Planning to live in the city fringe? In the upcoming August 2023 HDB BTO exercise, you have four options to choose from. One is located in Queenstown, while the other three are in Kallang/ Whampoa.
Two of the August 2023 Kallang/ Whampoa BTO are within the Balestier subzone, while one is located in the Kampong Bugis subzone.
In total, Kallang/ Whampoa will have an estimated 2,910 flats up for grabs in this August 2023 BTO launch. Note that during the application stage, you won’t be able to choose which project you want. You can only choose your preferred estate and flat type.
You’ll only be able to choose your preferred project during the flat selection stage when you’re invited to book a flat at HDB Hub.
August 2023 Kallang/ Whampoa HDB BTO at a glance
| Jalan Tenteram BTO | Jalan Rajah BTO | Geylang Road BTO | |
| Location | Along Jalan Tenteram | Along Jalan Rajah | Along Geylang Road |
| Classification | Mature estate | ||
| Flat types and number of units | 1,040
3-room 4-room |
730
2-room Flexi 4-room |
1,140
2-room Flexi 3-room 4-room |
| Estimated price for a 4-room flat* | S$460k – S$690k | S$460k – S$690k | S$460k – S$690k |
| Estimated waiting time | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| Estimated completion date | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| Delivery possession date | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| Nearest MRT | Toa Payoh MRT, Potong Pasir MRT | Toa Payoh MRT | Kallang MRT |
| Notable amenities | Shaw Plaza, Zhongshan Mall, HDB Hub, Toa Payoh Stadium, Toa Payoh Swimming Complex, SAFRA Toa Payoh | Sports Hub, Kallang Wave Mall, Leisure Park Kallang, Bugis Junction, Bugis+ | |
August 2023 Kallang/ Whampoa HDB BTO: Price range and estimated monthly instalments
HDB hasn’t released the price range yet. For now, here’s SRX’s estimations based on nearby resale transactions and launch prices from recent BTO launches.
| Flat type | Price range |
| 3-room | S$330,000 – S$450,000 |
| 4-room | S$460,000 – S$690,000 |
*Source: SRX. These estimations have been adjusted for differences in property age and location. If a launch is nearer to an MRT or commercial development, it’s likely to be more expensive.
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Estimated downpayment, monthly instalments and income
Based on these pricing forecasts, we can estimate the downpayment, monthly instalments and household income needed to pay for the August 2023 Kallang/ Whampoa BTO flat. These estimates are based on the following assumptions:
- An HDB loan is taken to maximise the 80% loan-to-value (LTV), given the latest changes in LTV
- The loan tenure is 25 years, with the current interest rate of 2.6%
- A stress-test rate of 3% is used to calculate the Mortgage Servicing Ratio (MSR), which stipulates that up to 30% of your monthly household income can be used to pay the monthly instalments.
- There is no other housing loan to service
To illustrate, we’ll use the median of the price range and won’t be taking into account any CPF grants or savings to be used.
| Flat type | Median price | Loan amount (80%) | Downpayment (20%) | Estimated monthly instalment (with 2.6% interest rate) | Estimated monthly household income (with 3% stress-test) |
| 3-room | S$390,000 | S$312,000 | S$78,000 | S$1,415.45 | S$4,931.80 |
| 4-room | S$575,000 | S$460,000 | S$115,000 | S$2,086.88 | S$7,271.23 |
Unsure if you should take an HDB loan or a bank loan? Find out more about the pros and cons here.
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August 2023 Kallang/ Whampoa HDB BTO: Location and nearby amenities
^Disclaimer: Walking, public transport ride and driving durations are based on Google Maps estimates. Actual times may vary.
Jalan Tenteram BTO and Jalan Rajah BTO
Accessibility
In terms of proximity to the MRT, both the Jalan Tenteram BTO and Jalan Rajah BTO are not very accessible. The nearest MRT for both is Toa Payoh MRT, and it’s not within walking distance.
For instance, Toa Payoh MRT is around a five-minute bus ride (after a four-minute walk to the bus stop) from the Jalan Tenteram BTO. Meanwhile, the bus ride to the MRT is longer from the Jalan Rajah BTO (around 15 minutes, although it’s a shorter walk to the bus stop).
