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Renowned developers UOL Group Limited, Singapore Land Group Limited and Kheng Leong Company, will embark on another landmark project – Amo Residence situated at Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 / Ang Mo Kio Rise. The site used to house old HDBs before being enbloc.
Their recent accomplishments were the luxurious MeyerHouse, Iconic Avenue South Residence and The Tre Ver.
Not Just Another Condominium
So what makes this condominium different from the rest? 100% BS-free from our honest review. The last high-rise development in the area was The Panorama completed in 2019.
There was a hype when this Government Land was successfully tendered. 15 developers were vying for this piece of land when Covid19 was still ravaging. I doubt there will be so many developers bidding for this parcel if there is no future potential. Furthermore, there weren’t many new “decent size” developments in the area for quite some time. Yes, I had excluded boutique developments with 100 units and less like Adana @ Thomson.
Sembawang Hills Estate is predominantly a landed enclave. Hence, the construction of The Panorama is like an eye sore to the landed owners. Trust me, I knew some of them. However, owners of The Panorama enjoyed the truly breathtaking view of the entire area, including the picturesque Lower Peirce Reservoir, during the golden sunset moment. Many articles in the news mention “Units with Million Dollar View” in high demand, and the upcoming Amo Residence will likely be considered one.
Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
According to the planning decision, there will be 2 blocks of 25-storey apartments about 103m in height. Depending on the orientation of the blocks, specific units on the high floors will enjoy the unblocked view of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (for the near future) and Lower Peirce Reservoir.
From the above image, it’s possible to ascertain that the 2 blocks will likely be north-south facing with a bit of tilt towards the west due to the shape of the land parcel. Amo Residence is situated further from the main road, thus minimising traffic noise. Interestingly, the adjacent HDB projects Kebun Baru Court & Kebun Baru Edge, are about 29-storeys high. Therefore, there is a chance that Amo Residence will block the view of those HDB flats.
Amenities
Schools
The most decisive push factor for Amo Residence will likely be the under 1km proximity to renowned schools such as CHIJ St Nicholas Girls School and Ai Tong School. Parents invest or even rent properties near renowned schools for their children to get an extra edge during enrollment. Therefore, properties around renowned schools are usually in higher demand as such.
Other schools such as Peirce Secondary School, Mayflower Secondary School, Eunoia Junior College, Ang Mo Kio Primary School & Ang Mo Kio Secondary School are all within 1.5km of the project.
Daily Necessities
Over at Block 260 Kebun Baru Court, there is a coffeehouse, convenience store and a few other shops operating to serve the residents around the vicinity. Across the road from Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 is another large convenience store for daily necessities.
In a non-matured estate, wet markets, food centres, and stores ranging from hardware stores and TCM clinics to chic cafes are not as readily available as in mature estates. However, this is not the case for Amo Residence. Most amenities are within 2km, including shopping malls like AMK Hub & Thomson Plaza. Overall, finding food options and daily necessities around the area will be very convenient.
Public Transportation
Unfortunately, Amo Residence is not well connected to the new MRT Line even though it is sandwiched between Mayflower (TE6) & Bright Hill (TE7). The nearest station at Mayflower is 363m away, about 5 mins walk away.
Bus Stop (56261) along the main road is about 150m away from the entrance. Another interesting thing to note, which many owners may have overlooked, is the ingress and egress from the project. One or two lanes road will generally create a problem for drivers turning in or out from the main road, especially if it is a high-density zone. However, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 is a six lanes bidirectional road with a traffic light controlled junction right before the project. Therefore, eliminating issues commonly faced by projects with a single or two lanes road.
Is It Worth Buying? Is There Future Potential?
It is often said that only HDBs around prime areas like Tanjong Pagar, Dawson, Queenstown, etc., will be able to command a selling price of $1M. For example, look at the owners’ asking price at Kebun Baru Court. These are the prices for units that come with a million-dollar view.
Surprisingly, there are no 3-room flats available in both HDB projects. Instead, it’s mainly 4-rooms and 5-rooms. With prices reaching $1.21M for a 5-room resale unit, these owners will profit more than $500K. Moreover, the composition of the unit distribution actually helps in the future demand for a private condo just next door. Future demand will come from HDB owners looking at upgrading and young couples looking at smaller units that the new HDBs don’t offer.
Apart from the vast plot of reserved land south of Sembawang Hills Estate, there is one residential land directly to the project’s south. Assuming it is another GLS, land costs generally increase over time, resulting in a higher selling price. Indirectly, this will help drive the selling price of surrounding projects.
So Which Stack Is Worth It?
It is easy to deduce which stacks will be the most sought after. However, do note that units with a beautiful sunset view of the Lower Peirce Reservoir will likely have west sun into the apartment at a specific time of the day and period of the year. As long it is not direct West, I don’t see any significant issue from future buyers. Those stacks will generally be sold at a higher price than others, and the first few to get sold out.
Units facing the South or North East may be blocked by the new residential plot at the South, Kebun Bahru Edge and Kebun Bahru Court. However, I have not seen the actual site plan. So it all depends on how the Developer orientates the blocks to leverage on the sloping gradient.
