The last few landed tours showcased rather expensive areas, such as Ming Teck Park and Faber Hills, so I thought we should look at some more affordable options this week. As it turns out, someone requested that I review other parts of Kovan (besides the Northwestern part that I covered previously) and, when researching the area, I found that the Northeastern part had not 1 but 2 areas with homes under $3 million, so off I went!
Caveat: the under $3 million houses are 99-year leasehold! I know we prefer freehold in Singapore but, unfortunately, the reality is that given the current market peak, it’s very hard to find a landed freehold property (or 999-years) for under $3 million. There are freehold landed homes in the NE Kovan area too, but those were going for $3.8 million and above, at the time of writing.
Anyway, back to the more affordable properties! These span 2 areas: Henley Gardens at Jalan Arif and Park Villas at Park Villas Rise.
To help you orientate yourself, here’s a map of the area. We’re viewing the long triangle just under Hougang Avenue 2 today, towards the top of the “triangle” bounded by the yellow roads in the map below. (When we toured Kovan before, we were at the “bottom end” of the “triangle, next to Yio Chu Kang Road.)
There are 4 unit types, from 1,614 sq ft all the way up to 4,912 sq ft, with the lease starting in 1996. (The one currently on the market is the smallest type, 1,614 – 1,615 sq ft. There is also another unit for rent, at $9,000.) To give you an overview of the price history, last year, one unit sold for $2.8 million whilst, in 2021, the transacted prices ranged from $1.8 million to $3.2 million (for the 99-year leasehold units only.)
More Henley Gardens houses.Jalan Arif – the road ends in a cul-de-sac on the other end, with 2 short stretches on the left.
Looks idyllic, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, the situation is somewhat similar to Haus@Serangoons, where the surroundings seem peaceful in photos, but there’s a lot of road noise. (Jalan Arif is parallel and very close to Hougang Avenue 2, a busy road that is right beside the tall hedge we see on the right of the photo.)
This is the only vehicular entry/exit into Jalan Arif, off Poh Huat Road. When you drive down the road leading to Jalan Arif, you reach a T-junction. Both sides are cul-de-sacs. This is what the right of the T-junction looks like. Peeking out of the hedge, this is what we see. There is a petrol station across the road, which I assume will have the usual convenience shop, for residents of Henley Gardens who are desperate for some simple groceries.The left arm of the “T” shape is longer. I walk down to the end and this is what it looks like.
You can see the roads here are very clear for a terraced estate, thanks to the single white line. It makes it easy for cars to drive through, but it will be a bit tricky for your friends and family to find space to park when visiting!
What I see looking back.
Across the road, there is a whole line of HDB blocks across. You can’t see it but there’s also a park across the road, Punggol South Park or Ci Yuan Harmony Park (according to a Google review.) The same review says that this park boasts the only swing among all the neighbouring parks, and also has a trampoline. Who knew?
What the other cul-de-sacs off Jalan Arif look like. At the end of the cul-de-sac is actually a drain. There’s a secret path that brings you down to the drain and I wonder where it takes you.Ah, it actually joins a walkway along the side of the drain. (This is what the view to the left is like.)View to the right. These walkways may seem useless, but they’re actually very practical. They are a shortcut to other roads within the estate!
For example, I managed to access Jalan Arif directly from Robey Crescent, instead of having to walk the long way around through Poh Huat Road. This cut off about 5 minutes from my journey. Not a huge amount of time, but something I really appreciated when the sun was high up in the sky, as it often is in Singapore.
Walking through the canal paths was also much more peaceful than taking the main roads. As mentioned in my first tour of Kovan, the area is “bustling”, with a higher-than-normal number of pedestrians, which isn’t as great for leisurely strolls. I preferred my walk next to the drains, uninspiring as that sounds! (It’s not that bad, honestly! I quite enjoyed it, and thought it gave the area a certain charm.)
So it’s handy that some of the houses next to the canal have back gates leading to this “secret maze” of shortcuts!