But the good thing about the location of these two BTO is that both are a bus ride away from three MRT lines: the North-South Line (via Toa Payoh MRT), North-East Line (via Potong Pasir MRT and Boon Keng MRT) and Downtown Line (via Bendemeer MRT). (This is also what I personally like about living in the Balestier area.)
It’s also convenient for drivers since the two BTO are close to two major expressways: the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) and Central Expressway (CTE). The downside is the noise and dust coming from these expressways.
In particular, the Jalan Tenteram BTO is located right next to the intersection of the PIE and CTE. You may not want to get a unit (especially the higher-floor unit) here if you’re sensitive to noise.
Food and retail amenities
The nearest malls for your daily necessities (and bubble tea) are mainly Shaw Plaza and Zhongshan Mall in Balestier, and HDB Hub at Toa Payoh.
If you prefer going to the wet market and hawker centre, Whampoa Makan Place is around a 10- to 15-minute walk away. Or head over to Toa Payoh for even more options.
Schools
Compared to the Geylang Road BTO, there’s a good number of schools, especially primary schools, in the area.
Here are the primary schools within 1km of Jalan Tenteram BTO:
- Hong Wen School
- Pei Chun Public School
- St Andrew’s Junior School
- Bendemeer Primary School
And here are the primary schools within 1km of Jalan Rajah BTO:
- Hong Wen School
- Pei Chun Public School
Other schools in the area are:
- CHIJ Primary School
- CHIJ Secondary School
- St Andrew’s Secondary School
- St Andrew’s Junior College
- St Joseph’s Institution Junior
- Bendemeer Secondary School
- Northlight School
- SJI International
Sports facilities
Both the Jalan Tenteram BTO and Jalan Rajah BTO are ideal for families with kids. For starters, you can find several sports facilities across the PIE at Toa Payoh. This includes Toa Payoh Swimming Complex, Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Toa Payoh Stadium and SAFRA Toa Payoh.
As if this isn’t enough, there are plans to have an integrated development in this area by 2030. It will comprise a new sports centre, polyclinic, library and a town park.
Geylang Road BTO
Accessibility
If you’re looking for a BTO near the MRT, this is one of the projects to consider. It’s just a six-minute walk of Kallang MRT and Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal, which will be integrated with the Kallang Horizon BTO (launched in November 2022).
But this also means it will likely be a PLH project, just like the November 2022 BTO. Some restrictions include a 10-year MOP and a smaller resale buyer pool (for instance, you can only sell the flat to those who meet the income ceiling, which is currently set at S$14,000).
Nevertheless, similar to the other two August 2023 Kallang/ Whampoa BTO projects, residents here are just a bus ride away from two other MRT lines: Downtown Line (via Bendemeer MRT) and Circle Line (via Stadium MRT and Mountbatten MRT).
Drivers will also be pleased to know that the BTO is close to the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE). The bad news is that it’s located along the BTO, so there’s bound to be more dust and noise here.
Food and retail amenities
What we like about this Geylang Road BTO is that it’s close to the foodies’ haven at Geylang Road and Sims Avenue, so you won’t run out of food options here.
For a cheaper hawker fare, there’s Upper Boon Keng Market and Food Centre at around a 12-minute walk away.
Fancy taking a longer walk? You can always head to Kallang Wave Mall and Leisure Park Kallang (although this is not advisable when there’s a huge event at Sports Hub).
For even more options, head west to Bugis, where there are malls like Bugis Junction, Bugis+, the upcoming integrated development Guoco Midtown, and various cafes and shops at Kampong Glam.
Schools
The drawback of the Geylang Road BTO is that no primary schools are within 1km of it. The nearest primary schools, Geylang Methodist Primary and Kong Hwa School, fall within a 2km radius of the BTO. So this may not be ideal if you’re planning to have kids.
Meanwhile, the only schools in the area are The Winstedt School (which is an international school) and James Cook University.
Sports facilities
Nonetheless, one highlight of this Geylang Road BTO is its proximity to Sports Hub, home to the National Stadium and Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Other sports facilities here include an indoor sports hall, a swimming complex, volleyball courts and a skate park.
The good thing is that there’s a sheltered walkway towards the Sports Hub, making the walk there more comfortable. Depending on which facility you’re heading to, it can take around a 12-minute walk to the skatepark to as long as a 23-minute walk to the Indoor Stadium.
