With Singapore’s Covid cases rising and the threat of a second Circuit Breaker looming, having a home of your own is looking more attractive than ever.
To help you to move out of your parents’ home once and for all, here are the May 2021 BTO offerings in Bukit Merah, Geylang, Tengah and Woodlands.
HDB BTO launch May 2021 overview
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Bukit Merah |
Geylang |
Tengah |
Woodlands |
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Project name |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
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Estate type |
Mature |
Mature |
Non-mature |
Non-mature |
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Nearest MRT station |
Telok Blangah |
MacPherson |
Hong Kah (opening in 2027) | Woodlands |
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Units available |
170 |
1,380 |
780 |
1,540 |
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Flat types |
3-room, 4-room |
2-room flexi, 3-room, 4-room |
2-room flexi, 4-room, 5-room |
2-room flexi, 3-room, 4-room, 5-room |
For those looking for mature estates in central locations, there will be units in the following areas up for grabs:
- Bukit Merah (Telok Blangah)
- Geylang
Successfully balloting for a flat in this areas is going to be as hard as striking Toto, as they’re in highly sought-after city fringe areas. They’re also more expensive — mature estate flats can be twice as pricey as similar-sized units in non-mature estates.
If you’re willing to sacrifice convenience for cost-savings, there will be units in the following non-mature estates:
- Tengah
- Woodlands
There have been scores of BTO exercises in Tengah of late, but unless you have a construction fetish, don’t bother travelling there to check out the neighbourhood as it is still under development. The Woodlands project, on the other hand, is in an established estate which, while classified as non-mature, already has lots of long-standing amenities.
Telok Blangah BTO (May 2021)
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Bukit Merah BTO (May 2021 launch) |
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Official HDB map |
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Project name |
TBC |
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Starting price (3-room) |
TBC |
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Starting price (4-room) |
TBC |
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Nearest MRT |
Telok Blangah (600m) |
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Nearest shopping malls |
Depot Heights Shopping Centre, Harbourfront Centre, VivoCity |
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Nearby schools |
Blangah Rise Primary School, ISS international School, CHIJ St Theresa’s Convent, Radin Mas Primary School |
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Nearby amenities |
Telok Blangah Community Club, Telok Blangah Market and Food Centre |
Events like the May 2021 Telok Blangah BTO launch make you realise that your fate is in the hands of the gods. With only 170 3-room and 4-room units up for grabs, you’re going to have to do a lot of praying in order to get a successful ballot.
The BTO project is actually a tad less convenient than it sounds as it’s located about 8 minutes’ walk from Telok Blangah MRT on the Circle Line, which takes you to Raffles Place in about 17 minutes.
Not complaining, though — it’s still enviably close to the city centre, especially by car (takes only about 10 minutes to hit the CBD by car in smooth traffic), and connectivity will get even better when the Circle Line is finally completed in 2025.
The project will be located on Telok Blangah Drive, right next door to Telok Blangah Food Centre, Telok Blangah Market and the local NTUC FairPrice.
Despite its proximity to the city centre, it’s also quite a green area, with the famous Southern Ridges and Henderson Waves located less than 15 minutes’ walk away. And instead of frequenting neighbourhood malls, residents have easy access to Harbourfront Centre and VivoCity, located about 20 minutes’ walk away.
Geylang BTO (May 2021)
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Geylang BTO (May 2021 launch) |
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Official HDB map |
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Project name |
TBC |
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Starting price (2-room flexi) |
TBC |
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Starting price (3-room) |
TBC |
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Starting price (4-room) |
TBC |
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Nearest MRT |
MacPherson (500m) |
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Nearest shopping malls |
City Plaza, Paya Lebar Square, SingPost Centre, PLQ Mall |
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Nearby schools |
Canossa Catholic Primary School, St Margaret’s Primary School, Geylang Methodist School |
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Nearby amenities |
Circuit Road Market and Food Centre, MacPherson Market and Food Centre, MacPherson Community Club |
The 1,380-unit Geylang BTO project is going to be located in the Ubi area, right next door to MacPherson MRT station, which serves as an interchange for the Circle Line and the Downtown Line. It takes only 20 minutes to get from MacPherson MRT to Raffles Place.
This connectivity alone is going to cause the project to be heavily oversubscribed, so make sure you wear your lucky underwear when balloting.
Residents won’t go hungry there, as the project is located near both the Circuit Road and MacPherson Markets. However, the area immediately surrounding the BTO project is the rather industrial Ubi, which is great if you work there, not so great if you’re trying to convince your friends to come hang out in the neighbourhood.
