BTO Couples Pick AMK & Tampines Flats Over Tengah, Prove OG Heartlands Still Have Their Charm

Ang Mo Kio & Tampines 4-Room BTO Flats Are More Popular Than Tengah Units

In the final BTO rush of the year, Singaporean couples have proven that the allure of OG heartlands is simply too hard to resist.

Artist’s impression of Tampines Green Spring
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4-room flats from Ang Mo Kio and Tampines were an especially popular choice, in stark contrast to Tengah’s brand new estate, offering similarly large units for couples looking to start their families.

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We’ve taken a look at the numbers reported by The Straits Times on 19 Nov, to give you an inkling of what you’ll be up against, if you intend to try your luck for the insanely popular units.

OG mature estates still more popular than Tengah

To sum up Nov’s recent BTO exercise, AMK and Tampines 4-room HDB units were the clear front-runners for couples, despite their expensive price tags.

Ang Mo Kio
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3-room – 2 couples/unit for 87 flats
4-room – 13 couples/unit for 235 flats

4-room flats were overwhelming oversubscribed, at 13 times the number of flats available.

TampinesSource

3-room – 3 couples/unit for 90 flats
4-room – 11 couples/unit for 218 flats
5-room – 11 couples/unit for 193 flats

As for Tampines Green Spring’s 4-room & 5-room units, approximately 11 couples bid for each of the 411 flats available.

TengahSource

3-room – 0.7 couples/unit
4-room – 2 couples/unit
5-room – 2 couples/unit
3G units – 2 couples/unit

By comparison – or perhaps thanks to a massive influx of 3,460 new Tengah flats – the application rate was hovering between 0.7-2 couples per unit for 3-room, 4-room, 5-room and 3rd-Gen flats.

This also means that if you’ve applied for a 3-room flat in this round’s Tengah release, you’ll probably get the flat you’ve picked easily.

Back in Sep’s BTO round, however, 5-room Punggol units were the “most popular”, with triple the applicants per unit, reports ST.

Wealthier couples join the BTO rush

Thanks to new policies that raise income limits for BTO grants, wealthier couples have joined the pool of bidders for new units.

To afford a 4-room flat in Ang Mo Kio, they’ll have to shell out upwards of $450,000 per unit.

As for those jockeying for the title of ‘East-sider‘ in Tampines – an average 5-room flat costs close to $510,000.

Couples who’re eyeing a larger slice of profits when they turnover their property to the resale market, probably contributed to the BTO rush in mature estates this time.

Your home is your greatest investment

Thanks to the rich amenities granted by tried and tested heartland locations in AMK & Tampines, the last BTO exercise of the year also turned out to be the most exciting.

All the best to hopeful couples. May the keys to your dream home be within your reach soon.

But if the BTO gods don’t smile favourably upon you this time, we’ll definitely keep an eye on Bishan’s upcoming release, if you can afford the wait.

Featured image adapted from HDB.