SINGAPORE: The ongoing Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise for October has attracted 31,095 applications as of 5pm on Wednesday (Oct 22).
This was three times more than the 9,144 flats put up for sale, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat in a Facebook post.
The final BTO launch of the year began on Oct 15 and remains ongoing until 11.59pm on Wednesday.
Ten projects have been launched, including the first flats in two new housing estates – Mount Pleasant in Toa Payoh and Berlayar on the former Keppel Club site in Bukit Merah.
Other sites include Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bishan, Redhill, Jurong East, Sengkang and Yishun.
The last sales exercise in July, which launched a total of 5,547 BTO flats across eight projects, received about 22,000 applications.
According to the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) website which was last updated at 5pm, the median application rate for three-room and bigger BTO flats among first-timer families stands at 1.7.
For second-timer families, the rate is 14.8.
This is higher than the 1.4 and 11.7 application rates logged in the previous BTO sales exercise, according to Huttons Asia’s senior director of data analytics Lee Sze Teck.
Reasons for the rise in applicants include the higher allocation quota for second-timer families which kicked in since July and the launch of BTO projects in “highly desirable locations”, such as Bishan, Bukit Merah and Toa Payoh.
“Bishan, Bukit Merah and Toa Payoh had consistently ranked among the top HDB towns with a high number of million-dollar flats,” said Mr Lee, noting that there were 73 such flats in Bishan, 170 in Bukit Merah and 240 in Toa Payoh in the first nine months of 2025.
“Many buyers will be priced out of these coveted locations in the HDB resale market. The BTO market is a more affordable option for buyers albeit with a long waiting time.”
Applications show that the highly sought-after units include four-room flats at Bishan Terraces and Mount Pleasant Crest, which had first-time application rates of 3.1.
Both are Prime projects, with subsidy clawback rates of 10 and 12 per cent, respectively.
An artist's impression of the Berlayar Residences housing project in Bukit Merah. (Image: Housing and Development Board)
The other two Prime projects in this sales exercise – Berlayar Residences and Redhill Peak in Bukit Merah – had a combined first-time application rate of 2.9.
The clawback rate of 14 per cent for Berlayar Residences could have played a role in tempering demand, said Mr Mohan Sandrasegeran, head of research and data analytics at the Singapore Realtors Inc. The rate for Berlayar Residences is the highest to date.
At Redhill Peaks, the rate – one of the tighter resale rules put in place for Prime and Plus flats that are priced with additional subsidies – is set at 12 per cent.
“This suggests that while Prime flats remain appealing for their centrality and long-term value potential, demand has started to stabilise as homebuyers adjust to the new classification framework and evaluate the balance between affordability, location, and policy conditions,” Mr Sandrasegeran added.
Five-room flats at Chencharu Grove in Yishun also saw first-time application rates hitting 3.4.
Classified as a Standard project, this marked the fourth BTO project in the new housing estate of Chencharu, which is located near Khatib MRT station.
Applicants may be drawn to the bigger size of five-room flats and the availability of an upcoming mixed-use development next to the BTO project, said Mr Lee.
In his Facebook post, Mr Chee noted that the majority of the three-room and larger flat types have first-time application rates of 2 and below, meaning that “many first-timer applicants have a good chance of securing a flat”.
Overall, the median application rates for first-time families in the BTO exercises have come down this year – ranging from 1.1 to 1.7, compared to 2024’s range of 1.6 to 2.6, he said.
Strong interest was also observed from first-time single applicants for the almost 3,000 two-room flexi flats on offer.
Demand was especially concentrated at Teban Heights in Jurong East, which saw a median application rate of 18.6, said Mr Sandrasegeran, citing the project’s proximity to the upcoming Pandan Reservoir MRT station on the Jurong Region Line as a reason.
Overall, the median application rate for singles stood at 7, a pullback from 8.8 in July.
This, according to Mr Sandrasegeran, suggests that the expanded BTO supply has helped to ease competition among single applicants.
October’s sales exercise also marked the implementation of the Family Care Scheme (Joint Balloting), where parents and their children, regardless of marital status, may jointly apply for two units in the same BTO project where there are two-room flexi or three-room flats offered.
The next sales exercise will happen in February, with the launch of 4,600 BTO flats across six projects in Bukit Merah, Sembawang, Tampines and Toa Payoh.
About 3,000 sale of balance flats will also be on offer.
“We will continue to provide a strong supply of flats and a good mix of housing options to meet the needs of Singaporeans,” said Mr Chee.
