On super-tall HDB flats, affordability of HDB resale flats and housing aspirations of singles

A 60-storey HDB block. Resale flats crossing S$1.73 million. Singles still wait years for a two-room flexi. And an ageing housing stock quietly approaching a policy reckoning that most people have not yet begun to think about. Singapore’s public housing market has always been one of the country’s great achievements, but right now it is asking some genuinely hard questions.

In this episode of PropertyBT, a BT Correspondents podcast, Leslie Yee speaks with Professor Sing Tien Foo, provost’s chair professor in the department of real estate at NUS Business School, to work through the issues that will shape Singapore’s HDB market over the next decade. Prof Sing is measured, evidence-driven and usefully candid about where the easy answers run out.

Why listen

• What Singapore’s tallest ever HDB block at Pearl’s Hill actually means for urban planning  It is not just an engineering story. Prof Sing explains the land intensification logic behind it and why building higher is one way to keep public housing affordable in prime locations.

• Whether a S$2 million HDB resale flat is coming and how long it might take  A five-room flat already sold for S$1.73 million this year. Prof Sing does the maths on what price growth would be needed to reach S$2 million by 2030 and why he hopes it does not happen.

• Why lease decay in ageing HDB flats is becoming an urgent policy problem  Blocks built in Singapore’s early years of independence are approaching 60 years old. Prof Sing explains the economic and functional challenges ahead and why VERS needs careful thought to work for elderly homeowners.

• What it would actually take to lower the age at which singles can buy HDB flats  Demand is already strong and supply is constrained. Prof Sing explains why the supply condition matters more than the age limit itself.

Singapore’s housing story is still being written. This conversation covers the most important chapters ahead. Listen now.

Discover more episodes at bt.sg/podcasts. Got feedback? Email us at btpodcasts@sph.com.sg.

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Written and hosted by: Leslie Yee (lyee@sph.com.sg)

With Professor Sing Tien Foo, provost’s chair professor in the department of real estate, NUS Business School

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Leslie Yee, Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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