DO NOT REGRET ! MAJOR HAPPENING COMING AT SOPHIA HILL

[trixie]

Uncle BJ I'm new to the property market. You have provided very insightful comments. I would like to ask how does Sophia Hills compared with the Rise @ Oxley which was also launched a couple months back, a much smaller development than Sophia. Rise is FH and a mixed development whereas Sophia is 99. Also the developer for Sophia is Hoi Hup which does more HDB and EC than condos. Does that make any difference when you consider to buy properties? What are your thoughts?

[Allthepies]

For me i will go for bigger, grander development with facilities, the lease of the land is not so impt for new launches.

[blackjack21trader]

Uncle BJ, you have a very sharp and intuitive foresight. Would love to have a chat with you if ever the chance
Thanks for sharing.

wow brother say like that I very happy leh...Thanks

[blackjack21trader]

For me i will go for bigger, grander development with facilities, the lease of the land is not so impt for new launches.

Yes good brother, that is correct..under certain circumstances. I agree

[blackjack21trader]

Uncle BJ I'm new to the property market. You have provided very insightful comments. I would like to ask how does Sophia Hills compared with the Rise @ Oxley which was also launched a couple months back, a much smaller development than Sophia. Rise is FH and a mixed development whereas Sophia is 99. Also the developer for Sophia is Hoi Hup which does more HDB and EC than condos. Does that make any difference when you consider to buy properties? What are your thoughts?

Dear brother Trixie, thanks for ur praise. Uncle so happy when you praise me wink wink.

As mentioned by AllthePies brother above, usually for new launch, we would not consider the tenure of the project but rather the location except under certain circumstances. These circumstances are unique to each project and I will reveal to you what they are in due course. One example is you will see a freehold project just TOPed and then got enblocked. There are unique reasons why it can be so and how one can identify such projects..but that's another story for another day.

Since location is the key to investment success, let's just focus on the location first:

Let's look at Oxley Rise location. The portion at Penang Road which is directly accessible to Orchard Road has been blocked by VisionCrest and a row of conserved buildings. It is unlikely that there will be any road change because under that row of buildings is a CTE tunnel.

If you drive, this location is much better than River Valley and more exclusive. In addition, our Mentor lives near that area, hence it will bring prestige and good luck to your family However, if you wish to walk, I suggest you take the walk yourself to Penang Road from the site and decide for yourself. Similarly, take the walk at Sophia Hills.

For Sophia area, it is full of live and energy from the young people walking around. There are many campus of Higher Learning here too. Hence, the rental demand should go up gradually and should spike suddenly middle of next year due to the influx of new corporate tenants into Singapore. ( If you read the news recently, you can tell that office rental has just spiked in Shenton Way ).

For Sophia Hills, it has a class of its own because it is right at the peak of the mountain (or hill ? ). Also it has a larger land area, hence the facilities should be very nice and complete .

Although Hoi Hup builds many HDBs, they have also built many landed houses which make their layout unique.

To make a better judgement, I will have to wait for the layout of the 2 projects

Good Luck

[smartboy2]

wow brother say like that I very happy leh...Thanks

i enjoyed reading your posts because you really do have a very different perspective and own thoughts...
If youre a property agent im sure u can sell anything!!

[trixie]

Uncle BJ thanks for the reply. I'm sister, not brother btw.

Good point that you made on the location of oxley. I am working at haw par centre, just next to the oxley site and yes, I find that is quite a nice and serene area, except for that eye catching ERP gantry.

Sophia is more bustling for sure. I'm looking forward to Sophia launch especially after reading your comments. I didn't have much inclination to this area until now and when I'm free and not wearing my heels, I'll go take a walk to the hills.

[piggy43]

Anticipating how 1919 turns out next year... Should be a pretty addition to Sophia Road collection of properties..

[dtrax]

Singapore’s 50th birthday will be marked not only with things to do, but also by new landmarks to see that will pay tribute to its people and history.

A commemorative walkway embellished with a mural depicting ordinary Singaporeans and an 8km walking trail that highlights the nation’s story will be launched in November next year, said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong yesterday.

“Many things that we are doing for SG50 are events and activities,” Mr Wong told staff and partners at the ministry’s second work plan seminar in the Bugis+ shopping mall.

