This HDB scheme allowed a young Singaporean couple to live together before their BTO key collection, Lifestyle News
This was the sight that greeted us when 25-year-old Amirulazhari Ahmad Reza, and his wife, 24-year-old Nadia Nuraisha, ushered us into their new Build-To-Order (BTO) flat in Yishun.
It is the couple's first BTO, but not their first taste of living together as a nuclear family unit. Engaged in 2022 and married in 2023, the couple was able to secure a rental unit under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS), which they lived in for about 6 months, as they waited for their BTO flat's key collection. Renting a subsidised HDB flat under PPHS
In 2024, during the last trimester of Nadia's pregnancy, the couple rented a 2-room unit in Sengkang at a subsidised rate of $400 per month with the PPHS.
PPHS is a temporary housing option for young couples and families waiting to collect the keys to their new flats. The scheme is applicable to applicants with a household income of $7,000 or below, based on the assessed income in their initial application to buy a BTO flat.
"As we settle down as first-time parents... [The PPHS experience] gave us a sneak peek of how actual life is going to be like," said Amirulazhari, as he elaborated on how both he and his spouse learnt how to manage household chores, especially in anticipation of a newborn baby.
The couple shared that while they valued the help and support that they would have received from living with their parents, they wanted to become more self-reliant as they transitioned into a new phase of their lives as first-time parents.
Now that they get to stay in their own flat, they have come to appreciate the soft skills they gained from the short stint in temporary housing. Through independent living, they have had the opportunity to manage household essentials such as paying for their own electricity bills and budgeting for necessities.
To meet demand for PPHS flats, HDB has ramped up the supply of PPHS flats from 800 in 2021 to over 2,000 units and will further double it to 4,000 units by the end of 2025. Applicants may apply via the HDB website, with the PPHS application window open from the 1st to the 14th every alternate month, on even months of the year (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec). More BTO flats with shorter waiting time of less than three years
Just months into becoming first-time parents, the couple marked yet another milestone in their relationship, receiving the keys to their new home.
Their BTO flat was part of Grove Spring @ Yishun, a Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) project, with an estimated waiting time of around 2.5 years. Flats with shorter waiting times are achieved primarily through starting on construction works before the BTO projects are launched for sale.
HDB will launch around 55,000 BTO flats from 2025 to 2027. This year, HDB will launch around 4,500 SWT flats. SWT flats, with wait times of less than three years, allow families like Amirulazhari and Nadia to move into their homes quicker.
"It's a blessing to get a house; to have a proper home for my wife and kids to grow as a family," Amirulazhari remarked. A humble, growing abode
The pair acknowledged that, being in their early twenties, they were relatively young homeowners, and peers their age might put off applying for fear of not having the financial means to do so.
"There's a lot of help from the government that young couples may not know about," said Nadia, who remarked that it was through some research that they found out about support schemes such as the PPHS.
Amirulazhari and Nadia also received an Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of $70,000 to help finance their home, which they were hence able to finance without any cash outlay.
Additionally, the couple also took pride in their frugal habits that helped shape their new home. The unit was furnished with appliances that had prices offset using climate vouchers.
Most of the furniture and appliances, such as their kitchen cabinets and mattress, were also brought over from their PPHS flat in Sengkang, which facilitated a swift move-in.
"We were one of the first [in the block] to move in. Our neighbour was also quite shocked," said Amirulazhari, to which Nadia attributed to the couple's knack for fixing things up with a bunch of DIY projects for their new home.
Both of them are looking forward to letting the space grow alongside their family.
"Having our own home is a special place for us because this is where we make memories," said Nadia.
