HDB BTO Sep 2023 Launch: Locations, Expected Application Rates, Prices, and More

The third HDB Built-to-Order (BTO) flat launch of the year is almost upon us. If you didn’t like what you saw or didn’t get to book a flat during the Feb 2023 and May 2023 BTO exercises, third time’s the charm?

HDB’s third BTO sales launch of 2023 will be in end-Sep—pushed back from the usual Aug slot. This time, we’re looking at not 4, not 5, but 6 new projects—1 in Choa Chu Kang, 1 in Queenstown, 1 in Tengah (as always), and 3 in Kallang/Whampoa. Let’s take a look at their locations, expected prices, amenities, and more.

Contents:

1. Overview of BTOs in Sep 2023 launch
2. What are the Sep 2023 BTO prices?
3. Sep 2023 BTO application rates, and what to apply for if you’ve been unable to get a BTO
4. What are the Sep 2023 BTO flats’ resale values?
5. Which Sep 2023 BTO projects will be Prime Location Public Housing (PLH)?
6. There are 3 projects under Kallang/Whampoa. Can I apply for the specific project I’m interested in?
7. Will I lose my ballot chances if I don’t book a flat when offered?
8. I don’t like anything I see in the Sep 2023 BTO. When’s the next BTO launch?

 

1. Overview of BTOs in Sep 2023 launch 

The Sep 2023 round of BTO has 6 projects in 4 locations: Choa Chu Kang, Queenstown, Tengah, and Kallang/Whampoa. Here’s a summary of their flat types and number of units:

BTO Project (Sep 2023)	Flat types	Number of units
Choa Chu Kang	2-Room Flexi, 3-Room, 4-Room, 5-Room, 3Gen	1,870
Kallang/Whampoa (Jalan Tenteram)	3-room, 4-room	1,040
Kallang/Whampoa (Jalan Rajah)	2-room Flexi, 4-room	730
Kallang/Whampoa (Geylang Road)	2-room Flexi, 3-room, 4-room	1,140
Queenstown	3-room, 4-room	970
Tengah	2-room Flexi, 3-room, 4-room, 5-room	1,010

Now let’s take a deeper dive into these projects’ nearby amenities and nearest MRT/LRT stations.

Disclaimer: We obtained all distance and travel time estimations using Google Maps. That means they’re only rough approximations. Plus, they’re subject to road and public transport changes by the time the BTO flat is completed.

 

Choa Chu Kang Sep 2023 BTO: Flat types, nearby amenities, nearest MRT stations

The Choa Chu Kang BTO project this Sep 2023 BTO launch is the only one with all the flat types available—even 3Gen. There’s a good number of amenities and schools close by, and you’re going to be surrounded by nature: Sungei Pang Sua, the Bukit Panjang Park Connector, and the Pang Sua Park Connector are going to be within walkable distance. We’re betting this is going to be a popular BTO to apply to come September.

Town	Choa Chu Kang
Mature estate?	Non-mature estate
Flat types	2-room Flexi, 3-room, 4-room, 5-room, 3Gen
Number of units	1,870
Location/street name	Woodlands Road
Nearest MRT/LRT	Bukit Panjang MRT Station), Senja LRT Station (4 min by car / 11 min by bus)
Nearest mall	Junction 10, Teck Whye Shopping Centre
Nearest hawker centre / market	Senja Hawker Centre
Nearest clinic/hospital	Bukit Panjang Polyclinic
Nearest school(s)	West View Primary School & MK@West View , Choa Chu Kang Secondary School, Jurong Pioneer Junior College, West Spring Secondary School, Teck Whye Primary School
Nearest sports facility	Choa Chu Kang Stadium

 

Kallang/Whampoa Sep 2023 BTO: Flat types, nearby amenities, nearest MRT stations

There are 3 BTO projects in Kallang/Whampoa this Sep: Jalan Tenteram, Jalan Rajah, and Geylang Road. Here are their respective maps:

Kallang/Whampoa Sep 2023 BTO: Jalan Tenteram map

Kallang/Whampoa Sep 2023 BTO: Jalan Rajah map

Kallang/Whampoa Sep 2023 BTO: Geylang Road map

The Jalan Tenteram and Jalan Rajah projects are located pretty close to each other, and thus have some overlapping nearby amenities such as the Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Toa Payoh Stadium, and Toa Payoh Swimming Complex. The final project in Geylang Road sits more apart from them, being near the Singapore Sports Hub. Generally, all 3 projects are pretty close to MRT stations and schools, but are further from polyclinics and hospitals compared to other projects. The project along Geylang Road is pretty much as close to an MRT station as it gets, being just a 4-minute walk (280m) from Kallang MRT Station.

