Resale flats can seem like the more practical choice for first-time home buyers. You skip the waiting time, get your keys earlier, and can move on with life faster. But for Raushana (23) and Irfaan (25), who recently applied for a 4-room flat in Sembawang under the June BTO launch, waiting felt like the more practical move.
Image credit: iStock
Here’s why a BTO made more sense for them, and how they’re using the waiting period to build savings and slowly imagine the home they want to create together.
Resale may be faster, but BTO felt like the safer financial choice
Resale was never really one of the couple’s main options to begin with. As fresh graduates just starting out in their careers, with Raushana working as an editorial intern and Irfaan as a system engineer, they were already clear-eyed about what they could realistically afford.
“It has never been one of our main options until we were advised by the people around us to consider it,” Raushana shared. “But going into this, we were fully aware of our financial situation as fresh grads; and it’s very clear that resale cannot be one of our options if we want to be financially responsible.”
That’s what led them towards BTO instead. While a resale flat might have saved them time in the short term, it would also come with a much heavier financial commitment upfront. A BTO, on the other hand, felt like a more manageable place to start.
Image for illustrative purposes only.
BTO flats are also priced with significant market discounts, which makes them a more accessible option for many first-time buyers. On top of that, eligible households may qualify for support such as the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG), with lower- to middle-income buyers receiving more help depending on their circumstances.
In fact, 9 in 10 first-timer families who collected keys to their BTO flats in 2025 were able to service their HDB housing loan using CPF with little or no cash outlay.
A shorter waiting time made the BTO route easier to commit to
Sembawang was not exactly Raushana and Irfaan’s dream location. But when they looked at the 4-room flats in Sembawang in the June BTO launch, it ticked the two boxes that mattered most to them right now: affordability and a shorter wait.
“We just wanted to make sure we picked the best option possible with regards to our current financial situation as fresh graduates; the most affordable option was the safest,” Raushana said. “Our priorities were affordability and build time.”
Image credit: HDB
That shorter waiting time made a real difference. The Sembawang projects they applied for, Portico and Brook, come with estimated waiting times of 2 years 7 months and 2 years 9 months respectively, which put them under HDB’s Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) category for flats completed in under three years.
Just like it was for Raushana and Irfaan, SWT flats are perfect for buyers who want to settle down sooner but still prefer the BTO route, making waiting feel a lot less daunting.
It is also part of a broader push to make BTO flats more accessible to different groups of buyers. HDB plans to launch over 55,000 flats from 2025 to 2027, including around 4,000 SWT flats each year, giving first-timer applicants more options across different budgets and timelines.
Location-wise, they knew they had to be flexible. “Unless you’re splurging on a resale flat and can fulfil more specific personal requirements, you can’t have everything, and there have to be some compromises,” Raushana said. In their case, Sembawang still felt workable since both their families live in that general region of Singapore.
Deferred Income Assessment gave them the confidence to apply earlier
One of the biggest reasons Raushana and Irfaan felt comfortable applying now was HDB’s Deferred Income Assessment. Without the scheme, their loan amount would have been limited given that they had just started out in their careers. But with deferred income assessment, they were able to move forward with their BTO plans without needing their income to be assessed right away.
That gave them more breathing room, as it means they can continue building up their CPF savings over the next few years before their income is reviewed again. “Without the deferred income assessment scheme, we would’ve had to wait at least a year or two before applying,” Raushana explained.
Image credit: Tierra Mallorca via Unsplash
That made a big difference to how they viewed home ownership. “Initially, no,” Raushana said when asked if they thought owning a home would be within reach so early. “But after researching extensively about the different schemes available and loans, it’s definitely attainable.”
They’re using the waiting time to save & build CPF savings
Raushana and Irfaan’s strategy has worked out well; they have been shortlisted to book a flat in one of their chosen BTO projects. While they wait to pick their flat and for it to be ready, Raushana and Irfaan have already started doing the less glamorous but very necessary work. They’re saving a fixed amount into a joint account every month and estimating how much CPF they’ll have by the time bigger payments come around. Besides that, they’re also preparing for possible shortfalls.
They’re also mentally budgeting for the option fee, which will likely be paid in cash, followed by the Buyer’s Stamp Duty and first down payment through CPF. As for grants, they think they may qualify for around $30,000 in Enhanced CPF Housing Grant, though that is not confirmed yet, since the final grant amount will only be determined closer to the time of key collection, with the Deferred Income Assessment. “Every little dollar counts,” Raushana said, adding that the support would help reduce the chances of needing to dip into cash.
Screenshot from: Raushana via Pinterest
At the same time, they’re also letting themselves enjoy the fun part of the process. The couple already has a shared Pinterest board and sends each other interiors they like on social media.
Their taste leans towards a vintage-inspired eclectic style with rich wood tones, cosy lighting, layered rugs, old-school charm, and personality-filled corners. For the latter, they are already planning around a future cat, and already know they want a dedicated spot to display their growing perfume collection.
There’s also a soft spot for stained-glass-style windows, which explains some of the dreamy references on their board.
Image credit: Raushana
Besides moodboards, they also use building games to recreate BTO layouts so they can picture the space beyond just a flat floor plan. That said, they’re not trying to plan every last corner before they’ve even got the keys. “We’re planning to play it by ear; just get the basics and necessities done first, and figure out the rest once we’ve actually started living there and we know what we need,” Raushana added.
How public housing support can make first homes more attainable
For Raushana and Irfaan, waiting for a BTO was never something they saw negatively. It was the option that felt more sustainable for where they are in life right now.
Their story is a reminder that public housing is still designed to support Singaporeans through different life stages and budgets. Whether through market discounts on BTO flats, grants for eligible first-timer buyers, or a wider pipeline of flats across the island, there are different pathways into home ownership depending on what works best for each household.
If you’re starting your home-buying journey, take the time to compare your options properly before rushing into the faster route. Work out what you can realistically afford, look into the different schemes and support available, and think about what trade-offs you’re actually okay with making. Sometimes, the better choice is the one that gives you the strongest start.
Find out more about getting started on your home-buying journey
This article was brought to you by the Ministry of National Development (MND).
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