The Housing Development Board (HDB) will offer about 6,800 Build-To-Order (BTO) flats for sale in the upcoming sales launch in early October.

1,900 of the flats will be offered within Choa Chu Kang

Out of these 6,800 BTO flats, around 1,900 will be offered within two projects at Choa Chu Kang, located next to the Rail Corridor and Pang Sua Canal.

According to HDB, about 900 units will be offered at Rail Green I @ CCK, with a waiting time of three years and three months, while the remaining 1,000 will be offered at Rail Green II @ CCK, with a waiting time of four years.

HDB was quoted by CNA as saying that the waiting time for the Rail Green I @ CCK project will be one of the shortest for the October sales launch.

The range of flats offered under these projects will include, two-room Flexi, three-room, four-room, five-room and 3Gen flats.

Both projects will also incorporate railway-inspired designs in their neighbourhoods.

In addition, the units will provide residents with a view of Pang Sua Canal and the linear green area that runs alongside it to support the residents' well-being, The Straits Times reported.

Other locations where HDB is launching new flats in the upcoming BTO exercise includes Kallang-Whampoa, Tengah and Queenstown.

Kallang-Whampoa

Queenstown

Tengah

HDB: Avoid rushing to apply during peak period

HDB also called on the public to avoid rushing to apply during the peak period, such as the first two days of the sales launch.

It did not mention the date of the sales launch however.

In the event of high traffic, applicants will be directed to a virtual waiting room.

HDB noted that during the May BTO exercise, there was no queue in the virtual waiting room after the third day.

It also issued a reminder that successful applications are determined, not on a first-come-first-serve basis, but by computer ballot.

Applicants must also have a valid HDB flat eligibility (HFE) letter, before applying for a BTO flat, HDB said.

The HFE assesses a buyer's eligibility for flat purchases, CPF housing grants and HDB housing loans.

HDB was further quoted by CNA as saying that prospective buyers for the October sales launch should have already applied for a HFE letter and submitted their required documents by August 2023.

According to HDB, the processing time for a HFE letter application takes about a month after it receives all of the required documents, and this process might take longer during a peak period such as a BTO sales launch.

First-time families will receive an additional ballot chance, stricter rules to kick in for non-flat selection

The October sales launch will also see the implementation of the new First-Timer (Parents and Married Couples) category, or FT(PMC).

Applicants who fall under this category will receive an additional ballot chance.

This is on top of the two ballot chances that they already receive as first-timer families.

This means that they will receive a total of three ballot chances when they apply for any flat type in any estate, as part of a BTO/ Sale of Balance Flats exercise.

Stricter rules for the non-selection of new flats will also kick in.

First-time buyers, including those under the FT(PMC) category, who accumulate one non-selection count will be deemed second-timers for a year in the computer ballot.

As for second-time buyers and first-time singles, if they accumulate one non-selection count, they will have to wait one year before they can apply for a flat again.

This means that both first- and second-time buyers only need to pass over a BTO flat once before being subject to the non-selection deterrents, down from the current count of two for both.

The non-selection count will only be waived for applicants with 10 or fewer BTO flats to choose from, or five or fewer Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) to choose from, or in the event of extenuating circumstances.

Top left image via HDB/Facebook, right screenshot via Google Streetview