THE Housing Board (HDB) has been flooded with applications for 489 flats in the North and West zones which went on sale on Wednesday.

Reflecting the surging demand for homes, more than 1,600 applications were received by 5pm - just hours after they were put on sale.

The figures were given on HDB's website (www.hdb.gov.sg) which offers regular updates.

The units include new, unsold, repurchased and show flats.

On sale in the latest launch, the fourth this year, are 129 four-room, 138 five-room, and 222 executive flats.

They are located in eight towns, including Bukit Batok, Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang, Jurong East, Sembawang and Yishun.

The prices of the flats range from $118,000 for a four-room flat in Yishun or Jurong East, to $362,000 for an executive flat in Sembawang, and $440,000 for a similar unit in Jurong East.

Interested buyers can submit their application online before Oct 16.

They can also view showflats and sample units in Sembawang and Jurong West daily until Oct 23, after which it will be open only on weekends until Dec 9.

Four of these are new, furnished showflats which are available for sale at a premium.

The HDB said more than 70 such showflats have been sold so far.

This latest sale comes after an announcement by HDB earlier this month that it will offer 6,000 new flats over the next six months.

Government flash estimates for the three months ended September showed a surge in prices for mass-market homes, which are finally catching up with luxury homes.