According to HDB, around 90 per cent of first-timer families who apply for BTO flats in non-mature estates have a chance to book a flat within two tries, and almost all had a chance to book a flat within their first three tries. That, however, wasn’t the case for influencer Khaw Xin Lin, 30, and her husband, Lim Hao Jie, 30.
The couple, who applied for BTO and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) in both mature and non-mature estates like Boon Keng and Punggol, gave up after their seventh attempt in five years. They either could not get a queue number or there were no units left by the time it reached their turn.
They eventually bought a five-room resale flat in Punggol, which they moved into just before their wedding in July last year.
The Live Your Dreams actress, who reckoned she has “terrible luck”, said: “We realised we were not young enough to wait another five years for the flat to be built. Also, we wanted a place to stay when we got married.”
Though they paid a “very high” price for the unit, she said it is “totally worth it”: “By the time other people (who applied for a flat around 2020) get their BTO flat, I would have already lived comfortably in mine for two years.”
“So if you are ready (financially) and don’t want to wait for your flat to be built, go for resale.”
KARYN WONG
Delay: 1 year
Her solution: Rent an apartment