HDB BTO launch May 2019: Kallang/Whampoa, Woodlands & Tengah BTO review

What with all the Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones memes floating around, you might have missed the update that HDB is about to launch 3 new BTOs in May 2019.

The two big ones are the Kallang/Whampoa BTO – a straight-up sequel to the box office smash that was HDB’s Feb 2019 BTO launch – and the Tengah BTO – also an anticipated follow-up to the oversubscribed first Tengah release in Nov 2018.

Apart from these two giants, there’s also an under-the-radar Woodlands BTO which might be more a feasible and economical option.

Read on for our review of each project, which includes the estimated prices based on previous launches:

HDB BTO LAUNCH MAY 2019 OVERVIEW

HDB hasn’t released the prices for the May 2019 BTO launch yet, but we can make some estimates based on previous BTOs. Note that these are the starting prices (“from $X”) so the actual units may differ.

Kallang / Whampoa BTO: I took the prices from the previous Feb 2019 BTO launch in the same area.

Tengah BTO: I took the prices from the previous Nov 2018 BTO launch in the same area.

Woodlands BTO: There are no recent BTO launches in Woodlands, so I based these estimates on the Nov 2018 BTO launch in nearby Canberra.

This section will be updated when the actual prices are out.

KALLANG/WHAMPOA BTO LAUNCH (MAY 2019)

 

If you were one of the 6,000+ unsuccessful applicants from the previous HDB BTO launch, here’s your second chance: HDB is releasing another 580 units in Boon Keng.In February, HDB launched 850 BTO units in the super-central Kallang/Whampoa district to great national excitement. A whopping 7,084 people applied for these ultra-coveted BTOs. You do the math.

This batch is going to be just as hot, though, because it’s right next to the MRT station and all the amenities nearby.

ALSO READ: Can you afford a HDB flat when you're 35 and single?

For the uninitiated, Boon Keng is an ultra-mature estate sandwiched in between the rapidly-gentrifying Farrer Park and Potong Pasir towns, so you can bet loads of people will be eyeing this as an investment home.

Being very central, it’s also certainly a very convenient to live in yourself, though it’s more suited to young professionals without kids, or perhaps older couples whose kids are grown up. There isn’t much by way of childcare centres and the like over here.

TENGAH BTO LAUNCH (MAY 2019)

What was notable about the Tengah BTO launch was that, although there’s absolutely nothing in the vicinity, the flats weren’t really all that cheap. The starting price for a 4-room BTO flat in Tengah was $290,000, significantly higher than counterparts in existing estates like Sembawang ($251,000) and Yishun ($259,000).We got the first glimpse at the new HDB town of Tengah in Nov last year, when HDB launched the first batch of 1,620 Tengah BTO units, called “Plantation Grove”.

 

Still, the inaugural Tengah BTO was actually oversubscribed.

We’re expecting a similar response and pricing for the latest batch of Tengah BTOs – a massive 2,180 units.

For wannabe investors expecting a “repeat performance” of the Punggol/Sengkang success story, bear in mind that you’ll have to wait about two decades before Tengah will fully mature, so it’ll be some time before you can cash it in.

WOODLANDS BTO LAUNCH (MAY 2019)

 

 

My personal favourite among the May 2019 HDB BTO launch is the Woodlands BTO, which also happens to be the (projected) cheapest option out of the bunch.

That’s because the batch of 720 units here is located just a couple of minutes’ walk from the upcoming Woodlands South MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line. The station is slated to open by the end of 2019, so shrewd types might want to ballot for this one before the price goes up.My personal favourite among the May 2019 HDB BTO launch is the Woodlands BTO, which also happens to be the (projected) cheapest option out of the bunch.

As long as you don’t mind living in the far north, I think the Woodlands area is also sufficiently developed to offer a decent quality of life.

There’s a shopping mall, a bunch of schools, supermarkets and shops, even a park connector linking the development to the main town centre (Causeway Point and the bus interchange) around Woodlands MRT station.

One foreseeable problem is that there are only 720 BTO units being launched, which means there might be significant competition. Well, here’s hoping that everyone will try for the Boon Keng and Tengah BTOs and give this one a miss.

This article was first published in MoneySmart.