Is TREASURE AT TAMPINES Really a Good Buy?

Treasure at Tampines has been one of the most talked-about new launch condo projects in 2019, and it is due to an obvious reason: scarcity.

The popularity of new condominiums in Tampines has grown exponentially over the last decade since Waterview along Tampines Avenue 1 was first launched in November 2010.

Since then, a couple more condominiums were launched along that same stretch. It started with Q Bay Residences, The Santorini, Alps Residences, and The Tapestry.

These projects were well-received by property buyers and most of them have already been snapped up. Even the newer executive condominiums (ECs) such as The Arc at Tampines, The Tampines Trilliant, and CityLife @ Tampines were all fully sold.

Property developer Sim Lian Group clearly saw this strong demand and the scarcity of new units available for sale. Furthermore, none of the earlier private condos were close to an MRT station or near amenities.

Therefore, it was willing to pay an exorbitant price of $970 million for the collective sale of Tampines Court back in August 2017.

Initial signs have indeed shown that the developer was spot on. It drew around 7,000 prospects to the sales gallery for Treasure at Tampines on the very first day of opening for public preview.

The hype continued all the way to its launch weekend (during end March 2019) when 272 units were sold over two days. And over a period of 4 months, a total of 571 units have already been sold as on 31 July 2019.

As a matter of fact, Treasure at Tampines has been one of the top-selling new launch condos for the last couple of months. But is Treasure at Tampines really a good buy? Let us take a look at the details of this new condo at Tampines before we go into our review.

Treasure at Tampines Project Information

In order to give you a better overview, here is the project information (or known as factsheet) for Treasure at Tampines condo.

Treasure at Tampines Developer

The developer Treasure at Tampines is none other than Sim Lian Group, one of the veterans in Singapore’s real estate market scene.

Established since 1976 as a construction company, Sim Lian Group was officially listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) in 2000 and has shifted its main focus in property development by forming Sim Lian Land.

In 2006, Sim Lian Group became the first-ever private property developer in Singapore to be involved in the Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) by the Housing Development Board (HDB) of Singapore.

The Premiere @ Tampines became Sim Lian Group’s first DBSS residential project and its first entry into the Tampines housing estate.

Since then, Sim Lian Group has developed a couple more residential projects in Tampines – such as Centrale 8 at Tampines (a DBSS project), The Tampines Trilliant (an executive condo), and Waterview.

Waterview condo by developer Sim Lian Group

Other than residential developments in Singapore, Sim Lian Group has also ventured into other real estate segments such as commercial and industrial. In addition, they have also been involved in numerous residential projects within countries which includes Malaysia and Australia.

Treasure at Tampines Location

Treasure at Tampines is located at the former site of Tampines Court and along Tampines Lane – a newly constructed road which will be accessible via Tampines Street 11.

It is also situated right next to several landmarks within the neighborhood such as the Tampines Town Council, the Tampines Changkat Community Club, and the Butterfly Garden.

Walking distance to Tampines and Simei MRT Station

Unlike the earlier condo launches in the same precinct, Treasure at Tampines geographically much closer to an MRT station. However, it is much closer to Simei MRT station instead of Tampines MRT station – despite being located within Tampines itself.

Both these stations are situated along the East-West MRT line. Thus, you will have easy access to that unbeatable convenience of traveling from the eastern region to the western region of Singapore.

On top of that, do note that the Tampines MRT station is also an interchange station along the Downtown MRT line – which offers commuters that added convenience traveling from the east to the northwest.

By looking at the map, it does seem Treasure at Tampines condo is quite a distance away from these 2 train stations. If you plot it on Google Maps, the walking distance to both stations will take you at least 17 minutes.

Well, but we all like to take shortcuts, don’t we?

Let us make use of OneMap.sg here to plot the walking routes.

If we were to take a shortcut by walking through those public housing blocks that are situated along these routes to the MRT station, here’s how approximately much time you’ll be able to save.

As you can see, the amount of walking has been greatly reduced by around 40 percent. In other words, you will only require to take around 7 – 12 minutes of walking to reach Simei or Tampines MRT station.

Some prospects may feel that Treasure at Tampines is still pretty far away from the nearest MRT station, but if you look at it this way – the eastern part of the East-West MRT line mainly comprises of train stations that are situated above ground (from Kallang to Pasir Ris).

Thus, living in a condominium which is just to next to a train station in these areas may not be the best idea if you are a big fan of serenity and peace.

Surrounded by a wide range of amenities and heartland malls

One of the top benefits of living within a matured and well-established housing estate is that such area boasts an abundance of amenities.

Treasure at Tampines is practically surrounded by conveniences which would serve your everyday needs, such as grocery stores, F&B outlets, a bank, a childcare center, and the Tampines Round Market & Food Centre – where you can get your daily hunger fix with some local delicacies and marketing for some of the freshest ingredients.

