Inspired by one of the brightest stars in the galaxy, The Antares aims to be the most brilliant gem located in the city fringe of District 14.
Continue Reading ⋅ 27 September 2019
Singa Hills is developed by Teambuild Land, a company that focuses on private residential developments as a primary business. To date, it has launched 21 projects and completed 15 of those which include both landed houses and non-landed apartments.
Project Name: Singa Hills
Address: 33 Jalan Singa S418109
Type: Apartments
Site area: approx. 31,415 sqft
Tenure: Freehold
District: 14
Configuration: 58 units in two 5-storey blocks
Unit types: 1BR units (463 sqft)
2BR units (657 – 667 sqft)
3BR units (775 – 872 sqft)
3BR + PES units (807 – 829 sqft)
Penthouse units (1,163 sqft)
Carpark lots: 61 surface car park lots incl. 2 handicap & 1 visitor lot
Estimated TOP: 31st Dec 2018
Project Details
Singa Hills is well ahead of schedule. The development is largely completed with some final touches being made to the general area. The bare units are fully completed including the kitchen appliances like oven, stove and hood already installed.
At the time of writing, there is no showflat or fitted unit to display how a fully furnished unit would look. However, several bare units were shown and while they are of varying sizes, remained consistent in layout and look.
For brevity, the 1BR and penthouse unit will be covered together.
1BR units are 463 sqft and while much smaller than the penthouse units, share similar features with their larger counterparts. Firstly, the kitchen is always closest to the main door– either on the left or right after the main door – and before the living room.
penthouse living room and kitchen with high ceiling
The balcony is connected with the living room and a sun screen is installed. This sun screen (which is installed in every balcony) can be slid from one end to the other to keep the harsher glares of the sun out wherever it peaks during times of the day.
side facade with sun screen
The penthouse, unlike the other unit types are double storey. The living room benefits from having a high ceiling as a result. The higher floors have a slightly better view but this also depends on which stack the unit is in and where it is oriented toward.
Most of the time, you’ll be looking out at HDB estates or the back yard of someone’s house.
View of your neighbour’s roof from lower floor units
View is certainly not the reason anyone would buy a unit here. While there are units on the higher floors that give the lucky owners a view that extends beyond Parkway Parade above the roofs of their neighbours, it is important to understand and accept that Singa Hills is surrounded by HDB estates and other property types.
It’s in a peaceful enclave no doubt but the buildings encroach tightly.
View from the higher floors
Because of this, privacy may most likely be the largest issue residents would have. Fortunately, it’s nothing some blinds or heavy curtains over the large casement windows can’t solve. The common bedrooms according to Teambuild Land can comfortably fit a queen size bed and this is true although putting a queen size bed in a common bedroom leaves little room for much else.
The master bedroom however is capable of accommodating a king size bed, even with the built-in wardrobe and en suite bathroom with a little more room to install a small work table or a TV cabinet.
penthouse master bedroom
The master bedroom for the penthouse is on the second floor and it comes with its own bathroom and wardrobe. It also offers a better view though the closeness to the neighbours may prompt some residents to keep their windows covered most of the time. Penthouse units at 1,163 sqft, are the largest at Singa Hills.
All bathrooms in every unit comes with a rain shower installed. The bathrooms are simple but the colour of the wood used makes it stand out, especially in a bare unit. The bathrooms are also rather spacious with a simple but elegant design.
penthouse bathroom with rain shower
The spaciousness of each unit is something Teambuild Land is proud of and with good reason. For a new development in a mature district like Bedok, Singa Hills is affordably priced by comparison.
The entire development looks good and if a view is a must-have then the roof-top where the swimming pool and BBQ facilities are, offer a commanding view of the surrounding area.
rooftop swimming pool
The roof-top is an excellent place to unwind after a busy day. Also, as much of the roof-top is not blocked by buildings, wind flow is unobstructed.
It’s a nice touch by Teambuild Land as it shows that when faced with issues they cannot correct, like the lack of amenities or the close proximity of HDB flats, they are able to deliver where the development is concerned. The entire project looks great with ample sized units that score points with its well-thought out living spaces.
That Singa Hills is freehold is the icing on the cake.
Location
Jalan Singa is a small road flanked by private houses on elevated ground, while around it are the more prevalent HDB estates. It’s only entry and exit point is through Jalan Eunos/Bedok Reservoir Road, which serves to keep the houses there in relative isolation.
Ingress and Egress to Jalan Singa
It’s a fairly quiet neighbourhood where a majority of low-lying bungalows sit side by side along a singular shared road. Joining this little enclave at the end of Jalan Singa is Teambuild Land’s latest project, Singa Hills.
While it is a road of private houses, Jalan Singa is surrounded by public HDB estates. However, this road starts going uphill from its entrance and where Singa Hills is located,it is the highest point of Jalan Singa. HDB estates are still a stone’s throw from the main entrance but the path there is blocked not just by iron railings but by a steep grassy slope. At this vantage, Singa Hills is mercifully free of the sounds of traffic that fill the busy Bedok Reservoir Road.
Singa Hills main entrance
Jalan Singa is essentially a peaceful area, even with the HDB estates flanking it. But such privacy usually comes with caveats and Singa Hills has a few, at least where the location is concerned.
