – In November 2023, newlyweds Clara Hong, 27, and Tim Suen, 31, uprooted to Canggu, Bali. It was now or never to live together for the Singaporean couple, who are waiting for their Build-To-Order (BTO) flat to be completed in 2025.

Signing a one-year lease for a one-bedroom villa, the couple, who both work in social media, jet between Singapore and Indonesia every month or so to visit family and sort out job commitments.

Mr Suen acknowledges that the flexibility of their jobs is a privilege they have banked on to pursue this lifestyle. It also satiates their desire to live abroad, while they are “still healthy and able-bodied, and without so many financial commitments”.

Ms Hong adds: “We’re just living in the now and appreciating it.”

In the wait for their BTO flats, some millennial couples are turning to renting and living abroad, prioritising living in the present, even if it means an added expense.

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In Parliament on March 5, National Development Minister Desmond Lee announced that a voucher of $300 a month will be provided to support eligible families to rent an HDB flat or bedroom on the open market while they wait for their new flats to be completed.

The voucher scheme, first announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget speech on Feb 16, will run for one year from July.

It will be offered under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) (Open Market) Voucher scheme, and eligible families will receive the voucher on a reimbursement basis.

Currently, married couples waiting for their BTO flats to be completed may rent a subsidised rental flat from the HDB under PPHS. They must meet prerequisites including not exceeding a monthly household income of $7,000, and those expecting or with children are given priority.

Figures from the Housing Board showed that demand has been high in recent years. In February, HDB said the PPHS was oversubscribed by more than 20 times in 2021 – meaning that there were more than 20 applicants vying for each flat.

To meet the demand, HDB increased the supply of subsidised rental flats for the scheme from 800 in 2021 to 2,000 in 2023, with another 2,000 to be added by 2025.

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Mr Edmund Ng, marketing director at real estate agency ERA, has observed a growing number of young couples opting to rent apartments here together, many of whom are those awaiting their BTO flat or saving up for a private apartment.

The PPHS is a “commendable initiative”, says Mr Ng, who foresees it impacting the current rental market by making more units available for rent at subsidised rates, potentially reducing demand in the open rental market.

However, he notes it currently benefits only applicants with a household income below $7,000.

“Considering the median income in Singapore was reported by SingStat to be $10,869 a month in 2023, adjusting the eligibility criteria to match the median income could extend its benefits to more young Singaporean couples,” he says.

Ms Hong and Mr Suen, for example, are aware of but ineligible for PPHS.

Also renting abroad are Ms Niki Lee, 30, and her boyfriend Justin Yeong, 31. The pair began renting a two-bedroom condominium in Johor Bahru in October 2023, after failing to get a BTO or Sale of Balance Flat five times over two years.

Mr Yeong, a project manager, commutes between Singapore and JB daily, while Ms Lee, a financial adviser, makes the trek four times a week.

“Renting in Singapore was never something we would have considered because it’s a true expense,” she says, noting that rent for a flat here can cost at least $3,000 a month.

“I don’t know if we were willing to pay so much for our freedom. But, at the same time, we really wanted our own space. So what was the middle ground? To spend less, but with a little bit more planning involved.”

The Straits Times meets three such couples who are waiting out their BTO overseas.

Island living with more work-life balance as influencer couple uproot to Bali

A typical week in the life of Mr Tim Suen and Ms Clara Hong looks like this: surfing in the morning for him and sunrise yoga or sunbathing for her – before starting their work day.

They eat out at a nice restaurant once a week – with a meal costing about $30 a person – and visit a beach club every fortnight. On weekends, they explore nearby islands or towns like Nusa Lembongan and Uluwatu. Every day ends with a golden-hued sunset visible from their private villa.

The married couple are living what many urbanites consider the dream. Since they moved to Bali, Indonesia, in November 2023, they have received many messages from people curious about how they made the move, says Ms Hong, 27.

Digital nomads visit 27 countries, and counting, while waiting for BTO

In an ironic twist, the pandemic – which halted travel around the world – fast-tracked Ms Marilyn Chew and Mr Low Jian Sheng’s nomadic lifestyle.

The engaged couple, both 30, have visited 27 countries after they switched to working remote jobs in September 2021. These days, they spend six to seven months a year abroad, travelling for up to three months at a time.

Their most recent adventure took them to nine countries in 105 days consecutively.

Singaporean couple cross the Causeway daily to stay in RM2,000 JB condo

Every morning, Mr Justin Yeong wakes up an hour before work and makes it to the office right on time.

It is not too different from many office workers. But what sets the 31-year-old project manager apart is that in that one hour, he gets his passport stamped.

He is renting a two-bedroom condominium apartment in Johor Bahru – a hop, skip and Causeway away from his workplace in Woodlands, where he used to live with his family.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.