What is the first thing that will come to your mind when you hear the place “Clementi” being mentioned?
For me, it will be Singapore Polytechic, the place where I survived three years and managed to graduate with a Diploma, getting my Diploma made my mum stopped nagging that I did not have a degree at that time.
Thankfully, the three years were fond memories with a bunch of awesome polytechnic mates.
Clementi Road was known as Reformatory Road for the boys’ home which was situated along it until the late 1940s.
The road was named after MrCecil Clementi Smith, the governor of the Straits Settlements from 1887 to 1893. This name was extended to the new town when it was redeveloped between 1975 and 1979 by the Housing and Development Board (HDB).
Clementi is one area that has many schools, from primary schools to tertiary instituitons. These include NUS High School of Mathematics and Science (affiliated to the National University of Singapore, or NUS), Nan Hua High School and Clementi Primary School. NUS, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic are often associated with Clementi, many may not know that these institutions lie just outside of the town’s boundary.
In the past, before Dover MRT station was ready, Clementi Town Centre was a stop most tertiary students had to ‘clock attendance’, so as to change buses to the respective institutions. I used to always hang out at Clementi Town Centre when there were two to three hours of breaks in between our lectures during my polytechnic days, we could even catch a movie then. There are not many private condominiums in Clementi, namely Park West, Regent Park, Trilinq and The Clement Canopy.
The last new project launch in Clementi was The Clement Canopy launched in 2017 by UOL Group which got fully sold in two years.
I remembered one of the reasons many purchased The Clement Canopy was because of the NUS High School situated beside it. Although NUS High School is not a primary school that has the 1 km distance privilege, many investors still find this project a good investment choice.
In January 2019, SingHaiyi Gold won the tender of the residential site at Clementi on the third attempt of the collective sale. SingHaiyi is a renowned developer who has done residential projects such as The Vales and City Life @ Tampines.
With this en-bloc sale of Park West Condominium at Jalan Lempeng, many investors and residents of Clementi were looking forward to the new project that was going to replace it.
Parc Clematis was launched in August last year and sold 324 units on the launch day. An average result for a launch day, I would say, but it was really impressive when 77 units were sold during the circuit breaker period.
What makes Parc Clematis so attractive?
Parc Clematis is a 99 years leasehold condominium, that has a vast area of approximately 633,644 square feet which is equivalent to about the size of eleven football fields.
More information on Parc Clematis are as follows:
- 9 blocks of 23 storey high tower
a) Contemporary – 4 blocks
b) Elegance – 3 blocks
c) Signature – 2 blocks
d) Masterpiece – Bungalows & Terraces
- Total No. of Units - 1468 units
- Unit mix in the development as shown in the table below:
- Expected TOP: September 2023
Parc Clematis is a project that has direct north-south orientation, all units are north-south facing. So, it does not matter which unit I choose, the west sun will not catch me at all.
Instead of making full use of the land to maximise its usage for residential units, the well-being and interests of the residents come first. It is very thoughtful of the developer to use 400,000 sqft of the land for facilities catered for the residents.
Of all the facilities, I like the main pool the most, not because I am a fan of swimming. But because the main pool is a beach like pool, something different from the main pools in other condominiums.
However, when I feel like having a good workout, there are 3 lap pools to choose from.
I have come across developments where the blocks are pretty near to one another, this could probably be due to scarcity of the land area. I am someone who wants my own space at times, privacy is very important to me. I definitely do not like the idea of others able to peek into my living room to see what I was doing all the time. For Parc Clematis, I like the fact that the distance between blocks are far apart. The minimum distance between the tower blocks is about 16 metres while the distance from the landed properties to the tower blocks is about 10m apart. Below diagram has the distance marked for your reference.
Dual key units are properties which share a main door and a foyer, may also share a kitchen depending on the size of the units, but have separate living areas.
Dual key units have many advantages, one of them is being able to assist owners to offset their monthly installments by renting out the other part of the unit.
