I Picked Tengah As My BTO Choice Despite People Saying It’s Ulu & Here’s Why

Applying for a Tengah BTO

I’m an Eastie and so is my partner. So, every time I tell someone that we have a BTO in Tengah, the first question is “Actually… where is Tengah ah?” 99% of the time, the follow-up question is “Why?”.

Coming to the decision was not an easy one. But here’s how we got through the decision process – i.e. the single biggest decision both of us have had to make in our lives thus far.

Finding the perfect home is not easy

Let’s start by ripping the band-aid off. Dreaming of the perfect home is easy. Finding the perfect one is a whole other matter. The reality is that a “Pinterest home” is never going to be 100% the way you imagined it from the beginning.

Image credit: Writer

After the whole “BTO ai mai” shebang, I started deep-diving into the world of HDB housing in Singapore. And, it is really easy to fall into a spiral of overidealism – we wanted a balcony, affordable price, sea view, high floor, corner unit, and direct bus to both of our parents’ places. The list goes on.

The more we spoke to friends, the more requirements we came up with for our dream home. Armed with 10,000 boxes to check, we dived right in with the highest of hopes and embarked on our BTO journey in 2021.

The emotional whirlwind that is the BTO process

Applying for the BTO process was much like queuing for Taylor Swift concert tickets. It’s an emotional whirlwind since there are a gazillion other people applying, and limited slots.

Unfortunately for us, we were balloting for our home right after Covid-19. Read: the period of super high application rates. We were also gunning for immensely popular “mature” estates like Ang Mo Kio, Tampines, and Kallang/ Whampoa. Round after round we applied, and before we knew it, we were on our 5th failed attempt.

Finally landing on Tengah

Image credit: HDB

So, why Tengah? The jungle, the myth, the legend. In all honesty, Tengah was never really on our radar. Until the idea of it came up as a joke.

Partner: “Why not apply for Tengah?”
Me: “No lah…”
Partner: “FRFR, looks nice leh.”

TLDR; our conversation went like this. We actually applied just to see how it would go. Lo and behold, we got a queue number.

Image credit: Writer

We then had the option to accept or reject the offer. We accepted it.

Because really, why not?

Trust that it was a decision that only came about after numerous nights of deliberating. We spoke to our families, talked to more friends, and deep-dived into YouTube and Reddit.

As it turns out, Tengah was pretty much a diamond in the rough. But there were so many factors to consider, before signing off on a 6-figure purchase. So here you have it, our very refined sorting system:

Inspired by Ross’ list of pros and cons of dating Rachel in Friends, we came up with a list of our own to decide if Tengah was something we wanted to commit to.

Not-so-official rule: Near MRT = less likely to be late for appointments. Image credit: Writer

The pros:

Image credit: LTA

A good price, earlier completion date, and proximity to MRT were some of the must-haves for us. These were easily checked by Tengah. Not to mention, with it being a new and less popular estate, we managed to get a pretty good queue number for flat selection as well.

Additionally, if we accepted our BTO, we would get a higher Enhanced CPF Housing Grant since my partner was still in university.

Tip: The grant considers your household income 12 months before the application. The lower your income, the higher your grant. When we applied back in 2022, couples could receive up to $80,000 in grants. Today, grants have been increased to as much as $120,000.

Image credit: HDB

Tengah was also going to be a gorgeous, new town, and with loads of exciting amenities. There’s going to be a pretty pond, new malls nearby, and themed districts. If Punggol – the youngest HDB town before Tengah – is any indication, HDB does truly deliver.

Aside from that, there was an unexpected draw – the community. The neighbourhood would be filled with people in the same life stage as us. We quickly realised that we both have friends who have also BTO-ed in Tengah and would be our future neighbours. There’s even a Tengah meme Instagram page btw.

Vibe check is important to us, yes. And Tengah is kinda passing it.

The cons:

The one major drawback we had to consider was the location, as we’d be staying pretty far away from our parents. The question was: is this a deal-breaker or something that we could work around?

With Tengah BTO prices being lower, this meant that we had more funds we could redirect to getting a car if needed. Also, Singapore really isn’t that big so the location would be a slight bit of inconvenience but something we could overcome. My partner and I have each lived in considerably “ulu” areas so this was something we’d be able to deal with.

As for the nice-to-haves like a sea view and balcony, realistically, it can be things to consider if we ever choose to move house after the minimum occupation period (MOP). Some things could be saved for our second home.

