SINGAPORE - From locking resale gains in Central Provident Fund accounts and removing open market transactions to building smaller flats, there is no shortage of potential policy manoeuvres to ensure public housing - particularly in new, prime locations - stays affordable for every Singaporean.

But academics and real estate experts said that while the Government can decree the mix of housing type with relative ease, tackling the significant profits home owners could glean from selling a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat in a prime location is another beast altogether.