Town	Kallang/Whampoa
Location/street name	Jalan Tenteram	Jalan Rajah	Geylang Road
Mature estate?	Mature estate
Flat types	3-room, 4-room	2-room Flexi, 4-room	2-room Flexi, 3-room, 4-room
Number of units	1,040	730	1,140
Nearest MRT/LRT	Potong Pasir MRT (7 min by car, 20 min by bus), Boon Keng MRT (10 min by car, 21 min by bus)	Toa Payoh MRT (10 min by car, 19 min by bus)	Kallang MRT (4 min walk)
Nearest mall/ shopping centre	The Poiz Centre, Shaw Plaza, Balestier Plaza	Shaw Plaza, Balestier Plaza, Zhongshan Mall	Leisure Park Kallang
Nearest hawker centre / market	Berseh Food Centre	Berseh Food Centre	Golden Mile Food Centre, North Bridge Road Market & Food Centre
Nearest clinic/hospital	National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Ren Ci Community Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital	National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Ren Ci Community Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital	Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, Kallang Polyclinic and Long Term Care
Nearest school(s)	St Andrew’s School, St Andrew’s Junior School, Bendemeer Secondary School, Hong Wen School	Bendemeer Secondary School, Hong Wen School, Northlight School, St Andrew’s School, St Andrew’s Junior School	Dunman High School
Nearest sports facility	Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Toa Payoh Stadium, Toa Payoh Swimming Complex	Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Toa Payoh Stadium, Toa Payoh Swimming Complex	Kallang Netball Centre, Kallang Squash & Tennis Centre, Singapore Sports Hub

 

Queenstown Sep 2023 BTO: Flat types, nearby amenities, nearest MRT stations

The Queenstown project in the Sep 2023 BTO sales launch is situated near a good number of schools, and is also really close to Commonwealth MRT Station (just a 4 minute walk away!). While its nearby amenities like clinics, hospitals and food centres don’t look very nearby at the moment (admittedly some can’t even be seen on the map), do note that the Tanglin Halt area is being redeveloped. The historic area has been selected for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS), affecting some 3,480 flats and 200 market and hawker stalls, shops and eating houses. The exact details of the area’s redevelopment plans aren’t released, but we can expect food, shopping, community service facilities, and other amenities akin to those being developed for new BTO projects. Some analysts have estimated that a redevelopment of the area’s old, low-rise residential blocks could even create 5,000 new homes, and we can expect lots of facilities to match these numbers.

Town	Queenstown
Mature estate?	Mature
Flat types	3-room, 4-room
Number of units	970
Location/street name	Commonwealth Drive
Nearest MRT/LRT	Commonwealth MRT Station (4 min walk), One-North MRT Station (4 min by car, 18 min by bus)
Nearest mall/ shopping centre	Star Vista, QMall (under construction)
Nearest hawker centre / market	There isn’t a full-on hawker centre nearby (yet!), but you can find cheap food at the shops along Tanglin Halt Road
Nearest clinic/hospital	National University Hospital
Nearest school(s)	New Town Primary School, Tanglin Trust School, Queensway Secondary School, Anglo Chinese School (International), Civil Service College
Nearest sports facility	Queenstown ActiveSG Stadium

 

Tengah Sep 2023 BTO: Flat types, nearby amenities, nearest MRT stations

It wouldn’t be a BTO sales exercise without a project in Tengah. And like many other past Tengah BTO projects, this one will also offer pretty much all the flat sizes except for 3Gen: 2-room Flexi, 3-room, 4-room, 5-room. Also like the Tengah projects that came before it, you may notice that the word “proposed” comes up a lot on the map. Many amenities are yet to be built because Tengah is a completely new HDB Town. It’s about as non-mature as non-mature gets. Having said that, assuming the town plans do work out (and they should), we’ll probably see this area full of life in time to come.

