The October BTO sales exercise saw the highest demand for flats in Bukit Merah's
The October BTO sales exercise saw the highest demand for flats in Bukit Merah's two prime projects
About 4,600 BTO flats will be introduced by HDB in Bukit Merah, Sembawang, Tampines, and Toa Payoh during the February 2026 sales exercise.
October 23, 2025
CONDOsingapore.com
In the most recent Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise, flats in prime projects—such as Berlayar Residences in Bukit Merah—were among the most sought-after.
Although demand was low for the only Plus project in Ang Mo Kio, larger flats and two-room flexi flats also attracted a lot of interest.
31,095 applications had been received for 10 projects as of 5 p.m. on October 22 as a result of the sales exercise. This was roughly three times as many as the 9,144 flats that were launched.
Most three-room and larger flats had application rates of two or less for first-time families.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, October 22, the final day of the sales exercise, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat stated that many first-time applicants have a "good chance" of obtaining a flat.
Additionally, he stated that in 2025, median application rates for first-time families fell to 1.1 to 1.7. In 2024, this number varied between 1.6 and 2.6.
On October 15, a range of Standard, Plus, and Prime flats were listed for sale in the towns of Yishun, Bedok, Bishan, Bukit Merah, Jurong East, Sengkang, Toa Payoh, and Ang Mo Kio.
The first flats in Toa Payoh's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood and the Berlayar Residences on the site of the former Keppel Club were two projects that attracted a lot of public interest prior to the start of sales.
Nearly 3,000 two-room flex flats aimed at seniors and singles were part of this sales campaign. This was the first sales exercise that allowed parents and their kids to apply for two units in the same project together, regardless of whether they were married or not.
The two Prime projects in Bukit Merah, Redhill Peaks and Berlayar Residences, were receiving the most applications, according to HDB's website as of Wednesday at 5 p.m. According to PropNex CEO Kelvin Fong, a total of 8,376 applications were received for both projects, making up 55% of the 15,132 applications received for Prime flats.
According to him, the projects' 1,901 flats had a combined application rate of 4.4 times, which was among the highest in recent years for Prime flats in Bukit Merah.
Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist at Realion (OrangeTee & ETC) Group, attributed these high application rates to limited resale options in the vicinity and first-mover interest in the first HDB project in the Greater Southern Waterfront area.
It would probably cost more than S$2 million for (applicants) to buy a private condominium in the area. The MRT station is easily accessible by foot from both projects," she continued.
Located between the Labrador Park and Telok Blangah MRT stations, Berlayar Residences will feature 880 units of two-, three-, and four-room flexi flats.
A two-room flexi flat costs between S$218,000 and S$369,000, a three-room flat costs between S$420,000 and S$562,000, and a four-room flat costs between S$578,000 and S$788,000 (without grants).
The Prime project had the highest subsidy clawback rate to date, set at 14%.
According to Fong, the 538-unit Bishan Terraces project also attracted a lot of interest, receiving 2,058 applications, or 3.8 times the application rate. In Bishan town, it is the first Prime BTO project.
The site's close proximity to Bishan Central amenities is probably what drives demand, according to Eugene Lim, key executive officer of ERA Singapore. These include the Bishan MRT and bus interchange, Junction 8 mall, and the "Bishan 2.0" master plan, which aims to revitalise the town centre.
However, according to Fong of Propnex, interest in the lone Plus project in Ang Mo Kio was low, with an application rate of 1.4.
Since the project is far from the MRT station and has few amenities nearby, he speculated, "perhaps some potential buyers are not convinced that the project justifies a Plus classification – and hence subject to stricter conditions."
For larger flats, firm traction
The larger Standard flats in the Chencharu neighbourhood of Yishun were particularly well-liked.
The first-time application rates for the five-room units at Chencharu Grove were 3.4. Teban Heights in Jurong East came next at 2.2, Sengkang's Fernvale Plains at 2.2, and Bedok's Ping Yi Court at 1.
Lim claimed that Chencharu was able to attract the greatest percentage of purchasers of five-room homes due to its convenient location near the Khatib MRT station and its affordable prices.
He said that the higher starting price of these flats in Bedok was the reason for the comparatively low application rate.
A five-room flat in Ping Yi Court starts at S$715,000, while those in Fernvale Plains and Chencharu Grove cost S$466,000 and S$510,000, respectively.
Increased demand for flexible two-room flats
Fong of PropNex added that 10,560 applicants were competing for 2,923 two-room flexi flats, indicating that the overall take-up rate for these flats remained high. This indicated a 3.6-fold application rate.
According to Fong, this is the most applications for these BTO flats since the October 2024 exercise, when 10,884 applications were received.
"The recent policy changes that have improved access to such flats among first-time singles, whereby they can apply for two-room flexi flats in any location, as well as the Family Care Scheme, are probably the reason for the stronger demand for two-room flexi flats," he said.
In addition to a Sale of Balance Flats exercise that will offer roughly 3,000 flats, HDB intends to launch approximately 4,600 BTO flats throughout Bukit Merah, Sembawang, Tampines, and Toa Payoh in February 2026.