This article is brought to you in partnership with the Ministry of National Development.
kimi.ang@asiaone.com
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AsiaOne
5 days ago
- AsiaOne
This HDB scheme allowed a young Singaporean couple to live together before their BTO key collection, Lifestyle News
Picture this: minimalistic living room walls painted a fresh coat of tan and bathed in warm lighting, contrasted against the array of rainbow-coloured toys scattered across the floors. A curious 9-month-old zigzags across the space on all fours with unbridled ease. This was the sight that greeted us when 25-year-old Amirulazhari Ahmad Reza, and his wife, 24-year-old Nadia Nuraisha, ushered us into their new Build-To-Order (BTO) flat in Yishun. It is the couple's first BTO, but not their first taste of living together as a nuclear family unit. Engaged in 2022 and married in 2023, the couple was able to secure a rental unit under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS), which they lived in for about 6 months, as they waited for their BTO flat's key collection. Renting a subsidised HDB flat under PPHS In 2024, during the last trimester of Nadia's pregnancy, the couple rented a 2-room unit in Sengkang at a subsidised rate of $400 per month with the PPHS. PPHS is a temporary housing option for young couples and families waiting to collect the keys to their new flats. The scheme is applicable to applicants with a household income of $7,000 or below, based on the assessed income in their initial application to buy a BTO flat. "As we settle down as first-time parents... [The PPHS experience] gave us a sneak peek of how actual life is going to be like," said Amirulazhari, as he elaborated on how both he and his spouse learnt how to manage household chores, especially in anticipation of a newborn baby. The couple shared that while they valued the help and support that they would have received from living with their parents, they wanted to become more self-reliant as they transitioned into a new phase of their lives as first-time parents. Now that they get to stay in their own flat, they have come to appreciate the soft skills they gained from the short stint in temporary housing. Through independent living, they have had the opportunity to manage household essentials such as paying for their own electricity bills and budgeting for necessities. To meet demand for PPHS flats, HDB has ramped up the supply of PPHS flats from 800 in 2021 to over 2,000 units and will further double it to 4,000 units by the end of 2025. Applicants may apply via the HDB website, with the PPHS application window open from the 1st to the 14th every alternate month, on even months of the year (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec). More BTO flats with shorter waiting time of less than three years Just months into becoming first-time parents, the couple marked yet another milestone in their relationship, receiving the keys to their new home. Their BTO flat was part of Grove Spring @ Yishun, a Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) project, with an estimated waiting time of around 2.5 years. Flats with shorter waiting times are achieved primarily through starting on construction works before the BTO projects are launched for sale. HDB will launch around 55,000 BTO flats from 2025 to 2027. This year, HDB will launch around 4,500 SWT flats. SWT flats, with wait times of less than three years, allow families like Amirulazhari and Nadia to move into their homes quicker. "It's a blessing to get a house; to have a proper home for my wife and kids to grow as a family," Amirulazhari remarked. A humble, growing abode The pair acknowledged that, being in their early twenties, they were relatively young homeowners, and peers their age might put off applying for fear of not having the financial means to do so. "There's a lot of help from the government that young couples may not know about," said Nadia, who remarked that it was through some research that they found out about support schemes such as the PPHS. Amirulazhari and Nadia also received an Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of $70,000 to help finance their home, which they were hence able to finance without any cash outlay. Additionally, the couple also took pride in their frugal habits that helped shape their new home. The unit was furnished with appliances that had prices offset using climate vouchers. Most of the furniture and appliances, such as their kitchen cabinets and mattress, were also brought over from their PPHS flat in Sengkang, which facilitated a swift move-in. "We were one of the first [in the block] to move in. Our neighbour was also quite shocked," said Amirulazhari, to which Nadia attributed to the couple's knack for fixing things up with a bunch of DIY projects for their new home. Both of them are looking forward to letting the space grow alongside their family. "Having our own home is a special place for us because this is where we make memories," said Nadia. This article is brought to you in partnership with the Ministry of National Development.