In terms of amenities, the nearest MRT is Kovan, which is about 15 minutes away, regardless of whether you bus or walk over! There are 2 supermarkets in the vicinity: NTUC FairPrice at Hougang Block 682 (8 minutes by bus and 18 on foot) and ColdStorage at Heartland Mall (15-20 minutes away by bus or foot.)
For shopping, you have Heartland Mall (17-20 minutes by bus or on foot), Hougang 1 (11-21 minutes), and Hougang Mall (14-18 minutes). Overall, I’d say you are not far from conveniences, but not really within walking distance (on a regular day when the sun is blazing in the sky.)
Note: somewhat confusingly, not all the houses along Jalan Arif are 99 years in nature. Some are 999 years, from 1875.
Some houses seem to be a little elevated above the drain, so passersby actually get quite a clear view into their backyards. Following that path brings me out of Jalan Arif onto Jalan Tani, where there are both terrace houses and semi-Ds.At the time of writing, there was only one house for sale here. A semi-D which has a plot of over 5,000 sq ft, so large enough to become a detached unit, in light of other restrictions. Price tag: $7.888888 million.Jalan Tani is quite open to Hougang Avenue 2 which, as you can see, is quite busy. There’s another small outdoor gym to the right of my photo. (I figure you’ve seen enough outdoor gyms on these walkabouts and there was nothing special about this one, so I didn’t take a photo.)We follow the road and turn into Florence Road. I believe the high-rise construction should be of The Florence Residences,which is set to TOP in 2023.As shown above, the site is quite large. Opposite are landed houses, just beyond the right edge of the photo.Example of one of the units. There are 1-2 detached houses, with the majority being terraces and semi-Ds. (2 units for sale, $4.48 – $5.58 million (freehold) at the time of writing. In case you’re wondering, since I’ve highlighted quite a few sales listings, I’m not a property agent and don’t make any commission if the houses sell! I just thought you would like to know what the other units are using for, so you can do your own benchmarking of Jalan Arif and Park Villas.)The terrace houses here look quite okay in size. This looks like it could maybe park 2 cars.A little further, we find the boutique condo, The Florentine, on the left. (It’s so small, there are no reviews on Google!)On the note of large terrace houses (we’re still walking along Florence Road), this one looks like it could even park 3 cars! (4 if we don’t close the gate.)And, as you can see, there’s lots of potential for upward building too.Unfortunately, the pavements leave a bit to be desired here. (Also with people not closing their gates and parking, it’s a bit hard to get by without walking directly on the main road.)A little further down brings you to Lim Ah Pin Road, where you can find this entire stretch of houses that have just been rebuilt! I was curious so I checked PropertyGuru. Apparently, they’re semi-Ds for sale from $5.48 to $6.68 million, and TOP this year.Florence Road (and the rest of the enclave, actually) is a little uneven, so some houses are on higher ground than others.Here, we’ve reached the boundary of today’s tour and turned back into Poh Huat Road. At this junction, there’s Florence Ville and All Saints Memorial Chapel which, according to Google, is a place to “lay people to rest.”I initially thought the Memorial Chapel was a church! Cute vintage house opposite.One feature of this area, besides the drains, is that there are many small stretches of land between 2 rows of houses, as we can see here. The land is too small to serve much use, but does provide the neighbouring houses with a longer setback as well as more space to put one’s gardening tools and pots!Meet David(s) and GoliathThe road started to become smaller as we continue our journey down Poh Huat Road. Albeit still with great parking for the terrace houses. (In case you can’t tell, the unit on the left has THREE cars parked in a line)As we head deeper into the estate, the terrace houses no longer have such generous parking, and the road line changes to a dotted white line. I start seeing lots of rubbish bins on the road, as well as cars parking along the road. For example, the houses on the right here don’t appear to have any private parking space at all, so all of the residents parallel park on the roadside.Close-up for you to get a better view.
Next is Poh Huat playground, the first playground I’ve seen inside this bit of the landed enclave. (It’s pretty small.)
