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25-03-2011, 06:05 AM
Finally, more choices for couples and those wanting to get a flat! See attached for more info on upcoming BTO launches.... 
Mar 25, 2011
10 more HDB build-to-order projects in next 2 months
For the first time, HDB releases info as it launches two projects
By Daryl Chin
CALL it better room service.
Even as the Housing Board (HDB) launched two build-to-order (BTO) projects in Jurong West and Sengkang yesterday, it also provided information of 10 more expected to be offered in the next two months.
This is the first time the HDB is doing so, in a bid to better help buyers land their dream home.
Successful applicants will be able to choose units as quickly as a month after the launch, instead of nine weeks previously.
These changes were announced at the Committee of Supply debate in Parliament last month. Then, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan had said they were aimed at making HDB flats more accessible and affordable to first-time buyers and quickening the buying process.
First-timers The Straits Times spoke to welcomed the release of more information on BTO launches in estates like Tampines and Punggol. The HDB provided details like the addresses, the total number of flats and the flat types.
Under the BTO scheme, flats are built after sufficient interest has been gathered from eligible buyers.
Sales manager Melvinder Singh, 31, said the longer BTO list will allow him and his wife to better discuss their options.
'Let's say I spot a location I want, like the Tampines project in May. Then, there is no reason for me to bid for other upcoming projects and waste my chances and energy,' he added.
But the availability of more information could also skew buying behaviour, said financial consultant Cliff Teo, 29.
'More buyers might gun for the popular areas but that might mean desperate buyers also have a better chance going for the less popular areas,' he noted.
The two BTO projects launched yesterday offer more than 1,500 flats. The units in the Boon Lay Fields project in Jurong West come with minimal fittings in the kitchen and bathrooms.
About half of the 491 units are four-room ones, from $270,000. There are also three-room flats (from $168,000) and five-room types (from $334,000). They are estimated to be ready by the first quarter of 2014.
The Compassvale Ancilla project in Sengkang will yield 1,036 units which come with better-quality fittings.
There will be 224 studio flats as well as units with three rooms (140), four rooms (420) and five rooms (252). Prices start from $77,000, $194,000, $303,000 and $375,000 respectively. Work is expected to finish by the third quarter of 2014.
With the exception of studio apartments - to meet the needs of those aged 55 and above, 95 per cent of the new flats launched yesterday will be set aside for first-time households.
The monthly household income ceiling for a three-room unit in Boon Lay Fields is $5,000, up from $3,000 previously, and $8,000 for the rest.
The deadline for applications is March 30, with analysts expecting an oversubscription rate of four times for both projects.
Said Mr Nicholas Mak, SLP International's head of research: 'With more certainty in the market, some people might decide to go for the locations they want. But the project in Sengkang is still fairly attractive because of nearby facilities.'
darylc@sph.com.sg
Mar 25, 2011
10 more HDB build-to-order projects in next 2 months
For the first time, HDB releases info as it launches two projects
By Daryl Chin
CALL it better room service.
Even as the Housing Board (HDB) launched two build-to-order (BTO) projects in Jurong West and Sengkang yesterday, it also provided information of 10 more expected to be offered in the next two months.
This is the first time the HDB is doing so, in a bid to better help buyers land their dream home.
Successful applicants will be able to choose units as quickly as a month after the launch, instead of nine weeks previously.
These changes were announced at the Committee of Supply debate in Parliament last month. Then, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan had said they were aimed at making HDB flats more accessible and affordable to first-time buyers and quickening the buying process.
First-timers The Straits Times spoke to welcomed the release of more information on BTO launches in estates like Tampines and Punggol. The HDB provided details like the addresses, the total number of flats and the flat types.
Under the BTO scheme, flats are built after sufficient interest has been gathered from eligible buyers.
Sales manager Melvinder Singh, 31, said the longer BTO list will allow him and his wife to better discuss their options.
'Let's say I spot a location I want, like the Tampines project in May. Then, there is no reason for me to bid for other upcoming projects and waste my chances and energy,' he added.
But the availability of more information could also skew buying behaviour, said financial consultant Cliff Teo, 29.
'More buyers might gun for the popular areas but that might mean desperate buyers also have a better chance going for the less popular areas,' he noted.
The two BTO projects launched yesterday offer more than 1,500 flats. The units in the Boon Lay Fields project in Jurong West come with minimal fittings in the kitchen and bathrooms.
About half of the 491 units are four-room ones, from $270,000. There are also three-room flats (from $168,000) and five-room types (from $334,000). They are estimated to be ready by the first quarter of 2014.
The Compassvale Ancilla project in Sengkang will yield 1,036 units which come with better-quality fittings.
There will be 224 studio flats as well as units with three rooms (140), four rooms (420) and five rooms (252). Prices start from $77,000, $194,000, $303,000 and $375,000 respectively. Work is expected to finish by the third quarter of 2014.
With the exception of studio apartments - to meet the needs of those aged 55 and above, 95 per cent of the new flats launched yesterday will be set aside for first-time households.
The monthly household income ceiling for a three-room unit in Boon Lay Fields is $5,000, up from $3,000 previously, and $8,000 for the rest.
The deadline for applications is March 30, with analysts expecting an oversubscription rate of four times for both projects.
Said Mr Nicholas Mak, SLP International's head of research: 'With more certainty in the market, some people might decide to go for the locations they want. But the project in Sengkang is still fairly attractive because of nearby facilities.'
darylc@sph.com.sg
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