Business Times
04-08-2025
- Business Times
Avoid buying a 400 sq ft new condo home - it's too small
[SINGAPORE] Springleaf Residence, which is jointly developed by GuocoLand and Hong Leong, speaks to my heart. The condo project with 941 units is tucked away in greenery – bordering Springleaf Forest and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve – yet less than a two-minute sheltered walk from the Springleaf MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line. Imagine enjoying all the nature nearby and saving money by doing away with owning a car. Add to that Springleaf Residence's many facilities such as four different pools, a tennis court, a recreational half-basketball court, multiple pavilions designed to look like cocoons, 10 sky terraces, function rooms, dining pavilions, a grand lawn, a gym, a study room, as well as an arts and crafts room. Amid today's lofty new private home prices, one can snare a unit at 99-year leasehold Springleaf Residence starting from a relatively modest indicative price of S$878,000 – far below prices of numerous Housing and Development Board (HDB) resale flats. Small-sized homes However, there is a catch. For S$878,000, one will possibly get a rather tiny new home – a 388 square foot one-bedroom unit. This price translates to S$2,263 per square foot (psf). In perspective, the above one-bedder is smaller than some high-end hotel rooms here. Typically, hotel rooms cater to short stays of a possibly a few days and do not provide for kitchen areas or washing machines. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Tuesday, 12 pm Property Insights Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond. Sign Up Sign Up Meanwhile, smaller configurations of HDB two-room flexi flats in the latest Build-To-Order exercise are sized at about 431 square feet (sq ft) each, and Community Care Apartments, which cater to seniors who are 65 years or older, have open layouts of around 377 sq ft each. Springleaf Residence is not alone among new condo projects in offering small-sized units. Wing Tai 's 99-year leasehold River Green, located in the River Valley enclave, has 420 sq ft one-bedroom units. A one-bedder at River Green comes with a balcony, while Springleaf Residence's one-bedder does not have a balcony. The one-bedder unit at 99-year leasehold Canberra Crescent Residences in District 27 is 409 sq ft and has no balcony. Certainly, many developers have been shrinking unit sizes across various configurations. New condos may have three-bedders, which are popular with families, of about 800 sq ft each – less than that of around 960 sq ft or more of new HDB four-room flats. Given escalating psf prices of new condos, developers understandably build compact homes to keep absolute prices affordable. Take the indicative starting prices of S$1.618 million for a 786 sq ft three-bedder and S$2.448 million for a 1,227 sq ft four-bedder at Springleaf Residence. The monthly household employment income including employer CPF contribution of the 80th percentile of resident employed households in 2024 was S$21,488. The above three-bedder and four-bedder prices work out to about 6.3 times and 9.5 times of the annualised income of the 80th percentile of resident employed households. While Singapore has high-quality HDB homes, many locals aspire to condo living for lifestyle reasons. However, is buying a new condo unit of about 400 sq ft or less a compelling proposition? For sure, the number of one-person households in the Republic has grown. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of one-person resident households rose by 75 per cent from 134,800 to 236,200. Among resident households, the proportion of one-person households climbed from 11.2 per cent in 2014 to 16.1 per cent in 2024. Drawbacks of small units Can a one-bedder 400 sq ft condo unit that is well-designed and has magic done to it by a skilled interior designer adequately meet a discerning high-earning single's needs? Possibly not. Maybe the individual needs more space to store collectibles or pursue hobbies. Perhaps he or she wants to entertain family or friends in the privacy of their own home, notwithstanding the outstanding common facilities in the condo development. Certainly, some condos boast facilities galore that a small unit's occupant can utilise. For example, any condo resident can use the development's function room to host a large gathering. Still, some common facilities may be crowded or hard to book. And nothing beats one's home for privacy. Also, a small home might feel claustrophobic when a person is confined to largely staying at home over an extended period for whatever reason. What about space to house an elderly parent temporarily? Over time, a single person might find a partner. While it's cosy for two persons to share a 400 sq ft condo unit, each party may lack adequate personal space. Crucially, while buying a small one-bedder condo home is good from an affordability view point, purchasing a small home for owner-occupation could mean that one may need to