Hey, finding the perfect home can be a work in progress. Hopefully in the future, we’d have a higher budget to invest more in the “good to haves”.

Image credit: Writer

And with that, we hit the accept button and went down to HDB Hub, selected our unit, and took our photo with that iconic envelope.

Realistic tips for getting the right BTO

For anyone applying for a BTO in Singapore, here are some tips that might help:

1. Make plans A, B & C together

If you’re applying with your partner, being on the same page is key. What helped us get our preferences aligned was ranking our options, and setting aside the time to make backup plans and backups of backups together. Parts of the BTO process can move pretty quickly so you’ll need to be prepared to make quick decisions as well.

How we dealt with unit selection. Image credit: Writer

If you’re looking at our list above and wondering, “Well, that looks overwhelming”, it’s because it is. There’s a non-zero chance of experiencing mental breakdowns and emotional meltdowns along the way, just FYI. But you guys will get through it. ✌️

2. Understand what your main priorities are

Everyone is going to have different priorities for their home. Some need it ASAP, others need it to be near town. Figuring out what was truly important to us helped loads with decision making. There’s no template to choosing the best BTO but speaking to other BTO homeowners can help a whole lot.

Here are some of the choices my friends have made:

PLH project in Rochor. Image credit: HDB

Friend A swung for a Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) flat since location was paramount to them. The price was higher but they decided that it was going to be their home for life and were happy to invest more in it.

Friend B’s top priorities were to get a home ASAP and be close to parents so he decided to make use of the lesser-known Multi-Generation Priority Scheme (MGPS). In short, the scheme works like this: the married couple + parents do a joint application for 2 new units in a BTO project together for higher chance of successful application. While this could be seen as slightly more troublesome – since the parents would have to move as well – they managed to cinch 2 units in a popular project in Tampines so hey, it works. [Note: The MGPS has since been replaced by the Family Care Scheme (FCS) (Joint Balloting).]

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to choosing the best BTO flat. Whether it’s prioritising location, securing a home quickly, or living close to family, the best choice is one that reflects your own needs and circumstances. So focus on what truly matters to you, and choose a home that can fit your goals and lifestyle.

3. Be a bit kanchiong when it comes to deadlines

Bayshore Palms in Bedok, a Plus BTO project in the October 2024 sales launch. Image credit: HDB

Trust me when I say that your home application process is not something you’d want to rush. There’s going to be a bunch of schemes, terminologies, and frameworks you’re going to have to get familiarised with. For instance, the new flat classification sorts BTOs into 3 categories – Standard, Plus, and Prime, with varying MOPs and subsidies.

Doing your research early will also give you time to do extra “side quests” like neighbourhood site visits to help with your decision-making process.

Our side quest to Tengah to check out the neighbourhood and construction progress. Image credit: Writer

PSA, there’s no getting around the paperwork. This includes sorting out both your income and payslips for the last year or so. Word of the wise: don’t leave your HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter application to the very last minute.

Tip: Keep an eye out for HDB announcements on upcoming sales launches, and make sure you apply for your HFE letter about 1-2 months ahead of time. From 2024 onwards, HDB has 3 BTO launches a year, typically around February, July, and October.

Applying for your dream HDB home in Singapore

3D mockup of Tengah at HDB Hub. Image credit: Writer

At the end of the day, there’s no winning formula to finding the “perfect” home in Singapore. Somebody else’s #1 priority might just be your #10. Talk to people, take the time to fully understand what you need as a couple, and come up with your own list of priorities for your dream home.

My biggest tip would be to separate the “must-haves” from the “good to haves” so it’s easier to make an informed and rational decision for the biggest ticket item you’ve ever signed off on. At the end of the day, what matters is that you’re committing to a home that you and your partner are happy with.

As my partner and I prepare to move into Tengah, we’re excited to see how the town is taking shape. Just last year, several key developments were completed – the town’s bus interchange, its first neighbourhood centre and a number of preschools.

Additionally, green spaces have been planned throughout Tengah to connect residents from their homes to community and recreational facilities, such as the new Plantation Farmway. And as recreational cyclists, we can already envision cycling around the entire town in the near future.

With so much progress already made and even more to come, we can’t wait to see this community come to life, and call it home.

If you are ready to BTO, check out the HDB Flat Portal to get the ball rolling. The HDB Flat Portal is a one-stop platform that provides essential resources and tools to guide potential home owners through their flat-buying journey, such as calculators and information on upcoming sales launches.

Story by: The Smart Local