Issue 290

Copyright 2011-2016 www.propwise.sg. All Rights Reserved.

CONTENTS
p2

FROM THE

EDITOR

Unbiased New Launch Review Sims

Welcome to the 290th edition of the

Singapore Property Weekly.

Urban Oasis
Hope you like it!

p14

Resale Property Transactions

Mr. Propwise

(November 28 December 2)

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

Unbiased New Launch Review Sims Urban Oasis

By KK Tong (guest contributor)
Two recent hot launches in the OCR
(Outside Central Region) set me thinking. The
Alps Residences in Tampines Street 86 had
270 units out of 626 units snapped up on
launch date. According to caveats lodged in
October, the 441 sf 1-bedroom units were
sold at between $1103 to S1208 psf. For the
700 square foot 2-bedroom units, prices
ranged from $986 to $1141 psf. The other hot
launch in Lorong Lew Lian, Forest Woods,
sold 337 units out of a total of 519 units at an
average price of $1400 psf.

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

Why are buyers willing to pay so much for
OCR condos?
What struck me were the prices buyers were
willing to fork out for properties in the OCR.
Imagine a whopping $1400 psf for an OCR
condo unit! Would buyers instead consider
launches in the RCR (Rest of Central
Region), which are nearer to the city centre, if
prices were similar?

Launched in 2015, Sims Urban Oasis is

located at the junction of Sims Drive and
Aljunied Road in District 14. It consists of
1024 residential units spread over 8 towers,
and 7 shops, including a child care centre.
This massive project sits on a site area of
257,164 square feet.

The unit types and indicative pricing in this

development are:

A recent survey done in September this year

showed that respondents, when asked to
rank the five criteria most important to them
when choosing a property, chose proximity to
the city as most important. Based on this
premise, I decided to take a look at Sims
Urban Oasis, a 99-year leasehold project
located in Sims Drive. Whilst this is not
exactly a new launch, it is a RCR project, and
units are still available.

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

The main entrance is via Sims Drive while the
side gate is at Aljunied Road, near where a
bus stop is located.

A total of 820 parking lots and 6 handicapped

lots are located in the basement and 4-storey
MSCP.

Figure 1: Site Plan

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Facilities are the usual swimming pools,

barbeque areas, gymnasium, and a tennis
court. There is also a Sky Park on Level 19
which offers residents a panoramic view of
the city.
Thoughts from Show Flat Visit

Figure 2: Floor Plan of Type B1

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

Once you enter the unit, the kitchen is to your
right. The living and dining areas extend
beyond the kitchen. While this seems
spacious, it is difficult to create a distinct
dining area. Fortunately, due to the layout of
this unit, the space around the dining area
does not feel cramped.
The bedrooms are located on the left and
there is a small study area opposite the
entrance to the common bedroom. The
shared bathroom is next to the study area.

Figure 3: Layout of Living / Dining /

Kitchen /Study Areas
Figure 3 shows the living/dining/kitchen/study
areas. It is fairly spacious.

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

generous. The dining area is well positioned
food from the oven goes straight to the table!
As mentioned, space for walking is sufficient.

Figure 5: Living Area

Figure 4: Kitchen / Dining Area
The kitchen comes with a solid surface
worktop and is equipped with a fridge, a
washer and a built-in oven/cooker hood.
Kitchen cabinets provided are pretty

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The living area is a comfortable size with

decent distance between the sofa and the
facing wall. There is also a small balcony for
alfresco coffee.

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

Figure 7: Bathroom
Figure 6: Master Bedroom
As with most launches nowadays, all
bedrooms have only sufficient space to place
a queen bed and a small side table.
Wardrobes are also miniscule. Here, both the
master and common bedrooms suffer a
similar fate.
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The bathroom, however, is spacious and

comes with standard fittings. One negative is
that there is no window in the bathroom for
this layout. From visits to various show flats,
Ive noticed that bathrooms in launches the
past couple of years are usually quite
generous in size. Its the one part of a condo
unit not to have gone Mickey in size yet.
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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

Flooring for the living room is homogenous tiles. The bedroom floors are laid with timber.