Town	Tengah
Mature estate?	Non-mature
Flat types	2-room Flexi, 3-room, 4-room, 5-room
Number of units	1,010
Location/street name	Plantation Close
Nearest MRT/LRT	Tengah Park MRT Station, JE2, Jurong Region Line (under construction, ETA 2028) (4 min by car)
Nearest mall/ shopping centre	Le Quest Shopping Mall
Nearest hawker centre / market	Yuhua Village Market and Food Centre
Nearest clinic/hospital	Bukit Batok Polyclinic
Nearest school(s)	Dulwich College (Singapore), Pioneer Primary School, Millennia Institute, Bukit Batok Secondary School, Jurong Primary School
Nearest sports facility	Jurong East Sport Centre

 

2. What are the Sep 2023 BTO prices?

The Sep 2023 BTO prices are on everyone’s minds, since knowing the cost will help you be able to plan your budgets and home loan. While we won’t know the prices for the Aug 2023 BTO projects until the sales launch, we can take a good guess using websites like SRX.

SRX estimates BTO prices by looking at past launch prices, prices of nearby resale flats, the age of the property, and its location. Do note that SRX doesn’t have forecast data for 2-room Flexi flat types, so the prices for these are based on past sales launches.

Choa Chu Kang Sep 2023 BTO Prices (Expected)

Flat type	Sep 2023 BTO: Expected prices for Choa Chu Kang
2-room Flexi*	$102,000 – $160,000
3-room	$200,000 – $250,000
4-room	$280,000 – $370,000
5-room	$400,000 – $520,000

*2-room Flexi rates estimated from the past Choa Chu Kang BTO sales launch in Aug 2022, Keat Hong Grange

 

Kallang/Whampoa Sep 2023 BTO Prices (Expected)

Flat type	Sep 2023 BTO: Expected prices for Kallang/Whampoa
2-room Flexi	$185,000 – $297,000
3-room	$330,000 – $450,000
4-room	$490,000 – $640,000

*2-room Flexi rates estimated from the past Kallang/Whampoa BTO sales launch in Feb 2023, Farrer Park Fields. 

 

Queenstown Sep 2023 BTO Prices (Expected)

Flat type	Sep 2023 BTO: Expected prices for Queenstown
3-room	$390,000 – $520,000
4-room	$560,000 – $740,000

 

Tengah Sep 2023 BTO Prices (Expected)

Flat type	Sep 2023 BTO: Expected prices for Tengah
2-room Flexi*	$100,000 – $180,000
3-room	$250,000 – $300,000
4-room	$370,000 – $460,000
5-room	$480,000 – $600,000

*2-room Flexi rates estimated from past BTO sales launches in Tengah in Feb and May 2023.

As you can expect, our 2 non-mature estates Tengah and Choa Chu Kang are expected to cost a fair bit less than the BTO units in Queenstown and Kallang/Whampoa. If you’re considering Queenstown and Kallang/Whampoa, be warned that the Queenstown project and at least one of the Kallang/Whampoa ones are probably going to be under the Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model. That means higher costs and a longer minimum occupancy period (10 years).

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ALSO READ: Buying a HDB BTO Flat: A Step-By-Step Guide

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3. Sep 2023 BTO application rates, and what to apply for if you’ve been unable to get a BTO

In Singapore, it’s starting to feel like the only thing harder than successfully getting a BTO flat is striking Toto/4D. We all know of friends who’ve tried 5, 6, or even 10 times to BTO and not been successful. If that sounds like you, pay attention to the past application rates for certain HDB towns. If that area has a track record of being really popular, you may want to reconsider applying for it.

Here are the past application rates of BTO projects in Choa Chu Kang, Kallang/Whampoa, Queenstown, and Tengah.

Choa Chu Kang Sep 2023 BTO: Expected application rates

The figures below are from the Choa Chu Kang BTO project launched in Aug 2022, Keat Hong Grange.

			Application rates for families
Flat type	No. of units	No. of applicants	First-timers	Second-timers
2-room Flexi	194	512	0.2	0.7
3-room	96	220	1.2	8.6
4-room	374	733	1.5	11.5
5-room/3Gen	323	919	2.0	19.9

 

Kallang/Whampoa Sep 2023 BTO: Expected application rates

Past BTO projects in Kallang/Whampoa, 3-room flats

			Application rates for families
BTO project	No. of units	No. of applicants	First-timers	Second-timers
Farrer Park Fields / Rajah Summit (Feb 2023)	184	673	1.6	43.6
Kallang Horizon (Nov 2022)	72	550	3.1	111.3

 

Past BTO projects in Kallang/Whampoa, 4-room flats

			Application rates for families
BTO project	No. of units	No. of applicants	First-timers	Second-timers
Farrer Park Fields / Rajah Summit (Feb 2023)	1422	6857	3.4	32.6
Kallang Horizon (Nov 2022)	405	4561	7.1	92.3

If you’re reading this and thinking of applying for one of the Kallang/Whampoa projects this Sep 2023, we sincerely hope you’re a first-timer. The odds of getting a chance to book a flat for second timers are probably going to be really low. For the Kallang Horizon BTO project in Nov 2022, there were 100 odd people vying for each unit!

