Why these 4-room HDB resale flats near the CRL Phase 2 stations show absolute potential

Over the past few weeks, there has been a spate of good and bad news.

One good news is that the new 6 Cross Island Line Phase 2 MRT stations were announced, so homeowners near those stations will have something to rejoice about.

However, the bad news is the cooling measures which came into effect on Sept 30, 2022. Anyone who has sold a private property will have to wait 15 months from the date of sale before being able to purchase an HDB flat. This may have caught many potential homebuyers (and sellers) flat-footed.

Fortunately for some, the restrictions do not apply to homebuyers who are 55 years old and above. If you’re in this demographic, you are still eligible to buy an HDB resale flat, except not 5-room or executive flats. The rationale is that you are downgrading to a smaller flat, say a 4-room, for retirement or to feel less isolated after your children have grown up and left (empty nest syndrome).

Of course, why settle for any location when you can potentially stay near an upcoming train station or interchange? Better yet, we’ve located a few options near the upcoming CRL Phase 2 stations.

Maju MRT station (CR16)

Completed in 1984 with about 61 years of lease remaining, Clementi’s Sunset Way Residence is one of the closest residences to the upcoming Maju station. We estimate that when the Maju station is completed, the nearest exit will be approximately 200 metres away near where Maju Drive meets Clementi Road.

Unfortunately, until the station is completed, residents must contend with the available MRT station – Clementi – which is also a Cross Island Line station and is about 11 minutes away by bus.

Notably, some units at Sunset Way Residence may overlook the landed neighbourhood of Clementi Crescent or the wide swathe of greenery that is Maju Forest.

Based on the URA Masterplan, a narrow stretch of land (a Reserve Site marked in yellow on the map) borders Clementi Neighbourhood Park and Sunset Way Residence to the north and west. Areas marked in orange in the northwest and farther east (beyond the landed housing at Clementi Crescent) are marked for future Residential development and subject to detailed planning.

In other words, we may see more future housing flats, private condos or landed houses built in the neighbourhood. This will then add to the stockpile of available housing.

But… (and there’s a but), it depends on how forward-looking you are. As more housing projects develop around the upcoming Maju station, what was once a forested area may soon become a thriving neighbourhood, that extends from the Sunset Lane cafes all the way up along Clementi Road towards the SIM institution.

The recent price action for Sunset Way Residence seems to suggest an uptick.

Over the past ten years, four-room HDB resale flats showed a 4.04per cent increase in average price per square foot (psf). It has risen even more in the recent two, at 13.88per cent. The latter could be a factor of pent-up resale housing demand since the pandemic began, but it could also be a factor of the project’s proximity to SIM Global Education, the eclectic Sunset Way cafes and eateries, and Clementi Arcade.

In absolute terms, the average price of a 4-room resale flat at the development is about $606k.

The most recent sale was a 1,119-sqft apartment on a mid-level floor, which sold for $655k or $585.34 psf. This is still lower than the current record-holder, which sold for S$715k, or $638 psf, in February 2014 (more than eight years ago).

Broadly, these figures are higher than the current Singapore average for 4-room resale flats at $545k or $537 psf.

Despite not being anywhere near walking distance to an MRT station, Sunset Way Residence is already showing signs of an appreciation in price, what more with a major MRT station in the works and a future neighbourhood uplift.

You may not see it now, but trust us, the place will likely transform over the next ten years. This is because, with an army camp and a school nearby, there is continuous human traffic in the area, which eventually trickles into growth opportunities in accommodation, business and retail.

Clementi MRT station (CR17)

Serving the East-West Line since 1988, Clementi MRT station will soon become an interchange station with the Cross Island Line in 2032.

Being a prime location in the West, it is no surprise that home prices around Clementi have surged even before Covid struck more than two years ago.

For example, over the past ten years, average psf prices of 4-room HDB resale flats around Clementi MRT station have risen by 29.83 per cent; 13.90 per cent in the past two.

With the average psf price currently at $716, expect prices for a 4-room resale flat there to be anywhere between $700k-900k.

Around the upcoming Cross Island Line underground station, seven residential neighbourhoods in the immediate vicinity offer 4-room HDB resale flats.

You can find older 4-room resale flats in Clementi Avenue 3, Avenue 4 (including Clementi Meadows) and Avenue 5. These flats were mostly built in the late 1970s and early 1980s, so their remaining leases are around 54 to 64 years.

Considering that it would take another ten years before the CRL17 station is ready, you’re looking at leases of 44 to 54 years by then.

