If you didn’t manage to snag a flat in last February’s Yishun BTO, you might want to consider balloting for this year’s May 2022 Yishun HDB BTO. HDB launched a total of 5,330 BTO units in May, with Yishun making up 640 units. That’s around 12 per cent of units located in Yishun.
The name Yishun was derived from the Mandarin Chinese equivalent of Nee Soon. Lim Nee Soon, nicknamed “pineapple king” after his vast pineapple plantations, was a prominent banker and businessman in Singapore in the 1900s. He made his fortune from the rubber and pineapple plantations he had in the area.
Although the plantations are long gone, Yishun remains a vibrant neighbourhood with stunning parks and a bustling mall.
May 2022 Yishun BTO at a glance
Location
Along Yishun Central, Yishun Avenue 2, Yishun Central 1, Yishun Central 2
Classification
Non-mature estate
Number of units
640
Flat types
2-room Flexi, 4-room and 5-room
Number of blocks
TBC
Estimated waiting time
TBC
Estimated completion date
TBC
Nearest MRT
Yishun MRT (10-minute walk)
Nearest bus interchange
Yishun Bus Interchange
Notable amenities
Yishun Park Hawker Centre, Yishun Pond Park, Yishun Park, Yishun Swimming Complex, Yishun Community Hospital, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Northpoint City, SAFRA Yishun, Wisteria Mall
May 2022 Yishun BTO indicative price range
HDB hasn’t released the price range yet. So for now, you can refer to SRX’s estimations based on nearby resale transactions and launch prices from recent BTO launches.
Flat type
Estimated price range
4-room
$290,000 to $390,000
5-room
$430,000 to $520,000
Source: SRX. These estimations take into account property age and location. Launches located nearer to an MRT or commercial development are likely to be more expensive.
Estimated downpayment, monthly instalment and income
Based on these pricing forecasts, we can estimate the downpayment, monthly instalments and household income needed to pay for the May 2022 Yishun BTO flat. These estimates are based on the following assumptions:
An HDB loan is taken, maximising the 85 per cent loan-to-value (LTV) ratio.
The loan tenure is 25 years, with the current interest rate of 2.6 per cent
There is no other housing loan to service
To illustrate, we’ll use the median of the price range and won’t be taking into account any CPF grants and savings to be used. We’ll also be using a mortgage calculator to do the math.
Another thing is that for public housing, you can only use up to 30 per cent of your monthly household income to service the home loan. This is called the Mortgage Servicing Ratio (MSR). By taking this into account, we can then find the estimated household monthly income needed for the flat.
Flat type
Median price
Loan amount (85 per cent)
Minimum downpayment (15 per cent)
Estimated monthly instalment
Estimated monthly household income
4-room
$340,000
$289,000
$51,000
$1,311.10
$4,370.33
5-room
$475,000
$403,750
$71,250
$1,831.69
$6,105.63
May 2022 Yishun BTO: The pros
Accessibility
Yishun isn’t exactly the most accessible neighbourhood, but thanks to our amazing public transport system, it’s not a hassle to hop on a bus and get to the Yishun Bus Interchange in five minutes.
Yishun MRT station is the nearest train station. It’s a straight path that will take you on a 10-minute walk past Yishun Town Garden. From there, you can ride the North-South line directly to Orchard MRT, which is a 25-minute ride.
If you drive, you can get to the Seletar Expressway (SLE) via either Sembawang Road or Mandai Avenue. Both routes will take you about 10 minutes, depending on traffic conditions.
Food and retail amenities
Yishun Park Hawker Centre is a modern open-air food court beside Yishun Park, a 16-minute walk away. More than 40 food options are available for you to choose from, so you know you’ll never get bored of the food selection.
Nestled in the residential precinct of Neighbourhood 1 is Chong Pang Market and Food Centre, an eight-minute bus ride away. Until the opening of Northpoint City, it was the largest neighbourhood centre serving the residents of Yishun. Tap into the nostalgic heartland energy as you walk through the winding alleys of mom-and-pop stores selling everything from kitchenware to house plants.
Check out this video for a walking tour of Chong Pang Market!
Fun fact: Lim Chong Pang was the son of Lim Nee Soon, and just like his father, he was an enterprising businessman and ran a successful real estate business.
READ ALSO: May 2022 HDB BTO in-depth review: Bukit Merah
Schools
There are a few primary schools nearby, with Northland Primary being the nearest school within a 1km radius. Do note that as the site hasn’t been built yet, the following distances are just a rough estimate.
