Most profitable BTOs in 2023: These ulu BTOs in the north made almost 3x for its owners

When is a resale flat at its peak? To most buyers, this is the five-year mark: a flat that's sold as soon as it reaches the Minimum Occupancy Period (MOP). These flats are the newest possible HDB resale flats you can possibly get, and renovations are still new; so prices may be at a premium.

Here's a look at where the most profitable five-year old flats have appeared this year, as well as some of the top neighbourhoods:

Do note that these profits were derived from the selling price less the average between the minimum and maximum price of the BTO offered as we do not have the exact purchase price of each BTO.

Five-year old resale flats to date:

3-room flats

4-room flats

BTO	Estate	Average $ Profit	Average per cent Profit
Marsiling Greenview	WOODLANDS	$352,000	130per cent
Tampines GreenEdge	TAMPINES	$362,259	129per cent
EastLawn @ Canberra	SEMBAWANG	$323,952	125per cent
EastLace @ Canberra	SEMBAWANG	$321,567	123per cent
EastCrown @ Canberra	SEMBAWANG	$316,424	121per cent
EastWave @ Canberra	SEMBAWANG	$311,815	118per cent
Woodlands Glen	WOODLANDS	$299,159	117per cent
EastBrook @ Canberra	SEMBAWANG	$306,347	116per cent
Sun Natura	SEMBAWANG	$305,197	114per cent
Sun Breeze	SEMBAWANG	$299,048	111per cent
Fernvale Riverwalk	SENGKANG	$320,013	111per cent
Punggol BayView	PUNGGOL	$358,946	109per cent
Yung Ho Spring I	JURONG WEST	$313,597	109per cent
Woodlands Pasture I	WOODLANDS	$275,565	108per cent
Admiralty Grove	WOODLANDS	$287,126	107per cent
West Valley @ Bukit Batok	BUKIT BATOK	$321,816	107per cent
Woodlands Pasture II	WOODLANDS	$270,284	106per cent
Kebun Baru Court	ANG MO KIO	$437,651	106per cent
Admiralty Flora	WOODLANDS	$281,966	104per cent
West Terra @ Bukit Batok	BUKIT BATOK	$312,094	102per cent
Fern Grove @ Yishun	YISHUN	$281,498	102per cent
West Crest @ Bukit Batok	BUKIT BATOK	$305,200	101per cent
Hougang Meadow	HOUGANG	$336,818	101per cent
Anchorvale Fields	SENGKANG	$299,989	100per cent
SkyPeak @ Bukit Batok	BUKIT BATOK	$348,389	99per cent
Keat Hong Colours	CHOA CHU KANG	$246,730	95per cent
West Ridges @ Bukit Batok	BUKIT BATOK	$292,670	95per cent
Park Grove @ Yishun	YISHUN	$272,263	94per cent
Buangkok Square	HOUGANG	$277,250	93per cent
Compassvale Helm	SENGKANG	$303,056	92per cent
Spring Haven @ Jurong	JURONG WEST	$262,292	91per cent
Hougang Crimson	HOUGANG	$271,141	90per cent
Buangkok Edgeview	HOUGANG	$265,175	89per cent
Keat Hong Crest	CHOA CHU KANG	$235,638	89per cent
Waterway Sunray	PUNGGOL	$274,111	89per cent
Whampoa Dew	KALLANG/WHAMPOA	$382,549	88per cent
Yung Kuang Court	JURONG WEST	$255,319	87per cent
Vine Grove @ Yishun	YISHUN	$243,245	85per cent
Boon Lay View	JURONG WEST	$248,724	85per cent
Waterway View	PUNGGOL	$280,023	84per cent
Saraca Breeze @ Yishun	YISHUN	$243,110	84per cent
Angsana Breeze @ Yishun	YISHUN	$237,851	83per cent
Tampines GreenForest	TAMPINES	$267,649	82per cent
Anchorvale Parkview	SENGKANG	$245,597	82per cent
Matilda Edge	PUNGGOL	$255,553	82per cent
Matilda Court	PUNGGOL	$251,986	81per cent
Palm Breeze @ Yishun	YISHUN	$233,567	81per cent
Hougang ParkEdge	HOUGANG	$244,132	80per cent
Telok Blangah Parcview	BUKIT MERAH	$392,272	78per cent
Compassvale Cape	SENGKANG	$232,036	72per cent
Oleander Breeze @ Yishun	YISHUN	$208,726	72per cent
The Verandah @ Matilda	PUNGGOL	$228,946	69per cent
Matilda Portico	PUNGGOL	$199,663	62per cent

