HDB is launching Champions Court in Woodlands under the Build-To-Order (BTO) System today. This is the first BTO launch for 2009 and the first time that Studio Apartments (SAs) are offered in Woodlands.

 

Champions Court

 

2        Champions Court is a Standard contract offering a total of 815 Standard flats. The flat supply comprises 224 units of SAs, 182 units of 3-room, 224 units of 4-room and 185 units of 5-room flats. About 50% of the flats are the smaller SAs and 3-room flats, in line with the government’s commitment to provide a greater supply of smaller flats this year. The SAs come with elderly-friendly features such as grab bars and non-slip flooring, a built-in wardrobe, and built-in kitchen cabinets with cooker hood and stove.

 

3         Situated at the junction of Champions Way and Woodlands Avenue 1, Champions Court is near to Woodlands Regional Centre.   It is well served by Woodlands MRT Station and Woodlands Bus Interchange. It is also just a short distance from the Bukit Timah and Seletar Expressways. 

 

4         Residents can enjoy easy access to amenities such as shops, neighbourhood parks and a sports/swimming complex. Various educational institutions, like Innova Primary School, Innova Junior College and the Singapore Sports School, are located in the vicinity of the precinct.

 

Pricing of the New Flats at Champions Court

 

5        The new flats in Champions Court are priced below their equivalent market prices to ensure that they are affordable for first-time flat buyers.  The prices of the 3-room flats range from $118,000 to $142,000, 4-room flats from $194,000 to $227,000 and 5-room flats from $247,000 to $296,000.  Pricing details and resale comparables are in Table 1, Annex 1

 

6        Besides enjoying a subsidised selling price, eligible first-timers whose average monthly household income is $5,000 or less  can also qualify for an Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) of up to $40,000.  To illustrate, a typical 3-room flat costs about $130,000. For a family with a household income of $2,500, the monthly mortgage instalment is about $400, after factoring in an AHG of $30,000. The $400 monthly mortgage instalment can be fully paid using CPF contributions.  Further details of affordability of flats can be found in Table 2 of Annex 1.

 

7        HDB will continue to offer flats of different pricing, flat sizes, design types and locations to cater to the different needs and budgets of flat buyers. 

 

 

Application Procedures and Enquiries

 

8        Applications for the new flats can be submitted online from 26 Feb 2009 (Thurs) to 11 Mar 2009 (Wed). More information on the development and details of the application procedures can be found at Annexes 2 and 3.

 

9        For enquiries, the public can:

 

·       E-mail hdbsales@hdb.gov.sg;

·       Call the Sales/Resale Customer Service Line at 1800-866 3066 on Mon to Fri from 8 am to 5 pm; or

·       Visit the HDB Sales Office to speak with our Customer Service Officers during office hours (Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm).

 

 

 

ANNEX 1

 

Pricing and Affordability of Champions Court

 

 

Table 1: Prices of Champions Court and Resale Comparables in Woodlands

 

Flat Type	Champions Court (Internal floor area)	Prices of Resale Flats
3-room	$118,000 to $142,000 (65 sqm)	$200,000 to $209,000 (68 sqm)
4-room	$194,000 to $227,000 (90 sqm)	$255,000 to $278,000 (90 - 91 sqm)
5-room	$247,000 to $296,000 (110 sqm)	$304,000 to $345,000 (110 - 123 sqm)

 

 

Notes:

a)   3R resale comparables are about 20 years old and some distance away from Champions Court as there are no new 3R resale comparables nearby. 

b)  4R resale comparables are about 10 years old and located near Champions Court.

c)  5R resale comparables are about 10 years old and located near Champions Court.

d)  To determine the equivalent market value of the new flats in subject contract, adjustments are

made to account for the differences in attributes between resale comparables and subject contract.

 

 

Table 2: Affordability of Typical flat in Champions Court (WL N5 C21)

 

Flat Type	Typical Selling Price	Applicants’ Median Household Income	Eligible Additional Housing Grant	Monthly Instalment for 30-year Loan	Instalment to Income Ratio
3R	$130,000	$2,500	$30,000	$400	16%
4R	$211,000	$4,400	$10,000	$760	17%
5R	$272,000	$5,500	$0	$980	18%

 

Notes:

a)  Monthly Instalment for 30-year loan is based on 90% of Selling Price at interest rate of 2.6% p.a. on monthly rest.

b)  The AHG, if eligible, is assumed to be first offset from the flat prices before the balance 90% loan is granted.

    c)  Applicants’ Median Household Income is based on that of short-listed 1^st-timer applicants of BTO contracts in 2008 for Non–mature Estates.

 

 

 

 

ANNEX 2

 

INFORMATION ON CHAMPIONS COURT

 

Housing Development (Contract)	Flat Type	Floor Area (sqm)	Internal Floor Area (sqm)	No. of units	Indicative Price Range ($)
Champions Court (Woodlands N5 C21) Standard Flats	Studio          Apartment	37	35	60	$57,000 - $64,000
		47	45	164	$71,000 - $80,000
	3-room	67	65	182	$118,000 - $142,000
	4-room	92	90	224	$194,000 - $227,000
	5-room	112	110	185	$247,000 - $296,000

 

Notes:

a) Floor area refers to the estimated area of the whole apartment, inclusive of the area of the air-conditioner ledge (where applicable).
b) Internal floor area refers to the estimated area of the apartment computed based on the centre line of the apartment wall.
c) The indicative prices do not include the cost of optional components. Actual selling prices will vary according to the attributes of the individual units at the time of selection.

