02-05-2025
3D tools, consultancy service help BTO buyers visualise or choose future homes
A video of a future Build-To-Order unit by BTO Viewer would cost a prospective flat buyer $18. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MS GOH
SINGAPORE – Step into the hallway of your future flat, take a walk around the living room, then check out the kitchen and the rest of the home – all in a 3D video walkthrough.
Such a video, showing what a Build-To-Order (BTO) unit could look like, would cost a prospective flat buyer $18.
Created and sold by a team called BTO Viewer, the video is among the services by various providers that have emerged recently to help homebuyers pick their BTO flats.
These services can cost between $14.90 for a digital 3D model and $620 for consultancy service.
The BTO Viewer video – done by a five-member team of creatives and professionals – draws on HDB floor plans, site maps, satellite images and design impressions.
One of the team members, who wanted to be known only as Ms Goh, said she started the service after she had difficulty visualising how her unit would look when she booked her BTO flat in December 2024.
The 25-year-old, who does post-production work in the creative industry, has sold more than 50 videos since the team started the service in January.
Clients reached out to them in chat groups and on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where they promoted their 3D videos.
As the selection of a flat can be a 'stressful and high-stakes' decision, the videos help buyers visualise their shortlisted unit before they book it , said Ms Goh.
'There were many nights when we had to work late to deliver unit previews for clients who had their selection appointment early the next morning,' she said, noting that creating such videos are time-consuming and resource-intensive even with the team's background in design.
In March, Mr Jake Chua, 42, launched his BTOmyhome service, offering barebone 3D models of flat layouts on the SketchUp programme for $14.90 each.
Clients can use the file to design their future homes, for example, by placing furniture, said Mr Chua, who helps to run his family's furniture rental business. He has sold 21 3D model files so far.
A 3D model of a four-room BTO flat in Tanjong Rhu created by Mr Jake Chua using a programme called SketchUp.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF JAKE CHUA
'My customers were homeowners anxiously waiting to collect the keys to their BTO flats and wanted to visualise their home. Some also used the 3D model to plan for feng shui,' he said.
Mr Chua, who has a degree in multimedia technology and design, used to create these models for free in online forums between 2018 and 2020. He had tinkered with the software for his own three-room flat in Bidadari, which he booked in 2018.
He created about 20 such models – mainly for four- and five-room flats – before putting the project on hold to take care of his newborn.
'Even after stopping, I would occasionally receive messages asking if I'm still providing the models. In March, I received another request and that spurred me to revive the service for a fee,' he said.
Meanwhile, an architectural associate who gave his name as Mr Boon started an Instagram page called BTO Select in February to provide consultancy service costing $620 .
The 30-year-old, who will be getting his architect licence by the end of 2025, hopes to advise homebuyers on what units to buy.
When 'good' units – those on high floors with no direct sun facing – get snapped up, this does not mean a buyer cannot find a suitable unit, said Mr Boon.
'Being in the architectural industry, we are equipped to look at a site in its entirety and identify pros and cons from macro and micro viewpoints,' he explained.
He said he would study the future development plans of the surrounding areas, as well as the layout of the unit, before making recommendations.
As for BTO Viewer, their customers said they purchased the videos to better understand the view from their units.
Mr Lucas Kiss, 32, who is an administrator of a group chat for BTO applicants in Bedok, bought three 3D videos from BTO Viewer to help other applicants who were interested in Bayshore Palms and Bayshore Vista. The video team also offered another three for free.
South-facing units in the two Bayshore projects, launched last October, could have sea views. Flat selection began in February.
'The key concern people had was how blocked the view would be by the units in front. This was hard to gauge even from looking at the models at HDB Hub, so the videos I bought aimed to help people in making that decision,' said the scrum master, who recently booked his flat in one of the Bayshore projects.
Another BTO applicant, who wished to be known only as Sam, bought a 3D video of the Bayshore unit he booked as he wanted to be 'mentally prepared' in case he did not like the view.
'My unit overlooks the carpark roof garden, and the video gives me an idea of how close it would actually be, so I don't get a shock when I enter my flat,' said the 37-year-old auditor, who felt that at $18, the 3D video was reasonably priced.
Isabelle Liew is a journalist at The Straits Times. She covers housing issues in Singapore, with a focus on public housing.
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
