Buying your first home can be a daunting experience. It requires a long-term commitment and a tolerance for risk, not to mention a willingness to compromise if you buy with a partner. Many young Singaporeans buy their first home through the Build-to-Order, or BTO, scheme. These are flats in towers that have not yet been built. Applicants must meet strict requirements and wait years between application and the handover of keys. This birth of a home requires planning and patience. Unfortunately, even the most organized couples may fail in their first or second attempt, thus delaying both a couple’s marriage and the moment they can step into their first home. In this episode of Home on the Dot, we hear from two young couples navigating the bureaucratic, social, and financial complexities of realizing the dream of their first home, and we learn how society’s expectations surrounding marriage and home ownership cause some young Singaporeans to feel left behind in the home game.
Sound effects from freesound.org. Music from audioblocks.com.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – References – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Additional Links about Housing in Singapore:
– Have BTOs killed the marriage proposal?:
https://www.ricemedia.co/culture-life-have-btos-killed-the-wedding-proposal/
– ‘I broke up with my fiancee after buying our BTO flat’:
https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/i-broke-my-fiancee-after-buying-our-bto-flat
– HDB aims for smarter, cooler flats with research collaborations:
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/hdb-aims-smarter-more-temperature-resilient-flats-research-collaborations
– Younger HDB residents more likely to yearn for better housing:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/younger-hdb-residents-more-likely-to-yearn-for-better-housing
– Differing prices for BTO flats in the same town:
https://www.hdb.gov.sg/about-us/news-and-publications/publications/hdbspeaks/differing-prices-for-bto-flats-in-the-same-town
– A 99-year leasehold flat is an owned asset, not a rental:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/a-99-year-leasehold-flat-is-an-owned-asset-not-a-rental-lawrence-wong
– Buying an HDB BTO Flat in 2021: A Step-By-Step Guide:
https://blog.moneysmart.sg/property/hdb-bto-flat-guide/
– 900 flat buyers cancelled BTO bookings in 2018:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/900-flat-buyers-cancelled-bto-bookings-in-2018-lawrence-wong-11124200
– Longer wait for BTO units due to COVID-19 pandemic:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/longer-wait-for-bto-units-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-video-13015132
– A typical introductory brochure about a new public housing development by HDB:
https://www20.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampuadp.nsf/0/SE_Images/$file/West_Coast_Link_Site_B.pdf
– BTO Tracking Progress:
https://www.btohq.com/bto-project-spec/st-george-towers
The photos below were taken in end-2019/early 2020, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
– Interview with Thomas and Vanessa with our Producer Sam
– A group shot with Sam, Thomas, Vanessa, Johann and David
– A typical public housing development in the west side of Singapore
– Interview with Kevin and Chi Ling by our Producer Wei Yun
– David, Wei Yun, Chi Ling and Kevin
– Kevin showing us the floor plans for one of the BTO units
– On-site recording by our Sound Engineer, David
– An upcoming housing estate under construction at West Coast Link
– Exercise facilities at a relatively new housing estate, St George’s Residences in the Kallang-Whampoa District
– ‘Communal Living Room’ at St George’s Residences
Comments