Pasir Ris 8 is an upcoming 487-unit mixed-used development located right next to Pasir Ris MRT on the East-West Line (EWL) and above the Pasir Ris Bus Interchange. Read our review here.
Continue Reading ⋅ 28 July 2021
Sim Lian Group Limited is an established property development and construction company with a portfolio of residential, commercial, industrial, retail mixed-use developments. The Singapore-listed Group has been creating homes for families in Singapore for over 35 years.
Project Name: Wandervale
Address: Choa Chu Kang Ave 3
Site area: Approx. 205,138.6 sqft
Tenure: 99 years from 8th December 2014
District: 23
Configuration: 534 units
Unit types:
130 3-bedroom units (958 sqft)
322 3-bedroom premium units (1,087 – 1,130 sqft)
82 4-bedroom units (1,249 sqft)
Maintenance fees: TBA
Parking lots:
590 normal lots
5 handicap lots
30 commercial lots
6 family lots
Expected TOP: August 2019
Expected legal completion: August 2022
Project Details
Wandervale is a 534-unit development located along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3. At time of writing (Mar 2016), all unit types are available. Balloting and booking started on 5th March 2016 at the showflat.
Unit sizes range from 3- to 4-bedroom units. The lowest-priced unit on PropertyGuru is a 958 sqft 3-bedroom unit going for $632,000, which translates to around $660 psf. A 1,249 sqft 4-bedroom unit is going for $980,000 and this is an estimated $785 psf.
For interested buyers, the show flat is on site, along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3.
The project consists of three 13-storey blocks, three 15-storey blocks and three 17-storey blocks.
Facilities are organized on two levels – ground and mezzanine.
For family gatherings or parties, there are BBQ pavilions, an alfresco lounge and function rooms.
Source: Developer’s brochure
For 3-bedroom units:
Stacks 18, 19, 30 and 34 are inward facing and have a full pool view.
Stack 23 is inward facing but with a partial pool view.
For 3-bedroom premium units:
Stacks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 15, 20, 21, 24, 29 and 33 are inward facing and have a full pool view.
Stacks 10, 13, 14, 16 and 17 all have a partial pool view.
For 4-bedroom units:
All the stacks are outward facing.
Showflat units are available for 3- and 4-bedroom units.
Specifications:
Flooring
- porcelain and/or ceramic and/or homogeneous tiles with skirting for living, dining areas and the hallway to the bedrooms
- teak parquet with timber skirting for all bedrooms
- porcelain and/or ceramic and/or homogeneous tiles for all bathrooms, kitchen, dry kitchen, yard, service yard, utility, water closet, balcony and private enclosed space (PES)
Doors
- fire-rated veneer and/or laminate wrap timber swing door for entrance
- veneer and/or laminate wrap timber sliding or swing door for bedrooms and bathrooms
- veneer and/or laminate wrap timber sliding or swing door with glass infill panel for dining to kitchen door
- veneer and/or laminate wrap timber swing door with glass infill panel for dry kitchen to service yard door
- powder coated aluminium-framed sliding or swing or folding door with or without glass infill panel for kitchen to yard door
- PVC and/or aluminium bi-fold door and/or slide and swing door for utility and water closet
Sanitary fittings
- glass shower compartment with shower mixer and shower set, wash basin and tap, water closet, mirror and paper holder for all bathrooms
- handheld shower set, water closet, paper holder and wash basin with basin for water closet
Additional items
- built-in wardrobes for all bedrooms
- wall-mounted air-con for living, dining areas, bedrooms and study
Cabinets with solid surface countertops and a stainless steel sink are provided with the kitchen. Appliances provided include a built-in oven, gas stove and hood and refrigerator all from Electrolux. The kitchen in the 3-bedroom unit can probably accommodate two people at any one time.
The dining area is to the right of the kitchen, right next to the entrance in fact.
The living area is right in front of the dining area, and extends to the balcony beyond.
The 4-bedroom unit has a dry and wet kitchen. The dry kitchen is easily accessible from the living area and even has a sink and electric cooker, thus making it even more functional.
As with the 3-bedroom unit, the dining area is right next to the dry kitchen in the 4-bedroom unit.
