Hi all, i am also a first timer that does not own any hdb flats or private property. i had ballot for 6 times and didnt even get a chance to pick a flat at all. 3 times out of my 6 balloting excercise are BTO and as a first timer , i did not even get a ballot number that allow me to even choose a flat.
Everytime my result says that "my number allotcated far exceed the number of availabe flats"

To me this ballot system is really a big bullshit !!!!!!!!!!! how can people who have try to ballot for so many time be balloting with people who maybe balloting on the first time. i feel that for example , in a ballot excercise let say there are 3 people who is first timer but had ballot for 8 times , should be given the top piority , then come those who had ballot for 7 times but had never been given a chance to choose a flat before. then come people who had ballot for 6 times .... and so fore. But once they are given a chance to choose a flat, however they give up their chance to select a flat because of being "choosy" then their position will be revert to being 1st timer , 1st time balloting . so that other people who ballot many times and doesnt even get to choose a flat can have their turn.
Instead of the current stupid system , which is not transparent. if a person is unlucky like me , try 6 times also never get a chance to select a flat, every balloting excercise i had to try my 2 chances or 4 chances if i live near my parents and complete with all other first timer. let say every time i am unlucky . even with 4 chances i may never had a chance to even select a flat!!!!!!!!!! this system is bullshit. So how can this system be fair ?? THe HDB keep giving reasons saying that people are choosy so they complaint , when actual fact is they did not select any flat due to low floor or bad location. Then how about people like me ? who after so many balloting excercise never get to select a flat at all ???

I had email to HDB , email to MP to complaint about my case.

We understand that the government is trying it's best to meet everyone's needs, where it's clearly visible that it's impossible to. But amidst the fussy and choosy people/couples out there, there are sincere people like us that can't wait to own any BTO unit that we can be offered simply because we cannot survive without a shelter above our heads! As for my case, both me and Hubby are divorcees.. I have never owned a flat before whereby Hubby had a 4rm flat which is disposed off already. Unfortunately, during our courtship time, I was still undergoing my divorce proceedings thus could not legally apply for a BTO with Hubby and we lost alot of time. As soon as I was settled, we decided to settle down and got married and moved into a rental flat in the open market with not much choice. Resale flat prices hit the sky and we couldnt put off getting married after getting a flat in few years' time as we wanted to start a family, with age catching up and all.. We have participated in few ballotting exercises but clearly lost to the queue.. Our latest ballotting result in Sembawang RiverLodge has been better, with a smaller queue number, though exceeding the number of available units and we have received an invitation letter to choose a unit.. We were keeping our fingers crossed and relieved til I found out from HDB that the selection for our 3rm units had not even started and there could be a possibility of having no units left by the time we were due. This really scares me.. We were hoping to take anything we could get.. of course if give a choice of high floor and etc we would be delighted but we still feel that getting a house is more important then trivial factors.. Our family, Hubby and me, with my 8yrs old son from 1st marriage and currently preggie, we can't ask for much except a shelter of our own above our heads.... Praying hard!

I agree that we might have a chances to choose a flat even when our Q number is 2 times more then the number of units offered, but how can you expect us not to be choosy considering that we will be IN DEBT for the next 25 to 35 years. Could you please advice us on how to choose between a flat that is near a rubbish dumping area where cockroaches will fly as high as 8 stories, above noisy coffee shops, flats that are blocked by a 5 story multi-story car park or a very noisy MRT track that conitnues to work from 5am to 11.45pm at night. In conclusion, me and my fiance have no confidence in this so called "fair" balloting system and are dishearten to start at family any time soon.

It was mention in the parliment talk in the TV. That they will priorities all first marriage couple with a hdb flat.But where is all the saying goes to???? I have been going up and down to the MP and HDB askin for help just to have a flat near to parent to live in....but what do we get till now..all response were dissappointment...when i receive a letter from the HDB saying that i have rejected 3 times of my chances to have a flat.Replying to the person incharge(HDB),YES we have rejected 3 times.1st time in BTO Senja Green and 2 times in monthly exercise of hdb flat.Reason of rejection;
1st rejection BTO in SENJA GREEN was a wrong application for us as we have difficulty of who lookin after our little girl if we were to choose a area that is far away from our parent at that point.We cannot travel far away from my mother who help us to take care om my small gerl and far away to travel to our work place so we decide not to take it.We did went to HDB informing them we will have to reject it and was informed that our chances will left with 1 and we agreed as we no other choices.So we did have 1 more chances left till now.
2nd and 3rd rejection monthly exercise hdb flat was a dissapoinment for us as we were really hoping to have a flat near to our parent.But our numbers was so far (2000+++),when come to our numbers to select a flat,the flat our choice have been selected so what the point of us going to HDB to choose a flat of our choice.
In the letter also stated that if we really need to have a house urgently we can go thru the open market.As you they can see that thru the open market there is certain amount of cash that we have to give and it is not a small amount.Where do we the young couple that just planning to have a family get the money from.Just because of that rejection our family was not given a chance to have a flat from HDB is it!!!Then where do we stay in the park/beaches.Still tryin to get a flat we just apply for an application we really hope to get it

