The Reality I Learned After Applying for a Special Supply Housing Subscription
I applied twice under the newlywed special supply program, and I was rejected both times. When I calculated my points, it was an obvious outcome.
The lesson I learned is that when applying for housing, you shouldn't look at 'places I can go' but at 'places I can go with lower competition.' If you keep applying only to popular areas, you'll waste years.
This year, I'm going to try approaching it by completely changing the region and unit size criteria.
8 answers
I agree—there are a ton of people who keep applying only to popular areas and just end up getting older.
But you kind of have to think about this the other way around: places with low competition often don’t appreciate even if you sell later, or their location is ambiguous. In the end, housing subscription is about compromising for life between the places you can go and the places you want to go. I realized this after wasting three years. At first, I only aimed for popular areas like it was a lottery, but now, by lowering the unit size by one tier within commuting distance, the odds go up a lot. It seems the first step is deciding what you’re willing to give up.
Well, that's a bit... Isn't the whole "aim for lower-competition areas" thing way outdated? These days everyone piles into even those, so the special-supply point cutoffs have all become similar. Do you have any evidence for how much changing regions actually raises your odds?
I also failed the newlywed special supply twice, then switched to the general supply and got in. It turns out the special supply isn't always the answer.
Got a source? If you have any data on how much the bonus-point cutoff varies by region, please share 😭 I'm also trying to figure out my direction right now.
I highly recommend changing your size criteria. I was only looking at 84㎡, then went down to 59㎡, and considering loans and maintenance fees, it was actually better. You’ll have to accept it feeling cramped once the kids grow up, but hey, getting in comes first.
Oh, I didn't know this. I've only been sticking to popular areas... I'll go reflect on that.
I disagree. In the end, housing subscriptions are a matter of luck, and even if you apply somewhere with low competition and get selected, what's the point if you don't want to live there? Being tied down to a home that doesn't suit you could be more of a loss than throwing away a few years. Advice to change regions is hard to generalize because everyone's situation is so different.