Bidadari, Bishan, Sembawang: Which HDB BTO launch in Nov 2020 should you apply for?

The competition for HDB BTOs recently has been stiffer than ever.

In fact, the flats in the HDB BTO August 2020 sales exercise were oversubscribed just one day after their launch.

I know.

It’s damn siao (Hokkien: crazy), please.

Given that the HDB BTO launch in November 2020 will see flats in Bishan and Toa Payoh (Bidadari) up for grabs…

I can’t even imagine what the competition is going to be like sia.

The launch in November 2020 will feature 5 estates, namely Sembawang (Non-Mature Estate), Tengah (Non-Mature Estate), Bishan (Mature Estate), Tampines (Mature Estate), and Toa Payoh Bidadari (Mature Estate).

For an estimated total of 5,770 new flats available !

Thinking of getting a BTO flat in these estates?

Let’s have a closer look at what’s available for this HDB BTO Launch for November 2020, shall we?

Note: You can apply for your HDB BTO online. Successful applicants will be determined by a computer ballot, and it’s NOT on a first-come, first-served basis!

HDB BTO launch November 2020 (Non-mature estates)

HDB BTO launch November 2020 (Mature estates)

HDB BTO November 2020	Bishan	Tampines	Toa Payoh (Bidadari)
Estate Type	Mature
Flats Available	1,500	750	350	880
Flat Types Available	2-Room Flexi 3-Room 4-Room	2-Room Flexi 4-Room 5-Room	3-Room 4-Room	3-Room 4-Room 5-Room
Estimated 4-Room Price (excluding grants)	~$500,000	~$312,000	~$480,000
Selection Of Flat	TBC
Estimated Possession Date	TBC
Nearest Expressways	Central Expressway (CTE)	Pan-Island Expressway (PIE)	Pan-Island Expressway (PIE)
Nearest Malls	Junction 8	Century Square Our Tampines Hub Tampines Mall Tampines 1	The Woodleigh Mall [2022]
Nearest MRT Stations	Bishan MRT	Bedok Reservoir MRT Tampines West MRT	Woodleigh MRT	Bartley MRT
Nearest Schools	Beatty Secondary School Catholic High School Guangyang Primary School Guangyang Secondary School Raffles Institution	Changkat Primary School Changkat Changi Secondary School Junyuan Primary School Springfield Secondary School Temasek Polytechnic	Cedar Primary Cedar Girls' Secondary	Bartley Secondary Maris Stella High

HDB BTO launch November 2020 (Non-mature estates)

For non-mature estates, we have an HDB BTO launch in the North East.

And one HDB BTO launch in the West.

1. Sembawang

There will be 720 units of 2-Room Flexi, 3-Room, 4-Room, and 5-Room flats available for booking.

How much will the Sembawang HDB BTO flats cost?

The most recent (and nearest) HDB BTO launch in Sembawang was the Canberra Vista HDB BTO launch in February 2020.

The subscription rate for a 4-Room flat then was 7.9 — or about 8 applicants were vying for one 4-Room flat.

It’s understandable considering that it’ll literally be right next to Canberra MRT.

See that empty plot of land behind the MRT station?

That’s where Canberra Vista is going to be.

So… what’s the starting price for a 4-Room HDB BTO in Canberra Vista?

$272,000 (excluding grants).

Unfortunately, the Sembawang HDB BTO in November 2020 isn’t going to be that close to Canberra MRT station.

It’s not that near to Sembawang MRT station either, it’s kinda in the middle of both.

However, it is closer to Sembawang Town Centre.

And its closer to Sembawang Shopping Centre and Sun Plaza as compared to Canberra Vista.

Also, once the Bukit Canberra Hub is completed by September 2021 , you’ll be right across the road from amenities like:

• a hawker centre
• an indoor and outdoor sports facilities (aka the largest ActiveSG gym with indoor and outdoor pools)
• a polyclinic
• a senior care centre

Yes, this could be where you and your future kids will hang out on the weekends.

With all these amenities just around the corner…

I’m gonna estimate a starting price of $270,000 (excluding grants) for a 4-Room HDB flat in the Sembawang HDB BTO launch November 2020.

What are the nearest shopping malls?

• Bukit Canberra Hub [note: will be completed in 2021]
• Sembawang Shopping Centre
• Sun Plaza

And if you’re interested, Sembawang Hot Spring Park is about a 10-minute bus ride away.

What are the nearest MRT stations?

• Canberra MRT (NS12)
• Sembawang MRT (NS11)

Since you’re already on the North-South line, getting into town is only a direct train ride away.

So that’s super convenient.

What are the nearest schools?