Northland Primary School (800m)
Huamin Primary School (1.1km)
Jiemin Primary School (1.3km)
Naval Base Primary School (1.3km)
Peiying Primary School (1.3km)
Other schools for secondary and tertiary education include Naval Base Secondary School, Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) and Innova Junior College.
Healthcare facilities
Yishun Community Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital are part of the Yishun Health Campus so that patients can enjoy a seamless, integrated healthcare experience. Both hospitals are conveniently situated a one-minute walk away from the BTO site.
A fun fact about Khoo Teck Puat is that the building uses 30 per cent less energy than other older hospitals such as Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Changi General Hospital. Their environmentally-friendly features save them more than $1 million a year on utility costs.
Recreational facilities
Residents of Yishun have Northpoint City, the largest shopping mall in the North (it’s a whopping 500,000sqft!). After its massive expansion in 2017, it became the first mall in Singapore to have an Integrated Transport Hub with two underground linkways connecting the mall to Yishun MRT station. The expansion brings the total number of shops and restaurants to 500, so you can indulge in the all-time favourite Singapore past-time of shop till you drop.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CadrjIqPhBy/
Get your groceries at Cold Storage, FairPrice or K-Market or head to the public library for a respite amongst the books, away from the hustle and bustle of the mall.
What makes it even sweeter is that it’s just a mere nine minutes away on foot, so you can save on Grabfood delivery.
Should you ever get sick of Northpoint City (what an inconceivable thought!), simply hop on one of the many buses along Yishun Ave 2 and take a 14-minute ride to Junction 9 or Wisteria Mall.
Night owls can head to Orto (eight-minute drive), a multi-recreational complex with 24-hour prawning and fishing ponds. There’s a wide range of restaurants where you can hang out and catch up with friends over boat noodles and beer while watching amateur anglers reel in their catch.
Katapult Trampoline Park is also located at Orto, where you can spend an enjoyable day out bouncing around the trampolines playing dodgeball and slam dunk with your kids.
Green parks and swimming complex
Yishun’s Natural Playground: Parks That’ll Make Your Pulse Go Boom!
Imagine stepping out your front door and—*
- —you’re already in the middle of nature’s best-kept secret.
Yishun doesn’t just have parks; it practically invented the word “green.” In fact, both Yishun Pond Park and Yishun Park are a stroll away—only 14 minutes to a sunrise and a sweaty hike. No need for a fancy gym membership here.
Yishun Pond Park: The Hippie’s Home
Picture this: the calm ripple of the pond, a swarm of intrepid birds, and the occasional cheeky otter or a snarly monitor lizard performing their own circus act. The locals love it because the scenery is so serene; you could literally practice your yoga poses without worrying about the next cyclist.
Ever wanted to learn what plants say about themselves? Check out the information boards around the pond that narrate the enchanting tale of our local flora and fauna. It’s nature’s “About Us” section—no boring lecture required.
Take a quick detour after your jog, and you’ll find the water promenade—a spot where you can lounge on comfy benches and sip calm‑tingy coffee from Real Food vegetarian cafe, Slow Bakes bakery, or the quiet literary vibe of Jing Si Book Cafe. Yes, you can even spot a rambutan tree if you look carefully.
Yishun Park: The Free‑For‑All Forest Trail
Just a two‑minute walk and you find yourself in the “Jungle Gym” of Yishun. The jogging trail is under a canopy of trees that gives you the illusion of trekking a real forest—supposedly full of notes from actual tree voices. If Yishun was once a plantation, you’ll still catch sight of fruit trees: star fruit, jackfruit, rambutan, and even those notorious durian trees lying in wait. Whichever way you look at it, it’s like a spontaneous fruit harvest in your own backyard.
The park boasts a nature play garden for the kids, built entirely from wooden logs—a jungle gym that screams “playtime, not playtime with your turns.” Kids will be distracted by the sounds of nature, laughing, and doing creative play.
Dog Park: Where Dogs Be (and Paws)
Got a furry friend who thinks the sidewalk is a race track? Bring them to the local dog park, where you’ll find a large off‑leash playground for dogs. It’s the perfect place to meet other “pawrents” and enjoy a serene walk with your canine companion. The dog park is a breath of fresh air for both humans and pups—and the owners keep their new friends in shape too.
Yishun Swimming Complex: Making a Splash
Located right across from the BTO project site, the Yishun Swimming Complex offers three treat‑laden pools—one for kids, one for training, and one for competitive swimmers. Whether you’re channeling your inner Michael Phelps or just the last swimmer on the roster, swimmers of all ages can find a happy place to toss in their best strokes.