“But (the new walkway and walking trail) are physical landmarks which we can leave behind and remember even for many years to come.”

The permanent 300m Art Connector will link the City Hall MRT station to the National Gallery Singapore, which opens officially next year.

The walkway’s design will feature the “diversity of our people” in portraits taken from the community.



From next month, Singaporeans will be invited to sketch themselves from a digital photograph for portraits to be incorporated into the design.

These will be made and collected through the Portraits of the People campaign roadshow, which will travel to 50 locations until May next year, and through a microsite, to be announced later.

People whose portraits are used will be able to look for themselves in the resulting large community mural on the Art Connector.

Yesterday, Mr Wong also announced the route for the Jubilee Walk, a walking trail announced earlier this year that aims to connect elements of Singapore’s past, present and future.

Highlights of the trail include the National Museum, Padang, Marina Barrage, and a new Jubilee Bridge to give pedestrians barrier- free access between the Merlion Park and the promenade in front of the Esplanade.

There will be trail and monument markers, mobile guide apps, and a mass walk in November next year to launch the trail.

Mr Wong said the ministry has worked on “building a cohesive community” in the past year through infrastructure and programmes in sports, the arts, volunteerism and youth sectors.

Next year’s sporting calendar would be busy as well, he noted, with Singapore hosting both the South-east Asian Games and the ASEAN Para Games.

Student Cleavon Tei thought the Art Connector was a creative idea.

“It’d be interesting to walk along that area and see portraits of Singaporeans. It’s a different kind of artwork that you won’t usually see at an art gallery,” said the 15-year-old.

[blackjack21trader]

Thanks good brother dtrax for sharing I could not wait to take the walk !

[solsys]

I'm trying to see how viable but it seems to be negative cashflow to own a unit here.

Agree on the area and prospects for capital appreciation but using 20% downpayment will mean negative cashflow with current asking rents as benchmark.

[blackjack21trader]

I'm trying to see how viable but it seems to be negative cashflow to own a unit here.

Agree on the area and prospects for capital appreciation but using 20% downpayment will mean negative cashflow with current asking rents as benchmark.

i agree wif u that many guniang owners are asking way below the potential rent achievable in this location. i do not blame them, because there are many construction in this area. There seem to be a big supply coming from the huge newly completed projects like Sophia Residence and Suites@Orchard here.

i can tell you, all the empty units will be taken within the next 6 months. Already the office space is facing a shortage now. This could be attributed to many Hong Kong and Japanese offices relocating here. I forsee the next 2 great influx will be from Korea and Thailand.

Take note also that a new Law university will be completing within 3 years in this area, time almost tallying with the completion of many projects here.

Once all the renovating old buildings and completion of new projects and the campus is done. The next focus will be the 3P Buildings at the foot of Mt.Sophia. The first eye sore Peace Center should be gone very soon.

Good Luck.

[blackjack21trader]

btw, if any brothers or sisters are not confident of this area. u can wait for the news of the eye sore: Peace Center or Parklane i think it will break new records because the buyers not likely to be local...u will b surprised who it is when the news is out.

[smartboy2]

the 3P's have to be removed!!! too much "activity" at night :/

[mintee]

Dear good brother mintee, it is my pleasure

If you are looking for immediate stay, you can look at Suites@Orchard,. Focus on the 4 upper level corner units as shown in this photo for awesome unblocked view: but take note unblock may become blocked in the future



If you can wait, Sophia Hills is having a preview at their sales gallery ( not show flat ) at old school now :



Just register with the agent on duty there.

Oh thank you so much Uncle BJ! Will check these out!
ps... i'm sister, not brother..

[trixie]

Is 8@ Mount Sophia worth considering?

[blackjack21trader]

Is 8@ Mount Sophia worth considering?

Yes, good sister.

However, if you are looking for city view, I think for this project it is better you go for the swimming pool view.

There are many units here with swimming pool views- This project has many facilities too that will appeal to the angmo expats.

It is only 7 years old, and with an original lease of 103; it still has more than 90 years to go..a bonus compared to most 99 years project in the CCR area of the same age.