 

Queenstown Sep 2023 BTO: Expected application rates

Application rates of past BTO projects in Queenstown: 3-room flats

			Application rates for families
BTO project	No. of units	No. of applicants	First-timers	Second-timers
Ulu Pandan Glades (Feb 2023)	160	231	0.6	18.4
Ghim Moh Natura/ Queensway Canopy/ Ulu Pandan Banks (Nov 2022)	587	557	0.3	13.2
Ghim Moh Ascent (May 2022)	196	293	0.5	21.9

 

Application rates of past BTO projects in Queenstown: 4-room flats

			Application rates for families
BTO project	No. of units	No. of applicants	First-timers	Second-timers
Ulu Pandan Glades (Feb 2023)	572	2531	2.3	45.7
Ghim Moh Natura/ Queensway Canopy/ Ulu Pandan Banks (Nov 2022)	2443	5652	1.4	18.8
Ghim Moh Ascent (May 2022)	671	2919	3.0	31.3

 

Tengah Sep 2023 BTO: Expected application rates

Application rates of past BTO projects in Tengah: 2-room Flexi flats

BTO project	Seniors	First-timer families	First-timer singles	Second-timer families
Brickland Weave (Feb 2023)	3.1	0.3	6.4	1.2
Garden Waterfront I @ Tengah (Nov 2022)	1.2	0.1	3.4	0.5
Parc Flora @ Tengah (Feb 2022)	3.1	12.0	NA	NA

 

Application rates of past BTO projects in Tengah: 3-room flats

			Application rates for families
BTO project	No. of units	No. of applicants	First-timers	Second-timers
Brickland Weave (Feb 2023)	95	404	1.9	17.9
Garden Waterfront I @ Tengah (Nov 2022)	89	326	1.5	16.2
Parc Flora @ Tengah (Feb 2022)	85	362	2.5	8.5

 

Application rates of past BTO projects in Tengah: 4-room flats

			Application rates for families
BTO project	No. of units	No. of applicants	First-timers	Second-timers
Brickland Weave (Feb 2023)	597	1334	1.5	15.9
Garden Waterfront I / II @ Tengah (Nov 2022)	740	1933	1.9	16.2
Parc Flora @ Tengah / Plantation Creek (Feb 2022)	570	1813	2.7	5.8

 

Application rates of past BTO projects in Tengah: 5-room flats

			Application rates for families
BTO project	No. of units	No. of applicants	First-timers	Second-timers
Brickland Weave (Feb 2023)	526	1680	2.0	26.3
Garden Waterfront I / II @ Tengah (Nov 2022)	670	2849	2.6	35.2
Parc Flora @ Tengah / Plantation Creek (Feb 2022)	517	2406	3.7	10.1

 

4. What are the Sep 2023 BTO flats’ resale values?

BTO flats are often a couple or an individual’s first home that they own. It probably won’t be the last. At some point, as your circumstances change and salary increases, you’re probably going to consider upgrading to a bigger flat or perhaps to a condo. That makes resale prices a factor you may also want to consider now as you choose your BTO.

Here are the median resale prices based on data from Q4 2022: 

	Median resale price (Q4 2022)
Town	3-room	4-room	5-room
Choa Chu Kang	$389,500	$500,000	$588,000
Kallang/Whampoa	$380,000	$788,000	$800,000
Queenstown	$390,000	$870,000	$894,000*

Source: HDB resale statistics for Q4 2022 

* Note: The 5-room median resale price for Queenstown isn’t available from the Q4 2022 set of data because there were less than 20 resale transactions. The figure above reflects the median resale price from Q3 2022 instead.

As a recap, here are the prices we can expect for the Sep 2023 exercise for these towns:

	Expected Sep 2023 BTO launch prices
Town	3-room	4-room	5-room
Choa Chu Kang	$200,000 – $250,000	$280,000 – $370,000	$400,000 – $520,000
Kallang/Whampoa	$330,000 – $450,000	$490,000 – $640,000	NA
Queenstown	$390,000 – $520,000	$560,000 – $740,000	NA

As usual, the data shows that 4-room flats are probably going to fetch you the biggest profit. If you purchase a 4-room flat in Choa Chu Kang this Sep 2023 BTO for $300,000 and resell it for $500,000 in 5 years’ time after the MOP, you’d walk off with a $200,000 (67%) profit. Perhaps even more, if you know how to choose the right time to sell your flat.

