Will 1 Canberra, The Warren, Or A Small Freehold Condo In Potong Pasir Be A Better Choice For A Family Of 4?

Hi stacked homes,

I have just recently started property shopping, and I am very impressed by your insightful editorials. I would like to seek your advice on comparisons of a 3-bedder at the Warren next to the CCK MRT (17yr old, MRT interchange potential to come), 3-bedder at One Canberra (7yr old MOPed EC, many ECs/condos to come, Bukit Canberra soon to open), and lastly 2-bedder freehold condo near the Potong Pasir/Woodleigh MRT.

We are a family of 4 – 2 working adults and 2 preschoolers. School is not our top comparison, but location/amenities/condo facilities such as pools so that our boys can be kept busy! We are looking at at least 10yr of occupancy until both kids finish primary school, and would expect capital appreciation for another upgrade to either something bigger, or closer to town.

Appreciate if you can share your insights and area of call-outs!

Hey there

Thank you for writing to us and thanks for sharing in detail your criteria for your purchase. We will try to go through each option, but while the first two options can be compared directly, the last one is quite a stark difference – both in terms of location and the offering.

Without looking too much at the condo options in Potong Pasir/Woodleigh yet, I would say that for a family of 4 to stay in a 2 bedroom condo would be quite cramped in terms of lifestyle. If you are looking for a short term hold to upgrade in the future it could still be feasible, but for a holding period of 10 years, I think this is quite a significant length of time that this should be reconsidered.

Nevertheless, let’s go through the options you have at hand and see how they compare.

The Warren

With close to 700 units, The Warren is a mid-sized development with decent facilities which includes a few swimming pools, hence, it ticks your box for facilities. It offers spacious unit sizes, which is a great pick for families. Though you have to be careful of your choice of unit, as the outer facing stacks will face KJE road noise while the other side faces JRL construction and MRT track noise. Location wise, it is located within walking distance to Lot 1 for amenities and Chua Chu Kang Bus Interchange and MRT station for public transportation options.

Connectivity will further improve with the completion of the Jurong Regional Line (JRL), which is slated to be in operation on 2027. From the graph below, prices have risen in recent years with the current $9xx PSF, which is a good sign generally, but in this case, it is also in line with how the general property market has been performing. It offers decent unit sizes at an affordable quantum with the latest 3 bedder unit sold at $1,200,000.

Though schools are not a top priority, we would like to share that there are 3 primary schools within the magical 1 km range from The Warren, namely: Concord, Chua Chu Kang, and South View Primary School. This would be great, especially for a future exit strategy that will attract a family own stay profile.

Recent 3-Bedroom Transaction: $1,200,000

Pros:

• Convenience to amenities and transport node
• Development packed with facilities
• Within 1 km radius to a few primary school options

Cons:

• Older resale development
• Surrounded by JRL construction and KJE road noise.
• Away from city centre

Layout analysis:

At 1,206 sqft, the 3 bedder layout is squarish and quite well laid-out. The unit opens to a small foyer area that provides some degree of privacy. It also comes with an in-unit household shelter which is great for storage, an ideal location as it could potentially be used as a pantry or in some cases, a helper’s room. It also comes with a proper yard area for laundry. You do also have the advantage of a flexible kitchen layout which could also be converted to an open layout plan with sufficient cabinet space.

The living and dining areas are sufficiently-sized, and you do have a minimal balcony space as well.

Another good point – both bathrooms space come with windows which are good for natural ventilation.

Overall, you do get decent size bedrooms with a good size master bedroom, though it does come with an irregular layout. To be fair, the extra window panels allow for natural light and ventilation into the master bedroom. The odd section can also be utilised as a study or dresser area too!

1 Canberra

With over 600 units, 1 Canberra is a mid-size EC development with decent facilities which also includes a few swimming pools. It offers reasonable unit sizes, however, inner stacks may be too close to the opposite block hence privacy would be an issue for inner facing stacks. Location wise, it is in close proximity to Sembawang Shopping Centre and Canberra Plaza for amenities and Canberra MRT station. With the new Bukit Canberra slated to open soon, it will bring in more amenities into the area.

Prices have risen since it hit MOP in 2020, with the current $9xx PSF and the most recent 3 bedder unit was sold at $1,036,000; a fair price in today’s context for a relatively new development.

Adding on, there are 3 primary schools within 1 km range from 1 Canberra, namely: Chongfu School, Xishan, and Yishun Primary School.

