Woodlands flats, Prime projects in Bishan and Berlayar draw first-timer interest in June BTO launch
SINGAPORE – Four-room Standard flats in Woodlands and Prime projects in Bishan and Bukit Merah were the most popular among first-time home buyers in HDB’s latest Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise, which opened for applications on June 17. As at 5pm on June 24, nearly four first-time applicants we
By Isabelle Liew
SINGAPORE – Four-room Standard flats in Woodlands and Prime projects in Bishan and Bukit Merah were the most popular among first-time home buyers in HDB’s latest Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise, which opened for applications on June 17.
As at 5pm on June 24, nearly four first-time applicants were vying for each of the 162 four-room flats in Woodgrove Acres, a Standard project bounded by Woodgrove Avenue and Seletar Expressway. The flats here have a wait of 3½ years.
Applications close at 11.59pm on June 24 on the HDB Flat Portal.
Standard flats do not incur subsidy recovery when they are sold and come with a five-year minimum occupation period (MOP).
Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist at property firm Realion (OrangeTee & ETC) Group, said the demand for Woodgrove Acres was surprising as it is not near an MRT station or amenities.
She said buyers looking to apply for flats in northern Singapore could have been deterred by the longer 10-year MOP for the two Plus projects in Ang Mo Kio, and opted for the Woodlands one instead. Prices of the Ang Mo Kio flats are also substantially higher than those for the Woodlands project, she added.
Lee Sze Teck, senior director of data analytics at real estate agency Huttons Asia, added that buyers could have been drawn to Woodgrove Acres as the project is in an established area with more amenities, compared with the two other Standard projects in Sembawang North.
Eugene Lim, key executive officer of property agency ERA Singapore, noted that Fuchun Primary School and Innova Primary School are within 1km of the project, while Woodlands MRT station and Woodlands Regional Centre are accessible by bus.
The project caters to buyers looking for more affordable flats, “without compromising too much on convenience”, he added.
The 157 two-room flexi flats in this project were also in high demand among seniors and singles – drawing a total of 1,071 applicants. Among singles, the units were 18 times oversubscribed, the highest application rate for singles in this launch.
Four-room flats in Prime projects Lakeview Cascadia in Bishan and Berlayar Rise in Bukit Merah were more than three times oversubscribed among first-timers.
Prime and Plus flats, which are closer to the city centre, transport nodes and amenities, come with stricter resale conditions. Both come with a 10-year MOP, and Prime flats have a higher subsidy clawback upon resale.
The subsidy clawback has been set at 10 per cent for the Bishan project, located in Upper Thomson, and 14 per cent for the Bukit Merah one.
Flats in the Bishan project are the first to be launched in the Lakeview area near MacRitchie Reservoir in over 40 years. The Bukit Merah flats are located in the new Berlayar estate in Telok Blangah Road.
In total, there were more than 5,000 applicants for the 988 four-room flats in Berlayar Rise, and 3,753 applicants for the 745 four-room units in Lakeview Cascadia.
Sun said demand was high for Lakeview Cascadia as there is a limited supply of new flats in Bishan.
“Given that the new flats are within walking distance of an MRT station and are close to a few top schools, the project will be a huge draw for families with school-going children prioritising convenience,” she added.
As for Berlayar Rise, buyers were undeterred by the 14 per cent subsidy clawback due to its coveted location in the city fringe and near Telok Blangah MRT station, Lee said.
Two Plus projects in Ang Mo Kio, however, saw muted demand, with an application rate of 1.3 for the three- and four-room flats. Both projects have a subsidy recovery rate of 8 per cent.
The developments are near schools such as CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School and Mayflower Secondary School.
Lim said: “Buyers may have taken a measured view of both projects, given their 10- to 15-minute walking distance from Mayflower MRT station, on top of tighter resale conditions for Plus flats.”
At Sembawang Portico and Sembawang Brook, which have the shortest waits in this launch at under three years, three-room and larger flats were undersubscribed with a first-time application rate of below one. This means all first-time buyers are virtually guaranteed the chance to pick a unit.
The shorter waiting time for the projects in Sembawang Drive and Sungei Sembawang did not sway applicants towards them, due to the lack of nearby amenities and the distance from an MRT station, said Lee. The nearest is Sembawang station, which is a 15- to 20-minute walk away.
In all, 6,952 flats in the June exercise are on sale across Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Bukit Merah, Woodlands and Sembawang.
National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said in a Facebook post on June 24 that the Government will remain focused on building more and building faster.
This includes about 20,000 two-room flexi flats that will be launched from 2026 to 2028 to meet the strong demand from seniors and singles, he added.
Nearly one in three units, or about 2,300 of the flats on offer in the current sales exercise, is a two-room flexi.
As at 5pm on June 24, the total number of applicants in the June exercise stood at 22,634. This works out to an overall application rate of 3.2, which is on a par with the two most recent exercises in February (3.2) and October 2025 (3.4).
Those who get a queue number for the June launch can expect to book their flat at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh between December 2026 and March 2027.