OPTIONAL COMPONENT SCHEME (OCS)

 

The cost of the optional components (see table below) will be added to the selling price of the flat.

 

Project	Optional Component	Indicative Costs
		Studio Apartment	3-room	4-room	5-room
Champions Court (Woodlands N5 C21) Standard Flats	Flooring for living / dining room and bedrooms		$2,000	$3,000	$3,700
	Internal doors*		$1,440	$1,800	$1,800

 

OCS is not applicable to SA flats

*3-room flats                 : 4 internal doors (2 bedrooms doors and 2 bathroom doors)

*4-room & 5-room flats   : 5 internal doors (3 bedrooms doors and 2 bathroom doors)

 

 

BTO EXHIBITION

 

Location                        : Habitat Forum, BizFour, 3rd Storey, HDB Hub

Exhibition period            : 26 Feb 2009 (Thurs) to 11 Mar 2009 (Wed)

Opening hours               : 8 am to 5 pm (Weekdays)

                                      8 am to 1 pm (Saturday)

                          Closed on Public Holidays and Sundays

ANNEX 3

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR FEB 09 BTO EXERCISE

 

Submission of Application

 

            Households interested in buying a flat in buying a flat in Champions Court can submit their application online at HDB’s InfoWEB at www.hdb.gov.sg between 26 Feb 2009 (Thurs) and 11 Mar 2009 (Wed). The administrative fee of $10 is payable by cashcard or credit card (Master Card / Visa). Those without Internet access can visit HDB Hub or any of HDB’s Branch Offices to submit their application via the e-Stations or Internet PCs that are available for use.

 

2          Each household can submit only one application and must indicate the flat type (Studio Apartment, 3-room, 4-room or 5-room) that they are applying for.

 

Eligibility Conditions

 

3          The monthly household income ceiling for the purchase of the 3-room and 4-room/5-room flats are $3,000 and $8,000 respectively are applicable. Applicants must also satisfy the other eligibility conditions such as citizenship, family nucleus and non-ownership of private property. Eligible first-timers who are buying a 3-room and bigger flat and whose average monthly household income is $5,000 and less in the 12 months preceding application can also qualify for an Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) of up to $40,000. 

 

4          For Studio Apartments, the monthly household income ceiling should not exceed $8,000. Applicants buying Studio Apartments are not eligible for the AHG. More information on the eligibility conditions for the purchase of Studio Apartments can be found in HDB’s InfoWEB at www.hdb.gov.sg >> e-Sales >> Eligibility Conditions to Buy a studio Apartment.

 

Priority Schemes

 

5          Applicants who meet the conditions of the Third Child Priority Scheme (TCPS), Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) can request for priority allocation under these schemes. Applications under the Resettlement/Relocation (REN/RH) and Grassroots Organisation (GRO) Schemes require recommendations from the appropriate authorities managing the schemes.

 

6        HDB rental tenants who are first-timers, have lived in their rental flats for a minimum of 2 years and whose gross monthly household income does not exceed $3,000 can enjoy priority when they apply for a 3-room flat under the Tenants’ Priority Scheme.

 

Selection of Flats

 

7          Upon the close of the application period, HDB will assess the subscription rate before inviting applicants for the selection of flats. Applicants’ queue position to book a flat will be determined by computer ballot. Applicants will be informed of their queue position by end-Apr 2009.

 

8       The selection exercise will commence from May 2009. An option fee of $250, $1,000 or $2,000 is payable upon selection of a Studio Apartment, 3-room or 4-room/5-room flat respectively. This fee may be paid by cash/cheque/NETS.

 

9          Selection of flats by the applicants with queue numbers exceeding the flat supply would be subject to availability of flat supply or ethnic quota when their turns are due. They can check the availability of flats on the HDB InfoWeb or via teletext before turning up at the HDB Sales Office on the appointed date for the selection.

 

10        With effect from May 2008 BTO exercise, First-timer applicants who reject 2 chances to select a flat in BTO/BE exercises will have their First-timer priorities removed for a 1-year period in any HDB sales exercise.

 

11        After completion of the selection exercise, HDB will assess the take-up rate of Champions Court before deciding whether to proceed to call the building tender for the developments.

 

Signing the Agreement for Lease

 

12        Once it is confirmed that the development has met the desired take-up rate and proceeds for tender, HDB will arrange for the applicants to sign the Agreement for Lease within 4 months from the date of selection of the flats.

 

13        Applicants must pay 10% of the selling price of the flat as downpayment at the time of signing the Agreement for Lease, by CPF and/or cash. First-timer applicants, i.e. married couples as well as those applying under the Fiancé/Fiancée Scheme, can pay the 10% downpayment in 2 instalments under the Staggered Downpayment Scheme (SDS) if at least one of the partners is aged 30 years or younger. The first 5% will be collected when the applicant signs the Agreement for Lease and the balance 5% when the buyer takes possession of his new flat.

 

14        Applicants who intend to take an HDB loan must obtain an HDB Loan Eligibility letter before they exercise the Option To Purchase for the HDB flat by signing the Agreement for Lease. For the applicants who are taking a bank loan, they will have to pay 5% cash payment to HDB. They will also have to obtain a Letter of Offer from the bank before they can exercise the Option To Purchase for the HDB flat.

 

15        Applicants who do not sign the Agreement for Lease or reject the flat after selection will have their applications cancelled and the option fee forfeited. If the applicant rejects the flat after signing the Agreement for Lease, the forfeiture will be 5% of the selling price of the flat.