The headline numbers (as at 5pm, 24 June 2026)
HDB launched 6,952 flats across seven projects in Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Bukit Merah, Sembawang and Woodlands. By 5pm on 24 June — still before the 11.59pm close — there were 22,634 applications, about 3.3 times supply. CNA and Singapore Business Review used that 5pm snapshot. Stacked Homes had 22,312 applications at 2pm the same day (about 3.2×). Final end-of-window totals may differ slightly; use the HDB Flat Portal for the locked figure.
Minister Chee Hong Tat said the median first-timer family rate for 3-room and larger flats stayed at 1.3 times. Overall demand was similar to February 2026 and a touch softer than October 2025.
The split underneath that median is the real story.
Prime took 65% of applicants
Singapore Business Review, citing PropNex: Prime flats drew 14,623 applications for 3,197 units — 4.6 times. CNA: the two Prime projects accounted for about 65% of all applicants.
| Project | Class | Units | Applications | Overall rate | Clawback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlayar Rise | Prime, Bukit Merah | 1,976 | 8,824 | 4.5× | 14% |
| Lakeview Cascadia | Prime, Bishan | 1,221 | 5,799 | 4.7× | 10% |
Buyers were not scared off by a 10-year MOP. They paid the Prime premium in ballot competition instead.
Berlayar Rise — most applicants, 4.5×
Second project in the new Berlayar estate on the former Keppel Club site, after Berlayar Residences (October 2025). Next to Telok Blangah MRT. HDB: 6 blocks, 33–49 storeys, 1,976 units (172 Type 1 Flexi, 644 Type 2 Flexi, 172 3-room, 988 4-room).
4-room: 988 units, 5,023 applications — highest of any flat type in the exercise. First-timer families 3.2×, second-timers 22.6× (Stacked Homes / HDB table).
2-room Flexi: 816 units. First-timer singles 7.5× (CNA).
3-room: 172 units, 577 applications. First-timers 1.3×, second-timers 22.2×.
If your queue for a Berlayar 4-room is in the thousands, you are not selecting a unit. That is normal at 3.2× first-timer, 22.6× second-timer.
Lakeview Cascadia — highest project-level rate, 4.7×
First BTO in Bishan’s Lakeview / Shunfu area in over 40 years. HDB has said two more projects will follow in the next two years. Prime, 1,221 units: 476 2-room Flexi and 745 4-room.
4-room: 745 units, 3,753 applications. First-timers 3.7×, second-timers 17.2×.
2-room Flexi: first-timer singles 7.3×.
Clawback is 10%, lower than Berlayar’s 14%. Still a 10-year MOP. The draw is MacRitchie, Marymount MRT, and a mature Bishan that almost never gets new flats.
Woodgrove Acres — the singles magnet
Woodgrove Acres (Woodlands, Standard, 656 units) was oversubscribed across family types. First-timer families: 2.3× (3-room) to 3.9× (4-room).
2-room Flexi first-timer singles: 18.1× (Stacked / ST). CNA rounded it to about 18 people per flat — the most popular singles project this round.
CNA’s read: prices sit close to the Sembawang BTOs, but Woodgrove is in an established town with more amenities, so northern applicants skipped the further-from-MRT Sembawang sites.
Estimated wait: about 3 years 6 months.
Kebun Baru — Plus, measured, except second-timer 3-rooms
Kebun Baru Breeze (579 units, Plus) and Kebun Baru Ridge (485 units, Plus). First-timer families on 3-room and 4-room: 1.3×. Breeze Flexi singles: 3.8×.
The spike: Ridge 3-room second-timers 22.9× (95 units, 319 applications). Plus 3-rooms in AMK are scarce; second-timers piled in.
Ridge flats are Shorter Waiting Time — HDB / MyNiceHome: about 3 years 1 month.
Analysts told CNA they were surprised Woodgrove out-balloted these two, given Mayflower MRT and CHIJ St Nicholas nearby. The 10-year Plus MOP plus a higher price vs Woodlands is the working explanation.
Sembawang Portico and Brook — below 1× for first-timer families
Sembawang Portico (875 Standard) and Sembawang Brook (1,160 Standard) are both Shorter Waiting Time: Portico about 2 years 7 months, Brook about 2 years 9 months. Combined 2,035 SWT units.
First-timer families still undersubscribed:
- 3-room: 0.7×
- 4-room: 0.6×
- 5-room / 3Gen: 0.4×
CNA: most first-timer families who applied were virtually guaranteed a chance to pick a unit. Combined, 2,574 applicants for 2,035 units (~1.3× overall, pulled up by Flexi). Flexi: seniors 2.3×, first-timer singles 4.4×.
Huttons’ Lee Sze Teck: both sites are over 2km from Sembawang MRT — a “big minus.” That is the trade: keys in under three years, Standard rules, weak ballot, long walk to the NSL.
What a queue number means
HDB does not allocate flats first-come-first-served. A computer ballot ranks applicants. Lower queue number selects earlier when booking opens at HDB Hub (or via the booking process HDB announces for that exercise).
Your number is compared against how many flats are set aside for your category (first-timer family, second-timer, first-timer single, senior, priority schemes). A queue of 800 for 988 Berlayar 4-rooms can still get a unit. A queue of 800 for 95 Ridge 3-rooms as a second-timer will not.
Invitation to book is not a flat. You still have to pick a unit that is left when your number is called. Popular stacks and high floors go first.
HDB has not published the public booking calendar in the sources used for this draft. For a mid-year launch, booking often lands several months later. Treat “December 2026 to March 2027” as a typical window, not a confirmed HDB circular — check your HDB letter.
If you do not select, or you were not invited
If you are invited and skip booking without a valid reason, you usually lose that exercise. Read the conditions in your own HDB notification rather than forum shorthand.
If your queue missed the cut: you can apply again in October 2026 (~7,970 flats). You still need a valid HFE letter. First-timer families keep the extra ballot chance in future exercises.
Non-selection after walking through units does not automatically roll you into Sembawang leftover stock. You had to apply for that town. Leftover units, if any, go through HDB’s later channels.
Next step
Successful applicants: wait for the booking appointment, rank your blocks, and decide before Hub day whether Prime clawback still looks acceptable once you see the actual unit.
Unsuccessful applicants: October’s Standard towns (Chencharu, Tengah, Sembawang North) are the odds play. Caldecott is the next Prime magnet. Do not apply on hope; apply on the June rates.
Full project pages: Berlayar Rise, Lakeview Cascadia, Woodgrove Acres, Kebun Baru Ridge, Kebun Baru Breeze, Sembawang Portico, Sembawang Brook.
