Re: Record $980,000 for HDB maisonette
who got Thomson view own up...
pocket 3million+... dun keke
THOMSON View Condominium has breathed new life into the collective sale market, fetching a whopping $590 million in the fifth largest such sale here.
One factor that helped clinch the landmark sale was likely the newly announced nearby Upper Thomson MRT station - part of the upcoming Thomson Line.
Many experts had thought the days of mega collective sales of more than $500 million were over in the wake of the property market cooling measures.
But mainboard-listed developer Wee Hur Development and private equity investment company Lucrum Capital have proved them wrong.
They teamed up to buy the 540,314 sq ft site along Upper Thomson Road for $712 per sq ft (psf) per plot ratio (ppr).
This is a boost to a market which has seen mostly only smaller collective sales of under $100 million in recent years.
Owners of Thomson View units - ranging from apartments to townhouses and shop space - are set to receive gross proceeds of $1.62 million to $3.59 million, marketing agent HSR said. This is about 30 per cent to 40 per cent more than selling individual units would have fetched.
Resident Sebastian Teo, 27, said the sale was good news. "I'm very used to this place but it'll also be nice to get a change of environment. We'll start looking for an new apartment soon." He is the managing director of an interior design firm.
Mr Jeffrey Goh, HSR's head of investment sales, expects the total development cost of the new project - including construction, fees, interests, taxes and acquisition costs - to amount to about $1.1 billion.
"This is a big confidence booster for the Singapore property market and the largest collective sale deal done outside the prime districts of 9, 10 and 11.
"The deal clearly marks the return of confidence that major developers have in the market for collective sale sites," he added.
There are only four other collective sales larger than this, all of them in 2007. The record is still held by Farrer Court at $1.34 billion.
Recent failed collective sale attempts at more than $500 million include Tulip Garden, Laguna Park and Pine Grove.
Lucrum Capital director David Batchelor said that the site is elevated with unblocked views, is close to good schools and opposite shopping mall Thomson Plaza. The upcoming MRT station and large site, conducive to major development, also made it attractive, he said.
Plans are still being firmed up but the redeveloped site will have at least 1,000 units, Mr Batchelor added. The site is zoned for residential use with a gross plot ratio of 2.1 and maximum height of 24 storeys.