New Toa Payoh, Bishan BTO flats oversubscribed by multiple folds

SINGAPORE - Undeterred by the high price tag, home seekers rushed for the five-room Build-To-Order (BTO) flats in Toa Payoh (Bidadari) - the most expensive units in the November sales launch.

As at 5pm on Monday (Nov 23), the 144 five-room flats in Bartley Beacon, as the project is named, each had more than six first-time applicants vying for the unit.

Second-timer applicants face an even bleaker prospect, with more 152 applicants vying for each five-roomer.

Prices for these flats, the largest flat types at the Bidadari estate project, range from $627,000 to $726,000, excluding grants.

The last time new BTO flats were launched in the Bidadari estate, which is classified under Toa Payoh town, was in May 2017.

Then, prices for the five-room flats in a project named Woodleigh Hillside started from $579,000, excluding grants.

In this November sales exercise, which is set to conclude at midnight on Monday, the 910 four-room flats in Bartley Beacon and ParkView @ Bidadari were less popular, attracting around three first-time applicants each.

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On the other hand, first-time applicants for the 184 three-room flats in both projects stood a better chance at securing a flat, as they attracted just slightly more applicants than the available units.

Also in-demand were the four-room flats in Bishan Ridges, with close to five first-time applicants vying for each of the 1,222 four-room flats.

These flats, within walking distance of Bishan MRT station, were the second-most expensive units in this launch, with prices ranging from $528,000 to $679,000.

The 124 three-room flats in Bishan Ridges drew less interest, at slightly fewer than three first-time applicants for each unit.

In Tampines, there were around three first-time applicants for each of the 360 four-room and 244 five-room flats in a housing project named Tampines GreenEmerald.

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Bigger flats in the non-mature estate of Sembawang were also hotly contested, with more than four first-time applicants vying for each of the 184 five-room flats in the housing project named Sun Sails.

The odds were slightly better for the 238 four-room flats and 84 three-room flats, with around three first-time applicants for each available unit respectively.

In Tengah, the first HDB new town in over 20 years, there were almost three first-time applicants for each of the 327 five-room flats and around two applicants for each of the 570 four-room flats.

These flats are spread across two housing projects named Garden Court @ Tengah and Garden Terrace @ Tengah, and will be the first to be completed around the first quarter of 2024.

In February next year, the HDB will launch some 3,500 BTO flats in Bukit Batok, Tengah, Kallang/Whampoa and Toa Payoh (Bidadari).

Another 3,800 flats will be offered in Bukit Merah, Geylang, Tengah and Woodlands next May.

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