Living close to the Sports Hub also means that when you attend events such as concerts at the National Stadium or Singapore Indoor Stadium in future, you won’t need to rush out of the venue before the concert ends (yes, I’ve seen people do that) or wait in the queue at the MRT station to go home 
August 2023 Kallang/ Whampoa HDB BTO: What’s the potential price appreciation?
As a mature estate, there’s less potential for growth in Kallang/ Whampoa. Nevertheless, upcoming developments such as the HealthCity Novena and Kampong Bugis residential precinct should support the price growth in the Novena and Kallang areas in future.
Over the past decade, HDB resale flats in Kallang/ Whampoa have seen a higher price appreciation than those in mature estates.
For instance, three-room HDB resale flats have seen a price increase of 18.78% in the past decade, higher than the 11.50% increase of the same flat type in mature estates.
The price increase is even more pronounced among four-room flats in Kallang/ Whampoa, recording a 30.80% increase in the last decade. This is around 5% higher than the price increase in mature estates. Notably, there’s a spike in price during the 2020 – 2022 period for four-room flats in the estate.
Here are the average resale prices in Kallang/ Whampoa so far this year, as of 26 June 2023:
| Flat type | Average price psf | Average price |
| 3-room | S$614 | S$443,084 |
| 4-room | S$736 | S$737,071 |
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August 2023 Kallang/ Whampoa HDB BTO: What are my chances of getting a queue number?
As mentioned earlier, you can only choose the estate and flat type during the BTO application stage. If you choose a 4-room flat in Kallang/ Whampoa, you’ll be considered for all three projects.
This should ease demand and competition for flats here since there will be almost 3,000 units available for balloting.
At the same time, from the August 2023 BTO onwards, first-timers that fall under the new First-Timers (Parents and Married Couples) category will get a higher chance of securing a queue number, since they’ll get one more ballot chance. Moreover, they will enjoy higher priority under the Family and Parenthood Priority Scheme (FPPS).
Regardless of the changes, it’s always good to have a smaller queue number. So that you get to choose the project and unit you want during the flat selection stage.
Popularity of Geylang Road BTO based on past application rate
Based on the past BTO application rates, the Geylang Road BTO may be the most popular project in this August 2023 BTO, especially the four-room flats.
We refer to the November 2022 BTO application rate of Kallang Horizon to gauge the popularity of the Geylang Road BTO.
| Flat type | First-timer families | Second-timer families |
| 3-room | 3.1 | 111.3 |
| 4-room | 7.1 | 92.3 |
Popularity of Jalan Tenteram BTO and Jalan Rajah BTO based on past application rate
These are harder to gauge. This is because the BTO application rate for Rajah Summit BTO (which is near these two upcoming BTO) in the February 2023 BTO launch was combined with the Farrer Park Fields BTO.
| Flat type | First-timer families | Second-timer families |
| 3-room | 1.6 | 43.6 |
| 4-room | 3.4 | 32.6 |
On the other hand, we notice that the Farrer Park Arena BTO (which is next to Farrer Park Fields BTO) wasn’t very popular during the last BTO launch in May 2023.
| Flat type | First-timer families | Second-timer families |
| 3-room | 0.9 | 27.8 |
| 4-room | 2.6 | 29.5 |
There’s a likelihood (read: we’re speculating) that the Farrer Park Fields BTO in the February 2023 launch was less popular, just like the Farrer Park Arena BTO. This might have brought down the whole application rate for the estate at that time.
Moreover, the Jalan Tenteram BTO and Jalan Rajah BTO are probably not PLH projects, given that they are not within walking distance of any MRT stations.
Among these two BTO, the Jalan Rajah BTO may be more popular during the flat selection stage. It’s closer to Balestier Road and Toa Payoh, which have more established amenities than Potong Pasir (which is closer to the Jalan Tenteram BTO).
Meanwhile, the Jalan Tenteram BTO is very close to the PIE and CTE, which is what most people will avoid when choosing where to buy a home.
Will you apply for the August 2023 Kallang/ Whampoa HDB BTO? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you found this article helpful, check out 99.co’s overview of the August 2023 BTO projects. Keep your eyes peeled for our in-depth reviews of the other projects in the coming weeks.
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