In front, is the living area, which stretches to the balcony beyond.
The kitchens in both units lead to the yard area, which is pretty decent-sized.
The utility space and water closet are accessible from the yard area. Both are right next to each other, making the area ideal for your domestic helper, should you have one.
Common bedrooms in the units can typically accommodate a queen-sized bed.
Of course, going with a single bed frees up a lot more space.
The wardrobes in all the common bedrooms.
The master bedrooms can probably fit a king-sized bed, and still have sufficient leg room.
The wardrobes in the master bedrooms.
The common bathrooms in both units are similar in size and can comfortably accommodate one person at a time.
The master bathrooms however, are definitely wider and can probably fit two people at any one time,
Buyers are likely to be home buyers who like Wandervale’s price points and its location.
Location
Etymology: Choa Chu Kang is a major suburban residential town in the north-western region of Singapore. Originally a kampong village, the area has been transformed into a modern township by the Housing and Development Board (HDB).
Its name’s origins can be traced to the former Chua Chu Kang Village located near the junction of Choa Chu Kang Road and Jalan Sungei Poyan, currently occupied by the National Shooting Centre. Chua Chu Kang is derived from the Teochew word ‘kang chu’, which refers to 19th century pepper plantation owners who used the river banks of Chua Chu Kang as their planting grounds.
Few villages including Kampong Belimbing and Chua Chua Kang Village sprang up in the small rural Chinese district and the people established pineapple, rubber and coconut plantations as well as vegetable and poultry farms.
The kampongs were gradually demolished in phases to make way for Choa Chu Kang New Town from 1985. Today, Choa Chu Kang new town comprises seven neighbourhoods with Choa Chu Kang, Yew Tee and Teck Whye being the three largest ones.
Source: Google Maps
Getting there: Wandervale is about a 10-minute walk away from Choa Chu Kang MRT. If you’re travelling by train in the mornings, Raffles Place MRT is a 36-minute ride. By car, it is a 20-minute drive to town via Dunearn Road and Kheam Hock Road, assuming optimal traffic conditions.
Driving down on the left will take you to Choa Chu Kang Road, then Woodlands Road further down. Driving down on the right will lead you to Lot One, Choa Chu Kang MRT and eventually the KJE exit, or Yew Tee even further up.
Choa Chu Kang MRT is about 400m away from the development. From there, it is five LRT stops to Bukit Panjang station, which is also part of the Downtown Line. The new MRT line has reduced travel time to town by 20 minutes. From Choa Chu Kang MRT, it is three stops down to Jurong East, where you have JEM, Westgate, JCube and the future Jurong Lake District.
Source: Developer’s brochure [Click here for full version]
There is also a bus stop just in front of Lot One Shoppers’ Mall, with services 172, 190, 307, 925, 927, 975 and 985. Between them, the services cover areas such as Boon Lay, Jurong West, Orchard, Bukit Panjang, Woodlands, Kranji, Lim Chu Kang, Bukit Batok, Toa Payoh, Bendemeer, Geylang and Choa Chu Kang itself.
As for school options, there are a few nearby.
International Schools:
- Singapore Americann School
- Canadian International School
Lot One Shoppers’ Mall is about a 5-minute walk away and is the biggest mall in the neighbourhood. Its eight anchor tenants include Shaw Cinemas, so you won’t have to travel far to catch a movie.
Junction 10 is also a 3-minute drive away, so you will have some more dining options there. It houses an education cluster so parents can enroll their kids in any of the enrichment centres. Giant Hypermarket is spread across two levels in the mall so your daily grocery needs will be easily taken care of.
Bukit Panjang Plaza is just next to Junction 10 and houses Bukit Panjang Community Library in addition to dining, fashion and lifestyle outlets.
The upcoming Hillion Mall in Bukit Panjang will be ready in 2016 and will be yet another retail and dining option for residents.
Choa Chu Kang Park is right next to Wandervale, and is the perfect spot for some relaxation during the weekends or even on evenings.
Source: Google Street View
A 5-minute drive away, Bukit Gombak Sports & Recreation Centre would be a good place for some family fun. It is connected to Bukit Gombak Stadium, which used to be the home stadium of Gombak United FC in the S-League. It has since been converted to a Centre of Excellence for the Singapore Athletic Association and is a great place for jogging or running.
