The Clement Canopy takes full advantage of the maturity of Clementi by being close to many shops, cafes, schools and even Clementi mall.
Continue Reading ⋅ 24 January 2017
IOI Properties is one of Malaysia’s leading property developers with projects across the country as well as in Singapore and China. The Group has built a name for itself in real estate development, property investment, global integrated palm oil cultivation and resource-based manufacturing. Its portfolio includes residential, commercial, leisure and hospitality components to niche and integrated developments.
Project Name: The Trilinq
Address: Jalan Lempeng
Site area: Approx. 262,856 sqft
Tenure: 99 years from 16th April 2012
District: 5
Configuration: 755 units
Unit types:
112 1-bedroom units (538 – 602 sqft)
124 2-bedroom Compact units (699 – 893 sqft)
68 2-bedroom units (1,108 – 1,334 sqft)
154 3-bedroom Compact units (914 – 1,054 sqft)
124 3-bedroom units (1,346 – 1,701 sqft)
68 3-bedroom + Study units (1,044 sqft)
26 4-bedroom Compact units (1,109 – 1,420 sqft)
68 4-bedroom units (1,518 – 1,765 sqft)
11 penthouse units (2,648 – 4,618 sqft)
Maintenance fees: Approx. $280 – $400
Parking lots: 773 lots
Expected TOP: Early 2017
Expected legal completion: Early 2020
Project Details
The Trilinq is a 755-unit development located slightly away from Clementi MRT, at the junction of Jalan Lempeng and Clementi Avenue 6. At time of writing (Feb 2016), an estimated 30% of units have been sold.
Unit sizes range from 1- to 4-bedroom units and penthouse units. The lowest-priced unit on PropertyGuru is a 538 sqft 3-bedroom unit going for $768,000, which translates to around $1,428 psf. A 3,300 sqft 5-bedroom penthouse unit is going for $4,000,000 and this is an estimated $1,212 psf.
For interested buyers, the show flat is on the site itself.
Construction for the project is well underway, and the blocks are already standing.
The Trilinq is made up of two 36-storey towers and one 33-storey tower. Coupled with the fact that it will be on raised ground, residents will enjoy some pretty spectacular views from the units.
Facilities are organized in three zones (Oasis Zone, Activa Zone and Vantage Zone) in addition to The Central zone and the Sky Terraces.
The sky terraces in between the floors are a good place to enjoy views of the surroundings.
Source: Developer’s brochure
For 1-bedroom units:
All the stacks are outward facing. Stacks 17 and 24 face the low-rise Park West across Jalan Lempeng, while stacks 20 and 21 face Nan Hua Primary School. However, most units in stacks 20 and 21 will have views beyond the school, towards the Jurong Gateway area.
For 2-bedroom units:
Stacks 8, 12 and 13 are inward facing and have a full pool view.
Stack 1 has a partial pool view.
For 3-bedroom units:
Stacks 11 and 14 are inward facing and have a full pool view.
Stacks 5 and 9 have a partial pool view.
For 3-bedroom + Study units:
Stacks 3 and 6 are inward facing and have a full pool view.
Stacks 10 and 15 have a partial pool view.
For 4-bedroom units:
Stacks 3 and 6 are inward facing and have a full pool view.
Stacks 10, 15, 19 and 22 have a partial pool view.
Presently, only the show flat for the 4-bedroom unit is available and photos in this review are from that unit.
Cabinets with solid surface countertops and a sink come with the kitchen. Appliances provided include a built-in oven, a gas cooker hob and hood, refrigerator and a washer cum dryer all from Smeg. The water closet is at the end of the kitchen.
The household shelter is to the right of the water closet. Depending on what you choose to use the space for, you may or may not like the placement.
The living room is just outside of the kitchen and extends to the balcony. With the 3- and 4-bedroom units, you get very high ceiling heights of 5.8m in the living space.
To make the most out of the high ceiling, you could play around with the interior design and create this upper deck of sorts. In the show flat, the area created has been made into a mini wine cellar.
The view from the upper deck.
The common bedrooms can fit a queen-sized bed with some strategic positioning and still manage to have some leg room.
Alternatively, you could go with a study cum loft bed option for the kids.
You could also convert a bedroom into a study or work space with a pull-out bed like in the show flat.