Chief of these is that for non-drivers, it may be a little difficult to get to, at least for the first few times. There is a bus stop along Bedok Reservoir Road, less than a five minute walk straight down from the entrance of Singa Hills. From there, bus number 60 brings you about four bus stops down to Eunos MRT station.
In 2017, the new Kaki Bukit MRT station is expected to be opened. Situated along Jalan Damai at about a 10 minute walk from Singa Hills, it’ll bring a measure of convenience to the area and as the station should be up and running before Singa Hills TOPs, it’s a boon for future residents. Ubi MRT station is also another new line set to open in the same year along Ubi Road, across the Eunos Link.
Bus stop along Jalan Eunos
But while travelling woes will be eased with the new MRT stations, there’s little by way of amenities here. The closest hawker centre may be less than a 10 minute out to Jalan Tenga along Bedok Reservoir Road but that’s mostly it. There are a good number of local food selections there but as this part of Bedok also borders Kaki Bukit, there are more industrial estates than retail diversions. The nearest supermarket is Sheng Siong but it is situated on the opposite side of Bedok Reservoir Road, along the reservoir, about 5km away. By car, it’s a 12 minute drive.
The closest shopping mall will be Paya Lebar Square and that is one train stop down from Eunos MRT station.
Hawker Centre along Jalan Tenga
There are several schools within 1km of Singa Hills however.
Telok Kurau Primary School is just behind it while Maha Bodhi School, Manjusri Secondary and Eunos Primary School are along Ubi Avenue 1 and along Jalan Eunos respectively. Bedok North Secondary School is along Jalan Damai via Bedok Reservoir Road. This proximity increases the chances of successful enrolment of children to any of these schools if you live at Singa Hills.
Singa Hills is relatively close to the PIE (Pan-Island Expressway) which goes further east to Changi or west toward Upper Jurong. The PIE also connects to Eunos Link which in turn leads north to the KPE (Keppel-Expressway) and south to the ECP (East Coast Parkway) via Jalan Eunos and Still Road.
Eunos Link is also connected to Hougang, going past the Paya Lebar Air Base, which is expected to be relocated completely around the year 2030. When it is fully relocated, the air base will be a new home for offices and retail outlets.
View of East Coast Road from Singa Hills unit
So if Paya Lebar Square is insufficient in its offerings, residents of Singa Hills can travel a bit further out to shop or catch a movie at Parkway Parade and 112 Katong. These two are roughly a 15 to 20 minute drive or cab ride down along Jalan Eunos with an exit at Still Road or East Coast Road. It’s not terribly inconvenient, especially from the major road connected with Jalan Singa making it a fairly simple straight drive down.
As a result, residents who drive are unlikely to be impacted by the distance and have much to reap from Singa Hills’ quieter and exclusive environment in a matured district that has some gentrification coming to it in the following years.
Analysis
Since launching in April 2015, 15 out of 58 have been sold. Interestingly, despite having one of the lower starting quantum for a freehold development in Singapore, it’s the units that cost upwards of $1m that have been sold the most.
Approximate transaction data at time of writing
While the overall sales volume for Singa Hills is low, it is quite common for interested parties to take a wait and see approach until after the entire development is close to completion. Another reason for the slow sales is likely due to Singa Hills’ slightly out of the way location. Interested parties should realize however that as a freehold boutique development, Singa Hills has affordably priced units that start at $680K with the highest transacted quantum so far at $1.2m.
And this is for 3BR units which are the second largest available. Further sales have shown three 3BR + PES units sold. PES units come with the patio included and are ground floor units.
The strongest pull factor for Singa Hills is its freehold status. At the price it is going for, the units are practically a steal.
Rental
As Jalan Singa is occupied mostly by landed houses and the Bedok Reservoir area is taken by HDB estates, actual rental yield according to URA is at a low 2.26%. However, rental rates around Bedok for condominiums go at an average of $3,300 to $5,000 per month. At a rate of $3,300 for a $680K 1BR unit, gross rental yield increases to a high 6%. The higher the rental amount imposed, then the higher the rental yield.
This is a direct result of the lack of relevant competitors in the immediate area. As a result, Singa Hills is good for investment, on paper. Realistically, investors will need to watch the rental market and gauge its viability in Singapore at the moment.
However, by virtue of its freehold status and well-designed units, Singa Hills is worth paying more attention to.
Summary
With so few units sold so far, it seems almost criminal that Singa Hills is flying under the radar of 2016. If property fatigue is indeed settling in, then making Singa Hills the exception if you’re looking for private property in this specific area, will be a good move.
surface car park
It is after all, freehold in a country where most properties are leasehold.
The location of Singa Hills makes it look like a needle in a haystack or more accurately, a diamond in the rough. Most people will miss that it exists but the lucky few that chance upon it and buy a unit there will have something to be proud of.
The location could do with a major upgrade and given how dramatically districts in Singapore undergoes renovation every few years, it is not outside the realm of possibility to see more amenities and better transportation infrastructure pop up in the coming decades.
In fact, once Paya Lebar Airbase moves out, the offices that are expected to take up residence there will bring more jobs closer to residents of the area. It’s a long wait no doubt but looks to be one that’s well worth it.
Singa Hills at the end of Jalan Singa
In conclusion, Singa Hills is a good project. It has its faults as every other property inevitably does but it delivers on what matters; affordability and decent living space. That all of this is wrapped up with freehold status in the east makes buying a unit here a no-brainer.
