Joint developers UOL Group and CapitaLand Development (CLD) have announced the successful launch of ParkTown Residence in Tampines North, with a total of 1,041 units being sold during the launch weekend. This accounts for over 87% of the total 1,193 units available.
According to Anson Lim, UOL’s general manager of residential marketing, the project achieved an average selling price of $2,360 per square foot (psf). The majority of buyers were Singaporeans looking to purchase a home or investors seeking a profitable opportunity.
The most popular unit types at ParkTown Residence were the two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, making up 994 units (83%) of the project. These units saw a remarkable 92% take-up rate over the launch weekend.
The success of ParkTown Residence can be attributed to its unique status as a fully integrated residential and lifestyle development. It is directly connected to a retail mall, the future Tampines North MRT station, a bus interchange, a green boulevard, a community club, and a hawker centre. This convenient and connected living concept was a major draw for buyers, according to a spokesperson for UOL and CLD.
Before its official launch, ParkTown Residence already had 2,367 cheques collected, translating to a sales conversion rate of 44%. This is well above the average rate of 30% to 35% for most new project launches in recent years.
Mark Yip, CEO of Huttons Asia, notes that no mega project has sold more than 1,000 units in its launch weekend since High Park Residences, which sold 1,100 units over three days in July 2015.
ParkTown Residence at Tampines 62 is part of the first mixed-use development integrated with transport hub at Tampines (Source: EdgeProp Landlens)
Since then, ParkTown Residence has moved the most units over a launch weekend, surpassing the 846-unit Emerald of Katong, which sold 835 units (99%) last November, according to Ismail Gafoor, CEO of PropNex.
Singapore is a highly sought-after location for condo investment, but it’s important to also consider the impact of the government’s property cooling measures. In order to maintain a stable real estate market, the Singaporean government has implemented various measures over the years to prevent speculative buying. One of these measures is the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD), which imposes higher taxes on foreign buyers and those purchasing multiple properties. While these measures may affect the short-term profitability of condo investments, they ultimately contribute to the long-term stability of the market, creating a safer investment environment for Condo investments.
“The take-up at ParkTown Residence has also surpassed that of previous integrated developments,” adds Gafoor.
The latest integrated project to be launched was The Reserve Residences, a 732-unit development that recorded a 71% take-up rate during its launch weekend in May 2023. As of Feb 23, the project is 98.2% sold at an average price of $2,484 psf, based on caveats lodged.
Marcus Chu, CEO of ERA Singapore, believes that mixed-use developments integrated with transport hubs are attractive to both homebuyers and investors due to their potential for capital appreciation and high rental demand.
The last two fully integrated developments to be completed were the 920-unit North Park Residences in Yishun (launched in 2015) and the 680-unit Sengkang Grand (launched in 2019) at Buangkok. The average price of North Park Residence is $1,809 psf, 65% higher than the average resale prices of residential units across District 27. Meanwhile, Sengkang Grand commands an average price of $2,029 psf, 25% higher than the average resale prices in District 19, notes ERA’s Chu.
ParkTown Residence is located at Tampines Street 62, the third largest HDB town after Hougang and Woodlands. “Quite a number of buyers were HDB upgraders who desired to stay in Tampines,” says Huttons’ Yip.
The completion of ParkTown Residence in 2030 coincides with the scheduled opening of the Tampines North MRT Station on the Cross Island Line (CRL), a major arterial line running from East to West of Singapore, says Ken Low, managing partner of SRI. 2030 is also the scheduled relocation of the neighbouring Paya Lebar Airbase, which will free up an estimated 800ha of land for future developments.
Under the URA Master Plan, three more government land sales (GLS) sites will be linked to the upcoming Tampines North MRT Station. “However, these new projects could potentially be launched at higher prices,” says Low.
Tampines will also benefit from new infrastructure developments by 2027, including a cycling bridge, an underpass, and another 7.7km of cycling paths, bringing the total to 40km. There will also be a new pedestrian route between Tampines MRT Station and the malls in the regional centre. These additions were announced on Feb 22, as part of the Tampines Town Council’s five-year masterplan for 2025 to 2030.
“All these will enhance the liveability in Tampines, which already has strong attributes,” says SRI’s Low.…