Type	Name of School
Primary School	Canberra Primary
Endeavour Primary
Sembawang Primary
Wellington Primary
Secondary	Canberra Secondary
Sembawang Secondary

2. Tengah

Located within the borders of the new Tengah Town .

The Tengah HDB BTO launch in November 2020 will have 1,570 units of 2-Room Flexi, 3-Room, 4-Room, and 5-Room flats up for grabs.

How much will the Tengah HDB BTO flats cost?

The most recent HDB BTO launch which is in the vicinity of the Tengah HDB BTO November 2020 launch would be the Parc Residences HDB BTO launch in August 2020 .

Here’s a look at the indicative prices for Tengah BTOs between 2019 and 2020, so far.

Tengah BTO Indicative Price August 2020 (excl grants)	Tengah BTO Indicative Price Nov 2019 (excl grants)	Tengah BTO Indicative Price May 2019 (excl grants)
2-Room Flexi	$108,000 - $157,000	$110,000 - $167,000	From $106,000
3-Room	$198,000 - $248,000	$208,000 - $256,000	From $192,000
4-Room	$303,000 - $364,000	$302,000 - $381,000	From $309,000
5-Room	$418,000 - $489,000	$409,000 - $510,000	From $415,000
3Gen	-	$442,000 - $504,000	-

Similar to my estimation for the Tengah HDB BTO launch in August 2020.

I estimate that HDB will price a 4-Room flat during the upcoming Tengah HDB BTO launch in November 2020 to start from around $300,000 (excluding grants) again.

What are the nearest shopping malls?

• West Mall

Since Tengah is a new town, there aren’t any malls in the vicinity yet.

So the closest one to serve your shopping and dining needs would be West Mall.

Which is kinda far away since it’s technically in Bukit Batok town.

Hopefully, we’ll see more developments in the Tengah Town area which will bring more amenities and facilities to future residents.

What are the nearest MRT stations?

• Hong Kah MRT (JS4) [note: will be completed in 2026]
• Tengah Plantation MRT (JE1) [note: will be completed in 2027]

What are the nearest schools?

Type	Name of School
Primary School	Jurong Primary
Princess Elizabeth Primary
Secondary	Bukit Batok Secondary
Fuhua Secondary
Hua Yi Secondary
Jurongville Secondary
Yuhua Secondary
International School	Dulwich College
Centralised Institute	Millennia Institute

HDB BTO launch November 2020 (Mature estates)

Prefer to live in a mature estate because of certain facilities or amenities that you can’t live without?

Well… for this launch, there are a total of 3 HDB BTO launches in mature estates to choose from!

3. Bishan

For the Bishan HDB BTO November 2020 launch there will be 1,500 units of 2-Room Flexi, 3-Room, and 4-Room flats to choose from.

How much will the Bishan HDB BTO flats cost?

If you tried applying for Bishan Towers during the HDB BTO launch in August 2020 and didn’t get it…

Don’t sad, k?

Remember how I said that there would be another HDB BTO, that’ll be along Bishan Street 14?

Well, here it is!

The starting price for a 4-Room HDB flat in Bishan Towers was $484,000 (excluding grants).

Considering that the Bishan HDB BTO November 2020 launch is going to be waaaaaay closer to Bishan MRT and the Bishan Town Centre.

AND taking into account how rare Bishan BTOs are…

I’m afraid that a 4-Room HDB BTO flat might start from $500,000 (excluding grants) and up.

Side note: I sincerely hope that I’m wrong and that prices are kept as affordable as possible…

What are the nearest shopping malls?

• Junction 8

What are the nearest MRT stations?

• Bishan MRT (NS17/ CC15)

What are the nearest schools?

There are plenty of top schools in Bishan, and that’s part of the appeal for couples planning to have kids:

Type	Name of School
Primary School	Catholic High School
Guangyang Primary
Secondary	Beatty Secondary
Guangyang Secondary
Raffles Institution

4. Tampines

For the Tampines HDB BTO November 2020 launch there will be 750 units of 2-Room Flexi, 4-Room, and 5-Room flats available.

How much will the Tampines HDB BTO flats cost?

There’s been a lot of HDB BTO launches in Tampines recently.

But they’re usually a little far away from Tampines Central.

And unfortunately, the Tampines HDB BTO November 2020 launch is no different.

(I mean, it’s all built up lah… only left outskirts of Tampines so that’s where all the new BTOs will be.)

Since it’s right across from where the Tampines GreenOpal HDB BTO August 2020 will be.

Where a 4-Room HDB flat starts from $311,000 (excluding grants).

