Park Nova is a luxury development located in District 10. Aside from its freehold status, the development also offers super spacious units and easy access to MRT stations and nearby amenities.
Continue Reading ⋅ 15 June 2021
Kingsford Development (KDL) is a real estate company with an extensive portfolio of investment and development properties in Asia. It has established itself as a customer oriented firm that creates innovative and quality homes at competitive prices.
Project Name: Kingsford Hillview Peak
Address: Hillview Rise
Site area: Approx. 136,147 sqft
Tenure: 99 years from 16th March 2011
District: 23
Configuration: 512 residential units
Unit types:
230 1-bedroom units (517 – 732 sqft)
10 1-bedroom + study units (603 – 732 sqft)
145 2-bedroom units (775 – 1,076 sqft)
65 3-bedroom units (1,044 – 1,399 sqft)
25 4-bedroom units (1,249 – 1,572 sqft)
37 penthouse units (527 – 2,530 sqft)
Maintenance fees: Approx. $225 to $450
Parking lots:
512 normal lots
5 handicap lots
Expected TOP: March 2017
Expected legal completion: March 2020
Project Details
Kingsford Hillview Peak is a 512-unit development located along Hillview Rise. At time of writing (Jan 2016), all unit types are available.
Unit sizes range from 1- to 4-bedroom units and penthouse units. The lowest-priced unit on PropertyGuru is a 527 sqft 1-bedroom unit going for $598,000, which translates to around $1,135 psf. A 2,530 sqft 4-bedroom unit is going for $3,036,000 and this is an estimated $1,200 psf.
For interested buyers, the show flat is slightly further down from the site itself, at the junction of Hillview Avenue and Elizabeth Drive.
Construction is moving along and the blocks are already standing.
The project consists of two 11-storey blocks and one 26-storey block.
Facilities are spread out evenly across the development.
Source: Developer’s Brochure
For 1-bedroom units, stacks 8, 19, 21, 23, 34, 35 and 36 are all inward facing with a pool view.
For 2-bedroom units, stacks 1, 20, 22, 33 and 37 will enjoy a pool view. Stack 24 will have a partial pool view.
For 3-bedroom units, stacks 2, 9 and 18 are inward facing with a pool view.
Lastly, there is only one stack of 4-bedroom units, but it is inward facing with a pool view.
Showflat units are available for 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units. Photos in this review are from the 1- and 3-bedroom units.
Specifications:
Flooring
- stone tiles with engineering timber strip for living, dining areas, kitchen and hallway
- timber flooring with timber skirting for all bedrooms
- stone tiles for all bathrooms, utility and store
Doors
- fire-rated timber door for main entrance
- timber door for bedrooms and bathrooms
- aluminium framed glass door for living/dining/bedroom to balcony
- aluminium slide and fold door for utility
Sanitary fittings
- solid surface vanity top with basin & mixer tap, shower with mixer, water closet, paper holder and mirror for all bathrooms
Additional items
- built-in wardrobes for all bedrooms wall-mounted air-con for living, dining areas, study, bedrooms and suite
Cabinets with solid surface countertops and a sink with mixer are provided with the kitchen. Appliances provided include a microwave oven, electric stove and hood, refrigerator and washer cum dryer all from Electrolux. In the 1-bedroom unit, the kitchen is backed against the wall and near the entrance.
The living area is just beyond the kitchen area, and extends to the balcony.
The bedroom can accommodate a queen bed quite comfortably. Residents can also opt for a study cum loft bed option to maximize space.
The bathroom is pretty decent-sized, and two people could use it simultaneously, if need be.
Two people could probably move around in the 3-bedroom unit kitchen simultaneously if need be. Here, you get a gas cooker and hob instead of the electric one, and a built-in oven in addition to the microwave one.
The kitchen is connected to the water closet and utility space to the left. Interesting here, is that a rain shower comes with the water closet.
The living space is similarly right outside the kitchen, and extends to the balcony.
The dining area is further in.
Common bedrooms can comfortably accommodate single beds. You could go with the queen option too, but you’ll have to sacrifice any form of leg room.
The common bathroom can realistically only accommodate one person at a time.
The master bedroom is much bigger and could fit a king-sized bed.
The master bathroom is very similar to the common one, maybe a bit wider.
Buyers are likely to be a mix of owner-occupiers and those looking to lease. Singaporeans and permanent residents account for an estimated 80% of sales currently.
Location
Etymology: Bukit Batok is a residential estate situated in the West Region of Singapore, with nine subzones – Bukit Gombak, Hillview, Brickworks, Guilin, Bukit Batok West, Bukit Batok Central, Bukit Batok East, Bukit Batok South and Toh Tuck.
As for the origins of the name, there are several interpretations. Bukit means ‘hill’ in Malay, so the name could allude to the town being hilly. Batok however, is the grey area. Version one has it that coconut trees used to grow in the area hence resulting in the name which is the Javanese term for coconuts.
The second interpretation posits that the hills were formed from granite, which is called batu in Malay, and this evolved to bato and batok over time. Lastly, some believe that batok, the Malay word for ‘cough’ is linked to the place either because of its cool air possibly causing coughs and colds, or due to the sound of explosives that were used in the granite quarry in the area.
Works to transform Bukit Batok into a housing estate began in 1979, with the first HDB blocks being completed in 1983.