trade up to a larger place fairly soon. Transacting homes incurs costs such as buyer's stamp duty, which ranges from 1 to 6 per cent of the purchase price or market value of a home. A local homeowner also has to time the sale of the existing home and the purchase of a new one right in order to avoid being caught with paying additional buyer's stamp duty (ABSD). Sure, a small new one-bedder condo unit may offer a good entry point for a local who can buy an investment home without incurring ABSD. However, while small one-bedder condos located in the Central Business District (CBD) might draw tenants who work long hours in CBD offices and travel extensively, perhaps small one-bedder condo units outside the CBD have weaker appeal. Think too of how selling a small one-bedder condo home in the resale market could be challenging, especially if the end-product of what one bought off-plan ahead of a unit's completion turns out to look and feel smaller than what one envisaged. The Urban Redevelopment Authority has guidelines for non-landed residential developments governing the maximum number of dwelling units for a development and the required mix of home sizes. For example, condo developments outside the Central Area should have a maximum of 20 per cent of homes with nett internal area of 50 square metres (538 sq ft) or less. Should there be a minimum size for a condo unit to ensure better liveability? Perhaps not. Instead, potential homebuyers need to mind the downsides of buying small condo units. Spurn units that are around 400 sq ft or less each and developers will stop building increasingly smaller condo homes.
Straits Times
20-07-2025
- Straits Times
Venus Williams prioritising fun as she returns after 16-month absence
FILE PHOTO: Mar 19, 2024; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Venus Williams (USA) serves against Diana Shnaider (not pictured) on day two of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo Former world number one Venus Williams said she was embracing the challenge and joy of tennis after a difficult year marked by health concerns and time away from the court as the 45-year-old prepares for her return at the Washington Open on Monday. The seven-time Grand Slam champion declined wildcard entries into the tournament in the nation's capital in the past but said she felt up to the challenge this year. "Most of the time I don't (take up the offer to play as a wildcard)," she said with a laugh on Sunday. "But this time I had been hitting the ball. And of course I love the game and the hard courts, it's my favourite surface, what I feel comfortable on. So all those different factors." Williams is setting new personal goals, prioritising enjoyment over results. "My personal goal is to have fun and enjoy the moment, not put too much pressure on myself," she said. "I don't know if I define success at this moment in any sort of way other than believing in myself and sticking to my process. That's not easy to do, especially after a layoff. So those are my goals." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Singapore Both Bukit Panjang LRT disruptions in July linked to newly installed power system: SMRT Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Asia Johor Bahru collision claims lives of e-hailing driver and Singapore passenger Sport Arsenal arrive in Singapore for pre-season matches with AC Milan and Newcastle Business Crypto exchange Tokenize to shut down Singapore operations Singapore More initiatives and support for migrant community announced at Racial Harmony Day event Singapore ComfortDelGro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi Williams has won the Wimbledon singles title five times and the U.S. Open twice, as well as 14 Grand Slam women's doubles titles alongside her younger sister Serena. She has not competed since the Miami Open in March 2024 and has not won a match since defeating Russia's Veronika Kudermetova in the first round of the Cincinnati Open in August 2023. She faces fellow American Peyton Stearns in the first round of the WTA 500 tournament on Monday. Reflecting on her future in the sport, she remained characteristically private. "I think I know what I want to do, but I don't always want to talk about it," she said. "I'm just here for now, and who knows? Maybe there's more. Like I said, I hold my cards close, but at the moment, I'm focused just on this." Williams also opened up about her health struggles including her surgery last year to remove fibroids - painful but benign tumors that grow in the wall of the uterus. "My health journey was very scary," she said. "You know, this time a year ago I was preparing to go to surgery. There was no way for me to play tennis or play the U.S. Open. I was just trying to get healthy." Known for her powerful game, Williams is determined to stick to her strengths. "I'm still the same player," she said. "I'm a big hitter... This is my brand. So it's about hitting big and actually putting it in. So this will be my effort - put it in the court. That's my main goal." REUTERS