I imagine that the prices can’t be drastically different since they’re launched back-to-back and are just separated by a park.

Hmmm… I estimate a 4-Room HDB flat to start from $312,000 (excluding grants) since it affords a slightly better view of Bedok Reservoir.

What are the nearest shopping malls?

• Century Square
• Our Tampines Hub
• Tampines Mall
• Tampines 1

If you like affordable furniture, meatballs, and sprawling supermarkets…

Ikea Tampines and Giant Hypermarket are only a short bus ride away.

Need to catch a flight for your next holiday?

Changi Airport is only a 10 minutes cab ride away.

#eastsideforthewin

What are the nearest MRT stations?

• Bedok Reservoir MRT (DT30)
• Tampines West MRT (DT31)

What are the nearest schools?

Type	Name of School
Primary School	Changkat Primary
Junyuan Primary
Secondary	Changkat Changi Secondary
Springfield Secondary
Polytechnic	Temasek Poly

5. Toa Payoh (Bidadari)

Probably one of the hottest projects in this HDB BTO November 2020 launch.

The Toa Payoh (Bidadari) HDB BTO launch will have 2 sites and a total of 1,230 units of 3-Room, 4-Room, and 5-Room flats available.

The site off Upper Aljunied Road will have 350 units of 3-Room and 4-Room flats.

While the site off Mount Vernon Road will have 880 units of 3-Room, 4-Room, and 5-Room flats.

How much will the Toa Payoh (Bidadari) HDB BTO flats cost?

The Toa Payoh (Bidadari) area is one of the more popular estates in Singapore.

In fact, it’s usually touted as “the next Bishan” given its location in Toa Payoh town and proximity to the city.

The first site for the Toa Payoh (Bidadari) HDB BTO November 2020 launch is off Upper Aljunied Road and is closer to Woodleigh MRT station.

The most recent HDB BTO in its vicinity was Woodleigh Village which was launched back in November 2016.

In terms of pricing, a 4-Room flat started at $468,000 (excluding grants).

And that particular project saw a subscription rate of 6.7 for 4-Room flats.

The second site is off Mount Vernon Road and is closer to Bartley MRT station instead.

The most recent HDB BTO in its vicinity was Woodleigh Hillside which was launched back in May 2017.

For that BTO project, a 4-Room flat starts at $475,000 (excluding grants).

In terms of subscription, it was 3.1 for a 4-Room flat and 5.2 for a 5-Room flat.

(read: competition might be a little stiffer if you’re going for a 5-Room flat in Toa Payoh)

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Since both sites are considered as one project under the Toa Payoh (Bidadari) HDB BTO November 2020 launch.

The pricing should be the same , regardless of which site you choose.

Looking at how starting prices attracted a $7,000 premium just over a span of half a year between the November 2016 and May 2017 HDB BTO launch.

I estimate that the starting price for a 4-Room flat in the Toa Payoh (Bidadari) HDB BTO November 2020 launch to be about $480,000 (excluding grants).

What are the nearest shopping malls?

• The Woodleigh Mall [note: will be completed in 2022]

If you choose the site that is off Upper Aljunied Road, the mall is about an 8-minutes walk through Bidadari Park.

FYI: The Woodleigh Mall is part of a mixed commercial and residential development and will feature:

• an integrated community club
• neighbourhood police centre
• Woodleigh MRT station and bus interchange

When it is completed in 3Q2022.

If you choose the site that is off Mount Vernon Road, you might want to consider taking the Circle Line down to Serangoon instead where there’s NEX — the biggest mall in the North-East.

What are the nearest MRT stations?

Regardless of which site you choose, both are near an MRT station… it’s just which one are you nearer to.

For the site that is off Upper Aljunied Road

• Woodleigh MRT (NE11)

And for the site that is off Mount Vernon Road

• Bartley MRT (CC12)

What are the nearest schools?

Type	Name of School
Primary School	Cedar Primary
Maris Stella High (Primary)
Secondary	Bartley Secondary
Cedar Girls' Secondary
Maris Stella High (Secondary)

For the site that is off Upper Aljunied Road

• Cedar Primary School
• Cedar Girls’ Secondary School

And for the site that is off Mount Vernon Road

• Bartley Secondary School
• Maris Stella High (Primary and Secondary)

So… how do I apply for the HDB BTO launch in November 2020?

First time (potential) home-owner?

Don’t know what to do?

Don’t kan cheong (Hokkien: panic)…

Just use this handy dandy HDB BTO step-by-step guide which we put together specially for you!

And if you have questions like “Whether you should a bank loan or HDB loan ?”

Or should you get a resale flat instead of a BTO…

This article was first published in Seedly.