Since our HDB Build-to-Order (BTO) August 2021 reviews came out, we’ve gotten quite a lot of positive feedback from our readers, especially the one we did on the Hougang BTO.
Why Hougang? We’ve got a couple of theories but before we dive into them, here’s a video of our walkabout:
The August 2021 BTO launch (4,940 units, 7 sites and 5 neighbourhoods) is slated to go live on Friday (the) 13 August 2021, 12 noon. Well, ominous date aside, we know we’re one week away.
You can read our BTO reviews for each of the neighbourhoods: Hougang, Tampines, Queenstown, Kallang/Whampoa and Jurong East.
Upper Serangoon Road BTO site
With 580 units available (2-room Flexi, 3- and 4-rooms flats) here (including a proposed Community Club), this BTO is getting massive attention because it is:
- Next to Kovan MRT station
- Near the Kovan 209 Market & Food Centre and Heartland Mall (which includes a Cold Storage supermarket)
- Near Simon Road and Upper Serangoon Road eateries, cafes and shops
- 1km away from Xinghua Primary, Yuying Secondary and future holding site for Anderson Serangoon JC
This BTO site will likely attract a lot of attention – from long-term homeowners to prospective buyers with intentions to MOP after 5 years.
The site is at the junction where Upper Serangoon Road, Tampines Road and Simon Road meet. It will be surrounded by condominiums, namely Stars of Kovan (which has several retail shops on the first floor), Kovan Regency, Kovan Residences and Kovan Melody.
While Tampines Road leads towards the KPE, Simon Road leads into a gentrified neighbourhood consisting of shophouses. Along this stretch, there’s Lola’s Cafe and the Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap stall. Farther down, there’s the Ponggol Nasi Lemak stall.
Definitely a foodie’s neighbourhood.
When we visited the BTO site, we could see the area demarcated for inspection and probably groundwork. Note that the space also includes the proposed Community Club.
The heritage trail in this neighbourhood is definitely an interesting aspect. We’ve even found a 4-minute video from Roots.gov.sg on Hougang’s heritage:
Hougang Avenue 3 BTO site
In stark contrast to the Upper Serangoon Road BTO site, the Hougang Avenue 3 BTO site isn’t anywhere near an MRT station nor is it next to a food court or retail outlets. The closest we found is a McDonald’s drive-through at a Shell petrol kiosk.
However, this BTO exercise will see the site offering 740 units including the 5-room option.
Furthermore, if you look at the walkabout video, the west side of the BTO is mainly landed housing, so there is a high chance you may snag a west-facing unit with an unblocked view.
One thing to note about this BTO site is that it’s within 1km of Paya Lebar Methodist Girl’s school, so if you’re a would-be or hopeful parent, it’s reachable within 8 minutes by bus.
In terms of MRT stations, the closest ones are Kovan and the upcoming Defu station along Tampines Road (estimated to complete by 2030 as part of the Cross-Island Line). Both are within an estimated 15-minute bus ride.
Realistically, the closest food and retail centre would be the Hougang N1 Centre, which is about 12 minutes on foot. However, as the Park Connector traverses along the Hougang Avenue 3 footpath, we noticed many nearby residents commuting on bicycles, so it’s not too bad if you own a bicycle or wouldn’t mind the short workout.
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Will you be applying for a BTO in the upcoming August 2021 exercise? Let us know in the comments section below or via our Facebook post.
Also, don’t forget to join our Let’s Get Real (Estate) webinar on the August BTO exercise on Thursday, 12 August 2021, 8-9pm.
If you found this article helpful, 99.co recommends Estimated monthly instalment for an August 2021 BTO flat and HDB August 2021 BTO In-Depth Review: Queenstown.
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