{"id":42301,"date":"2021-08-10T17:15:25","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T09:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/?p=42301"},"modified":"2023-05-24T12:08:23","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T04:08:23","slug":"bto-hdb-increase-ballot-chances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/bto-hdb-increase-ballot-chances\/","title":{"rendered":"How to increase your HDB BTO ballot chances"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Buying an HDB BTO<\/a> flat from the HDB is probably the most affordable option for buying a house in Singapore. At the same time, it\u2019s increasingly harder to secure one. Some might say it\u2019s even harder than to strike Toto or secure a seat for your child at a popular school<\/a>! Don\u2019t worry though, because there are still ways to maximise your BTO ballot chances.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How does the HDB BTO application balloting work?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Just like primary school application<\/span><\/a>, your BTO application<\/span><\/a> will go through a ballot. The smaller your queue number is, the better as you\u2019ll get called earlier to choose your flat. If your number is within the flat supply, you\u2019ll have a higher chance of securing a flat (we\u2019ll get to that part in just a bit).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Otherwise, you\u2019ll have a chance only if people ahead of you decide not to proceed with the flat selection.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But whether or not your queue number is within the flat supply is also dependent on the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP)<\/span><\/a> limit, aka the racial quota. This quota determines the number of units allocated for each race in each block or neighbourhood, based on the racial composition in Singapore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So if the quota has been met, you won\u2019t be able to get a flat. If you\u2019re Chinese and the Chinese quota has reached its limit, you won\u2019t be invited for a flat selection.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How many BTO ballot chances can you get?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Here\u2019s the good thing if you\u2019re buying a flat from HDB<\/span> for the first time<\/a> \u2014 you\u2019ll get two BTO ballot chances instead of one, unlike second-timers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

(Plus, as announced during Budget and COS 2023<\/a><\/em>, the new priority category called First-Timers (Parents and Married Couples) will get an additional ballot chance (so total will be three ballot chances) from the August 2023 BTO onwards. Those who fall under the new FT (PMC) category are <\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n