February 2025 BTO Launch Preview: Four Projects to Support SBF Exercise

February 2025 will see the first of three Build-to-Order (BTO) launches of the year, as well as the yearly Sale of Balance Flat (SBF) exercise. This launch will offer about 5,000 BTO flats, as well as 5,500 SBF flats, totalling a supply of over 10,000 flats in this joint exercise.

Interested applicants will require an approved HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) Letter in order to participate in this exercise.

For those who have a valid HFE letter, they will be able to choose from five projects across Kallang/Whampoa (800 units), Queenstown (1,110 units), Woodlands (1,540 units), and Yishun (two projects of 840 and 670 units). Likewise, a HFE letter will be required to apply for flats under the SBF exercise.

They will likely be a mix of Standard (Yishun and Woodlands) and Prime (Kallang/Whampoa and Queenstown) flats, based on their location. It is unlikely that any of these projects will be classified under Plus. Therefore, if you are looking for a Plus flat, there will likely be a greater number of them launched in latter parts of the year.

Let’s go over these projects, as well as their location attributes and unit mixes.

Kallang Whampoa – 800 units

Source: HDB

This project is located within the upcoming Tanjong Rhu area, which saw its first BTO flats in the June 2024 BTO launch. Similar to the previous project in this area, we expect this to be a Prime project.

There will be a mix of 2-room flexi, 3-room and 4-room units, typical of Prime projects.

Located a 7-minute walk from Tanjong Rhu MRT station, the main Plus point of this project would be the easy, sub 10-minute commute to the Central Business District (CBD) via the Thomson-East Coast Line. Additionally, the higher floor units will have access to views of East Coast Park facing the south, as well as downtown and the Marina Reservoir to the north-west.

Additionally, there are plans to construct amenities to transform Tanjong Rhu into a new housing estate.

The previous projects at Tanjong Rhu received 3,963 applicants for 1,296 units, with a 2.1 first timer and 22.3 second-timer application rate for 4-room flats, which make up a majority of these Prime flats. We can expect to see similar demand for this project, following the success of the prior launch.

It is also worth noting that singles will be able to apply for 2-room units here, following the change in policies allowing singles to apply for Prime location 2-room flats that took place in the October 2024 BTO launch.

While the application rates for the exercise have yet to be revealed, it is likely that there is a strong and healthy demand for these Prime 2-room units, due to the oversubscribed nature of the flat type.

Queenstown – 1,110 units

Source: HDB

The other likely Prime project in this launch is this Queenstown BTO project, offering 2-room flexi, 3-room and 4-room units.

Off the bat, we can expect a much stronger demand for this project among Prime flat buyers as compared to the Tanjong Rhu development. This is due to Queenstown being a mature estate – looking at the map we can see that the project site is surrounded by amenities, such as a neighbourhood centre and library nearby.

Another major Plus for this site is that it falls within the 1km priority enrolment distance for both Queenstown and New Town Primary Schools. Compared to the Tanjong Rhu project which does not have the same benefits, couples planning to have kids are likely more inclined to apply for this project, especially given the lengthy 10-year minimum occupation period that they are obligated to stay for.

The previous BTO project that took place at Queenstown was Holland Vista, which saw a staggering 2,233 applicants for 228 4-room units. This consisted of a 6.6 application rate for first-timers, and 72.8 for second-timers.

We can expect a strong demand for this project, given its proximity to the nearby MRT station, as well as the access to nearby primary schools and a variety of amenities. This extends to the 2-room flexi units, where singles are likely to be drawn to the central location and conveniences.

Woodlands – 1,540 units

Source: HDB

This BTO project, which happens to be the largest among the February bunch, is located in Woodlands North, in the Marsiling area, and near the causeway.

The project will be standard project, offering a mixture of 2-room flexi, 3-room, 4-room and 5-room units.

As the area has yet to be developed, there is a lack of amenities in the area, which affected the application rates for the project in Marsiling during the June 2024 BTO launch. The launch received 581 applications for 429 units for 4-room, and 406 applicants for 362 units in 5-room.

The project is about a 5-minute walking distance from Woodlands North MRT station once walkways are paved, which will grant commuters a direct line into the city centre, albeit with a commuting time of about 45 minutes.

Given the large number of units available, there should be muted demand for this project – as it the most undeveloped and far out location of all the launches.

If you are looking to increase your chances at securing a BTO, this might be the project to gun for.

Yishun (Chencharu) – 840 and 670 units

Source: HDB

The last BTO launch that took place in this new estate of Chencharu was in the June 2024 BTO launch, which saw 1385 applicants for 420 4-room units, and 1,609 applicants for 390 5-room units respectively.

Being an entirely new housing zone, there are no nearby facilities. The project will come with amenities such as eating houses and shops, as well as a childcare centre. The surrounding area will be redeveloped to introduce amenities like a park, nursing home, and place of worship.

As this development is to be built as part of an upcoming estate, the area currently suffers from a lack of connectivity. It is a 15-minute walk from Khatib MRT station.

We will also see new bus services providing transit options from this estate to other parts of Yishun, providing further access to amenities for residents.

There should be a healthy response for these standard flats, from the positive previous response and the future development plans of the region – something the HDB has promised about in a recent announcement.

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