Younger HDB resale deals decline as buyers turn to BTO flats: report

SINGAPORE: Transactions of Housing and Development Board (HDB) resale flats that are less than 10 years old fell 21.8% year-on-year (YoY) to 1,222 units in the second quarter of the year, as buyers turned to more affordable Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, according to Edgeprop Singapore, citing research by Realion Group.

The figure was the lowest second-quarter transaction volume for younger HDB resale flats in six years. The last time a lower figure was recorded was during the pandemic, when 836 such flats were sold in Q2 2020.

This was also the smallest share of younger resale flats in overall HDB resale transactions since Q2 2019 (18.9%), with such flats accounting for just 19.7%. So far this year, only 2,322 younger resale flats have been sold, less than half the 5,459 units sold during the same period last year.

Realion said the decline in younger resale flat deals comes amid rising prices for younger resale flats and the availability of newer, more affordable BTO options.

In June, HDB launched 6,952 BTO flats, including a four-room flat at Lakeview Cascadia in Bishan that started from S$534,000 before housing grants, and a similar flat at Sembawang Brook from S$302,000. Meanwhile, the average price of younger resale flats has risen 21.2% over the last three years, from S$619,970 in Q2 2023 to S$751,361 in Q2 2026.

The group also noted that the share of younger resale flat transactions had been falling following the introduction of the Prime Location Housing model in 2021, with younger resale flat deals dropping from 28.2% in Q2 2023 to 26.2% in Q2 2024, and after Plus and Prime flats were introduced in October 2024, falling further from 22.9% in Q2 2025 to 19.7% in Q2 2026. /TISG

Read also: Million-dollar HDB resale flats rose to 166 units in May after April dip