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This was three times more than the 9,144 flats put up for sale, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat in a Facebook post.
The final BTO launch of the year began on Oct 15 and remains ongoing until 11.59pm on Wednesday.
Ten projects have been launched, including the first flats in two new housing estates – Mount Pleasant in Toa Payoh and Berlayar on the former Keppel Club site in Bukit Merah.
Other sites include Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bishan, Redhill, Jurong East, Sengkang and Yishun.
The last sales exercise in July, which launched a total of 5,547 BTO flats across eight projects, received about 22,000 applications.
According to the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) website which was last updated at 5pm, the median application rate for three-room and bigger BTO flats among first-timer families stands at 1.7.
For second-timer families, the rate is 14.8.
This is higher than the 1.4 and 11.7 application rates logged in the previous BTO sales exercise, according to Huttons Asia’s senior director of data analytics Lee Sze Teck.
Related:
Reasons for the rise in applicants include the higher allocation quota for second-timer families which kicked in since July and the launch of BTO projects in “highly desirable locations”, such as Bishan, Bukit Merah and Toa Payoh.
“Bishan, Bukit Merah and Toa Payoh had consistently ranked among the top HDB towns with a high number of million-dollar flats,” said Mr Lee, noting that there were 73 such flats in Bishan, 170 in Bukit Merah and 240 in Toa Payoh in the first nine months of 2025.
“Many buyers will be priced out of these coveted locations in the HDB resale market. The BTO market is a more affordable option for buyers albeit with a long waiting time.”
Applications show that the highly sought-after units include four-room flats at Bishan Terraces and Mount Pleasant Crest, which had first-time application rates of 3.1.
Both are Prime projects, with subsidy clawback rates of 10 and 12 per cent, respectively.
An artist's impression of the Berlayar Residences housing project in Bukit Merah. (Image: Housing and Development Board)
The other two Prime projects in this sales exercise – Berlayar Residences and Redhill Peak in Bukit Merah – had a combined first-time application rate of 2.9.
The clawback rate of 14 per cent for Berlayar Residences could have played a role in tempering demand, said Mr Mohan Sandrasegeran, head of research and data analytics at the Singapore Realtors Inc. The rate for Berlayar Residences is the highest to date.
At Redhill Peaks, the rate – one of the tighter resale rules put in place for Prime and Plus flats that are priced with additional subsidies – is set at 12 per cent.
“This suggests that while Prime flats remain appealing for their centrality and long-term value potential, demand has started to stabilise as homebuyers adjust to the new classification framework and evaluate the balance between affordability, location, and policy conditions,” Mr Sandrasegeran added.
Five-room flats at Chencharu Grove in Yishun also saw first-time application rates hitting 3.4.
Classified as a Standard project, this marked the fourth BTO project in the new housing estate of Chencharu, which is located near Khatib MRT station.
Applicants may be drawn to the bigger size of five-room flats and the availability of an upcoming mixed-use development next to the BTO project, said Mr Lee.
In his Facebook post, Mr Chee noted that the majority of the three-room and larger flat types have first-time application rates of 2 and below, meaning that “many first-timer applicants have a good chance of securing a flat”.
Overall, the median application rates for first-time families in the BTO exercises have come down this year – ranging from 1.1 to 1.7, compared to 2024’s range of 1.6 to 2.6, he said.
Related:
Strong interest was also observed from first-time single applicants for the almost 3,000 two-room flexi flats on offer.
Demand was especially concentrated at Teban Heights in Jurong East, which saw a median application rate of 18.6, said Mr Sandrasegeran, citing the project’s proximity to the upcoming Pandan Reservoir MRT station on the Jurong Region Line as a reason.
Overall, the median application rate for singles stood at 7, a pullback from 8.8 in July.
This, according to Mr Sandrasegeran, suggests that the expanded BTO supply has helped to ease competition among single applicants.
October’s sales exercise also marked the implementation of the Family Care Scheme (Joint Balloting), where parents and their children, regardless of marital status, may jointly apply for two units in the same BTO project where there are two-room flexi or three-room flats offered.
The next sales exercise will happen in February, with the launch of 4,600 BTO flats across six projects in Bukit Merah, Sembawang, Tampines and Toa Payoh.
About 3,000 sale of balance flats will also be on offer.
“We will continue to provide a strong supply of flats and a good mix of housing options to meet the needs of Singaporeans,” said Mr Chee.
Continue reading...