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TOP 5

NEW LAUNCHES

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By Sky Tang

Updated 15th December 2020.

With more than 70 new launches in Singapore, and every showflat as bedazzaling and showy as the last, it can be hard to know which is worth to invest. So let us give you the skinny on the very best of the market.

This list here explores the 5 best new condominiums that are investment worthy AND great to stay in. Read on!

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If you can't wait to get started, call me at 9834 3488 or whatsapp me here.

 

*This list will change time to time due to shift in unit mix, price changes or if a much more compelling project presents itself.

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Kent Ridge Hill Residences
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Unit availability: 2br, 2+study, 3br, 4br strata

Size: 743 sq feet onwards

​Rates: $1,783 psf onwards

TOP: 2024

Town: Pasir Panjang
Rating: 4/5
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There's plenty to like about Kent Ridge Hill Residences, as its a home that ticks many boxes now, then upgrades those boxes even more in the future. All at a very acceptable price at $1.4m onwards.
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Summary: This is an ideal investment for those who want a good to great return, and are willing to wait 5 years for the area to develop even further.
There is also a potentially secret 10 year bonus here that I'd tell you if you call me about Kent Ridge Hill Residences today.
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Firstly, its close to many workplaces. Kent Ridge Hill is a 10 minute walk to Mapletree Business City, which is home to MNCs such as HSBC,  SAP, Nike, Unilever, Deutsche Bank etc. These companies are doing well in the Covid19 Pandemic and are actively expanding, which means that employees there are more likely to have money to buy and rent in the area. Its also a 10 minute commute to One - North, which is home to major Pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, GSK and local blue-chip company SEA Ltd. In 5 years time, with the Greater Southern Waterfront completed, another cluster of workplaces, along with their employees, are within another 10 minute walk again. This creates an intense increase in demand condos in this area that already has very limited supply.
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Secondly, transport. Its a 7 minute walk to Pasir Panjang MRT. This means its 3 stops from the One-North cluster and 4 stops to Buona Vista, an East West line interchange. Again, in 5 years time, the Circle Line will be completed, which means a 15 minute ride to Marina Bay. That's another cluster of Facebook, Google, DBS, etc within your reach. As a reference, when Bedok Reservoir MRT opened, and travelling time to Marina Bay from Bedok Reservoir became 15 minutes, prices jumped 18% in TWO Months. This is entirely possible due to the prices downtown being priced at $3000 psf and above.
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Thirdly, talking about prices downtown, the alternatives against Kent Ridge Hill make it underpriced. Units at One North are priced from $1950 psf onwards. Marina Bay starts at $3000 psf. Even units within the same estate have sold at $1980 psf. Kent Ridge Hill? $1783 psf.
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Fourthly, it has a further advantage over condos in the same estate. Most condos in Pasir Panjang are small apartments with a pool, whereas Kent Ridge Hill is a full facility, modern condo with low density. In an area of increasing affluence and better connectivity, residents expect better facilities since they are prepared to pay more. This puts Kent Ridge Hill in a very prime position with limited supply in this area. The only nearby comparable would be The Peak@Balmeg, but units there start at $2.65m due to the unit's sheer size. In comparison, Kent Ridge Hill units start at $1.4m.
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Lastly, amenities in the area is great. Kent Ridge Hill has its own private gate to Kent Ridge Park, which is part of a mega-park that links to Hort Park, Henderson Waves and eventually ending at Vivocity. If we see the health trend of high-paying employees, is that they value good exercise. 7 minutes away, above Pasir Panjang MRT, is Bijou Mall, with rows of shophouses beside. Together, they provide your daily necessities.
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However, do note that there are no primary schools within 2km, which could be a potential obstacle to young local families in the area. This may change soon, with the Greater Southern Waterfront promising to bring an entire new HDB town to the area (which will include primary schools).
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Ready to grab a unit before they are all snapped up? Contact Sky here to see this development yourself!
The Florence Residences
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Unit availability: 1br, 2br, 2+study, 3br, 4br, 5br