5-room flats

BTO	Estate	Average $ Profit	Average per cent Profit
EastLawn @ Canberra	SEMBAWANG	$368,476	107per cent
EastCrown @ Canberra	SEMBAWANG	$353,913	103per cent
Punggol BayView	PUNGGOL	$440,986	102per cent
Tampines GreenEdge	TAMPINES	$387,763	101per cent
Woodlands Pasture I	WOODLANDS	$314,974	100per cent
EastWave @ Canberra	SEMBAWANG	$344,245	99per cent
Woodlands Pasture II	WOODLANDS	$307,960	98per cent
Admiralty Grove	WOODLANDS	$325,207	96per cent
Fern Grove @ Yishun	YISHUN	$336,887	96per cent
Yung Kuang Court	JURONG WEST	$349,600	96per cent
Kebun Baru Court	ANG MO KIO	$500,361	95per cent
Buangkok Edgeview	HOUGANG	$348,990	93per cent
Waterway Sunray	PUNGGOL	$349,050	91per cent
Saraca Breeze @ Yishun	YISHUN	$327,100	91per cent
Admiralty Flora	WOODLANDS	$319,430	91per cent
West Terra @ Bukit Batok	BUKIT BATOK	$370,210	91per cent
Park Grove @ Yishun	YISHUN	$323,336	86per cent
West Crest @ Bukit Batok	BUKIT BATOK	$349,089	86per cent
Matilda Court	PUNGGOL	$323,068	85per cent
Boon Lay View	JURONG WEST	$306,755	84per cent
Anchorvale Parkview	SENGKANG	$328,242	84per cent
Palm Breeze @ Yishun	YISHUN	$300,662	84per cent
West Ridges @ Bukit Batok	BUKIT BATOK	$343,672	83per cent
SkyPeak @ Bukit Batok	BUKIT BATOK	$387,628	82per cent
Waterway View	PUNGGOL	$338,850	81per cent
Keat Hong Colours	CHOA CHU KANG	$271,667	81per cent
Angsana Breeze @ Yishun	YISHUN	$292,417	81per cent
Compassvale Helm	SENGKANG	$323,920	80per cent
Hougang ParkEdge	HOUGANG	$299,871	79per cent
Keat Hong Crest	CHOA CHU KANG	$264,434	78per cent
Oleander Breeze @ Yishun	YISHUN	$263,222	73per cent
Compassvale Cape	SENGKANG	$279,886	68per cent
The Verandah @ Matilda	PUNGGOL	$273,376	65per cent
Matilda Portico	PUNGGOL	$235,740	60per cent

1. Eastcrown, Eastbrook, and Eastlace @ Canberra

As the names suggest, these three projects are in the same general area. 

Two of these projects, Eastcrown and Eastlace, are within walking distance of Canberra MRT (NSL). There's not much difference in the distance; Eastlace is certainly a bit closer (roughly six-minute walk), while Eastcrown is really not much further. The MRT is next to Canberra Plaza, which is one of the newer HDB-run malls. There's an NTUC FairPrice, Guardian, and a Daiso, along with some enrichment schools and eateries. 