we have been trying more than 10 times, start from last year. And we suprisingly found out that although it is said married child near parents scheme has extra 2 chances and every 3 unsuccessful ballot equally has extra 2 chances. However, it happened that BTO we applied under married child scheme is the only time we got shortlisted (too expensive for us at that time we didn't choose it). Since that, we have tried very hard for more than 10 times, thinking that the chances increase for every 3 times outbidded but the number is getting further and further. Our latest bidding result for queesntown was no. 2500++.

Most of our friends around us got the BTO easily because of the married child near parents scheme. it is fair to them since the location is convenient for them and their parents.
What about us who does not has BTO development near our house?

we have been trying more than 10 times, start from last year. And we suprisingly found out that although it is said married child near parents scheme has extra 2 chances and every 3 unsuccessful ballot equally has extra 2 chances. However, it happened that BTO we applied under married child scheme is the only time we got shortlisted (too expensive for us at that time we didn't choose it). Since that, we have tried very hard for more than 10 times, thinking that the chances increase for every 3 times outbidded but the number is getting further and further. Our latest bidding result for queesntown was no. 2500++.

Most of our friends around us got the BTO easily because of the married child near parents scheme. it is fair to them since the location is convenient for them and their parents.
What about us who does not has BTO development near our house?

I think it is not fair to label those who rejected HDB's offer as choosy.Check with Mr Mah if he will spend a few mil to buy a bungalow he don't like?Likewise why must our fellow citizen spend a few $100k for a flat they don't want?I agreed with the fact that HDB cannot build flats with only high floors but I think the root cause of this problem is a mismatch.A simple way to resolve the problem is to ask the applicants what is their preference when they make the application.If they prefer high level don't even bother to offer low level flat to them.So what about the low level units?Simple right?give higher subsidy for those unpopular units and lower or no subsidy for those that have high demand. Be transparent,let the ppl know how many ppl bid for each CAT.(like COE bidding)For those who can't wait,I think they will opt for the CAT that have higher chance.Although this may not be their dream flat,at least they are compensated with higher subsidy.Those who prefer to wait and pay a high price will continue to wait.At least they can make informed decision and they won't reject the offer when it is their turn to select a unit.I think this is a fairer and more civilise approach as compared to the current blunt and sort of "bully"(give u 2 chances take it or leave it)approach.I think this is a system that will work well as it is based on simple but proven supply and demand concept.It cuts down on resources that are wasted to handle those mismatch cases.Think about the energy,time and emotion(not given a fair chance to choose)of a citizen.Citizen Centric?I think our government agency is still far from it.The government agency do not look into the root cause of the problem but simply take the easy way out by pointing their fingers at their fellow citizen.Not enough babies?Ask HDB if the birds will lay eggs without a nest. Don't say the birds are choosy bcos everyone know birds only lay eggs when the condition is right! So the ans is to supply nests else the birds will wait

is it compulsory for the CPF board to lock in our money for retirement fund after we had sold our flat when we reach the age of 55 years of age.What if the amount left is insufficient for us to purchase our next flat.Can the relevant authority pls assist and help.

I agree with Mr Mah. People are just too picky. They don't want flats that's on the top level, they don't want flat on the bottom few levels, they don't want flat near the refuse chute and the list goes on.

So don't blame HDB for not giving them the flat but blame theselves for being picky.

I suggest those who register for a flat but did not select a one when their turn comes for more than 3 times should be barred from applying for the next 2 years.

"According to figures from the HDB, eight in 10 first-time buyers under the Build-to-Order (BTO) scheme can get a flat on their first try if they are not choosy, while the success rate is 96 percent for the second try."
My partner and I have been trying for the past two bto and we were not even given a good number for both tries. The queue numbers we got for the two tries were few hundred more than the available units and that means we did not even have a chance to choose. We have balloted for the balancedd flats this time round and looking at the number of applicants, we do not pin high hopes and we hope that the govermnent will look into it as promised on national tv.