TWO build-to-order (BTO) Housing Board (HDB) projects that will add 1,016 new flats to the market were launched yesterday. The launch means 9,844 flats have been released in seven months, exceeding the 9,000 units offered for the whole of last year.
The projects are Senja Gateway in Bukit Panjang and Corporation Tiara in Jurong West.
Senja Gateway at the junction of Kranji Expressway and Woodlands Road will have 741 standard flats, comprising 254 studios, 313 four-room flats and 174 five-roomers.
Studios of 35 sq m to 45 sq m will cost $67,000 to $95,000, four-room flats of 90 sq m will be from $242,000 to $306,000 while five-roomers of 110 sq m will go from $308,000 to $398,000.
Corporation Tiara in Jurong West, at the junction of Corporation Road and Yung Kuang Road, will have 275 premium flats, comprising 171 four-roomers and 104 five-roomers.
Four-roomers of between 90 sq m and 93 sq m will cost between $242,000 and $325,000 while five-room flats of 110 sq m to 113 sq m will cost between $304,000 and $389,000.
Under the BTO scheme, flats are built only when a certain level of demand for the project is met.
PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail expects this launch to be more than three times oversubscribed as demand is still strong due to the high cash-over-valuations (COV) asked for in the HDB resale market.
He added that the pattern of demand from past BTO launches showed that four- and five-room flats were often the most popular.
'I think demand will be sustained throughout this year and we might even see a record number of BTO flats being launched,' he said.
The HDB said that if demand from first-time buyers is sustained, it is prepared to offer up to 16,000 BTO flats this year. This is a significant supply as the total annual take-up of HDB flats in the last 10 years ranged from 7,000 in 2006 to 16,100 in 2000, with flats left unsold almost every year, the board said.
Buyers can expect about 1,400 flats to be launched in Yishun next month while upcoming projects include areas like Woodlands, Punggol and Sengkang.
The BTO stock will also be supplemented by an upcoming supply of 4,700 units under the design, build and sell scheme (DBSS) and executive condominium scheme such as a site launched for tender in Tampines Avenue 5 last month.
The HDB said it is prepared to launch more DBSS sites if demand keeps up.
Applications for the BTO flats launched yesterday can be made online at www.hdb.gov.sg until Aug 11.
Source: Straits Times, 30 Jul 2010
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