http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/...cants-20150212

MacPherson flats hot among BTO applicants

Published on Feb 12, 2015 1:25 AM


AMONG the 3,995 flats on offer in this month's Build-to-Order exercise, those in the MacPherson Spring project are likely to be hottest, said experts.

This is because the project is located in Geylang, a mature town, and is within walking distance of MacPherson MRT station.

At 5pm yesterday, there were 386 applicants for the project's 378 four-roomers.

One of them is barber Shaik Hussein, 28, who applied with his fiancee. "We're hopeful because her parents live nearby and we can get priority," he said.

Since November, up to 30 per cent of new flats have been set aside for first-timers applying to live with or close to their parents or married children. There were also 59 applicants for 168 studio apartments and 51 applicants for 204 three-roomers in the project.

Also likely to be popular are the two projects in Hougang. They include two-room flats, which are sought after by singles. As at 5pm, there were 2.3 singles for each of the two-roomers available to them in Hougang, compared to 0.8 singles for each two-roomer in Bukit Batok.

Applications close at midnight on Tuesday. The next launch, in May, will feature 4,040 new flats in Punggol North and Sembawang, as well as in the mature estates of Clementi and Tampines. Another 4,000 to 5,000 balance flats will be offered as well.

JANICE HENG