What's the plus for choosing a pricier BTO? We speak to a couple that applied for a Plus BTO to find out

For Wong Nan Hui and Cassandra Yu, the beginning of their relationship started with a literal crush.

They first met in 2022, when they were colleagues at AsiaOne. After finding themselves on the same bus to work one fateful day, Nan Hui tried to strike up a conversation with Cassandra just as tragedy struck her AirPods.

"As we were alighting, her AirPods slipped out of her hand and got crushed by a bus as it drove past us," he recalled. While her AirPods did not survive, sparks between them came alive.

Their arbitrary chats blossomed into a relationship when they realised that they had many things in common, such as having similar family backgrounds, personal values and plans for their future.

Three years later, the couple were ready to move onto the next phase of their relationship and applied for a Build-to-Order (BTO) flat together. They were successful in booking a three-room flat at Kallang View, a Plus BTO flat.

What is a Plus flat?

Since October 2024, new BTO projects have been classified based on their locational attributes, such as proximity to city centre, connectivity and surrounding amenities, under the new flat classification framework. There are three categories:

• Standard - the largest category of supply
• Plus - BTO projects in choicer locations
• Prime - BTO projects in the choicest locations

This framework allows HDB to enhance accessibility for first time homebuyers by building public housing in attractive areas while keeping their prices affordable. It also ensures a good social mix in neighbourhoods.

Plus flats are in choicer locations and these flats tend to be nearer to the city centre, have good connectivity, good amenities and/or include unique features.

While the couple had several preferences in choosing a flat, location was something that they did not want to compromise on.

For Cassandra, she'd grown up in the central area for most of her life and had grown accustomed to the travel routes around the city centre. As for Nan Hui, he wanted a place that had well-established amenities, such as train stations and hawker centres.

That's why applying for a flat in the Kallang View BTO project made the most sense for the couple.

Fortunately, their future home at Kallang View is a short distance to MRT stations like Geylang Bahru which connects them straight to the city centre via the Downtown Line.

The central location also means that Nan Hui and Cassandra are located nearer to their workplaces.

Keeping their dream home affordable

Plus and Prime flats may command a higher price due to their attractive locational attributes, however, due to the additional subsidies and significant market discounts under the new flat classification framework, both Plus and Prime BTO flats can remain affordable to young couples.

The couple also received an Enhanced CPF Housing Grant of $30,000, which went towards the downpayment of their flat.

Creating not just a home but a future

At the same time, flat buyers of Plus and Prime projects face tighter restrictions aimed at discouraging speculative flipping and help keep flats in such choicer locations affordable and accessible.

For example, flats can only be sold on the resale market after the extended 10-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), and renting out the whole flat is not allowed.

Nan Hui and Cassandra had considered these restrictions before applying for a Plus flat. Since they are determined to make their first flat together the foundation for their future family, the 10-year MOP did not faze them.

After all, they don't plan to move away in the foreseeable future, as their new home is surrounded by the couple's favourite food places, a primary school for their future children, and even a public pool nearby for family outings.

As they wait for their Plus flat to be built, the couple is working to save up for simple renovations for their home before key collection.

With plans to marry just before they get their flat in 2029, the couple is excited for what the future holds for them.

"I am looking forward to coming home to my loved ones and building a warm family," said Nan Hui.

Cassandra added, "It's freedom for us, and getting to customise my own space has been a dream of mine."

This article is brought to you in partnership with the Ministry of National Development.

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