Earlier on, we mentioned that it will take you around 7 – 12 minutes to walk from Treasure at Tampines to either Simei or Tampines MRT station.

Tampines Mall

That would also mean it will only require you that much time to walk to some of the biggest heartland malls in Singapore, namely Tampines Mall, Century Square, Tampines One, and Eastpoint Mall.

Within these malls, you will find some of the biggest retail brands, supermarkets, restaurants, and even movie theatres.

Close to numerous educational institutes

Another key advantage when living within a matured estate would be its close proximity to schools. This is probably one of the most important factors to consider – especially for homebuyers who have school-going kids.

Treasure at Tampines is located within the 1-km radius from a couple of primary schools, such as Angsana Primary School, Tampines Primary School, Junyuan Primary School, Yumin Primary School, Chongzheng Primary School, and Changkat Primary School.

For those who are looking to enter a higher level or tertiary education, you will be happy to know that Tampines Secondary School, St Hilda’s Secondary School, Springfield Secondary School, Junyuan Secondary School, Ngee Ann Secondary School, Tampines Junior College, and Temasek Polytechnic are all within the Tampines housing estate.

In addition, the United World College of South East Asia is also within the estate and it will cater to families who are looking to send their children to an international school.

Treasure at Tampines Condo Facilities

For a condominium housing more than 2,000 homes, you can rest assured that there will more than enough facilities to keep residents living within Treasure at Tampines condo happy.

Spanning across a land area of almost 6 hectares, the extensive space allows plentiful of facilities to constructed.

The key highlight within Treasure at Tampines would have to be the contemporary clubhouse, where you find a state-of-the-art gymnasium to serve your daily fitness needs, and a lavish function room to host a sumptuous event for your guests and friends.

If you look around Treasure at Tampines, you will realize that it has almost every condo facility that you can ever think of- from play spaces for the young ones to dining pavilions and relaxation corners for the adults; plenty of swimming pools, outdoor jacuzzis, spa pools, tennis court, areas for urban farming, and gardens.

Basically, you name it, Treasure at Tampines has it!

Treasure at Tampines Floor Plan and Unit Types

Treasure at Tampines comprises of 2,203 residential units in total, ranging from 1-bedroom units (463 sq ft) to 5-bedroom units (1,722 sq ft) – spreading across 29 residential blocks (12 storeys each). It is expected to TOP by 31 December 2023.

Here is the list of Treasure at Tampines floor plan for each unit type available.

  • 1-Bedroom / 1-Bedroom + Study (463 to 484 sqft)

Type A1

Type AS1

PREV 1 of 2 NEXT

  • 2-Bedroom (581 to 614 sqft)

Type B1

Type B3

Type B2

PREV 1 of 3 NEXT

  • 2-Bedroom Premium (657 to 678 sqft)

Type B4P

Type B6P

Type B5P

PREV 1 of 3 NEXT

  • 2-Bedroom + Study (678 sqft)

Type B7S

Type B8S

PREV 1 of 2 NEXT

  • 3-Bedroom (818 to 947 sqft)

Type C1

Type C7

Type C2

PREV 1 of 7 NEXT

  • 3-Bedroom Premium (1,012 to 1,033 sqft)

Type C8P

Type C10P

Type C9P

PREV 1 of 3 NEXT

  • 4-Bedroom (1,238 to 1,270 sqft)

Type D1

Type D3

Type D2

PREV 1 of 3 NEXT

  • 4-Bedroom Premium (1,281 to 1,335 sqft)

Type D4P

Type D9P

Type D5P

PREV 1 of 6 NEXT

  • 5-Bedroom Premium (1,668 to 1,722 sqft)

Type E1

Type E4

Type E2

PREV 1 of 4 NEXT

Treasure at Tampines Price Guide

The following table shows the Treasure at Tampines price indication for each residential unit type for sale (as of 15 August 2019).

Do note the pricing for Treasure at Tampines shown above is subjected to changes and future discounts (if any).

Hence, do drop us a note or give us a call at (+65) 6631-8384 for updates on the Treasure at Tampines price and availability of units for sale.

Treasure at Tampines Showflat

The Treasure at Tampines showflat is located along Tampines Avenue 7, right opposite the Sun Plaza Park and close to the Tampines Concourse Interchange.

If you are traveling by train, just alight at Tampines MRT station (Downtown Line) and head to Exit E. Once you are out of the station, you will be able to see the showflat.

In the showflat, you will get to see the following unit types.

  • 2-Bedroom + Study (Type B7S)
  • 3-Bedroom Premium (Type C9P)
  • 4-Bedroom Premium (Type D9P)
  • 5-Bedroom (Type E4)

Currently, the Treasure at Tampines showflat opening hours is from 11 am to 7 pm daily.