The estate is currently home to an estimated 140,000 residents.
Source: streetdirectory.com
Getting there: Kingsford Hillview Peak is located along Hillview Rise of District 23. If you’re travelling by train in the mornings, Raffles Place MRT is a 37-minute ride from Hillview MRT. By car, it is a 15-minute drive to town via the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) and Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), assuming optimal traffic conditions.
Going straight down on the right will lead you to the Kranji Expressway (KJE) and from there you could head to Jurong. Going straight in the direction will have you at Woodlands. Going down on the left will take you to the BKE or PIE exits.
Hillview MRT is about a 5-minute walk away. From there, Botanic Gardens is five stops away and you can switch to the Circle Line if you need to as well. With Downtown Line 2, residents can reach Bugis in 20 minutes.
The estate: Kingsford Hillview Peak is situated within the Hillview private residential enclave. It is surrounded by other condo projects. However, residents can get whatever they may need from HillV2 Shopping Mall, which is conveniently located right in front of the development.
The nearest bus stop is just next to Kingsford Hillview Peak, with service 177, which covers Bukit Batok, Hillview Avenue, Upper Bukit Timah and Bukit Panjang.
Source: Developer’s Brochure
As for school options, there are a few nearby.
Source: Developer’s Brochure
International Schools:
- Canadian International School
- German European School Singapore
HillV2 is right in front of Kingsford Hillview Peak. There are a number of F&B outlets, retail and service amenities, including well known grocer Dean & Deluca and supermarket chain The Market Place.
Source: Google Images
The Rail Mall, which is a row of shops and dining establishments, is just a 6-minute walk away. It is the perfect place to wind down at after work or during the weekends.
Source: junction10.com.sg
If you want a change from HillV2, Junction 10 is just a 3-minute drive away. The mall boasts over 60 stores and services with Giant Supermarket as the anchor tenant.
Source: blogs.ntu.edu.sg
The project is surrounded by a number of parks, biggest of which is the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. It is very convenient for nature lovers and parents who want to bring their kids exploring.
As for healthcare needs, there are general and specialist clinics at HillV2 itself, as well as along Upper Bukit Timah Road.
Analysis
Caveated transactions for Kingsford Hillview Peak at time of writing (Jan 2016) stands at 259. Recorded transaction prices range from $672K to $2.044M (see Chart 1).
Sales Transactions
Source: PropertyGuru, URA
Source: URA
Kingsford Hillview Peak’s closest competitor would be The Skywoods, located 800m away, along Dairy Farm Heights. Its current median price is $1,215 psf to Hillview Peak’s median of $1,343 psf. Residents at The Skywoods are also likely to be a good mix of owner-occupiers and tenants who like the project’s location.
Units at The Skywoods as well as Kingsford Hillview Peak range from 1- to 4-bedroom units and penthouse units. To have a clearer picture, we will be looking at 3-bedroom units in particular, across both developments. According to caveats, Kingsford Hillview Peak’s 3-bedroom units have a median price of $1,331 psf while The Skywoods’ is $1,216 psf. Transactions for the units at Kingsford Hillview Peak range from $1.15M to $1.66M, and are between $1.033M and $1.38M at The Skywoods.
Before deciding based on these numbers alone, we should look at unit sizing as well. Units at Kingsford Hillview Peak are generally larger with the 3-bedroom ones between 1,044 sqft and 1,399 sqft. At The Skywoods, they are between 872 sqft and 1,184 sqft.
Overall, Kingsford Hillview Peak’s slightly higher price tag is to be expected with Hillview MRT so close and HillV2 right next door.
Future Rental Potential
To understand what rental prices will be like for Kingsford Hillview Peak, we need to look at rental prices for other projects in the area.
The current median rental price for District 23 (Hillview/Dairy Farm/Bukit Panjang/Choa Chu Kang) is around $2.52 psf per month at time of writing, based on rental transactions for the past 4 quarters. At these rates, a 3-bedroom unit around 1,200 sqft at Kingsford Hillview Peak would go for around $3,500 to $3,700 a month, after factoring a 20% premium for its new build. With the median price for the unit being around $1.4M, the annual gross rental yield at the current rate would be an estimated 3.1%.
The median unit size of a 3-bedroom at The Skywoods, on the other hand, would probably fetch around $3,000 a month at today’s rental rates. This translates to around 3% in annual gross rental yield.
According to the estimated figures, rental yield for both projects are quite similar. The choice of nearby amenities however, differs slightly with Kingsford Hillview Peak being closer to Hillview MRT. Unit sizing also differs with units at Kingsford being a bit larger.
Summary
Kingsford Hillview Peak is situated in a quiet, private enclave and surrounded by greenery.
Residents will enjoy easy access to major expressways and proximity to nearby places like Bukit Panjang Plaza, Junction 10 and Beauty World Centre. HillV2 is right door, so it should be very convenient. For families with children, there are a number of schools nearby, though not exactly within walking distance.
Hillview MRT is about a 5-7 minute walk away for those who would prefer to take public transport in the mornings.
Investment potential is high with the project being the only other new condo launch in the Hillview area, besides The Hillier. The Hillier had set record prices in the area and since Kingsford Hillview Peak is slightly easier on the wallet, owners can expect significant returns in future.
Overall, pricing for the project is quite attractive, so both home buyers and investors will be getting a good deal.
