[Property Review] High Oak Condominium: Great Location, Great Price

If convenience, size and affordability are the top considerations on your list, then High Oak Condo should be a decent fit for you. Its units are spacious (most 3 bedroom units at 1100 sqft and above) and come at price tags almost 50% lower than units in most neighbouring condominiums.

Here's my take on High Oak Condo in a nutshell:

Overview & Unit Choices

Address:

11 Toh Tuck Road

Year Built (TOP):

2000

Developer:

Far East Organization

Number of Units:

194

District & Tenure:

21 / 99-years leasehold

High Oak's 194 units are lined up across one continuous 4-storey block which winds uphill to its Lorong Kismis boundary and down to its border with the Bukit Timah Community Centre. There are 14 lift lobbies, with each lift serving no more than 16 units within the 'wing'.

Units facing within the compound of High Oak have a rather pleasant homely view

Units have a few different facings - the majority face one another internally (some with a pool view between), another large number look out towards Toh Yi HDB Estate or towards the (currently under construction) Daintree Residence. The remaining few face either a short stretch of landed houses along Lorong Kismis, Toh Tuck Road or face the back of the community centre.

The unfortunate row of units facing the under-construction Daintree Residence will have to put up with the dust and noise for at least another two years - the setback after that is estimated to be around 25 metres

There are 1, 2, 3 & 4 bedroom units spread across High Oak, with a handful of "duplex" double-storey units. Numerous ground floor units have patio+garden+parking spaces - which you will either love or find a waste of space.

an example of a ground floor unit with parking space & small outdoor garden

Unit Sizes

1 Bedroom - 721-753sqft (2 units)

2 Bedrooms - 958-1044sqft

3 Bedrooms - 980-1733sqft (larger ones include patio/parking space on ground floor)

4 Bedrooms - 1367-1399sqft (not incl. duplex units)

If you consider the fact that many newer developments have 2 bedroom units as small as 600sqft, High Oak's units come with generous space.

Monthly maintenance fees (including both maintenance and sinking fund contributions) stand at $339 for 2 bedroom units and $452 for most 3 or 4 bedroom units. [at point of writing]

Location & Public Transportation

High Oak's position at the bottom tip of Toh Tuck Road places it within walking distance of the very popular Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School, in addition to giving it convenient access to public transportation along Jalan Jurong Kechil.

Public Buses & MRT

Toh Tuck Road itself is served by 3 bus services - 41, 77 & 173. The stops along Jalan Jurong Kechil add another 6 services to the list - 61, 66, 157, 174, 970, 985 - a total of 9 bus services which connect you directly to Clementi, Bukit Batok, Jurong East, Boon Lay, Kallang, Toa Payoh, Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang, Holland Village, Orchard Road...and even further to HarbourFront & the CBD.

Bus distances to the city are long though, so for the most part you'd likely depend on the MRT.

Beauty World MRT Station will be your favourite stop for High Oak...8 minutes away on foot. You can even choose the sheltered route, fronting the Toh Yi Drive HDB estate.

Residents living in units deeper inside High Oak actually have back gate which opens up to Toh Yi Drive, so they won't need to walk the big round via the main entrance along Toh Tuck Road.

All put together, High Oak is well served by public transport - given the many buses serving the area, complimented by the MRT - it'll be easy for you or even your kids to get just about anywhere without a car.

Driving

If choosing High Oak because of its proximity to your kids' school was a reason, then you won't be disappointed - a long list of schools sit just a short drive away down Dunearn Road.

However, if you're going to send them to school in the morning, beware: one of the not-so-pleasant aspects about the area around High Oak is traffic congestion. Leaving the house during peak hours, it won't be uncommon to find yourself stuck in queues made worse by ill-synchronized traffic lights stretching all the way down Bukit Timah.

That said, its otherwise pretty convenient reaching all the popular west-side hangouts...and even town. The PIE is just a short distance away, so is the AYE. Places like Holland Village or One-North won't take you more than 15 minutes to reach if you drive normally (less if you break the speed limit of course).

Facilities

I'll be frank and tell you upfront - don't expect anything close to what you see in today's new launches. Being a design of the late '90s, High Oak's facilities are pretty basic.

• Swimming Pool, lagoon-styled (1.2m depth throughout)

• Children's Pool

• Jacuzzi

• Gymnasium

• Children's Playground

• Wading Pool (for kids)

• Clubhouse (more akin to a reading room)

• Tennis Court (on the roof top)

We'll let pictures do the talking.

Recently refurbished children's playground

Well equipped gym - not the most chic, but has all the essentials for a great workout

The outdoor open-fire BBQ concept may be a little outdated, but at least there's still a corner for it just in case you've got friends eager to flame-fan some chicken wings over the weekend

A full-sized tennis court sits on the roof of Wing D. Nice and private, albeit worn and in need of a paint job

The "Clubhouse" is effectively a reading room. Comfortable enough for an afternoon nap - really!

The shallow corner of the pool for children, small but easy to watch over your kids as they play

Although not often used, there's a little wading pool for infants to get their first feel of chlorinated water - hahhah!

If you fancy a stroll, you've got spacious driveways to traverse.

And last but most importantly...the swimming pool: a lagoon-type pool for you to relax and unwind in, complete with a Jacuzzi.

Actually, the pool does look pretty chill...as does the Jacuzzi, tucked into a cozy little corner. Put in perspective, the facilities do their job sufficiently well in the absence of present day design sophistication.

Pricing & Property Value

High Oak units are transacting at the highest prices in their history. Source: edgeprop.sg

Being a family-centric development, High Oak has always seen demand from families looking to relocate to be closer to their children's schools. Demand has remained healthy through the years, with a unit transacted at a record high of S$1025psf in November 2019.

Recent transactions in High Oak Condominium

Ever since then, units have been transacting above the $1000psf mark, signalling continued interest from property buyers. In fact, the Toh Tuck area has seen keen interest from buyers lately, with next-door new launch Daintree Residences selling off a cool 30% of their stock after the Covid-19 induced circuit breaker.

Forett @ Bukit Timah - the latest freehold launch just a hundred metres up Toh Tuck Road sold 30% of its units on its launch weekend.

There are two key factors in favour of High Oak at this point:

1. A notable price gap between the new launches, High Oak and other condominiums in the area making it the most affordable choice

2. A planned revitalization of Beauty World which will bring new life and accessibility to the area, making it a more attractive to property buyers

Chart showing monthly average psf transacted of each condominium which are "alternatives" to High Oak. High Oak remains by far the most affordable.

However, there is one big point of concern - its age.

At 20 years (24 years, based on its 99-year land tenure beginning in 1996), High Oak can hardly be considered 'young'. In around 10-15 years, property owners will have to start thinking of cashing out - possibly through a collective sale.

My Humble Opinion

High Oak Condominium is a value-for-money buy, considering that new launch alternatives in the area will set me back almost half a million bucks more. Ultimately if all I'm looking for is a private property to call home, where my kids can grow up comfortably and safely with the joys of condominium facilities - this place does the job without putting the strain on my pocket.

I'll just have to bear in mind that this place may not be home for more than a decade!

If you're interested to buy a unit at High Oak, feel free to drop me a text for more insights - floor plans, detailed analysis.

If you're living in High Oak and are wondering whether or not its time to sell and move on - we'll have plenty to chat about. Get in touch with me!