Recent 3-Bedroom Transaction: $1,036,000

Pros:

• Within walking distance to the Canberra MRT and amenities
• Development packed with facilities
• Within 1km radius to a few Primary School options

Cons:

• Away from city centre

Layout analysis:

At 1,044 sq ft, the 3 bedder layout is squarish and quite well laid-out. While the unit size on paper can’t be compared to The Warren, it is also a much newer development. The unit opens to a small foyer area but given you can look straight in still, it doesn’t provide much in way of privacy. It also comes with an in-unit household shelter which is good for storage, but the location of it isn’t the best if you’re hoping for an open concept kitchen. It does also come with a small yard area, which helps with the laundry.

Similar to The Warren, both bathrooms come with windows which are good for natural ventilation. Overall, you do get a fairly-sized living, dining, and bedrooms for its overall size.

On a less positive note, the unit comes with an overly large and irregular sized balcony, it is ideal if you are one that values some outdoor space, if not, it does take up unnecessary living space. Additionally, since all bedrooms are tucked on one side of the unit, the long bedroom hallway can be seen as inefficient here.

Potong Pasir/Woodleigh

Potong Pasir/Woodleigh area has seen changes over the years with new developments, both public and private housing added into the area. New shopping centres were also built (Poiz Centre, The Venue, Woodleigh) to provide amenities for the residents in the area. There is also great road connectivity with major roads and 2 expressways (CTE and PIE) within minutes’ reach.

There are quite a few freehold options in the area. However, most of the freehold developments are small-sized developments with minimal facilities hence it may be less ideal for your family. Furthermore, if the considerations are for 2 bedroom units, this is a less flexible arrangement especially as the kids grow up. There are 2 schools options nearby: St Andrew’s Junior school and Bendemeer Primary school.

While looking for freehold developments do offer value retention in the long term, the area is mostly built up with lots of private resale condo options. As such, future buyers are spoilt for choice in the area. Hence, it can be said that you could see more competition when it comes to future exit in this area.

Pros:

• Convenience to amenities and transport node
• Development packed with facilities

Cons:

• Competition from nearby developments
• Most of the freehold development are small development with fewer facilities.

Let’s take, for example, 18 Woodsville. A freehold development located in close proximity to Potong Pasir for amenities and MRT station. It is a small development and it lacks facilities that you’d usually find in bigger developments. The swimming pool here is definitely on the small side, and there is a lack of kid-focused facilities. Despite its freehold status, the development faced slow price appreciation since it was launched back in 2013. With low transaction volume, banks may also find it hard to give a fair valuation for the development hence the price stagnation.

Recent 2-Bedroom Transaction: $1,320,000

Layout analysis:

At only 818 sqft, while big for a 2 bedroom in the new launch context, it may not be sufficient, especially for a family of 4.

Firstly, the unit opens straight to the open kitchen area which is less ideal if you do heavy cooking. Not to mention, the kitchen area is small and with no yard or utility area, it does fall short for regular family living. Secondly, the living and dining space isn’t a seamless length as there is an indentation for the wall in the middle. Both bedrooms are also pretty tight with minimal walking space when fully fitted with furniture. Additionally, the unit also comes with double A/C ledges which takes up more space.

On the plus side, both bathrooms come with ventilation windows which is good for natural ventilation.

Conclusion

Between the 3 options, I think it’s pretty clear in terms of family living, a freehold 2 bedroom condo even in the best location is just not ideal for a family of 4.

As for the other two options, it really boils down to how much space you really need in a home, as both locations are arguably located further out.

I would pick 1 Canberra for a relatively new development packed with facilities, which is ideal for you and your family. It has a decent unit size with a mostly squarish and efficient unit layout. It is quite well-located for an EC, away from the MRT track line yet quite close to the Canberra MRT station and a few amenities options nearby.

Road connectivity will further improve with the opening of the North-South Corridor, which provides connectivity to the city. Since you are looking at a 10 years timeline, we foresee the potential for 1 Canberra which will remain attractive, especially among family own stay profiles.

Moreover, the Canberra region has seen a slew of new launches in the area, most notably The Commodore and The Watergardens at Canberra. With new developments coming up which would subsequently be introduced into the resale market at a higher price, there could be a situation where 1 Canberra’s price disparity narrows.

We would go for The Warren if spaciousness is a priority for you. It also has close proximity to Lot 1 and the upcoming JRL line. We do like that there is an exit point located at the back of the development which provides direct access to KJE. The area is bustling added with the construction of JRL line. If 10 years timeline is something that is quite firm, The Warren will be an older development that may see price stagnation depending on market sentiments.

Lastly, I would not recommend the last option, unless the location is a serious, serious perk. The Potong Pasir/Woodleigh area is mostly built up, a 2 bedder unit will also mean a smaller group of potential buyers for future exit plans. While the area will undoubtedly remain an attractive one for its location close to the city, the characteristics of freehold 2 bedroom units there will be an inflexible and less ideal option for family living.

Thank you and we hope that the above pointers would help you in making your decision.

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