REVIEW OF SORA CONDO
Sora Condo’s Location:
SORA condo is located in the heart of Lakeside. Its exact address is at 72 - 78 Yuan Ching Road.
This development is literally placed by one of the entrance of Jurong Lake Gardens. For those who appreciates greeneries and nature, they would be very pleased to have quick access to the park for their leisure activities. I.e. cycling, taking the kids to playground, simply taking a walk to relax and unwind. It is also very convenient for dog owners who would like to walk their dogs and visit the dog park for playtime.
There are supermarkets, clinics and eateries within the vicinity of 1km. Afterall, the area is packed with clusters of HDBs on the west from the development. So residents do not have to be too concerned about the basic necessities. Whilst it is still a bit of a walk away, the distance is an attribute that comes with exclusivity.
In terms of accessibility, Sora is about 2km away from the nearest MRT station Lakeside. Therefore, it is not the most ideal for people looking for condos that are very near the MRT station. However, Sora condo compensates this by providing free shuttle buses that takes residents to and from Lakeside MRT and potentially Jurong East MRT station. The later being a gamechanger for people staying there because Jurong East is essentially the heart of Jurong Lake District. Arguably the best region of the entire Jurong Lake District as it concentrates the mega malls, hospitals, cinemas, premium supermarkets, learning centres and more. You can read more about Jurong East Transformation here: https://www.j-den-online.com/
Whilst, convenience of public transport isn’t exactly a strong point for Sora Condo. It is still located within a decent area with easy access to points of interests such as Jurong East, Clementi Mall (read more about Clementi here: https://www.clementione-residences.com/)via the bus-stop that is just in front of the development.
That said, if you own a private transport, then lack of having a MRT station near the property may not be a huge concern. In fact, you would be pleased to know that it is only a 5 minutes drive to two of Jurong’s major hub: Jurong East Interchange and Boon Lay Interchange where Westgate, JEM, IMM, Ng Teng Feng Hospital, Jurong Point, Jurong West Public Library are located at.
AYE is just a short straight-line drive via Yuan Ching Road. PIE is accessible via Boon Lay Way after turning out from Yuan Ching Road.
Sora Condo’s Layout:
Sora Condo has a total of 4 buildings with 2 blocks of 20-storey (Blk 1 & 2) and 2 blocks of 12-storey (Blk 3&4). And the following unit types are available:
1 Bedroom + Study
2 Bedroom Deluxe
2 Bedroom Deluxe + Study
3 Bedroom Deluxe
3 Bedroom Premium
3 Bedroom Premium + Study
4 Bedroom Luxury
5 Bedroom Luxury
The orientation of the development is generally either North-East or South-East for the bigger units - i.e. 2 Bedroom + Study and above. And North-West or South-West for the smaller units - (i.e. 1 Bedroom + Study and the 2 Bedroom units)
From Sora Condo’s site plan, it can be seen that the west sun will very likely hit the 1-Bedroom + Study, 2-Bedroom, 3-Bedroom Premium and the 3-Bedroom + Study that are seated along Yuan Ching Road where the Entrance of the condo is faced at.
This may be a concern that many buyers who are sensitive to the west-sun would raise.
Fortunately, the 1 Bedroom + Study units are not the corner units and they are facing the North-West and South-West directions. Hence, these units will not suffer from direct hit from the west-sun. It is more likely for the sunlight to partially enter the living room and giving the unit good lighting in the day. In fact, the Balcony may also provide a bit of buffer before the light hits the living room.
The 2-Bedrooms are however corner stacks and the walls are not going to be spared from the West-sun. Like the 1-bedrooms, the facing for these units are also North-West and South-West directions. So whilst, we believe the west-sun may only partially enter the living space, there is concern that the west sun will still heat up the unit as the stack is exposed to the west direction.
The 3-Bedrooms that are exposed to this west-sun element are actually North-East facing. Therefore, the west sunlight will not enter the living space. Instead, they will have some morning sun coming in from the North-East direction. The only concern that buyers may have is that the west sun will still hit the back of the unit without windows. Thus, they may still have the concern that the unit will end up being heated up in the later part of the day. However, it is good to note that the portion that will be exposed may not be where the bedrooms are at. Therefore, buyers who are more tolerant to this factor may be able to accept the unit. Provided they are satisfied with all the upsides Sora condo has to give.
More analysis will be required to determine how much will the west-sun affect the rooms. And what counter-measures will developer provide to mitigate the concern. In any case, for buyers who are less resistant to the west-sun, perhaps they may agree that air-conditioners and thicker curtains are highly effective solutions against the heat.
The units that are safe from the west-sun are the 2-Bedroom + Study, 3-Bedroom Deluxe, 3-Bedroom Premium + Study, 4-Bedroom Luxury, 5-Bedroom Luxury. All these are either North-East or South-East. Residents will enjoy partial morning sun and the unblocked view of Jurong Lake Gardens. Some of these units may also enjoy pool view.
In terms of noise level, we are expecting the development to be generally quiet as it is not near a major road, or any train tracks. There should be lighter traffic travelling along Yuan Ching Road and even fewer cars using Japanese Garden Road. The Eastern units are facing the gardens should be even quieter.
Sora Condo Price:
Price for Sora Condo will only be released during the preview launch.
But for starters, we can use recent launches within the Jurong Lake District, namely J’den and Lakegarden Residences as reference.
The LakeGarden Residences is a redevelopment of the former Lakeside Apartments, which Wing Tai acquired the plot at the collective sale of Lakeside Apartments for S$273.9 million in May 2020, at a 14 per cent premium to the S$240 million reserve price. This works out to a land rate of about S$1,250 psf per plot ratio (ppr).
During the launch weekend, the average selling price for The Lakegarden Residences was $2,120 psf.
Meanwhile, the Park View Mansions – (Sora Condo’s former development) was sold via collective sale by public tender at $260 million. The price translates to a land rate of $1,023 psf per plot ratio (psf ppr), inclusive of a differential premium payable to maximise the site’s development plot ratio of 2.1 and to top-up the existing lease to a fresh 99 years
Essentially, there is a possibility that the developer may launch at a slightly lower psf to give Sora Condo more competitive advantage over its direct competitor – The Lakegarden Residences and still be able to maintain good profitability. However, this is subject to the discretion of the developer, afterall, there is no hurry to sell out the units during early stage.
The other prominent recent launch in the Jurong Lake District is J’den. A development that was formally a mall known as Jcube. It was acquired by Capitaland for S$340 million and during preview, the project was 88% sold out at average selling price of $2,451 psf.
And we are expecting Sora condo’s psf to be lower than that of J’den’s as J’den is considered situated in a much more prime location and has several upsides to back up its premium prices.