However, it may be subjected to changes. So do check with us via (+65) 6631-8384 for confirmation in order not to make a wasted trip to the showflat.

Treasure at Tampines Review

Being one of the top 10 cheapest condo projects in Singapore for 2019, Treasure at Tampines has put itself in competition with some of the other popular projects within the Outside Central Region (OCR) which are still selling – such as Riverfront Residences, and The Jovell.

So how is Treasure at Tampines different from the rest and what are the unique attributes that it has to offer? In this review, we will do a comparison between the products – and of course, the price as well.

The benchmark for all private condos

First of all, if you are looking into living in a private residential complex, Treasure at Tampines probably has everything a private condominium should have and everything you could possibly ask for as a private homeowner.

I am really impressed by the number of facilities that Treasure at Tampines condo is able to provide. With the massive number of units within the development and a huge site area of 6 hectares, it would be a complete disappointment if the developer didn’t cater enough communal facilities for the residents.

In addition, it also has a wide range of unit types for prospects to choose from. Thus, it doesn’t matter if you are single or a family entity, there will definitely be a unit type within Treasure at Tampines that will suit you.

Attractively and competitively priced

As mentioned earlier, Treasure at Tampines is one of the cheapest condominium projects which you can find in today’s market. It is highly unlikely that you will find any new developments being priced lower than it in the next few years.

Let’s look at the following table and compare Treasure at Tampines price with other ongoing new launch projects of the same category (based on the total number of units sold up till 31 July 2019).

As you can see, Treasure at Tampines is competitively priced against its ‘competitors’ and given that it is located much closer to an MRT station and malls as compared to the rest, you can see why it has managed to sell more than a 100 units every month (on average).

The fact is, for any land sales or collective sales which were concluded after Tampines Court, they are mostly transacted at a higher land price/rate. In short, the more money the developers paid, the more homebuyers will also have to pay for the new development.

The only chance that you will get to enter the private residential market at a slightly lower rate would be getting an executive condominium (EC).

But we all know that it is not that easy to get one unless you fulfill certain requirements and status set by the government and it will take you at least 8 years before you are able to exit or reap any sorts of profit.

So the price is right, the condo is decent. Does that mean Treasures at Tampines is a good buy? Not quite… and here’s why.

Lack of prominence and uniqueness

Despite being considered as a veteran property developer, Sim Lian’s Treasure at Tampines, honestly, isn’t quite the private condominium it could be – or at least what we hope it would have been.

The facade and impressions are seriously a big disappointment. Being one of the most raved-about en bloc sales in 2017, we were hoping that Sim Lian would make Treasure at Tampines a truly iconic development in one of the biggest matured estates in Singapore.

Unfortunately, it looks just like any other mass-market condominium that you can find in the suburbs – just more crowded and with a public housing touch.

If you were to look at Sim Lian Group’s past projects (the completed ones), you can easily see that there isn’t much breakthrough in terms of the design from the residential projects they’ve developed.

I reckon the quality will be similar as well and it somehow makes one feel that he or she is paying more for less.

It’s not exactly a ‘private’ condo

Let’s put it this way. There’s a reason why a condominium is widely known as private residential development. Thus, with more than 2,000 homes within one single compound, I really doubt the amount of privacy that you are going to get living at this new condo in Tampines.

Assuming that every household in Treasure at Tampines consists of 3 pax, there will be around 6,609 people living within the condo itself – and that’s a lot of people.

When you are living in a private condo of such high-density, your privacy and peace are often being comprised. Ironically, aren’t these the main reasons why you’re buying into a private residential development in the first place?

Oh, and not forgetting that around 500 units will be facing in the direction of the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) slip road – which is pretty close to the expressway itself.

Unless you find it therapeutic by love hearing the sound of cars whizzing by all the time, I would strongly suggest you avoid these units.

Final word

As simple and affordable as Treasure at Tampines appears on the surface, it is definitely one of the new launches that should be on your shortlist.

Despite the lackluster effort in terms of design and quality (basically the way it’s being delivered), it does have an upper hand in terms of location.

The proximity to the Simei and Tampines MRT station is really a big plus point in my opinion. Although it’s not exactly right in front of the condo, at least it’s still within reasonable walking distance.

For the location, I would say the price certainly justifies. However, I really hoped that the developer would give more thoughts on architecture and quality.

Can you imagine buying a BMW but it looks exactly like a Toyota? Or buying a brand new iPhone in 2019 which is exactly the same design and specifications as the 2009 model, but you’re paying much more for it?

I’m not so sure about you, but for me, I would only get my hand on a property which I would love to come home to every day without having to deal with the crowd, human traffic, and noise.

If convenience is all I’m looking out for, then It wouldn’t really matter much if I live in public or private housing and probably invest my hard-earned money somewhere else.