Size: 483 sq feet onwards

​Rates: $1,606 psf onwards

TOP: 2023

Town: Kovan
Rating: 4.5/5
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The wonderful thing about The Florence Residences is that it is a mega project with a wealth of facilities (over 100) located in a mature town, while being priced the lowest in the area. Also, recent changes in governmental policy will also cause property prices here to skyrocket. Oh, and it helps that the 2 condos that Logan built so far are truly beautiful, won multiple awards and appreciated at least 20% since TOP.
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Summary: This is a project that is targeted for both homestayers and investment, that is well suited for those who seek a low risk, low entry point product. Recent law changes will cause a temporary supply restriction, making Florence Residences a potentially very profitable project.
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Firstly, the fundamentals of The Florence Residence are strong. Its an 8 minute walk to Kovan MRT, there is an F&B enclave along the entire Upper Serangoon Road, with 3 malls nearby. There are multiple top Primary Schools within 2km too - Xinmin, Montfort, Rosyth, PLMGS, CHIJ, Holy Innocents amongst 6 others. The lack of a park or beach nearby is easily made up by the plethora of facilities available within the development too. And at prices from $780k, this is easily affordable to many buyers.
 
Secondly, as mentioned above, prices here are ridiculously low in comparison to anything nearby. Stars of Kovan, the latest condo that was completed last year, have its cheapest west facing units priced at least $100k (1 bedroom) to $200k (2 bedroom) more than Florence Residences units. And all of Florence Residences units are fully North-South facing. Trilive and Tembusu are priced even higher and further from the MRT, although they are freehold. This makes Florence Residences highly sought after.
 
Thirdly, recent governmental changes will result in prices here jumping sharply. There are two changes to note here. One, every new project developed from late 2019 onwards have to have an average size of 85 sqm, up from the current 70 sqm. This means a massive 22% jump in average sizes for any new condos in the area, bringing a more than potentially 22% rise in prices. This is because Florence Residences was an enbloc project, bought privately by the Developer, Logan. Subsequent new condos would most likely be Governmental Land Sales (GLS) that have already been earmarked to be right beside Florence Residences (the old Serangoon Junior College). And because GLS sales are marked to market, the plot beside Florence, due to be sold 2 years later, would definitely be more expensive than Florence. This would result in a more than 22% increase in prices for that project.
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Conversely, Florence Residences is the very last project launched in the Northeast before the enforcement of this law. Hence, this makes Florence look even cheaper when GLS or Enbloc sites are launched beside Florence 2 years down the road.
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The second governmental change that would make Florence a worthy investment would be because there was zero GLS sold in the area in 2020. and there wouldn't be any in 2021 either. There could be one in 2022, which is the old Serangoon Junior College. By the time that happens there would be a very severe lack of supply on the market, in Singapore's most populated area. In fact, this anticipated lack of supply is so severe that developers are looking to enbloc land despite recent ABSD of 15% for developers who do so. By then, prices would have skyrocketed in the area. So why wait until then to commit? 
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Lastly, not only would supply shrink, demand would continue to increase. This is because in 5 years time, Defu Industrial City would be operational, and that is all about logistics. With the advent of online shopping, self storage, this area is set to boom. In 8 years time, nearby Hougang would open its Cross Island Line, which reduces the walk to an MRT to 6 minutes from Florence Residences. Hougang would also go through an intense rejuvenation, which includes at least another new integrated mall and condo. This further enhances the fundamentals of this condo. However, do note that being in a suburban area after all, Florence Residences may face a limit on its future sales price increment at to remain affordable.
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Are you convinced and ready to view the real thing? Call Sky here and we can arrange for the most convenient date for you to visit!
One-North Eden
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Unit availability: 1br, 2br, 2+study, 3br