The master bedroom could accommodate a king-sized bed, if you’re willing to compromise on leg room. Otherwise, going with a queen option would be better.
Bathrooms have a wet and dry area as per usual and fittings are from Grohe and Duravit.
Master bathrooms are very similar to the common bathrooms, but come with a rain shower.
Buyers for the project are likely to be a mix of owner-occupiers who like the location and investors looking to lease. An estimated 80% of buyers are Singaporeans and about 65% appear to be HDB upgraders.
Location
Etymology: Clementi is located in the west between Jurong and Dover and refers to the housing estate of Clementi New Town. It was named after the Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner to Malaya Sir Cecil Clementi Smith.
The area used to be occupied by ‘Colombo Camp’ and the Singapore Guard Regiment formed in 1948, was stationed there. The regiment was disbanded in November 1971 and the camp demolished in 1975 when the space was cleared for development.
An iconic landmark at Clementi is the steel railway bridge crossing Sungei Ulu Pandan. This is part of the Jurong KTMB Railway Line which was constructed in 1963 to facilitate the transportation of manufactured goods from Jurong to Malaysia, and raw materials from Malaysia to Jurong Industrial Estate. The track was closed in the early 1990s.
Previously, Clementi used to be home to kampongs and villages with cottage industries and farms. Clementi New Town was developed between 1975 and 1979 and today its estimated population stands at around 88,000.
Source: streetdirectory.com
Getting there: The Trilinq is located at the junction of Jalan Lempeng and Clementi Avenue 6, which connects to the arterial Commonwealth Avenue West which goes down to Clementi MRT. In the other direction, it links up with Boon Lay Way, and heads towards Jurong East MRT. For early-morning commuters, Raffles Place will be a 21-minute MRT ride away and City Hall, a 24-minute ride.
Taking a right will have you at the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) exit in less than a minute. From there, the National University of Singapore is a 5-minute drive away. Jurong and Tuas Checkpoint are in the other direction. The CBD area is an 11-minute drive away.
Clementi MRT is about a 5-minute walk away. From there, the next station is Jurong East MRT, where you have JEM, Westgate, JCube and the future Jurong Lake District. It is also connected to Clementi Mall.
The estate: The Trilinq is situated in a largely residential neighbourhood and is pretty close to the hub of activity at Clementi Central. Residents will definitely appreciate the convenience. However, this also means that the MRT line runs quite near the project itself.
The nearest bus stop is the one right outside Nan Hua Primary School which is beside Trilinq. Between them, the services will bring you to Clementi MRT, Bishan, Boon Lay, Bukit Batok, Jurong West, Serangoon, Toa Payoh, Jurong East, Choa Chu Kang, Harbourfront, Pasir Panjang, Woodlands, Alexandra and even to town.
Source: Developer’s brochure
As for school options, there are a few.
International Schools:
- The Japanese Secondary School
- United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA)
- INSEAD
Source: Developer’s brochure
Residents will be spoilt for choice in terms of entertainment options. The project is a short distance away from Jurong Gateway which houses three shopping malls (JEM, Westgate and JCube) and Clementi Mall.
Clementi Mall is a 5-minute walk away and hosts 135 retail outlets including 16 restaurants and cafes. Anchor tenants include Best Denki, BHG Department Store, NTUC Foodfare and NTUC FairPrice Finest. It also houses Clementi Public Library.
In addition to Clementi MRT, the Clementi Bus Interchange also has direct access to the mall. This makes it very convenient for shoppers and patrons.
If you noticed the lack of a cinema within Clementi Mall, fret not. Less than 100m away is 321 Clementi, also known as The Cinema Mall in Clementi.
Source: Google Images
Jurong is set to become the CBD of the West, but The Trilinq is already amidst vibrant business and industrial hubs. The International Business Park, Singapore’s first high-tech business park is around a 3km drive away. One-North, a hotspot for R&D activities with Biopolis, Fusionopolis and Mediapolis, is just two MRT stops down. Science Parks I and II are less than a 10-minute drive away.
Source: Google Images
SAFRA Jurong is a 10-minute drive away and is a great place to wind down at during weekends. Kids especially, will thoroughly enjoy themselves with the many facilities there.
For golfers, Jurong Golf Course is a 5-minute drive away from Trilinq.