Warren Golf and Country Club is a 3-minute drive away for avid golfers. The upcoming Keat Hong Community Club opposite Lot One will feature a bowling alley, child development units and medical facilities.
As for the healthcare needs of residents, Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic is a 3-minute walk away and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital is about a 10-minute drive away.
Analysis
Apartments at Wandervale a priced relatively attractively, starting from $655,000 for a 3-bedroom unit, $753,000 for a 3-bedroom premium unit and $896,000 for a 4-bedroom unit.
Source: PropertyGuru
Wandervale’s closest competitor would be Sol Acres, located a kilometre away, along Choa Chu Kang Grove. TOP for the project is scheduled for March 2019. Launched in August 2015, its median price is $789 psf to Wandervale’s estimated average of $755 psf. This price differential is likely due to the price the developers paid for the respective land plots with MCL Land having to pay more since Sol Acres sits on not one, but two land plots.
Resident mix at Sol Acres will probably be similar to that of Wandervale since both are executive condo developments – homebuyers who like the location of the project. Unit mix however, is quite different between the projects. Sol Acres offers 1- , 2- and 5-bedroom units in addition to the 3- and 4-bedroom units at Wandervale.
For a better understanding, we will be looking at 3-bedroom units in particular, across both developments. With reference to guide prices, Wandervale’s 3-bedroom units have a median price of $765 psf while Sol Acres’ is $786 psf. Transactions for the units at Wandervale start at $655K, and range from $670K to $888K at Sol Acres.
Before deciding based on these numbers alone, we should look at unit sizing as well. By comparison, 3-bedroom units at Sol Acres have generally larger proportions and are between 926 sqft and 1,119 sqft. At Wandervale, they are 958 sqft.
Overall, In terms of sale prices alone, Wandervale presents a better option, and this clearly reflects in the sales.
Future Rental Potential
Wandervale is an EC, which means that buyers can only expect any form of yield after the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) of five years.
To understand what rental prices will be like for the project, we need to look at rental prices for other projects in the area. The current median rental price for projects in 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 958 sqft 3-bedroom unit at Wandervale would go for around $2,400 to $2,600 a month. With the starting price for the unit being around $655K, the annual gross rental yield at the current rate would be an estimated 4.6%.
The median unit size of a 3-bedroom at Sol Acres, on the other hand, would probably fetch around $2,600 a month at today’s rental rates. This translates to around 4.1% in annual gross rental yield.
While the projects are only a short distance away from each other, there is a slight difference in terms of nearby amenities, with Wandervale being within walking distance of Choa Chu Kang MRT and Lot One Shopper’s Mall. Unit sizing differs slightly as well with units at Sol Acres being a bit larger. Overall, while both projects seem to offer pretty decent rental yields in future, Wandervale’s is slightly higher.
Summary
Wandervale is a good option for young couples as well as bigger families who want to have a home in the suburbs, away from busy activity. With an average price of $755 psf, analysts say it is ‘more palatable’ considering the current market sentiment.
Residents will enjoy the easy access to major expressways and proximity to nearby malls. The upcoming Jurong Lake District will be less than a 10-minute drive away and this will definitely translate to more job opportunities in the area. For families with children, the range of schools nearby are another plus.
Choa Chu Kang MRT is less than a 10-minute walk away, so convenience will not be an issue. Further, the developer will be providing a one-year complementary shuttle bus service from Wandervale to Bukit Panjang MRT Interchange station and the upcoming Hillion Mall.
Investment potential is high if you are willing to wait out the MOP. The surrounding areas will see many changes in the coming years with the government’s plan to transform the West and this could mean significant capital appreciation. However, there are other regulations as well, such as eligible buyers being Singaporeans or PRs only. For complete privatization of the project, you will need to wait for a decade. The highest recorded profit made from the resale of an EC is close to $1M, so being patient may prove worthy.
Overall, units at Wandervale are attractively priced and residents will be getting value for their money with the project’s proximity to several malls nearby as well as the future CBD of the West at Jurong.