Size: 495 sq feet onwards

​Rates: $1,950 psf onwards

TOP: 2025

Town: One North
Rating: 4/5
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This is a very long-awaited project because it literally ticks every single box. Eden gives you a proper residential condominium, with premium malls, a cool F&B enclave, absolute top schools, a world class university, all amid a high growth area with minimal population density. And this is just Phrase One of Three, so first mover advantage is yours.
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Summary: A fully residential condo in a very high growth work area, yet replete with malls, F&B enclave, top schools, all in a green and tranquil setting. Plus, prices are still somewhat affordable here at $900k onwards. This makes the units here easily affordable even to a single working professional in the area, and could easily appreciate more given the last launch here was in March 2007.
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We delve deeper into Eden's fundamentals, and Eden passes beautifully. Its located right in the middle of the entire One-North district, which house Pharmaceutical companies, governmental and private R&D, Urban Farming, as well as communication and IT. This means companies from GSK, SEA Ltd, Mediacorp, Razer and other major MNCs are all located within a couple of minutes walk away. Not only are these companies deemed as high-growth industries, they are also deemed essential. That means the entire One-North is here to stay. It also helps that employees here tend to earn more than $7000 a month, based on job openings that are available at monster.com
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Further, Eden is located near two top Primary Schools. It is within 2km to Henry Park Primary School, and also the very sought after Fairfield Methodist Primary School. Fairfield is popular because its the only co-ed school with affiliation to Fairfield Methodist Secondary, which is then affiliated to Anglo Chinese Junior College. Given the low density of people living in this area, balloting within 1km of Fairfield and 2km to Henry Park would make primary school enrollment a dream. All schools are located within 2km of Eden.
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Also, Eden is located within a short ride or 1 MRT stop away from NUS and NUH. This means top quality tenants and also an ideal location that you could base yourself if you wish to continue higher learning. Doctors, professors and many researchers and professionals are based within minutes of you.
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Next, Eden is located minutes away from Buona Vista, which means Rochester Mall and The Star Vista is easily accessible by foot. One North is also home to Timbre+ and Dempsey, which are hip F&B enclaves that many flock to.  The greenery and tranquility the area is known for further adds to the quality of life. However, a limit to Eden is that it is not a very large condo and hence have limited facilities and the entry price means that not many investors are able to purchase. This may limit the future resale market.
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Lastly, One-North Eden is the first condo out of three that will be launched. The next 2 parcels of land are located right beside, which means further increase in prices from those plots are expected. This creates a situation where downside is limited, but upside is limitless. So don't wait, contact Sky here to see the actual showflat and location today!


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Avenue South Residences
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Unit availability: 1br, 2br, 3br, 4br

Size: 527 sq feet onwards

​Rates: $1,768 psf onwards

TOP: 2024

Town: Keppel
Rating: 4/5
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This is the very first condo in a new area, and is a literal 2 minute walk to the new Greater Southern Waterfront Development. This condo is also built by UOL, an esteemed developer known for their amazing landscaping. Further, to attract more people to move into this new area, the unit sizes are generous, maintenance fees are lower than ECs, and you get epic views of the sea. Did I mention also that this is a full facility condo comes with a park at your doorstep, complete with shops, childcare and a MRT closeby?
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Summary: A new launch that has all the amenities within itself in a new area, that is located right beside the Greater Southern Waterfront. Complete with top primary schools at almost half the price. Also has an overlooked advantage that I'd explain about when we have our one-to-one conversation.
 
