Are The Ang Mo Kio And Tengah Residential GLS Sites Worth Waiting For?
Perhaps you’ve seen all of 2020’s launches and nothing appeals to you; or perhaps your timeline for getting that condo is a few years down the road. In any case, don’t just look for the named, upcoming developments. Sometimes, it pays to find out which land plots are coming up for grabs – in a few years, the condos there may be in the “sweet spot” for work, home, etc.
As we near the end of 2020, two such condo sites have been confirmed for the Government Land Sales (GLS) list. Here’s what future home buyers should notice:
Site 1: Ang Mo Kio GLS Site
This site spans 12,679.4 sqm., and is located along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. This is a 99-year leasehold plot for condo development, and is expected to yield roughly 370 homes. This will be the first condo site in Ang Mo Kio since around 2014.
Key Highlights:
- Roughly 600 metres (eight minutes’ walk) to the upcoming Mayflower MRT station, on the Thomson East Coast Line (TEL). The Mayflower MRT station is due to open in 2021.
- About the same distance to Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park to the south. We think any upcoming development will probably face this direction, to incorporate an unimpeded view of the park.
- Mayflower Secondary School is just about five minutes’ walk away, past the Kebun Baru HDB blocks 260 B and 260
- In between high and low-density housing
This is a strong location for a condo in many respects. It’s within walking distance of both a school and the Mayflower MRT station. It’s also reasonably close to Ang Mo Kio hub (1.5 kilometres), which is the area’s main mall and transport node.
(As an aside, there’s a Kids and Kins Childcare centre within striking distance, and an Ang Mo Supermarket in Kebun Baru Court; so you may not need to venture to AMK hub on a day-to-day basis).
In fact, we think some home buyers might prefer this residence to ones closer to AMK Hub, as it’s far enough to avoid the traffic congestion issues in that area.
The land parcel is between the high-density housing of Kebun Baru HDB flats and low-density housing toward the Upper Thomson Road stretch. So despite being next to HDB blocks, the area manages to feel very open and spacious.
You’re likely to also get a good view of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and Kallang River; and a review of the URA Master Plan doesn’t show any future residential developments cutting in the immediate vicinity.
All in, this is one of the better condo locations we’ve seen all year; and analysts we spoke to are hazarding about $900 to $930 psf for the land price.
Nearby properties
To get a sense of prices in the area, we looked at some of the nearby private homes:
| Condo | Distance (Google Maps) | Indicative Pricing | TOP | Units | Tenure |
| Bishan Park Condominium | 391.37m | $975 – $1,039 PSF, average of $1,011 psf | 1994 | 320 | 99 years |
| Thomson Grand | 531.75m | $1,239 – $1,368 PSF, average of $1,297 psf | 2015 | 339 | 99 years |
| Adana @ Thomson | 546.71m | $1,754 – $1,754 psf, average of $1,754 psf | 2018 | 74 | Freehold |
Site 2: Tengah GLS site
This is a first-of-its-kind Executive Condominium (EC) site in Tengah. The land plot is so new, even the adjoining road – Tengah Garden Walk – has yet to be completed. It’s 22,020 sqm., and is expected to yield about 615 units. As with all EC plots (or any GLS site now), it’s on a 99-year leasehold.
Key highlights
- The site is unprecedented, as this will be the first ever EC in Tengah
- Next to Garden Vines @ Tengah, also a very new BTO project
- This will be one of the cornerstones of the Tengah “Forest Town” in the many years to come
- A condo for real pioneers, as the area is seriously lacking in amenities
The development here will hinge heavily on its EC status and, we suspect, super-competitive pricing given how undeveloped Tengah is. Many of the roads leading here are still under development, and public transport is a long time away.
The plot is within roughly six minutes’ walk to two MRT stations: Hong Kah and Tengah Plantation Station. However, Hong Kah will only be up and running by 2026 at the earliest, while Tengah Plantation Station will follow about a year later. As such, residents will probably still be waiting two to three years before they have the convenience of the train stations.
In the meantime, the closest train station to this land plot would be all the way in Bukit Gombak or Bukit Batok. But in fairness, it’s rare for most ECs to be near MRT stations anyway; early buyers here are compensated for the inconvenience, by being close to two future stations.
Regarding amenities, there just isn’t much here. HDB expects Tengah to be fully complete only by 2036. For now, if you live in this area, you’ll have to travel out of Tengah for most of your retail needs; and the closest school (Jurong Primary) is about 1.3 kilometres away.
Buyers here will mostly be the ones drawn by the EC status, or who are drawn to Tengah as one of the few truly rural areas in Singapore. We do expect prices to be competitive, to make up for the lack of convenience.
Also, despite being next to new HDB blocks, no one could ever say Tengah is “heavily built up”; it’s a great place for those who value privacy and quiet; at least for the next decade or so.
There aren’t really any “nearby” private properties to provide a good comparison, but here are the closest:
Properly speaking, a condo should be at least within one kilometre for a reasonable comparison. As there’s no such developments however, we sought out the closest alternatives. Do note that eventual prices could be very different from what you see below.
| Condo | Distance (Google Maps) | Indicative Pricing | TOP | Units | Tenure |
| Le Quest | 1.19 km | $1,219 – $1,556 psf, to an average of $1,401 psd | 2020 | 516 | 99 years |
| The Mayfair | 1.69 km | $796 – $923 PSF, to an average of $866 PSF | 2000 | 452 | 99 years |
| Lakeville | 1.84 km | $1,322 – $1,480 PSF, to an average of $1,406 PSF | 2017 | 696 | 99 years |
The Ang Mo Kio site will probably be one of the most closely watch sites; a pity since Tengah is the one we should be paying attention to
It has the perfect mix of selling points: school, MRT station, close proximity to a mall, and potentially great views. Perhaps more importantly, there’s a lot of pent-up demand in Ang Mo Kio, as the last condos in the area were Thomson Impressions and The Panorama (these were in 2014 and 2013 respectively).
Those who want real insights into the Singapore property market, however, will pay just as much attention to Tengah. It’s once in a blue moon that we get to observe the first ever EC in a brand-new estate; and the market’s response to it will shed a lot of light on home buying tendencies / expectations.
In the meantime, you can follow us on Stacked for updates on the real estate market, as well as in-depth reviews on the top properties available.
If you’d like to get in touch for a more in-depth consultation, you can do so here.