All this green, all this leisure, all so close. Yishun’s parks are the real package deal: nature, laughter, and a little bit of ginormous wetness from the water workouts. Feel the beat, enjoy the breeze, and remember you’re never too far from a good adventure!
May 2022 Yishun BTO: Where are the best stacks with the best views?
HDB hasn’t released the site plan yet, so in the meantime, let us take a look at the surrounding areas to figure out where you can enjoy the best views from your potential new home.
The two nearest residential blocks are located at the north-west (Block 767) and south-facing (Block 602 and 603) views. There’s a road separating the two blocks, and they’re both quite a distance away, so there are no worries about neighbours being able to look directly into your house.
Yishun Town Garden, situated on the north-facing side, will potentially give you the best view.
The HDB icon is where the new Yishun BTO will be.
Or, if you’re on a high enough floor, you might be able to enjoy the tranquil view of Yishun Pond from the north-east facing side, or wake up to the vast greenery of Yishun Park from the east-facing side.
What’s the potential price appreciation?
There has been a significant average psf price increase over the past five years of 26.31 per cent for four-room flats, and 30.21 per cent for five-room flats.
$1 million flat sold in Yishun
Yishun’s Giant Leap: A Million‑Dollar Home Pops Up!
Picture this: a cozy executive apartment in Yishun just hit the stratospheric price tag of $1,038,000. Yes, that’s right—more than a million dollars. It’s the very first time a home in this relatively young estate has joined the exclusive million‑dollar HDB club. The buyer walked away from Block 652, which is only an eight‑minute stroll from the elevator.
So, Is the Non‑Mature HDB Crowd About to Break the Million‑Dollar Ceiling?
The last time someone whisked a non‑mature flat for over a million was back in 2020, when a Hougang house sold for a mind‑blowing sum. Could this recent Yishun triumph mean that the price tag is catching up with the modern estates? Plenty of buyers are already eyeing these newer developments, and the recent sale suggests a growing appetite for premium living in places that used to be considered “up‑and‑coming.”
Price Per Square Foot: The Numbers That Matter
- The price per square foot (PSF) for this million‑dollar marvel was tracked at $516.
- Over the past five years, that PSF has climbed a whopping 29.18%.
- Given this trend, it’s not far off to see other non‑mature blocks in Yishun reaching similar heights.
In short, it looks like the newer estates are finally stepping onto the big stage—big enough to pull the price of a decent apartment into the million-dollar range. So, whether the boom will spread across all non‑mature estates remains to be seen, but the signs point to Yishun pizza‑box style growth: warm, evolving, and ready for the next slice of dollar economy.
May 2022 Yishun HDB BTO: Should you apply?
Yishun: More Than a Bad Reputation
Yishun might not win any “neighborhood of the month” awards, but it’s absolutely perfectly lovely once you walk past the market stalls and hop over to the green parks.
Why BTO in Yishun Rocks
- New‑to‑you: It’s still a non‑mature estate, so you’ll get a legally better chance of securing a unit in the next balloting.
- Instant Green: C’mon, flips the BTO brochure, and you’ll see parks, lakes, & walking trails right next to your doorstep.
- Shopping Spree: Northpoint City is a sprawling paradise—gotten no gift shop to be proud of.
Resale Market: A Quick Peek
So you’re not keen on balloting? No sweat. Yishun’s resale scene is as green as your own backyard:
- Yishun Riverwalk
- Yishun Greenwalk
- Acacia Breeze
- Yishun Natura
- Oleander Breeze
Every one of those projects got a fresh MOP‑tag in 2023, meaning their lease is still relatively short—but who needs a forever lease when you can dance around the market, right?
Bottom Line
Forget the chatter about Yishun’s “sordid reputation.’’ Nesting in this residential pocket means you’ll have fresh air, convenient shopping, and a great chance to snag a new home either via BTO balloting or resale. Pick one, and you’ll be living the dream with a side of humor.
Frequently asked questions
How many times can I ballot for BTO?
You can ballot as many times as you can, as long as you have not been invited to select a flat. If you reject a chance to select a flat, there may be some consequences.
How much is the downpayment for HDB?
If you’re taking an HDB loan, the minimum downpayment will be 15 per cent of the purchase price. If you’re taking a bank loan, the minimum downpayment will be 25 per cent.
Can I apply for two BTO at the same time?
No, you can only apply for one project during a sales exercise.
READ ALSO: Why we ditched that $1.6 million condo for a resale HDB flat instead
This article was first published in 99.co.
propertyHDBBTO flats (Build-to-order flats)HDB pricesProperty prices
