SINGAPORE - A total of 5,795 Build-To-Order (BTO) flats spread across seven housing projects in five estates were launched for sale by the Housing Board (HDB) on Tuesday (Nov 17) in the final sales exercise for the year.

The biggest project is Bishan Ridges, where 1,502 two-room flexi, three-room and four-room flats are on offer.

The site in Bishan Street 14 is next to the Kallang River and about 400m or a five-minute walk from Bishan MRT station.

Prices start from $374,000, without grants, for a three-room flat and $528,000 for a four-room flat.

Prices are slightly higher than the 472 units in Bishan Street 11 launched in the August BTO sales exercise, likely due to its proximity to the MRT station. The prices for the August exercise were from $302,000, without grants, for a three-room flat and $484,000 for a four-room flat.

The estimated completion date is in the second quarter of 2026. When The Straits Times first reported on the flats in October last year before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the flats were due to be ready by 2025.

Besides Bishan, the other flats are spread across the mature towns of Toa Payoh (Bidadari) and Tampines, and the non-mature towns of Sembawang and Tengah.

In Toa Payoh (Bidadari), there are two BTO projects. The smaller one is ParkView @ Bidadari, where some 358 three-room and four-room flats are located next to the upcoming Alkaff Lake, and is within walking distance from Woodleigh MRT station.

The other is Bartley Beacon, with 880 three-room, four-room and five-room flats on a site next to Maris Stella High School, and is walking distance from Bartley MRT station.

In both locations, prices start from $324,000 for a three-room flat and $466,000 for a four-room flat.

Five-room flats in Bartley Beacon start from $627,000, making them the most expensive units in this launch.

Estimated completion dates for these Toa Payoh flats are in the first and second quarters of 2025.

In Tampines, 750 two-room flexi, four-room and five-room flats are on offer at Tampines GreenEmerald, on a site bounded by Bedok Reservoir Road and Tampines Street 96.

Prices start from $334,000 for a four-room flat and $460,000 for a five-room flat.

There are two housing projects in Tengah, both within the Garden district.

There is Garden Court @ Tengah with 790 two-room flexi, three-room, four-room and five-room flats. Across from it is Garden Terrace @ Tengah with 789 two-room flexi, three-room, four-room and five-room flats.

These flats will be served by Tengah Plantation MRT station and Hong Kah MRT station on the upcoming Jurong Region Line.

In both locations, prices start from $108,000 for a two-room flexi flat and $394,000 for a five-room flat.

These flats will be the earliest to be ready in this launch around the first quarter of 2024.

In Sembawang, 726 two-room flexi, three-room, four-room and five-room flats are on offer at Sun Sails. Prices start from $92,000 for a two-room flexi flat and $336,000 for a five-room flat.

In addition, another 5,220 flats are on offer in this year's first Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) sales. The previous SBF exercise, which was typically held in May, was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

These flats are spread across mature and non-mature estates such as Marine Parade, Queenstown, Clementi, Punggol and Sengkang.

Applications for the flats close on Nov 23. The flats will be allocated through balloting.

This BTO sales exercise comes after a combined sales exercise in August, with the bigger flats in Geylang and Ang Mo Kio oversubscribed by 14 and 10 times respectively.

PropNex chief executive Ismail Gafoor expects the flats in Bishan and Toa Payoh (Bidadari) to be the most hotly contested projects as they are in city fringe locations and are close to popular schools.

However, it remains to be seen if an upcoming funeral parlour complex, which is slated to be completed in 2025, near the sites in Toa Payoh (Bidadari) would possibly deter some prospective home buyers from applying, he added.

In total, the HDB has launched 16,752 BTO flats this year, along with another 1,298 flats for open booking that are available all year round.

In February next year, HDB will launch some 3,500 flats in Bukit Batok, Tengah, Kallang/Whampoa and Toa Payoh (Bidadari).

Another 3,800 flats will be offered in Bukit Merah, Geylang, Tengah and Woodlands next May.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.