HDB BTO launch Aug 2019 - Punggol and Tampines BTO review

BTO location	Tampines BTO	Punggol BTO
2-room Flexi	—	From $103,000
3-room	—	From $188,000
4-room	From $352,000	From $286,000
5-room	From $472,000	From $393,000

I based the upcoming Tampines BTO price estimates on the Tampines GreenGem BTO in the Nov 2018 launch, while the Punggol BTO estimates are based on the Punggol Point BTO in Aug 2018.

Since Tampines is classified as a mature estate by HDB, it naturally has a higher selling price. That said, this particular Tampines BTO is actually in a very covetable location.

At the same time, Punggol, although cheaper, is the faster-developing neighbourhood - it's gentrifying at top speed with atas executive condos and a planned "Silicon Valley" in the works.

Note that there's a huge difference in flat supply for both estates: Tampines has just 640 units up for grabs, while the Punggol one has 2,710 units. So if you really don't want to keep playing BTO roulette, you'll have better chances of getting a flat in Punggol.

TAMPINES BTO LAUNCH (AUG 2019)

Tampines BTO fact sheet
Official HDB map	Download Tampines BTO map here
Road name	Tampines North Drive / Tampines St 64
Unit mix	4R / 5R (640 units)
Nearest MRT	Tampines MRT (2.8km)
Nearest supermarket	Giant Hypermarket (220m)
Nearest shopping malls	Tampines Mall / Century Square / Tampines 1 (2.8km)
Nearby schools	Meridian Pri Sch, Elias Park Pri Sch, Poi Ching Sch, UWCSEA
Future developments	Tampines North MRT (2030), linear park, high-rise commercial/residential development

Tampines is pretty overcrowded already as it is, so how is it possible that HDB keeps putting out more and more BTOs here?

If you've been to the area recently, you'll realise that the government has been developing what can only be delicately described as the "outer limits" of Tampines - the mostly-empty fields where even birds don't lay eggs - into homes for young Singaporeans.

In this case, the latest Tampines BTO is located near IKEA / Giant / Courts, which now has absolutely nothing else, apart from the occasional worker's dormitory.

If you can get over the strangeness of living next to a 24-hour hypermart and yet being out of range of any movie theatre or prata shop, the location is not bad as there are some upcoming developments here, including Tampines North MRT (opens in 2030, just in time for MOP maybe?) and an integrated commercial/residential building.

Just don't buy too much into the "mature estate" rhetoric, because right now, the area definitely still feels far from mature. It's a long way from both Tampines Mall and White Sands. The only saving grace is that it's close to the TPE - driving a car is a must here.

PUNGGOL BTO LAUNCH (AUG 2019)

Punggol BTO fact sheet
Official HDB map	Download Punggol BTO map here
Road name	Northshore Drive
Unit mix	2R Flexi / 3R / 4R / 5R (2,710 units)
Nearest LRT / MRT	Punggol Point LRT (650m) / Punggol MRT (2.6km)
Nearest supermarket	NTUC Fairprice Punggol Drive (1.8km)
Nearest shopping malls	Waterway Point (2.6km)
Nearby schools	Punggol Cove Pri Sch, Punggol View Pri Sch, Oasis Pri Sch
Future developments	Punggol Coast MRT (2023), Punggol Digital District, Singapore Institute of Technology, Northshore Plaza

The Punggol BTO launch in Aug 2019 is a continuation of the one that launched exactly 1 year ago, called Punggol Point Woods & Punggol Point Cove.

Like the previous Punggol BTO, this batch is in the same location in the northeastern tip of the Punggol (i.e. the Punggol of Punggol).

This time round, the BTO launch is across the street, making it one step further from civilisation. That makes the Aug 2019 BTO the farthest-flung part of Punggol you can ever get, unless HDB starts building them on Coney Island (omg please don't). If you've ever been to Punggol Settlement - that's where this BTO is.

On the plus side, those who live here can truly say they enjoy "waterfront living", because they'll be facing the Straits of Johor, which is definitely at least 1 level up from, say, the overhyped Piermont Grand EC, which only faces a longkang.

Being on the very frontier of civilisation, there's naturally not a whole lot of amenities going on here. At least for now.

The consolation is that the area will look a bit better when the nearby Punggol Coast MRT is up and running in 2023, which should coincide nicely with the TOP of the BTO. Thereafter, you should start seeing signs of life in the vicinity, such as the upcoming Punggol "Digital District" which is touted as Singapore's Silicon Valley.

DECIDED ALREADY? HERE'S THE HDB BTO APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applications are not open yet, so if you've got your heart set on either the Tampines or Punggol BTO, you'll have to twiddle your thumbs until around National Day.

When HDB officially launches this batch of BTOs, they'll put up a nice microsite with all the information you could possibly need about the development. For now, the only official information is on the general HDB BTO page and it's mostly covered in this article.

There's usually about a 1-week window in which you can review the information and think real hard about your choice of life partner before submitting your application + $10 admin fee online.

Then HDB conducts a big lucky draw, and winners of the BTO lottery will be invited to select their flats.

You can only choose either Punggol or Tampines this time round, not both, so if you really want to clinch a BTO, it's better to pick the Punggol one as there's a lot more supply. Alternatively, if the need is pressing, you may consider buying one of HDB's balance flats which are available anytime.