If memory serves, this should be Poh Huat Crescent, which is the road just before Area 2: Park Villas, a 180-unit development, again by Far East, with a 99-year lease starting in 1994 and built in 1997. The houses span 3 streets: Park Villas Terrace which leads onto Park Villas Green (2 parallel roads) and Park Villas Rise (the next cul-de-sac after Park Villas Terrace and Green.)
Opposite Park Villas is another condo, Fontaine Parry. It’s low-rise so it doesn’t feel out of place or oppressive here.And here’s the entrance into Park Villas Terrace. Look down the street – the trusty cones to “chope” parking is in sight here!And see what I mean about the little spaces in between the rows of houses? (I passed several others, but I feel 2 photos are enough to make my point!)The terrace houses of Park Villas. On the right, partially blocked by the lamp and tree, are more rubbish bins reserving parking lots for their owners.
Walking down this cul-de-sac brings you to another small playground which, alas, is right next to Hougang Avenue 2, so not the quietest environment for kids to play. There is also a childcare centre, Mulberry Learning@Kovan.
We pass another, sort of low-rise, condo here. (Nouvelle Park.)
Note how much lower the land on which it lies is compared to Poh Huat Road. FYI, there’s yet another small empty space between this condo and the property next door. I guess it could serve as a path to allow you to cut through to the road behind (Parry Terrace)?
This brings us to the last street of the second 99-year leasehold condo, Park Villas Rise.Am I imagining things or does it feel a bit more cramped than Park Villas Terrace?Park Villas Rise is also right next to Yio Chu Kang chapel, and I’m not sure if the sound of the service travels over on Sundays.
If you have little ones, there’s a Montessori in the church.
And this brings us out of Poh Huat Road (West) onto Yio Chu Kang Road.To the left is Serangoon North Community Park (across the road.)And to the right, we have an overhead bridge (that allows you to cross over to the HDB estate on the other side.)
Just to our right, beyond this photo, is another construction site. (No signage so no clue what they’re building.) If we walk a few more steps ahead and turn right (where the green bus is), you’ll find yourself back at Hougang Avenue 2 after walking down for a bit.
This brings us back to where we started the tour!
How did you find the area? I preferred it to the first part of Kovan that I viewed some time ago. However, I heard from a reader that the “best” part of Kovan for landed homes is the Southern side, around Charlton Avenue, so let’s go take a look there sometime soon!
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Frequently asked questions
What are some affordable landed homes available in Kovan area?
In the northeastern part of Kovan, there are two areas with homes under $3 million: Henley Gardens at Jalan Arif and Park Villas at Park Villas Rise. These are 99-year leasehold properties, with prices starting from around $2.6 million.
Are there freehold landed homes in Kovan under $3 million?
Freehold landed homes in NE Kovan are available but tend to be more expensive, with prices above $3.8 million at the time of writing. The more affordable options are mainly leasehold properties.
What amenities are near the Kovan landed estate?
The nearest MRT is Kovan, about 15 minutes away. There are supermarkets like NTUC FairPrice and Cold Storage, and shopping malls such as Heartland Mall, Hougang 1, and Hougang Mall within 20 minutes by bus or foot.
What is the condition of the roads and environment around Jalan Arif?
Jalan Arif is a peaceful cul-de-sac parallel to Hougang Avenue 2, with some road noise due to its proximity to the busy road. The estate features canal paths and shortcuts that provide a quieter walking experience.
What types of houses are available in Park Villas and Jalan Arif?
The area offers terrace houses, semi-detached houses, and some units with potential for upward building. Prices vary, with terrace units starting from about $2.6 million and semi-Ds around $7.9 million.
Are there any notable features or considerations for buyers interested in Kovan landed homes?
Buyers should note that most homes are leasehold (99 years), and some houses are rented out by room. The environment includes small parks and playgrounds, but some roads may have limited parking and noise from nearby roads.
TJ's interest in property was sparked after returning from the UK- where balconies are not counted in one's square footage!- and finding that the Singapore property had totally changed in the 7 years she was away. When not reading and watching articles & videos about property, she is busy cooking and baking for friends, family & her blog Greedygirlgourmet
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