Eastbrook @ Canberra is further from the MRT, and we wouldn't call it walking distance as it may be over 15 minutes. But you can take Bus 169 from the stop opposite Durban Road, and you'll probably get to Canberra MRT in about five minutes. In any case, there is a Sheng Siong just downstairs as well as multiple food options.

While Canberra is not the most developed area, residents in these projects are unlikely to feel the inconvenience. All three projects are close to the town's hub, which mitigates the drawback of being in a non-mature town. Couple that with lower initial BTO prices for a non-mature town, and it's easy to see they had a lot of room for appreciation. 

Bukit Canberra, a sports and community hub, is also up and running. This is one of the largest neighbourhood hubs built in recent decades — besides also having a hawker centre, a polyclinic, the town library, etc. it also has one of the best public pools (an eight-lane lap pool!) 

Unfortunately, it's a bit far to walk to Bukit Canberra from any of these three projects; but if you cycle it's a very comfortable distance. 

2. Woodlands Pasture II

This project is not as inaccessible as the maps suggest. While it's too far to walk to Admiralty MRT (NSL) daily (it's about a 15-minute walk), you can just use the bus stop at Woodsvale Condo (it's only 300 metres away).

From there, services like 904 can take you to Admiralty MRT in less than 10 minutes. Admiralty Place, a mall near the MRT station, was just refurbished; there's an NTUC FairPrice here, and there's now a childcare facility as well. 

The main appeal we see here is Woodlands North Coast. This is a major project that will cement Woodlands as the regional hub of the north. This project will bring new retail options to the area, as well as commercial elements (read: jobs), and Republic Polytechnic. You can see the details here. 

While the project is still upcoming, we expect that bus services in the direction of Woodlands International will provide good access to residents here (e.g. perhaps service 858 from the bus stop opposite Seagate). Buyers willing to settle in for the long term will benefit from this. 

3. Sun Natura & Sun Breeze

Both these projects have a good bus connection to Sembawang MRT station (NSL). Services like 859A (Sun Breeze) and 858A (Sun Natura) can get you there in under five minutes. You can also walk, but some may find it a bit far (13+ minutes). 

Both projects are close to Sun Plaza, which has an NTUC FairPrice, a Koufu food court, and a Guardian (there's even a Decathlon). This is a small mall (actually Sun Plaza is a mixed-use project, with a condo above), but it's well-run and suffices for most daily needs. 

There are also a lot of nearby amenities in the form of grocers, coffee shops, hair salons, etc in the immediate surroundings. While all HDB enclaves tend to have these, we notice an especially dense cluster all along Sembawang Crescent Road; this may be the reason why these two projects seem to lead the pack.

Even though they're only five years old and in a non-mature town, their built-up surroundings match those of much older flats. 

Residents may also like the fact that Sembawang Primary, Canberra Primary, and Sembawang Secondary are both nearby (for Sun Breeze, Sembawang Secondary is right across the road); this means there's no need to move after Primary 6, if your child is going to the related secondary institution. 

4. Woodlands Glen

While Woodlands Glen is not the nearest to the MRT station, it has good bus connections. About two minutes from the project, there's a bus stop with services like 901. This can take you to Woodlands South MRT (TEL). 

This is just one stop from Woodlands MRT (NSL, TEL), which is where you'll find Causeway Point. This is the major mall for the neighbourhood, with a FairPrice, Guardian, and all the other usual amenities. 

Besides access to the mall, however, Woodlands Glen has a lot of nearby amenities. There is a Sheng Siong just behind the project, and the local coffee shop is just next door (Block 573). As with the other entries on this list, this project is in a non-mature area (we won't be using this phrase soon), but is in a well-developed part of its specific neighbourhood. 

There is one small drawback though: there's a place of worship nearby, so some home buyers may face the possibility of noise. 

ALSO READ: We own a Normanton Park condo and make $285k per year: Should we sell to invest in stocks and rent or buy a resale unit?

This article was first published in Stackedhomes.