The Atelier is an upcoming 120-unit freehold luxury apartment in District 9, located within touching distance to the Newton MRT station as well as several reputable schools.
Continue Reading ⋅ 5 April 2021
Roxy-Pacific Holdings Limited is an established property and hospitality group that owns Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel. They have developed and launched 39 small to medium size developments for both the residential and commercial sectors in Singapore between 2004 and 2015
Project Name: Sunnyvale Residences
Address: 132 Lorong K Telok Kurau, Singapore 425790
Type: Residential apartment
Site area: approx. 23,159 sqft
Tenure: Freehold
District: 15
Configuration: 30 units in one 5-storey block
Unit types: 12, 3BR Dual Key units (936 – 969 sqft)
18, 4BR Dual Key units (1,119 – 1,367 sqft)
Carpark lots: 31 surface lots + 1 handicapped lot
Estimated TOP: June 2018
Project Details
Currently, there are no show flats or show galleries (despite what some advertisements might highlight) available for viewing. When, or if, developer Roxy-Pacific decides to open either up is unknown.
Despite this, there are a few notable things about Sunnyvale Residences that makes it stand out. The first is that there are only two types of units – 3BR and 4BR DKs – available, making Sunnyvale Residences amply suitable for families.
Source: Source: Sunnyvale Residences sales brochure
Given its tranquil and well-connected location with several schools like St Patrick’s Secondary, Katong Convent Girls and Ngee Ann Primary within walking distance, being family-focused is a smart choice.
Furthermore, with 3 & 4BR units available, more space can be allocated to more generous room sizes. It’s a far better option than attempting to cater to every unit size which may inadvertently result in smaller living quarters.
The second and perhaps most intriguing thing about the units here is that every unit allows the owner to combine two bedrooms into one for a much larger master bedroom. This is likely done at the point of sale and purchasers can effectively turn a 3BR unit into a 2BR unit or a 4BR one into a 3BR with a larger bedroom.
Source: Sunnyvale Residences sales brochure
Source: Sunnyvale Residences sales brochure
And as every unit is a DK unit, it allows for more flexibility in determining your living space according to how many people are sharing the unit. The DK part of the units is defined as ‘suite’ and it comes with its own ‘suite bathroom’.
Access to the kitchen and living room is shared so it’s not a fully self-contained unit on its own but it is sufficient as an additional room to rent out. Alternatively, it works as a junior master bedroom. Roxy-Pacific has advertised the DK units as for singles, couples, families or even multi-generational co-living and the ability to customize the bedroom sizes is a result of that.
Source: Sunnyvale Residences sales brochure
The brands that are advertised as being used are Grohe, Blomberg and Electrolux. These brands may change before the units begin fitting at the discretion of the developer. Regardless of this happening or not, the appliances are expected to be delivered by top brands.
Location
Telok Kurau may be an older sub-district in the popular and mature Marine Parade but development in every available plot of land remains strong. Typically a peaceful, suburban area, there are private bungalows that sit alongside low-rise condominiums and various other mixed developments throughout the seven interlocking lorongs.
Telok Kurau
The entirety of Telok Kurau is flanked by three major arterial roads; Changi Road which leads to Bedok, Still Road that connects to the ECP (East Coast Parkway) and PIE (Pan island Expressway) and East Coast Road that goes to Nicoll Highway or Upper East Coast Road, which is further linked to Bedok Road and as a result, Changi Road.
Due to the higher concentration of private houses here, daily conveniences like shops are located closer to where the HDB estates are, along Marine Parade Road, Still Road or Siglap Road. These places are, on average, a 15-minutes walk away. Popular shopping malls like Parkway Parade and 112 Katong, which has the closest cinema outside of Tampines and Bugis are roughly, a 30 minute walk away.
Parkway Parade
Fortunately, there are buses along East Coast Road that lead toward Siglap or 112 Katong and Joo Chiat if you cross the road and took a bus on the side of St Patrick’s Secondary School. A bus ride will take about 10 minutes, not including waiting time.
There is also a straight bus to Vivo City from the bus stop at St Patrick’s Secondary. Getting there from Sunnyvale Residences is roughly an eight minute walk along the Siglap Park Connector. Sunnyvale Residences is next to the connector and the storm drain so getting out onto it is quick and easy.
Sunnyvale Residences construction
The entire stretch however is unsheltered so on extremely hot days, it can be an exhausting affair to walk under the sun on a gravelled pathway that heats up very quickly. Sunnyvale Residences is also closer to Kembangan MRT station, with an average walk time of 12 minutes.
You could cycle through the connector, park your bike at Kembangan station and take the train but doing so won’t make you perspire any less profusely, so plan accordingly.
Siglap Park Connector to Kembangan MRT station
But it is a straight line, with one road crossing at Changi Road and another just before the MRT station. You’ll know you’re on the right path when you see the Black Chicken Herbal Soup restaurant in front of the first traffic crossing. This outlet opens till the wee hours, and serves to assuage those late night hunger pangs.
Kembangan MRT station is another three minute walk or so past that, along the connector.