Investors are more inclined towards purchasing dual key units as these dual key units effectively bypass the government’s requirement to pay Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD). It is like you are purchasing two units but not required to pay ABSD should you as a a Singapore Citizen buying your first property.
There has not been many dual key units in recent years, which explains the reason why the 2 bedroom dual key units were sold out during the initial stages of the project launch.
It was announced by the government on the plans that Jurong will be the second Central Business District of Singapore. With this in the pipeline, there will be much growth in Jurong, it is estimated that there will be about 100,000 new jobs. There will be firms relocating to the West and foreign investors entering Singapore, which also means that there will be more demand for housing in the area. . Currently, as there are not many new projects in Jurong East, many tenants from Ng Teng Fong Hospital and International Business Park actually consider Clementi area for their housing needs.
Based on the rental transactions for the properties in Clementi, the rental yield has always been healthy, in the range between 3 to 3.4%. Below is a chart on the rental transactions in Clementi for your reference.
Like every project, there are cons in which some people may not find the project suitable.
I personally do not like a development that has too many units, simply because I prefer quieter environment. When there are more units in a development, it means more residents, which in turn, means more people using the communal facilities, probably the same time as yourself.
Convenience has made people a little lazier, with more developments that are built just next to the MRT station, many may still find a 8 to 10 minutes walk to the MRT station far. It’s like, if there is a coffee shop just downstairs my home, I probably will have supper every night and I am pretty sure I would have put on those extra, unwanted calories.
I am pretty used to traffic noise as I used to stay oppositie Kranji Expressway (KJE), but the traffic noise was still bearable as KJE does not really have super heavy traffic everyday. Although, I must admit, there were times when I need that peace and the traffice noise could be rather annoying.
Some of the blocks such as Blk 8F and 8E will be able to hear traffic noise from Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), the noise may get reduced slight for Blk 8D as vehicles start to exit from AYE. Also, do note that noise travels upwards; the higher you go, the higher the noise level. You may end up paying more for the unit on a higher floor but you get more traffic noise.
With Trilinq and Parc Clematis in the area, there is a possibility of the neighbouring development, Regent Park condomonium to go on a collective sale at the next en-bloc fever.
No one knows for sure when this may come or if it will ever come, but should this materialise, it will not be good news for the residents at Parc Clematis. The noise and dust generated during the demolishing and construction is definitely going to cause inconvenience, most likely through a period that will last between three to five years.
In my opinion, there are still some stacks that I will recommend for Parc Clematis. I would think the best stack for 2 bedder units will be at Blk 8A Stack 22 & 23 and Blk 8 Stack 13 & 16 will be the best stacks for the 3 bedder units. These stacks are facing the landed property view and away from the main pool as well as the children’s pool.
One more thing to note: Blk 8F is near to the bin centre. With the current techology, there will not be unpleassant smell coming from there but just something to note in case there are people who may be particular about this.
In summary, I would say, Parc Clematis is a good choice, whether it is for investment or own stay. However, it really depends on what are your needs for your property purchase. For myself, Parc Clematis will probably not be my first choice, especially for own stay.
I hope this article can give you a clearer picture of this project’s pros and cons.
With so many projects island wide, you can explore all your possible options before committing to a purchase. Connect with me and we can discuss further based on your needs for your property portfolio.
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About The Author
Serene is the Senior Associate Director of Orange Tee & Tie and has been in the real estate business since 2013. Through the years, she has assisted many clients in their different property needs. Many of these clients eventually become her friends over the years, something that she is very thankful for.
She is a fan of TV serials, Hong Kong, Taiwan, not forgetting local productions too. Singing is her way of releasing stress, especially with her ktv khakis. Whenever she gets to travel, her number one choice is definitely Taiwan, the food and the shopping is awesome! :)
She is also a mother to two lovely girls , elder sister is a bubbly 7 years old girl with the younger one coming to the terrible 2 this year. They are both her pride and joy, the elder one often helps out in the little things such as folding mailers in Serene's real estate business too.
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