Fifth Avenue Condo Review: Good potential near top schools in Singapore

Fifth Avenue condo is another relatively unknown condominium that is on the prestigious Fifth Avenue and is accessible from Sixth Avenue itself. With the construction of the Fourth Avenue Residences, all the hype has overshadowed the other developments in the area and the Fifth Avenue condo is no exception. It is almost as near to Sixth Avenue MRT station, has freehold status and has only 70 units. So if you are looking for a suitable unit in the Sixth Avenue area, would the Fifth Avenue condo be a worthy choice?

Fifth Avenue Condo Review – Location

First up, the location of the Fifth Avenue Condo is really ideal in our opinion. We like that it is only a 2-minute walk to the Sixth Avenue MRT station. Furthermore, once you cross the road to Guthrie House, it is sheltered all the way to the station as well. Which is super convenient. The connectivity of the Bukit Timah area has really been strengthened by the introduction of the Downtown line. From here, it is just 2 stops away from Botanic Gardens MRT, which can connect you to the Circle Line (think Holland Village). Ultimately, the main selling point here would be the straight train all the way to the CBD. For those who work in the CBD but want to be near good schools for their kids this just makes everything within easy reach. 

Turning out of Sixth Avenue towards Dunearn road will also get you to PIE along Eng Neo in no time at all. Bukit Timah Road is also a major road that will lead you to town very easily but do note that traffic during peak hours will usually be heavy.

We think that most buyers looking at this area will be because of how close it is to all the good schools in the area. Just to give you an idea, schools within the exclusive 1 to 2 km radius: Nanyang Girls High School, Raffles Girls Primary School, Methodist Girls School, Hwa Chong Institution, National Junior College and Nanyang Primary School. Just three stops away at Stevens MRT would be Singapore Chinese Girls School and Anglo Chinese School (Barker) as well. Talk about a cluster of renowned schools in Singapore! 

Singapore is well known as a garden city to many, but to us, Bukit Timah is one place that really abounds in greenery. Directly opposite at Turf City is a rather unique area in Singapore, as it is home to lots of fields and facilities catered to pets. During weekends, many people gather to indulge in various sports (football, tennis and horse riding) and it would definitely be a fantastic place to get kids to expend their energy in outdoor activities. It is worth noting however that under the Master Plan 2019, this area has been targeted to be converted into a residential area. Which understandably, had many people up in arms to “save Turf City“. We do hope that this area would be preserved as having outdoor areas for sports in Singapore will only get rarer, and it is no doubt a popular feature in the area. Just our two cents.

For a residential area, the Fifth Avenue Condo is located close to lots of amenities and food. 

Among these shophouses contains a surprising number of eateries, with quite a good variety as well. There is local food like Kopitown and Top Seafood. Casuarina Curry has an outlet here too as does Brazil Churrasco. For some chill drinks after work, you have Lazy Lizard and 1855 the Bottleshop to pick from as well.

Next to the shophouses is the 6th Avenue Centre. Even though it looks quite run down and old it still has a couple of interesting restaurants like the Tea Party Cafe and Meat n’ Chill. There is a dentist clinic and OCBC has a branch too for your banking needs.

Along Bukit Timah road there are more shophouses with a couple more restaurants and a Standard Chartered as well.

A huge advantage to the location of the Fifth Avenue condo is the availability of a sizeable Cold Storage right at your doorstep. Guthrie House also has a Coffee Bean for coffee addicts out there.

The convenience of being able to grocery shop at any time is very understated.

You get a Bengawan Solo as a bonus as well!

Fifth Avenue Condo Review – Development Site

Fifth Avenue condo is located on a squarish piece of land, with the Sixth Avenue Ville bordering it as its closest neighbour. We like that it is further set back away from Bukit Timah road as it is away from the traffic noise and is much quieter. It is also at the end of Sixth Avenue which is a good place to be as Sixth Avenue can get jammed during peak hours, so you can also access the development through Bukit Timah road instead of driving along Sixth Avenue.

Unfortunately, Fifth Avenue leads to a dead end so you can only access the development through the front.

Insider Tour

The Fifth Avenue condo has a very similar architecture style to a condo that we have reviewed previously, the Gallop Gables. After all, this was built in 1998, just one year after the Gallop Gables, so we should not be too surprised at the similarities.

The road out to Sixth Avenue is just a one-lane road, but seeing as this is the only major development on Fifth Avenue (the rest are all landed homes), you should not have too much trouble with the traffic here.

The arrival point at the Fifth Avenue condo is simple, with a big umbrella providing some respite against the sweltering heat. Good for those who take Grab often, at the very least there is a place to wait at.

Just a note, the greenery here is well kept and in general, is in keeping with the rest of the development. Despite the age, it mostly feels like the development is maintained well.

The Fifth Avenue has an underground carpark that is well lit and even has quite ample visitor lots despite its small size.

To access the development, you will need a resident key card or you will have to buzz up to be let in as a visitor. We were pleasantly surprised at the additional security here, which is not so common at the older developments. Bonus: the lobby area is air-conditioned as well!

There is, of course, a swimming pool at the Fifth Avenue condo. Admittedly, it isn’t the biggest around and the blocks are situated quite closely around it.

The swimming pool has a regular shape. You will have to swim many laps to have a proper exercise though! It is, however, clean and very well maintained.

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There is a small jacuzzi at the swimming pool area as well.

Water feature at the sides gives it a bit of a Balinese resort feel to the development.

You do get a walking path, but because its a small development, it won’t take you long at all to cover the perimeter of it.

At the far corner of the development is a small area with a playground for kids.

Each block has gated access that you will need the keycard to access as well, so security is pretty tight in this development.

Fifth Avenue Condo Review – Prices

Looking at the average prices in the last 6 months, you can see that the average prices for the Fifth Avenue condo is actually the highest among the surrounding resale developments. The prices have risen quite significantly in the past few years, no doubt recently buoyed by the launch of the Fourth Avenue Residences and the upcoming new launch by Allgreen in the place of Royalville that had gone en bloc.

In fact, the prices here are even higher than the Sixth Avenue Residences, which is a much newer development, but in a worse location in our opinion. Here’s the thing – if you strictly want to stay in this area and would like a bigger living area, you really do not have many options available. The Fifth Avenue condo boasts really spacious indoor living spaces. The 2 bedroom units have 1,345 sqft of space, which is gigantic by today’s standards. As a comparison, a 2 bedroom at the Fourth Avenue Residences starts at 624 sqft, which is less than half!

If you strictly want to stay in this area and would like a bigger living area, you really do not have much options available.

Our Take

The Fifth Avenue condo is a well-maintained development. It’s location, freehold status and closeness to amenities outweigh its downsides such as its lightweight facilities and tired outward design. It is not the perfect project for everybody, but if you are looking for a bigger living space for your family and are focused on the location for your children this could be an ideal option for you.