Figure 8: Area Map

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

Amenities around the area
Sims Urban Oasis is in a mature area, and
convenience abounds. Aljunied is the nearest
MRT Station, at 400 metres away. There is
easy accessibility for drivers too as the condo
is bordered by three major thoroughfares Aljunied Road, Sims Drive, and the Pan
Island Expressway.
Plentiful eateries are found in the Geylang
area and there is a market and hawker centre
just across at Sims Drive. For more food
options, Paya Lebar Square is only one stop
away.
Nearby schools include Geylang Methodist
Primary and Secondary Schools. Book lovers
can frequent the Geylang East Library about
600 metres away.
Shopping for basic necessities is easily done

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at the neighbourhood shops. Shopaholics will

be able to satisfy their major cravings at
Bugis Junction/Bugis Plus, three MRT stops
away.
Positive Aspects of the Development
1. The location is convenient as it is near to
numerous amenities, and getting to any
part of Singapore is easy with the MRT.
2. It is close to the upcoming Paya Lebar
Regional Centre, which may augur well
for the potential of this development.
3. The Geylang area is well known for food,
so itll be a foodies heaven.
4. Amenities are plentiful in this area.
Negative Aspects of the Development
1. Traffic noise may be bad as the condo is
surrounded by three major thoroughfares.
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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

1. Being in the midst of major thoroughfares,
driving may be a hassle as traffic is
heavy.

7. Although famous for food, Geylang is also

known for being seedy. Some buyers may
not like this proximity to Geylang.

2. The development is smack in an area of

HDBs and light industrial buildings. Not
exclusive.

Some Thoughts on Units

3. Only 820 car park lots are available for

1024 units. This can become problematic
if the number of car owners exceed car
park lots provided.

The units facing the PIE in Towers 10 and 12

are a no-no due to the constant traffic noise.

Units #25 and #26 have direct west facing.

Units #3 to #11 are facing Sims Drive, just
opposite a row of light industrial buildings.

4. Near the side gate on Aljunied Road,

there is an overhead bridge from which
passers-by can see the swimming pools
of the condo. No privacy.

The other units are mostly pool facing, and

according to the sales person, the distance
between the facing towers is about 29
metres.

5. Materials and fittings used in the condo

are of basic quality.

If I had to choose, Id probably go for Unit

#30, which is pool facing, and where the
facing block is some distance away.

6. The bedrooms in the development are

small.
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There is really no perfect unit, so buyers will

have to prioritise their own preferences.
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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

Price Comparison

Figure 9: Location of Sims Urban Oasis and Surrounding Areas

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

For comparison purposes, we will be looking
at the 250-unit Tre Residences and the 131unit Central Grove, both 99-year leasehold
developments. These condos are located at
Geylang East Avenue.

Price Comparison Table (3 bedrooms)

Price Comparison Table (2 bedrooms)

Prices for Sims Urban Oasis

For the 2- bedroom units, prices of Sims
Urban Oasis are slightly lower than that of Tre
Residences (TR), possibly because the TOP
for TR is earlier by two years.

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

Central Grove (CG) transacts at a much
lower PSF price, as its an older development
with its lease starting from 1997.
Unfortunately, there are also very few
transactions for both TR and CG, so
comparisons may not be meaningful.

are hoping that there will be capital

appreciation once the area is spruced up.

Likewise for the 3-bedroom units, the

transactions track in a similar manner. As all
three developments are leasehold projects,
and none has a commanding advantage over
the others.

