Woman Applied For BTO 13 Times Over 3 Years & “Still Didn’t Get A Unit”; Ends Up Purchasing A Resale Flat

Some Singaporeans get lucky and snag their ideal Build-To-Order (BTO) flats on the first try, while others spend years repeatedly trying just to secure a ballot number.

Sadly, one of the sisters from the TikTok account Xin & Xuan falls into the second group. She recently shared a video documenting her struggles to secure a BTO flat and how, after multiple failed attempts, she had to turn to a resale flat instead.

“I applied for a BTO for 13 times and still did not manage to get a unit,” said Chua at the start of her clip.

Referencing a recent a Straits Times article on muted demand for Plus and Prime HDB flats amid stricter resale conditions for first-time buyers, she remarked: “I don’t think that’s the most accurate.”

She then shared data from the article, which detailed the percentage of unsold flats in several projects, including Ulu Pandan Vista and Ghim Moh Ascent. Chua had applied for the Bukit Merah Ridge project, which listed 28 per cent of three-room flats and 16 per cent of four-room flats as “balance units”.

However, according to Chua, the stats did not line up with her experience.

She applied for a four-room flat but was assigned a queue number of 3,120, well above the 1,226 available units. She was told she would be notified if any flats became available during the selection process, but ultimately, she never received any such notification.

“If you look at the graph, it showed there were leftover units. I understand that sometimes people might select a unit and give it up, but for over 200 units being given up, I don’t think it makes sense,” she said.

Chua included screenshots in her post, with some dating from 2021, explaining that she had been trying to get a unit for quite some time. She’s balloted for units several times, but often met with the notice that her application was “not successful”. 

“You might be thinking ‘Oh because you keep balloting central and key locations everyone wants, it’s impossible’. But let me tell you, all we get is exceeded flat supply, we were never asked to go down to select a unit,” she said. 

“Then who exactly is being called up and who is getting these units we balloted for?” she asked.

In 2023, she even met her MP but was only told to wait for the ballot results.

“It was so pointless and tiring because at this point we tried for about three years, and for about 13 times, and it was just going nowhere. We were not getting a queue number [and] if we were getting a queue number, it exceeded the allocated number of slots by more than double or triple,” said Chua.

She recalled reaching the stage where she was invited to book a flat for a 2023 Kallang Whampoa project she had balloted for, only to be informed on the day of her appointment that she did not need to attend, as all four-room flats in the area for Chinese applicants had already been sold.

“I do wish I can stay in a brand-new BTO, but unfortunately, that’s not the case for us. After trying so many times, we decided to give up, and we bought a resale flat instead,” she revealed. 

She expressed that she wished the process had been better communicated and that there were fairer chances for all. She clarified that she wasn’t expecting to be given a unit just because she had balloted multiple times, but felt it was “unfair” that the unit she applied for was never available to her, while reports later showed stats with undersubscribed with leftover units.

She called for the matter to be reviewed so that Singaporeans seeking a home can have a fair chance, instead of going through the same frustrating process she did. She also advised those waiting for a flat to set a cap on their waiting time and consider resale if they remain unable to secure a BTO.

“Honestly, BTO remains the best option and if we were ever given the opportunity, we would definitely go for a unit. But I guess we gotta settle and appreciate what we have,” Chua concluded.

Some questioned whether she had tried balloting in less-popular locations (does that mean the place chooses you instead of you choosing it now?) or whether she was near the income ceiling, which they believe, might have reduced her chances.

Many others empathised with her, while others shared similar experiences, including a netizen who applied 15 times without success, and another who “finally” got a flat after 10 tries.

Anyone else faced the same struggles?