Their application is among a record 10,240 received for 278 four-room, five-room and executive flats in mature estates such as Toa Payoh, Bukit Merah and Geylang. They were put up for sale earlier this month.

The HDB's bi-monthly sale of surplus flats in mature estates attracts not only newlyweds and would-be newlyweds needing a matrimonial home, but also families seeking bigger homes and retirees and downgraders looking for smaller units.

The Sunday Times understands that most of the applicants are newlyweds.

The bi-monthly sales exercise was introduced a year ago. In another sale last December, more than 5,000 applications streamed in for 316 flats in Hougang, Punggol and Sengkang.

This is the fourth application in 11/2 years for Ms Suziyanti and her husband, who married in 2006 and live with his parents in a five-room flat in Bedok.

She is now five months pregnant and feels a greater urgency to own her own home.

Explaining the overwhelming number of applicants, the HDB said that the number of surplus flats has dwindled from 17,500 in 2002 to fewer than 2,000 now.

Surplus flats are those which have been built but not yet taken up. Flats which were booked but returned to the HDB for various reasons also fall into this category.

Most of the 278 surplus flats in the latest exercise are almost complete, so applicants will not have to wait three to four years for them, which is the standard period for the HDB's build-to-order flats.

The HDB is already stepping up its building programme and plans to launch 4,500 flats early this year.

Speaking to reporters at a Building and Construction Authority event yesterday, Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan said that demand was high because the 278 flats were in very desirable locations and very reasonably priced.

The HDB's advice to those who need a place immediately is to consider getting a resale unit in the open market. Its figures showed that one out of four resale flats sold last month was priced no higher than $10,000 above valuation.

This includes flats in popular mature estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Tampines and Bedok.

ndianah@sph.com.sg

Are you among the 10,240 who applied for flats in the latest exercise and would like to share your story? E-mail suntimes@sph.com.sg