Whilst the prices of Sims Urban Oasis are

comparable to launches like Forest Woods,
Stars of Kovan and Trilinq, its advantage is its
RCR status.
Personally, I am not a fan of condos with too
many units, so I guess buyers are those who
like the area and the facilities provided, and

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 290

Non-Landed Residential Resale Property Transactions for the Week of Nov 28 Dec 2
Postal
District
3
3
5
5
9
9
9
9
9
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
11
11
11
12
14
14
14
15
15
15

Area
(sqft)
TANGLIN VIEW
1,141
EMERALD PARK
1,206
DOVER PARKVIEW
936
THE INFINITI
1,270
OUE TWIN PEAKS
570
RIVERGATE
1,044
RIVERGATE
1,550
VISIONCREST
904
THE LIGHT @ CAIRNHILL
1,658
GRAMERCY PARK
1,970
FOUR SEASONS PARK
2,874
THREE BALMORAL
614
ST REGIS RESIDENCES SINGAPORE 3,757
THREE THREE ROBIN
1,367
LEEDON RESIDENCE
4,263
WATERFALL GARDENS
1,830
VIZ AT HOLLAND
1,259
SOLEIL @ SINARAN
958
NEWTON 18
980
TREVOSE PARK
1,270
BALESTIER PLAZA
1,367
SUITES @ SIMS
344
CENTRA SUITES
452
VACANZA @ EAST
484
THE MEYERISE
1,819
ISUITES @ MARSHALL
614
PEBBLE BAY
1,378
Project Name

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Transacted
Price ($)
1,418,000
1,265,000
1,000,000
1,180,000
1,564,540
2,078,000
2,950,000
1,700,000
3,000,000
4,800,000
7,000,000
1,471,000
8,000,000
2,350,000
7,070,000
2,750,000
1,720,000
1,620,000
1,655,000
1,720,000
1,250,000
550,000
640,000
612,888
4,109,000
700,000
1,550,000

Price
Tenure
($ psf)
1,243
99
1,049
99
1,068
99
929
FH
2,742
99
1,990
FH
1,903
FH
1,880
FH
1,810
FH
2,437
FH
2,436
FH
2,398
FH
2,130 999
1,719
FH
1,659
FH
1,503
FH
1,366
FH
1,691
99
1,690
FH
1,354
FH
914
FH
1,597
FH
1,416
FH
1,265
FH
2,259
FH
1,141
FH
1,125
99

Postal
District
15
15
15
16
16
16
17
18
18
19
19
19
20
20
20
21
22
22
23
23
27
27
27

Area
(sqft)
PEBBLE BAY
1,302
CRESCENDO PARK
1,442
MALVERN SPRINGS
1,658
EASTERN LAGOON
980
THE BAYCOURT
1,690
THE BAYSHORE
1,184
LOYANG VALLEY
3,251
DOUBLE BAY RESIDENCES
936
EASTPOINT GREEN
958
SUNGLADE
1,238
CHILTERN PARK
1,270
EVERGREEN PARK
1,238
RAFFLESIA CONDOMINIUM
1,216
SEASONS VIEW
1,141
THOMSON VIEW CONDOMINIUM 2,024
HIGH OAK CONDOMINIUM
1,270
THE LAKESHORE
1,119
PARC VISTA
1,066
HILLINGTON GREEN
1,755
GLENDALE PARK
1,033
THE ESTUARY
926
THE SENSORIA
1,216
ORCHID PARK CONDOMINIUM
958
Project Name

Transacted
Price ($)
1,440,000
1,550,000
1,750,000
1,030,000
1,750,000
1,055,000
1,575,000
1,000,000
792,000
1,300,000
1,180,000
750,000
1,170,000
1,040,000
1,400,000
995,000
1,200,000
920,000
1,760,000
714,000
850,000
1,040,000
700,000

Price
Tenure
($ psf)
1,106
99
1,075
FH
1,056
FH
1,052
FH
1,036
FH
891
99
485
99
1,068
99
827
99
1,050
99
929
99
606
99
962
99
911
99
692
99
783
99
1,072
99
863
99
1,003 999
691
FH
918
99
855
FH
731
99

NOTE: This data only covers non-landed residential resale property

transactions with caveats lodged with the Singapore Land Authority.
Typically, caveats are lodged at least 2-3 weeks after a purchaser
signs an OTP, hence the lagged nature of the data.
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