If you're getting married or have matured to age 35, you might have been looking to buy a HDB flat.

So, chances are, you may have been aware of the new housing projects that are open for application from Nov. 13 to 19.

Flats in 5 estates

A total of some 3,802 BTO flats in four non-mature estates and one mature estate are on offer.

The four projects in non-mature estates are EastGlen @ Canberra at Sembawang, Fernvale Acres at Sengkang, Plantation Grove at Tengah, and Melody Spring @ Yishun.

The only project in the mature estate is Tampines GreenGem.

More popular projects

On Nov. 15, within two days of applications opening, it is clear which estates and type of flats are more popular:

Briefly put: Larger five-room and 3Gen flats have been oversubscribed, with Tengah and Tampines in the lead as the more popular estates.

In other words, the four BTO projects in Sembawang, Sengkang, Tengah and Tampines are over-subscribed, while Yishun is still under-subscribed.

And why is that so?

Out of the way

Let's take a look at Melody Springs @ Yishun.

The idea of staying in Yishun might sound a little more accessible than Tengah, but location might be proving to be a deterrent.

It's at the far end of Yishun Ave 8 and 1, and it's not exactly close to the MRT.

There are probably bus services you can hop on to get to the main parts of Yishun and to town.

Compounded by the fact that we probably won't see a new MRT station pop up there anytime soon, it may be little inconvenient if you're used to being a stone's throw away from a station.

Other BTOs more accessible

Let's compare it with other BTOs in non-matured areas.

Fernvale Acres at Sengkang is conversely a short walk away from the Fernvale LRT:

Even if you're cool with staying in Yishun, EastGlen @ Canberra seems like a more ideal choice, where you're not only close to Sembawang MRT station, you're a road down from Yishun MRT too.

Why Tengah is popular

This makes Plantation Grove's accessibility situation in Tengah a little like what we're seeing for Melody Springs, given that Plantation Grove is right smack in the middle of nowhere (currently):

The over-subscription for Tengah's flats might come as somewhat surprising. 

However, its up-and-coming facilities and future-oriented open spaces are a draw.

For starters, Tengah is slated to be a green forest town with waterfront living, and houses a car-lite town centre, with plenty of green areas, parks and gardens.

Eventually, residents will be located within minutes of the proposed Jurong Rail Line, which includes a station at Tengah.

It would make it easier for residents to travel to the nearby towns of Choa Chu Kang, Jurong West and Jurong East.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="547"] Photo via Land Transport Authority[/caption]

In conclusion, Yishun did nothing wrong with Melody Springs being under-subscribed.

It was being put up against relatively more attractive property locations.

But of course, if travelling a tad more just to get to the station is no skin off your nose, Melody Springs may very well be your new home.

Since it is under-subscribed, it wouldn't be down to chance to own a HDB flat.

Top image adapted via HDB's website

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