Changi Road Chicken Herbal Soup
From Kembangan, it is just one stop from Bedok MRT station and Bedok Mall. Tampines is the third stop after Bedok and is also where you can find another cinema other than 112 Katong. While the latter may be closer geographically, the amount of time it takes to walk out to the bus stop and wait for the bus will be almost similar to walking out to the MRT station and taking the train.
Kembangan MRT Station
You may save some time going to 112 Katong but it will be negligible, since Sunnyvale Residences is kind of in the middle of both options. If you drive or take a taxi, then 112 Katong is the more convenient choice.
Other than shopping malls, there are many coffee houses, restaurants, bars and hawker centres along Joo Chiat and Upper East Coast Road. So while non-drivers may be a little hamstrung in their movements, people who drive, cycle or are not averse to walking a bit will find much to love about living in this area.
Telok Kurau is quiet as the main roads do not run alongside them but it is not isolated from the conveniences that help make Marine Parade a popular district.
Sunnyvale Residences is yet the latest development to take advantage of this.
Analysis
The units sold so far since 2014 is 15, according to data released by URA. Out of 12 3BR units, nine were transacted. As for the 4BR units, six out of the eighteen have been sold.
Starting prices may appear high. However, the units start big and the development is located in a premium district like Telok Kurau which helps peg the prices as affordable when based on those factors. The lowest transacted quantum thus far is a 969 sqft 3BR DK at 1.3m. The median transacted for all 3BR DK units is $1,436,937. The highest transacted is $1.84m for a 4BR DK unit at 1,206 sqft.
Furthermore, as the DK units are customisable, it is unclear with the quantums shown, if opting for a lesser room would result in a slightly lower quantum. With that said, the 969 sqft unit is the only one that was transacted at $1.3m. The next lowest was transacted at $1.37m nett while the remainder, including the smaller 936 sqft unit were sold at a higher $1.43 onwards.
Its closest competitor would be Far East Organization’s The Seawind, two Lorongs down. The 969 sqft units at The Seawind have a lower PSF at $1,506 than Sunnyvale Residences’ $1,518. Median transacted is also lower, at $1,410,300 although The Seawind has more units. The disparity, despite them being in the same location is because The Seawind is a much larger development with various bedroom sizes, including terrace houses.
Sunnyvale Residences has only 30 premium units. Furthermore, its slightly closer proximity to the MRT station may have played a part although the distance is negligible considering that Seawind is nearer to the Marine Parade side which puts it closer to amenities, schools and transportation.
Rental
As most properties in Telok Kurau are landed, the rental yield according to URA is at a low but steady 3.17%. Other condominium developments are mostly quite old so their monthly rental is pegged at anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000 for unit sizes between 900 to 1,000 sqft.
Based on median transacted for 936 sqft units at $1,436,937 rental amount averages at $5,400. Per room, this is likely to be considered too high as there are other viable options around. For an entire unit however, it may seem too low as a monthly rental of at least $9,000 would be more appropriate.
Setting an actual rental amount however will be prudent for potential landlords. As the DK units seem to not come with its own kitchen, essentially, only a junior master bedroom is available. While it’s sufficient for temporary stay, someone who’s on a semi-permanent stay may want to be able to cook on occasion and with a shared kitchen, it will likely be a difficult logistic to handle. As such, the rental amount should be tweaked independently of the rental yield, to remain competitive and fair.
Summary
Sunnyvale Residences looks to be an attractive new development with an interesting customisable DK concept in a good and accessible location. Its biggest fault so far is that is built just behind a condominium and a private house. This gives it the close, almost wall-wall feel that developments in Geylang have. The main entrance to the development is through a path between both properties.
Sunnyvale Residences main entrance
Also, as the afternoon sun gets extremely scorching here, the aptly named Sunnyvale Residences blocks out much of it for the landed property and the condominium. Ironically then that the units with mostly unblocked views facing the storm drain and the park connector would also be the ones that are hit with the harshest sunlight.
The rest may lose out having some view but they are also sheltered from the debilitating heat, which in this case, is the most important thing.
But as far as issues go, this is a small one.
Sunnyvale Residences has many good points if you can deal with the closeness of the other developments as well as the storm drain being in view. The park connector is a nice place to cycle, jog or hang out at. And having a straight path that takes you to either Kembangan or Marine Parade will help with mobility when driving is out of the question. When it rains however, you’ll be hard-pressed to find shelter as the connector is unsheltered, so plan your trips accordingly.
Additionally, about five minutes down toward Kembangan MRT station is a large area with a basketball court, playground and a wide open space with chairs all around. The entire area is also mostly shaded from the sun. This recreation zone is frequented in the early evenings by people.
Playground near Sunnyvale Residences
As for the units, they are seemingly spacious for a good-looking development in a peaceful location. It is true that view is not something you’ll likely have but the focal point of Telok Kurau and Marine Parade is the accessibility of the area. Though walkable to Kembangan MRT station, the upcoming Marine Parade station located near St Patrick’s Secondary and Katong Convent is yet another alternative station that will provide more travelling options for residents who may not drive, in the future.
And Telok Kurau being an affluent address adds more worth to purchasing a freehold unit at Sunnyvale Residences.
