On Feb. 23, joint developers UOL Group and CapitaLand Development (CLD) announced the successful launch of ParkTown Residence in Tampines North, with a whopping 87% of the total 1,193 units sold during the launch weekend. According to Anson Lim, UOL’s general manager of residential marketing, the project achieved an average price of $2,360 psf and was well-received by both Singaporean homebuyers and investors.
Most of the units at ParkTown Residence were two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, which accounted for 83% of the project’s total units. These were also the most popular unit types, with 92% of them being snapped up over the launch weekend. The project’s unique selling point as a fully integrated residential and lifestyle development, directly connected to a retail mall, future MRT station, bus interchange, green boulevard, community club, and hawker centre, was a major draw for buyers, according to a spokesperson for UOL and CLD.
Prior to the launch weekend, ParkTown Residence had received a total of 2,367 cheques, resulting in a remarkable sales conversion rate of 44%, which is above the average of 30% to 35% for most new project launches in recent years. Mark Yip, CEO of Huttons Asia, notes that no other mega project has sold over 1,000 units during its launch weekend since the launch of the 1,399-unit High Park Residences in July 2015. This makes ParkTown Residence at Tampines 62 the project with the highest number of units sold during a launch weekend since the 846-unit Emerald of Katong, which sold 835 units (99%) in November 2020, according to Ismail Gafoor, CEO of PropNex.
“The take-up at ParkTown Residence has also surpassed that of previous integrated developments,” adds Gafoor. The most recent integrated project launch was the 732-unit The Reserve Residences, which recorded a 71% take-up rate during its launch weekend in May 2023. As of Feb 23, the project was 98.2% sold at an average price of $2,484 psf, based on caveats lodged.
Mixed-use developments integrated with transport hubs have been popular among homebuyers and investors, with the last two completed projects being the 920-unit North Park Residences in Yishun (launched in 2015) and the 680-unit Sengkang Grand (launched in 2019) at Buangkok. The average price of North Park Residence is $1,809 psf, 65% higher than the average resale prices of residential units across District 27, while Sengkang Grand commands an average price of $2,029 psf, 25% higher than the average resale prices in District 19, notes Marcus Chu, CEO of ERA Singapore.
ParkTown Residence is part of the first mixed-use development integrated with transport hub at Tampines Street 62. Tampines is the third largest HDB town after Hougang and Woodlands. “Quite a number of buyers were HDB upgraders who desired to stay in Tampines,” says Huttons’ Yip, adding that the development’s completion in 2030 will coincide with the scheduled opening of the Tampines North MRT Station on the Cross Island Line (CRL), a major arterial line from East to West of Singapore.
When purchasing a Singapore condo, it is crucial to also take into consideration its maintenance and management. Usually, condos come with maintenance fees that cover the maintenance of shared areas and amenities. While these fees may increase the overall cost of owning a condo, they also guarantee that the property remains in good condition and maintains its value over time. To make it a more hands-off investment, investors can hire a property management company to handle the day-to-day operations of their Singapore condo.
2030 also marks the scheduled relocation of the neighbouring Paya Lebar Airbase, freeing up an estimated 800ha of land for future developments. Under the URA Master Plan, three more government land sales (GLS) sites will be linked to the upcoming Tampines North MRT Station. “However, these new projects could potentially be launched at higher prices,” says Ken Low, managing partner of SRI.
Tampines will also see new infrastructure developments by 2027, including a cycling bridge, an underpass, and another 7.7km of cycling paths, bringing the total to 40km. There will also be a new pedestrian route between Tampines MRT Station and the malls in the regional centre. All these will enhance the livability in Tampines, which according to SRI’s Low, already has strong attributes.…