The 4-room resale flats in Clementi Meadows (blocks 315-320 at Clementi Avenue 4) have some of the highest transaction volumes due to their proximity to the station, Clementi Mall and Clementi Central.

Most of the newer projects, like Clementi Ridges, Trivelis (a DBSS flat) and Clementi Cascadia (a SERS replacement flat), only entered the resale market three - four years ago. Looking at recent transaction trends, 4-room resale units at Clementi Cascadia have appreciated by 10.13 per cent since 2020. This is probably because the project is closest to Clementi Mall, the interchange and the MRT station.

The most expensive 4-room resale flat sold at Clementi Cascadia was also its most recent sale (July 2022) – a 1,012-sqft apartment (between the 25th and 27th floor), which sold for $965k, or $953.56 psf.

On the other hand, Trivelis, which first entered the resale market in late 2011, has only seen an average psf price appreciation of 1.08 per cent since 2019. Its most expensive 4-room resale flat (typically between 861-926 sqft) was sold for $898k in October 2019. In March 2022, an 883-sqft 4-room flat was sold for $823k ($932 psf).

Similarly, Clementi Ridges has seen its average psf price rise by 1.01 per cent since 2019. However, while many would assume Clementi Cascadia, which is closer to Clementi MRT station, would breach its first million-dollar sale for a 4-roomer, Clementi Ridges seized the record before anyone else.

In January 2022, it recorded a $1.06 million deal for a ‘listed’ 1,216-sqft 4-room flat. Notably, 1,216 sqft isn’t your typical 4-room flat size. If we filter just based on 1,001-sqft 4-room flats, the current record at Clementi Ridges is a 4-room (Model-A) apartment, which sold for $981k ($980 psf) in September 2022, which is still higher than Clementi Cascadia or Trivelis.

In summary, the older Clementi 4-room resale flats currently average around $517-$571 ($485k-$560k). The downside is, of course, the lower leases (54 to 64 years remaining).

As for the newer projects, a typical 883/1001-sqft 4-room resale flat currently averages around $849 to $923 psf, or $754k to $934k.

While prices here are much more expensive than Sunset Way Residence, getting a 4-room resale flat near Clementi station assures you of accessibility, amenities and convenience. Not only that, most of the properties are within 1 kilometre of popular schools like Pei Tong Primary and Nan Hua Primary, which means persistent demand from eager parents if you ever intend to sell.

Jurong Lake District MRT station (CR19)

Residents near the Jurong Lake District (CR19) station are getting not one but two MRT stations. The Jurong Town Hall (JE6) MRT station on the Jurong Region Line will be completed by 2028, four years earlier than CR19.

We covered this at length and wondered why neither station is linked to the larger Jurong East interchange. Well, it seems that the authorities are studying if the two stations will be linked as a major interchange. If that happens, we think this neighbourhood (particularly the areas around Teban Gardens Food Centre and Pandan Gardens – where all the kids’ extracurricular activities are) may flourish even more.

Unfortunately, the closest 4-room HDB resale flats to the Jurong Lake District station are within the Teban Gardens neighbourhood. As the map shows, most of the flats are situated some distance from both stations.

Furthermore, a large field, a row of office buildings and the AYE come in between the two. Residents will likely need to walk or take a bus along Penjuru Road to get to the nearest station entrance. Teban Place, probably the nearest HDB development to JLD station, is roughly 500 metres away on foot.

With reference to the map, there are four main HDB neighbourhoods in Teban Gardens offering 4-room HDB resale flats. The oldest would be the ones along West Coast Road, which we covered as a historical piece last year.

The rest, such as Teban Place, Teban Vista and Teban View, are newer developments with at least 70-74 years of lease remaining by the time Jurong Town Hall and Jurong Lake District stations open.

Over the past decade, average psf prices of 4-room HDB resale flats in the neighbourhood have gone up by 24.90 per cent. In the last two years since Covid started, prices have been up 21.77 per cent.

Today, a 4-room HDB resale flat in Teban Gardens has an average psf price of $487 or an average price of $486k.

Based on our records, the most expensive 4-room resale – a 990-sqft Model A apartment – was sold in October 2019 for $645k ($652 psf) at Teban Vista. This was followed by a similar apartment at Teban View, which sold for $610k ($616 psf) in May 2022.

Summary of 4-room HDB Resale Transaction Records near the three CRL Phase 2 stations (most expensive and least expensive)

Here’s a summary of some of the 4-room HDB resale transactions across the three neighbourhoods we’ve covered, separated by the most expensive and most recent (past five years) lowest price paid for each respective HDB project.