Invest 101

5 HDB BTO Application Tips For Young Singaporean Couples To Get Their Homes

Posted on

22/10/2025

by

moneysmartgirl

The homeownership rate in Singapore is 90% – one of the highest in the world. For many young Singaporean couples, the path to buying their first home is via an HDB BTO flat.

Most of us would know family and friends who have enjoyed the Singaporean “property dream”. These couples booked their HDB BTO flats while one of them was still studying in university and the other was just an entry-level employee or even an intern. Despite being destined for relatively good careers, they were able to get close to the maximum CPF Housing Grants.

Moreover, they would have booked their future homes well in advance of getting married. When they finally marry, their houses would have been newly built and ready for key collection – so they never had to wait for their BTOs to be built. After living in their flat through the five-year MOP, and climbing the career ladder they were always going to, they sold their HDB flats at a much higher price and upgraded to a condo (or two!).

On the other hand, we would also know of friends who have applied for a BTO flat multiple times over many years, and have not gotten their flats yet. When they finally married and needed their own space, they were either forced into the resale market or had to make temporary living arrangements with one set of their parents.

To avoid falling into the latter group, we look at some BTO application tips that young Singaporean couples can consider – so they have a flat when they actually need it.

#1 Choose To Apply In A Standard Estate

Naturally, applying for a BTO flat in a highly desirable location (i.e. previously called mature estates or what we now call “Prime” or “Plus” Estates) is often preferred – both from a lifestyle and a future price appreciation perspective. However, with additional restrictions on selling Plus and Prime Flats, price appreciation may be a smaller consideration today.

Choosing a BTO flat in a Standard estate can give you a greater chance of success – with potentially less competition for the flats.

For example, in the July 2025 BTO launch, 4-room flats in Prime estates, including Bukit Merah, Clementi and Toa Payoh, had a generally higher application rate compared to the median.

First-timer families may have been able to get away with selecting Prime Flats for 3-room flats – with application rate of 0.6 in Bukit Merah, 1.0 in Celenti and and 2.0 in Toa Payoh. However, 4-room flats had a higher application rate. For second-timer families, though, there would have been great uncertainty with application rates that were much higher.

Source: HDB

Besides less competition for a BTO flat in Standard estates, those who have been unsuccessful for 2 or more BTO applications in a Standard estate will get an additional BTO ballot in each of their subsequent application. This does not apply to unsuccessful BTO applications in a Prime or Plus estate.

Source: HDB

If you keep applying for BTO flats in the most desirable location during each BTO launch, you may be constantly competing against the largest number of applicants for a BTO flat. With this thought process, it becomes less surprising that such couples are unable to secure a BTO flat even after trying many times.

#2 Opt For 3-Room BTO Flats Instead

Looking at the flat application rates above again, despite many more 4-room flats being offered across projects in the February 2025 BTO launch, there was an equal or higher application rate compared to 3-room units in the same project.

For example, for first-timer families, the application rate for a 3-room unit in Bukit Merah (a Prime estate) was 0.6 times, while the application rate for 4-room flats was 2.2 times. For second-timer families, the application rates were much higher, at 10.9 for 3-room flats and 12.9 for 4-room flats. Nevertheless, it was still lower for those who applied for a 3-room flat.

In all the Standard estates available, the application rates for 3-room flats were either lower or similar to the application rates of 4-room flats.

Besides having a lower application rate, 3-room units also cost less, and can be equally good starter homes for young Singaporean couples.

#3 Apply In A BTO Launch When Your Desired Location Is Not The Most Desired Location

At the July 2025 BTO launch, the application rate perhaps points to the Simei Symphony estate in Tampines launch being the most highly desired Standard estate. It had a much higher application rates than the other Standard estates in Bukit Panjang, Sembawang and Woodlands.

Similarly, among Prime estates, the Toa Payoh BTO was the most popular – attracting much higher application rates compared to Bukit Merah and Clementi.

Obviously, this is not to say that Tampines is always a better location than Woodlands or that Toa Payoh is a better location than Clementi.

Instead, this may indicate that if there are multiple good locations in the same BTO launch, demand may be more concentrated on the best location. When a highly desired location, like Clementi, is the second most sought-after location in a given BTO launch, there may be a better chance to clinch a unit.

#4 Apply For Your BTO Later In The Application Period

While applying for your first home together as a couple can be an exciting step, there’s little need to apply the instant you are able to. Applying later in the application window can be more beneficial.

This is because we can see the number of applications received for each project and flat type during a launch. This can guide you in choosing a location and unit type that will give you a better chance of success.

Given the latest HDB changes to the BTO and Ballot schemes, strategically not applying when the chances of you getting a good queue number is low can help you retain your “First-Timer” status. Since the August 2023 BTO launch, First-Timers who choose not to select a flat when invited to do so will be deemed as a Second-Timer (i.e. lose your First-Timer privileges) for a period of one year.

#5 Understand The Priority Schemes

Finally, understanding all the priority schemes can help you boost your chances of being successful in a BTO ballot. “Young Singaporean couples” can be a catch-all term that encompasses fresh graduate couples just starting out, and can also include young couples just married and either starting a family soon or wanting to live with their parents – and everything else in between.

From the July 2025 BTO sales launch, the new Family Care Scheme (Proximity) will give priority to parents and their children, married or single, when they are applying for a new flat to live with or near each other. With this, the Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) and the Senior Priority Scheme (SPS) will be subsumed into the new Family Care Scheme (Proximity) FCS (Proximity)

You can read our guide to the priority schemes for BTO flats for more information, but in general, they enhance your chances in the computer ballot for a BTO flat. They do not prioritise or give any privileges in securing you a smaller queue number.

You can apply for up to two priority schemes, and those who qualify for the Parenthood Priority Scheme can also apply for another priority scheme, such as the Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) or Third-Child Priority Scheme (TCPS).

The list of priority schemes include:

– First-Timers (FT)
– First-Timers (Parents & Married Couples) (FT(MPC))
– Parenthood Priority Scheme (PPS)
– Multi-Generation Priority Scheme (MGPS)
– Third-Child Priority Scheme (TCPS)
– Assistance Scheme For Second Timers (ASSIST)
– Tenants’ Priority Scheme (TPS)

Do Not Think Of Your BTO Flat As A Get-Rich Scheme

While you may know people who have profited from their BTOs, thinking about your HDB BTO flat as a get-rich scheme may actually hinder you from landing the home that you need. “Wasting” BTO launches or several years trying to get a highly-prized location may leave you without a home when you finally need it.

Once you secure your first home, you can perhaps have more free play with your second home. You can either buy from HDB again or choose to upgrade at an opportune time to a condominium.

The post 5 HDB BTO Application Tips For Young Singaporean Couples To Get Their Homes appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.