In addition, it is very accessible to both the Orchard side of the location and the more serene Mt.Sophia side. You do not need to climb the stairs to go to Mt. Sophia, just walk a "secret" path within the project and take the lift to main security gate and off you go to the top

However, I think the only drawback now is that the construction noise here is currently quite loud for some units..but that's for day time only. ( Note if you view a unit here on weekends, you will not hear the same level of construction noise as weekday..so pick a weekday to view as well. ) Anyway, this is only temp.

[blackjack21trader]

Facillities at [email protected]:

[newbie11]

I'm trying to see how viable but it seems to be negative cashflow to own a unit here.

Agree on the area and prospects for capital appreciation but using 20% downpayment will mean negative cashflow with current asking rents as benchmark.

Is there unit in ccr with positive cash flow ?

[piggy43]

Is 8@ Mount Sophia worth considering?

If i m correct, most if not all one bedroom face suites@orchard. Also these one bedroom are good size (approx. 700-800sf) one bedders by recent year standards (last 3-4 years). Location speaks for this project. I m not vested here. Just my feedback.

[DC33_2008]

Most of them invested in CCR before 2011 should have positive cash flow.

Is there unit in ccr with positive cash flow ?

[propertyhans]

i agree wif u that many guniang owners are asking way below the potential rent achievable in this location. i do not blame them, because there are many construction in this area. There seem to be a big supply coming from the huge newly completed projects like Sophia Residence and Suites@Orchard here.

i can tell you, all the empty units will be taken within the next 6 months. Already the office space is facing a shortage now. This could be attributed to many Hong Kong and Japanese offices relocating here. I forsee the next 2 great influx will be from Korea and Thailand.

Take note also that a new Law university will be completing within 3 years in this area, time almost tallying with the completion of many projects here.

Once all the renovating old buildings and completion of new projects and the campus is done. The next focus will be the 3P Buildings at the foot of Mt.Sophia. The first eye sore Peace Center should be gone very soon.

Good Luck.

Peace centre should have been gone many times already....but failed to be sold. You have insider info again ah? Pray share!

But recently I receive news from agent peace centre resident owners are now actively looking for replacement unit there maybe due to potential en bloc soon. Any peace centre resident happen to be here can confirm?

[dtrax]

http://sophiahillscondo.com/project-details/
site plan and floor plans for sophia hills

[Ringo33]

Rental income for kindergarten and restaurant will go into maintenance fund account?
I would expect owners will start to poking their nose into rental hike etc.

[blackjack21trader]

http://sophiahillscondo.com/project-details/
site plan and floor plans for sophia hills

Thanks good brother dtrax for sharing!

Indeed this is an amazing project after going via the info brother shared here. I am very impressed with the complete range of facillities. In the very near future, we may not see such a big scale of project in CCR anymore. It is like River Place or Aspen Heights...awesome ! Further this is located right in the bullseye of CCR.

And did I read correctly ? This is a revenue generating project as the income from the facillities are going into sinking fund ? Wow amazing Hoi Hup...you did not let uncle down

However, I am a bit disappointed there are so few 1 bedder, otherwise I will be sure that this will be a 101% sold project

[sunboy77]

Beautiful living ambience, beautiful design, beautiful concept.

Too bad about the accessibility though...

[azeoprop]

Strangely, the majority of the units are 2 bedroom dual key.

Full set of floor plans here:
http://www.sophiahill.com.sg/floorplans/

[Jem]

Some of the 2 bedroom dual key layout is very bad. The ensuite doesn't even come with a kitchenette? And the washer dryer is at common area too...

[blackjack21trader]

Some of the 2 bedroom dual key layout is very bad. The ensuite doesn't even come with a kitchenette? And the washer dryer is at common area too...

Got la...All ensuites comes with a built in a microwave-oven and fidge what...how big you want, this is not Jurong location leh ?

As for the wash area, the doors from each sub-units to the foyer can be locked what.

Very waste space if each has their own wash area, correct or not ? Have to buy 2 washing machines and dryers leh....Then who pay the utilities bills one ?

Sigh.....not happy just buy 2 seperate units lor.

[blackjack21trader]

Strangely, the majority of the units are 2 bedroom dual key.

Full set of floor plans here:
http://www.sophiahill.com.sg/floorplans/

Thanks for sharing, good brother Indeed very nice layout and all .