As far as shopping is concerned, residents will have to travel a bit from the rather industrial area where they’ll be living to Geylang and Paya Lebar proper in order to visit malls like SingPost Centre and PLQ Mall.
Due to its industrial character, the area is admittedly not that interesting for families with kids looking for the nearest playground. But just walk for 15 minutes and you’ll find yourself in the thick of Geylang. The area is thus ideal for those working in the CBD or Ubi area who are willing to pay a bit more to live in the city fringe.
Tengah BTO (May 2021)
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Tengah BTO (May 2021 launch) |
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Official HDB map |
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Project name |
TBC |
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Starting price (2-room flexi) |
TBC |
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Starting price (4-room) |
TBC |
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Starting price (5-room) |
TBC |
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Nearest MRT |
Hong Kah, opening in 2027 (750m) |
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Nearest shopping malls |
West Mall |
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Nearby schools |
Princess Elizabeth Primary School, Bukit Batok Secondary School, Millennia Institute, Dulwich College |
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Nearby amenities |
Civil Service Club @ Bukit Batok, Bukit Batok Polyclinic, Bukit Batok Community Club, Bukit Batok Public Library, Bukit Batok Swimming Complex |
Just want to get your hands on a flat and aren’t fussy about location? Then one of the Tengah BTO project’s 780 units might be for you. The entire area is currently being redeveloped at breakneck speed into a residential estate, ready to be populated by BTO flat buyers in a few years’ time.
Like Punggol, the area is likely to very family-centric, since most of the residents are going to be young families moving into their first flat. That could mean lots of childcare centres and other kid-friendly amenities.
The project is one of the more well-located ones in Tengah, as the upcoming Hong Kah MRT will be located less than 10 minutes’ walk away, making it easy to get to the Jurong East shopping malls and offices from 2027 onwards.
At the moment, however, Tengah is just a vast construction site, and it’s going to take several years before the area’s MRT stations get built and eateries and shops move into the area. So, this BTO project is best suited to cost-conscious families who have the patience to wait out the development of the area.
Read more: HDB BTO Launch Feb 2021 Review: Bidadari, Boon Keng, Tengah & Bukit Batok
Woodlands BTO (May 2021)
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Woodlands BTO (May 2021 launch) |
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Official HDB map |
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Project name |
TBC |
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Starting price (2-room flexi) |
TBC |
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Starting price (3-room) |
TBC |
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Starting price (4-room) |
TBC |
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Starting price (5-room) |
TBC |
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Nearest MRT |
Woodlands (1.1km), Marsiling (1.2km) |
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Nearest shopping malls |
Causeway Point |
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Nearby schools |
Si Ling Primary School, Woodgrove Primary School, Fuchun Primary School, Fuchun Secondary School, Yishun Innova Junior College, Singapore Sports School |
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Nearby amenities |
Woodlands Regional Library, Woodlands Community Club |
May 2021’s biggest BTO project will be located in Woodlands, with 1,540 units up for grabs. The project will be located on Woodlands Ave 1, smack in between Woodlands MRT and Marsiling MRT, which are about 15-16 minutes’ walk away.
While the distance to the MRT station is a bit long, on the bright side, the project isn’t that far from the town centre, where you can find main shopping mall Causeway Point. The Woodlands Park Connector also runs very close to the BTO project, making it very easy to cycle to Causeway Point and the MRT station.
When borders reopen, the project’s proximity to the Causeway will be another plus, especially for those who like to hop over to JB for cheap groceries, good food and a massage.
If you don’t mind the travelling time to the city centre (it’s a 47 minute MRT ride, not counting the walk to the station), Woodlands is one of the more developed non-mature estates, so you won’t have to deal with lots of construction or worry about all the hawker food in the area sucking. There are also lots of schools in the area less than 15 minutes’ walk away, which makes life easier for parents.
What’s next for BTO hopefuls?
The options are pretty limited in this round of BTO launches with just four projects up for grabs.
In terms of attractiveness, it is obvious that the Bukit Merah and Geylang ones come out tops, but they’re also likely to be heavily oversubscribed, with the Bukit Merah project having a depressingly tiny number of units.
The Tengah and Woodlands launches are the “budget” options here. The Tengah one is best for families who’re taking a long-term approach and don’t mind waiting for the estate to be developed into a decent place to live. The Woodlands project is likely to be a bit more costly but also the more comfortable place to live in over the next 10 to 15 years.
Ready to become a homeowner? Check out our step-by-step guide to buying a BTO flat and compare home loans on MoneySmart.
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