Yahoo Finance 
Singapore HDB to offer around 15,000 BTO flats in 2019
Singapore’s Housing & Development Board (HDB) will launch about 15,000 new flats in 2019, similar to this year’s supply of 15,800 units, according to a statement on Friday (7 December).
The offering will be across mature and non-mature estates, including Sengkang, Jurong West and Kallang Whampoa, the statement said.
The 2019 BTO flat supply includes about 2,000 flats with shorter waiting time in the new Tengah town. Home buyers can expect to obtain the keys to these flats in about two to three years from the point of application, instead of the usual three to four years for most other BTO projects.
In the last two years, the first-timer application rates for 3-room and larger BTO flats in all estates have remained stable at about two times.
“Most first-timer families who apply for a BTO flat in non-mature estates have been able to book a flat within their first or second try, and definitely on their third try,” the housing board said.
The first batch of BTO flats with shorter waiting time was offered in Sembawang, Sengkang and Yishun in November this year. Some 3,300 applications were received for the 1,100 flats offered in these estates. This translates to an overall application rate of three times.
The buying and selling of HDB resale flats have also been made easier and faster with the new HDB Resale Portal launched early this year.
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