That said, 4-room flats are also the most popular flat type with generally the highest application rates. So you could apply for a 4-room to enjoy good resale value, but you may not get to book a flat if your queue number isn’t good enough. If these are concerns to you, weigh up the chances of booking a flat against its resale value. Should getting a home of any size be the most important to you, go for a 3-room instead of 4-room for better odds. Or, if you can afford a 5-room, go for that instead—5-room flats generally have better resale value than 3-room ones, and are still less popular than 4-room units.

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ALSO READ: What Is The Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) 99-1 Loophole in Singapore and Is It Illegal?

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5. Which Sep 2023 BTO projects will be Prime Location Public Housing (PLH)?

The Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model is basically a scheme that jacks up the prices of BTO flats in central locations, among other things that make a PLH flat more difficult or less attractive to own. It’s all in the spirit of managing the demand for these flats in prime locations, and making sure home owners don’t just buy the flat to flip it ASAP for a big profit.

This Sep 2023 BTO, we expect the Queenstown and at least one of the Kallang/Whampoa BTO projects to be under the PLH model. These areas have practically always come up as PLH models in recent years. So if you’re considering applying for these BTO projects, take note of the following restrictions:

• Price: PLH model flats are going to be more expensive. No surprise, right, with such central locations?
• Minimum occupancy period (MOP): You have to live in the flat for 10 years instead of 5 years before you can sell the unit or buy a private residential property.
• Renting: You can’t rent your whole flat out—even after the MOP. However, you can rent out spare bedrooms. 
• Resale: You have to return a percentage of the flat’s resale price to HDB.

 

6. There are 3 BTO projects under Kallang/Whampoa this Sep. Can I apply for the specific project I’m interested in?

Nope. You apply to the town, not the project. To quote HDB (see their Sales Launch FAQ Q5): “You can only submit 1 application for 1 town and 1 flat type in a sales launch.” Yup, that also means that you can only apply for a BTO flat or for a Sale of Balance flat in Sep 2023, and not both at the same time.

In the context of the Sep 2023 BTO exercise, this may be problematic for you if you are only keen on 1 of the Kallang/Whampoa units, and for some reason want to avoid the other 2 like the plague. Because let’s say everyone else has the same idea, and your queue number is pretty far back. The others may snap up all the units (or at least all the good units) in the project you wanted, leaving you no choice but to book a flat in one of the other Kallang/Whampoa BTO projects this Sep 2023.

Wait, what? I have no choice but to book a flat? Well, okay, you do have a choice. But you’re kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place. Read on.

 

7. Will I lose my ballot chances if I don’t book a flat when offered?

Short answer: Yes, for a year. And if you’re a second-timer, you lose your ability to apply for a flat in the first place for the same length of time.

Starting this Sep 2023 BTO exercise, HDB is tightening their BTO rules in order to really really encourage you to book a flat when offered:

• If you’re a first-timer and you don’t book a flat when given the chance to, you’re going to be considered a second-timer for a whole year. If you’re applying as a family, this is going to greatly lower your chances of getting a BTO flat—HDB sets aside about 95% of them for first-timer families.
• If you’re a second-timer and you don’t book a flat when you can, you can’t apply again for a whole year.

Before you complain, don’t forget that HDB BTO flats are a public housing scheme after all. And with about 40% of applicants not booking a flat when they are offered the opportunity to, it was really a matter of time before HDB clamped down harder. If you want the luxury of time and choice, consider buying a resale flat instead.

 

8. I don’t like anything I see in the Sep 2023 BTO. When’s the next BTO launch?

The next HDB BTO launch is going to be your last chance this year to apply for a BTO flat. For the Nov 2023 BTO, HDB has promised us 6,300 units in the following towns:

• Bedok (Community Care Apartments/ 2-room Flexi/ 3-/ 4-/ 5-room)
• Bishan (3-/ 4-room)
• Bukit Merah (2-room Flexi/ 3-/ 4-room)
• Bukit Panjang (2-room Flexi/ 4-room)
• Jurong West (2-room Flexi/ 3-/ 4-/ 5-room)
• Queenstown (3-/ 4-room)
• Woodlands (2-room Flexi/ 3-/ 4-/ 5-room)

Gotta say, that’s quite a bumper crop of BTO projects. Looks like we’ll be ending the year with a bang on the BTO front! Watch this space, because we’ll cover BTO locations, expected prices, application rates, and more for Nov 2023.

 

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