Fundamentally, Keppel is an okay town. It is within 1km to Radin Mas Primary and CHIJ, both very good primary schools. It is also served by the AYE, and that's about it. However, Avenue South plugs alot of these holes while being priced close to other units in the area. Hence, when these amenities are ready together with the condo in 2024, there could be a very significant price appreciation.
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So what are these upgrades that Avenue South can bring? Firstly, Avenue South would have its own shops, F&B and childcare located right in front of the condo. This shops belongs to the owners, which means rental from these shops go towards your maintenance fees, making maintenance fees here lower than new EC launches. Further, an entirely new public park is being built infront of these shops, by the developer UOL itself, that would almost exclusively be used by Avenue South Residences and make a wonderful lifestyle addition.
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Talking about parks, Avenue South is also located right beside the new Rail Corridor, which is a park that utilises the old Railway line to Malaysia and ends at the historic Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. The new Cantonment MRT would also be located at the Railway Station, making the stroll to the MRT a literal 9 minute walk in the park. This MRT is located on the circle line, and brings you to Marina Bay in 3 minutes, Vivocity in 4, and Suntec in 10 minutes. 
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Also down the road is the Greater Southern Waterfront district, just 200m away. Spanning the size 6 times of Marina Bay, this is Singapore's most ambitious project and will bring malls, tourist attractions, offices, parks, schools and integrated developments together from Kallang to Pasir Panjang. Keppel happens to be right in the middle and prices here have not risen yet. Hence, it would be a good time to get a unit here before all the developments are really set in motion. Already, prices of condos within the Marina and Bugis areas have risen past $3000 psf and Keppel is slated to be the next area to undergo development.
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Lastly, Avenue South Residences offers epic views of the sea or the city. This is not commonly found in most new developments of this size, at such a price. The layout of the unit is also squarish and well designed, which makes every unit feel more spacious that what you see on paper. 

So, come down today and take a look at the development yourself to understand first hand!

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RIVIÈRE
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Unit availability: 1br, 2br, 3br, 4br

Size: 560 sq feet onwards

​Rates: $2,307 psf onwards

TOP: 2023

Town: River Valley
Rating: 4/5
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An iconic beautiful, functional condo based on the original site of the legendary Zouk club. Located along Singapore River, it checks every single box and is discounted during this period of downturn. By top developer Frasers Centrepoint and they kept to their principle of large units with squarish layouts.
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Summary: A luxurious, iconic product that fulfills every need of a high-end lifestyle in Singapore, but priced attractively with sizeable discounts during this pandemic period.
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Rivière is the latest offering by top developer Frasers Centrepoint, so off the bat we know we will get top quality workmanship using the best materials with squairsh, functional layouts. Further, Riviere's design incorporates the original Zouk design by keeping elements of the original site around. This includes the "warehouses", which would definitely resonate with anyone who knew Zouk, making this an iconic development that many will remember.
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Rivière also ticks the usual needs, such as being within 3 minutes of the revamped Great World City, the brand new Great World City MRT, and within 2km of prestigious schools such as River Valley Primary and St Margaret's Primary. The new MRT in particular, solves a long standing issue with River Valley - true convenience out of town. The MRT brings residents to Marina Bay in 5 stops, to the UNESCO Heritage Site of Botanic Gardens in 3 stops and even to places such as Gardens by the Bay or East Coast. 
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Of course, being a premier development, Rivière doesn't just stop there. Its right beside the Singapore River, which not only serves to provide great views, but also serves as a park that connects all the way to Marina Bay. As mentioned above, highly earners tend to value a healthier lifestyle, so the availability of exercising along the river would be a great appeal to them.
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The real attraction here however, is the discount that Frasers is offering right now as it chose a wrong date to launch, which was right before COVID 19's appearance. This led to initial slow sales, which limited Fraser's cashflow. Prices now have been adjusted downwards of 20%, and with a completion date of 2024, there's plenty of time for prices to recover. No other comparable development nearby has priced itself such, with nearby Martin Modern at $2700+ psf, Avenir at $3000+psf and even the facility-lite RV Altitude at $2800psf. At $2300psf onwards, the Rivière is truly a steal. This $2300-$2600 psf range will NOT last though, we expect that once sales numbers recover by Jan 2021, prices will adjust upwards again.

So don't wait,
call Sky now to book an appointment to see Rivière today!
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Thank you for taking your time to read this article! If you are keen to see any of these great developments, or wish to leave some feedback to me, please feel free to contact me. My contact details are listed down below. Have a great week ahead!
Contact Sky
For more information and viewings of the actual showflat,
Call Sky today at 9834 3488
Or Whatsapp me here
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