As for the healthcare needs of residents, Clementi Polyclinic is next to Clementi Mall. Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital are a 5-minute drive away making it very convenient for residents requiring specialized treatment or in case of an emergency. National University Hospital is an 8-minute drive away.
Analysis
Caveated transactions for The Trilinq at time of writing (Feb 2016) stands at 220. Recorded transaction prices range from $769K to $4.03M, with an estimated 85 percent of the transactions coming in at $1.5M or below (see Chart 1).
Sales Transactions
Source: PropertyGuru, URA
Source: URA
The Trilinq’s closest competitor would be Waterfront @ Faber, located 800 metres away along Faber Walk. Its current median price is $1,214 psf to Trilinq’s $1,450 psf. The price differential is due to different market conditions at time of launch for both projects, as well as the location itself.
Residents at Waterfront @ Faber are more likely to be home buyers who like being pretty close to Jurong, touted as the future CBD of the West, than investors.
Units at Waterfront @ Faber range from 2-4 bedroom units and strata landed units while The Trilinq consists of 1-4 bedroom units and penthouse units. We will be looking at 3-bedroom units in particular, across both developments. According to caveats The Trilinq’s 3-bedroom units have a median price of $1,209 psf while Waterfront’s is $1,169 psf. Transactions for the units at The Trilinq range from $1.513M to $1.734M, and from $1.15M to $1.44M at Waterfront @ Faber.
Before deciding based on these numbers alone, we should look at unit sizing as well. By comparison, 3-bedroom units at Trilinq have more generous proportions and are between 1,055 sqft and 1,701 sqft. At Waterfront, they range from 1,033 sqft to 1,076 sqft.
Touted as one of the tallest buildings in Clementi, The Trilinq does indeed seem like an iconic project in the works. The developer IOI Properties paid top price for the land plot, and with the many sky bridges connecting the blocks and the potential views offered, the price is to be expected.
Future Rental Potential
To gauge what rental prices for The Trilinq may be like, we need to look at rental prices for other projects in the area.
The current median rental price for projects in District 5 (Pasir Panjang / Hong Leong Garden / Clementi New Town) is around $3.56 psf per month at time of writing, based on rental transactions for the past 4 quarters. The current median rental price for projects in Faber Heights and Jalan Lempeng however, is around $3.13 psf per month.
At these rates, a 3-bedroom unit around 1,350 sqft at Trilinq would go for around $4,800 to $5,000 a month, after factoring a 20% premium for its new build. With the median price for the unit being around $1.647M, the annual gross rental yield at the current rate would be an estimated 3.6%. Assuming that rental prices increase in future with the revamp of the Jurong Lake District, the same 3-bedroom unit could possibly fetch up to $5,300. Gross rental yield then moves up to 3.9%.
The median unit size of a 3-bedroom unit at Waterfront @ Faber, on the other hand, would probably bring in around $4,200 a month, inclusive of the 20% premium. This translates to around 3.9% in annual gross rental yield. The rent could go up to possibly $4,500 a month in future, and this would move rental yield up to 4.2%.
According to the figures, rental yield for both projects appear to be similar. The 800m distance between the projects puts The Trilinq much closer to Clementi MRT station and consequently nearby amenities like Clementi Mall and Clementi Bus Interchange. Unit sizing differs slightly with units at Trilinq being generally larger. Overall however, rental yields for both developments seem to be in the safe zone.
Summary
When complete, The Trilinq will be a showstopper, with its design and build.
Situated in the heart of Clementi, residents will appreciate the easy access to major expressways like the AYE and proximity to nearby malls like Clementi Mall, and further down, JEM, JCube, and Westgate.
The industrial and science hubs nearby also add to the value to the project. Jurong East Town Central, a 5-minute drive away is in the pipeline to become Singapore’s second CBD and this translates to potential capital gain for owners of The Trilinq.
A potential drawback could be the lack of educational institutions within walking distance besides Nan Hua Primary School. However the Clementi / West Coast education hub which includes NUS, SST, UWCSEA and INSEAD, is pretty nearby.
Investment potential is high given the project’s location. Rental demand could also see a hike with the business park being nearby. There are a few Japanese schools in the vicinity as well and families may look into renting units at the development.
If you’ve been looking for a place in the West, The Trilinq may be a good option and it may prove worthwhile paying the show room a visit.
