In case you missed it, the October 2025 BTO sales exercise is officially open for applications, with 9,144 brand new flats up for offer. This includes wallet-friendly options in estates such as Sengkang and Jurong East, to projects in highly coveted prime locations.
Speaking of prime locations, this time around there are four Prime BTO projects across 3 estates: Toa Payoh, Bukit Merah, and Bishan. While the headlines will undoubtedly gravitate towards the Mount Pleasant in Toa Payoh and Berlayar in Bukit Merah projects, a perhaps underrated pick that might fly under the radar is Bishan Terraces, which is probably the most affordable Prime project of October 2025 sales exercise.
If you’re looking to live in one of Singapore’s quintessential heartlands with a strong potential for capital appreciation in the long run, then Bishan Terraces might just be the pick for you.
538 flats from 2-room Flexi to 4-room up for grabs
Image credit: HDB
Named for its elevated communal spaces, Bishan Terraces is a new 538-unit development that spans across two residential blocks of 38 storeys each. Designed for community living across all ages, the heart of the precinct is a central courtyard with playgrounds, fitness corners, and seating areas, alongside other features such as fitness facilities, a community gardening area, 2-storey preschool, and even a Kidney Dialysis Centre.
The project comes with an estimated waiting time of 47 months, which is the shortest of all the Prime projects on offer. At just 538 units, it is also the smallest of all the BTO projects on offer (yes, even including the Standard projects), and so given its limited supply of flats you can expect some stiff competition.
Image credit: NUS
Naturally, what makes Bishan Terraces an attractive pick is that, well, it is Bishan, one of Singapore’s most beloved quintessential heartlands. It is already a well-established residential estate well-populated with plenty of amenities to cater to residents’ lifestyle needs. Another contributing factor to its appeal is that it’s actually the first BTO launch in Bishan in over 5 years.
Hold on, what about Sin Ming Residences in December 2023?
Well yes, technically that is the last BTO launch in the estate of Bishan, however in reality Sin Ming isn’t located in the heart of Bishan itself, but rather on the fringes of the estate bordering Thomson. The last true BTO launch in the centre of the Bishan township is in fact Bishan Ridges, which was launched in November 2020 and was very well-received by buyers. For instance, 4-room flats at Bishan Ridges saw application of 5.1 for every one flat amongst first-timers.
Image credit: HDB
For the estate itself, the very clear theme that the HDB has been adopting for almost all BTO projects is green living and being carbon-friendly. As such, the precinct is designed with well-connected pathways to make it easier for residents to walk and cycle more as part of their daily commutes to the surrounding amenities and public transport.
The project itself will also incorporate several eco-friendly features, such as bicycle stands to encourage cycling, electric vehicle parking spaces, regenerative lifts to reduce energy consumption, and more.
Favourable location close to amenities, schools & public transport
Image credit: HDB
For those familiar with Bishan, the project is actually sitting on the former site of Guangyang Primary School, bounded by Bishan Street 12 and Guangyang Secondary School. The closest MRT is Bishan, which is just a short walk or bus ride away and connects you to both the North-South and Circle Lines. The MRT station is also connected to a bus interchange, public library and the Junction 8 shopping mall, where residents will be able to access a wide variety of food options, shops, and essential services. Otherwise, you can also turn to the larger variety of smaller neighbourhood shops in Bishan town.
Another plus point of Bishan Terraces is the availability of schools in close proximity, though to be honest these schools are largely secondary schools. It seems that there are only two primary schools within a 1km radius of the project: Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary, and First Toa Payoh Primary. There are a handful of secondary schools such as Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary, Catholic High, Guangyang Secondary, Raffles Institution, and Whitley Secondary.
Our take is that the main profile of applicants who would be drawn to Bishan Terraces are families with young children, especially those keen on vying for a place in one of the brand-name schools in the estate. It will also appeal to those hoping to secure a new home near their parents who might be staying in Bishan itself, as well as those seeking the convenience and community of a mature housing estate rather than being in a new one.
Indicative prices of flats
Here are the indicative prices for units at Bishan Terraces:
| Selling Price (excl. grants) | Transacted prices of resale flats nearby | |
| 2-room Flexi (99-year lease) | $229,000 – $364,000 | – |
| 3-room | $408,000 – $516,000 | – |
| 4-room | $543,000 – $735,000 | $780,000 – $939,000 |
It’s probably worth pointing out that Bishan looks to be the most affordable Prime project, making it a relatively wallet-friendly pick in a pretty decent location. Note that the selling prices are excluding grants, and so with the provision of the Enhanced Housing Grant (EHG), units at Bishan Terraces are quite manageable cost-wise. For instance, eligible first-timer families with a monthly household income of $9,000 can receive an EHG of $5,000, giving them the opportunity to purchase a 4-room flat here using their CPF contributions to service their monthly mortgage payments, with little or no cash payment.
Fairly moderated subsidy clawback
In our earlier article analysing all the projects in the October 2025 BTO sales exercise (before it was officially open), we had predicted that the Bishan project would minimally be classified as a Plus, though a Prime classification was not completely out of the picture.
Well it seems that we’ve been a bit conservative on that call, because the HDB has classified Bishan Terraces as a Prime project, probably owing to its location and connectivity.
As for its subsidy clawback, which is a feature of all Plus and Prime projects where sellers will have to pay the HDB back a percentage of the resale or valuation price (whichever is higher) of the flat upon sale, Bishan Terraces’ percentage stands just at 10%, which is the lowest of all the Prime projects in this sales exercise. For context, Prime projects in the previous July 2025 BTO launch had percentages ranging between 11% – 12%, and so Bishan Terraces’ 10% certainly makes it all the more appealing for buyers.
Bishan Terraces—An underrated pick in this sales exercise
Even though much attention will understandably revolve around the hotter new estates of Mount Pleasant and Berlayar, Bishan is undeniably a strong contender as well. With very good locational attributes, proximity to both an MRT station and brand-name schools as well as being a new HDB development in a mature residential estate, Bishan Terraces is a great pick especially for families and those seeking to live in a more traditional housing estate.
Check out more articles about BTOs here:
- Oct 2025 BTO prime: are Mount Pleasant Crest’s units worth the wait?
- Oct 2025 BTO: Berlayar Residences—highest subsidy clawback of all prime flats
- Around 3,300 HDB BTO Flats from Bedok To Yishun launching this October 2025 with shorter waiting times
Cover image adapted from: HDB, Capitaland Integrated Commercial Trust
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