Unbiased New Launch Review – Sims Urban Oasis

By KK Tong (guest contributor)

Two recent ‘hot’ launches in the OCR (Outside Central Region) set me thinking. The Alps Residences in Tampines Street 86 had 270 units out of 626 units snapped up on launch date. According to caveats lodged in October, the 441 sf 1-bedroom units were sold at between $1103 to S1208 psf. For the 700 square foot 2-bedroom units, prices ranged from $986 to $1141 psf. The other hot launch in Lorong Lew Lian, Forest Woods, sold 337 units out of a total of 519 units at an average price of $1400 psf.

Why are buyers willing to pay so much for OCR condos?

What struck me were the prices buyers were willing to fork out for properties in the OCR. Imagine a whopping $1400 psf for an OCR condo unit! Would buyers instead consider launches in the RCR (Rest of Central Region), which are nearer to the city centre, if prices were similar?

A recent survey done in September this year showed that respondents, when asked to rank the five criteria most important to them when choosing a property, chose proximity to the city as most important. Based on this premise, I decided to take a look at Sims Urban Oasis, a 99-year leasehold project located in Sims Drive. Whilst this is not exactly a new launch, it is a RCR project, and units are still available.

Launched in 2015, Sims Urban Oasis is located at the junction of Sims Drive and Aljunied Road in District 14. It consists of 1024 residential units spread over 8 towers, and 7 shops, including a child care centre. This massive project sits on a site area of 257,164 square feet.

The unit types and indicative pricing in this development are:

The main entrance is via Sims Drive while the side gate is at Aljunied Road, near where a bus stop is located.

A total of 820 parking lots and 6 handicapped lots are located in the basement and 4-storey MSCP.

Figure 1: Site Plan

Facilities are the usual swimming pools, barbeque areas, gymnasium, and a tennis court. There is also a Sky Park on Level 19 which offers residents a panoramic view of the city.

Thoughts from Show Flat Visit

Figure 2: Floor Plan of Type B1

Once you enter the unit, the kitchen is to your right. The living and dining areas extend beyond the kitchen. While this seems spacious, it is difficult to create a distinct dining area. Fortunately, due to the layout of this unit, the space around the dining area does not feel cramped.

The bedrooms are located on the left and there is a small study area opposite the entrance to the common bedroom. The shared bathroom is next to the study area.

Figure 3: Layout of Living / Dining / Kitchen /Study Areas

Figure 3 shows the living/dining/kitchen/study areas. It is fairly spacious.

Figure 4: Kitchen / Dining Area

The kitchen comes with a solid surface worktop and is equipped with a fridge, a washer and a built-in oven/cooker hood. Kitchen cabinets provided are pretty generous. The dining area is well positioned – food from the oven goes straight to the table! As mentioned, space for walking is sufficient.

Figure 5: Living Area

The living area is a comfortable size with decent distance between the sofa and the facing wall. There is also a small balcony for alfresco coffee.

Figure 6: Master Bedroom

As with most launches nowadays, all bedrooms have only sufficient space to place a queen bed and a small side table. Wardrobes are also miniscule. Here, both the master and common bedrooms suffer a similar fate.

Figure 7: Bathroom

The bathroom, however, is spacious and comes with standard fittings. One negative is that there is no window in the bathroom for this layout. From visits to various show flats, I’ve noticed that bathrooms in launches the past couple of years are usually quite generous in size. It’s the one part of a condo unit not to have gone Mickey in size yet.

Flooring for the living room is homogenous tiles. The bedroom floors are laid with timber.

Figure 8: Area Map

Amenities around the area

Sims Urban Oasis is in a mature area, and convenience abounds. Aljunied is the nearest MRT Station, at 400 metres away. There is easy accessibility for drivers too as the condo is bordered by three major thoroughfares – Aljunied Road, Sims Drive, and the Pan Island Expressway.

Plentiful eateries are found in the Geylang area and there is a market and hawker centre just across at Sims Drive. For more food options, Paya Lebar Square is only one stop away.

Nearby schools include Geylang Methodist Primary and Secondary Schools. Book lovers can frequent the Geylang East Library about 600 metres away.

Shopping for basic necessities is easily done at the neighbourhood shops. Shopaholics will be able to satisfy their major cravings at Bugis Junction/Bugis Plus, three MRT stops away.

Positive Aspects of the Development

1. The location is convenient as it is near to numerous amenities, and getting to any part of Singapore is easy with the MRT.
2. It is close to the upcoming Paya Lebar Regional Centre, which may augur well for the potential of this development.
3. The Geylang area is well known for food, so it’ll be a foodie’s heaven.
4. Amenities are plentiful in this area.

Negative Aspects of the Development

1. Traffic noise may be bad as the condo is surrounded by three major thoroughfares.
2. Being in the midst of major thoroughfares, driving may be a hassle as traffic is heavy.
3. The development is smack in an area of HDBs and light industrial buildings. Not exclusive.
4. Only 820 car park lots are available for 1024 units. This can become problematic if the number of car owners exceed car park lots provided.
5. Near the side gate on Aljunied Road, there is an overhead bridge from which passers-by can see the swimming pools of the condo. No privacy.
6. Materials and fittings used in the condo are of basic quality.
7. The bedrooms in the development are small.
8. Although famous for food, Geylang is also known for being seedy. Some buyers may not like this proximity to Geylang.

Some Thoughts on Units

The units facing the PIE in Towers 10 and 12 are a no-no due to the constant traffic noise.

Units #25 and #26 have direct west facing.

Units #3 to #11 are facing Sims Drive, just opposite a row of light industrial buildings.

The other units are mostly pool facing, and according to the sales person, the distance between the facing towers is about 29 metres.

If I had to choose, I’d probably go for Unit #30, which is pool facing, and where the facing block is some distance away.

There is really no perfect unit, so buyers will have to prioritise their own preferences.

Price Comparison

Figure 9: Location of Sims Urban Oasis and Surrounding Areas

For comparison purposes, we will be looking at the 250-unit Tre Residences and the 131-unit Central Grove, both 99-year leasehold developments. These condos are located at Geylang East Avenue.

Price Comparison Table (2 bedrooms)

Price Comparison Table (3 bedrooms)****

Prices for Sims Urban Oasis

For the 2- bedroom units, prices of Sims Urban Oasis are slightly lower than that of Tre Residences (TR), possibly because the TOP for TR is earlier by two years. Central Grove (CG) transacts at a much lower PSF price, as it’s an older development with its lease starting from 1997. Unfortunately, there are also very few transactions for both TR and CG, so comparisons may not be meaningful.

Likewise for the 3-bedroom units, the transactions track in a similar manner. As all three developments are leasehold projects, and none has a commanding advantage over the others.

Whilst the prices of Sims Urban Oasis are comparable to launches like Forest Woods, Stars of Kovan and Trilinq, its advantage is its RCR status.

Personally, I am not a fan of condos with too many units, so I guess buyers are those who like the area and the facilities provided, and are hoping that there will be capital appreciation once the area is spruced up.