[Property Review] euHabitat: Interesting Unit Mix, Swimming Pools Everywhere

When it was first launched in August 2011, developer Far East Organization touted euHabitat as a development with "a unique composition of four styles of housing options in one contemporary community". At its launch, units were sold at around $900-$1100psf, with townhouse units priced upwards from $2.94 million (3380sqft).

Almost a decade on and 4 years after its TOP, we check in on how euHabitat has evolved and attempt to determine whether or not its really a habitat that makes a good home.

Pictures Featuring: Elise @xqeliseee dressed in @nakedmilkshake

Here's my take on euHabitat in a nutshell:

THE GOOD STUFF

The Environment - The estate itself offers a pretty good atmosphere, with quiet pools lining all the 'towers' and frontage of the cluster houses. Feels like living in a resort, with plenty of quiet corners to retreat to with a book after taking a relaxing stroll around.

For Drivers - The PIE entrance is just a short sprint away, so there's no need to fuss with too many traffic lights before joining an expressway to other parts of the island.

Cluster Housing Units - One of the few developments with cluster housing that actually gives the feel of living in a proper quiet landed housing estate

THE NOT-SO-GOOD STUFF

Traffic Noise for Certain Units - A long part of the estate's perimeter follows the PIE - and as many of us know, the PIE is as busy as a road can get. Unfortunately, quite a number of Suite & SoHo units fall victim to the noise, compounded by the fact that there's not much of a gap between the actual road the residential units.

Lack of Amenities Within Walking Distance - No malls, no food, no supermarkets within walking distance - and I'm talking about a 10-minute radius.

Overview & Site Plan

Address:

186-332 Jalan Eunos

Year Built (TOP):

2016

Developer:

Far East Organization

Number of Units:

748

District & Tenure:

14 / 99-years leasehold

euHabitat packs in 4 different housing styles within the site - SOHO, Suites, Condominium and Townhouses (we will dive deeper into each type in the later section on Unit Mix).

Each housing style is organized into zones - which actually makes uniquely good sense, since each style caters to a different tenant profile. For example, singles or couples choosing a Suite (single bedroom) unit can live away from the flurry of activity generated by larger units which are often occupied by bigger families.

Site Plan of euHabitat showing the distribution of different housing styles

At 57,800sqm, euHabitat's land area is relatively large and so navigating the estate can be a little challenging (there are over 29 'towers'!). While the occasional visitor may complain about this ("help I'm lost in the carpark!"), residents who've gotten familiar with the nooks and corners will likely enjoy this because it translates to space with which to roam around, stroll and even relax at.

Bring on the sunshine! - Elise wears Tie Dye Set from @nakedmilkshake - Available in Blue & Pink for S$45

Strolling between the shade and the light, plenty of space for quiet evening walks. Elise wears Isabella Blouse w/hat from @nakedmilkshake @ S$38.

The most unpleasant feature of the site however, is that a large part of its perimeter runs parallel to the very busy Pan-Island Expressway (PIE).

Looks quiet on the inside, but peer carefully through the trees on the left of the picture and you will see the PIE right beside.

To amplify this problem, the actual distance between the units and the PIE isn't much - you can literally throw a stone out from the balcony of one of the PIE-facing units onto the road.

Towers 18-20, 22 & 23 face the PIE slip road, with the Eunos Flyover behind. Towers 16 & 17 probably have it the worst since they face the PIE directly.

Far East did the best they could by angling the the blocks closest to the PIE to face away (i.e. perpendicular to the expressway). However, from what I understand, its unsurprisingly still...well, noisy 24/7.

The living rooms of the Suites units do not face the PIE, although the blocks are sited next to them. Balconies are also installed with privacy doors which also act as sound insulators to reduce the impact of noise.

Unit Mix

At first glance it may seem quite a squeeze to pack 748 units into a land plot of its size, considering the development rises only at most 5-storeys. However, it's useful to note that more than half of euHabitat's units are single bedroom types.

Units are classified as either Condominium, SoHo, Suites or Townhouses.

SoHo units - 233 units (203 x 1BR, 30x 2BR)

Units which pack in a loft level - in either 1 or 2 bedroom layouts - built above the intended living, dining & kitchen spaces

Suites units - 160 units

Built into 4 specially designated towers, suites units come only with 1 bedroom

Condominium units - 304 units (75x 1BR, 104x 2BR, 100x 3BR, 25x 4BR)

Ordinary apartment units built into towers that form the centerpiece of the development

Townhouse units - 51 units

4-storey townhouse units in 4-bedroom layouts

SoHo Units

Size Range: 468-614sqft for 1 bedroom / 842-985sqft for 2 bedroom (inclusive of loft level)

Personally, I'm not a fan of such loft units because I don't like the idea of stacking my bed above my couch. But I have to admit that Far East (the developer) did put good effort into the idea for these SoHo units - which are actually an option worth considering for couples taking the work-from-home concept more seriously.

While I find the positioning of the loft platform a little odd - perhaps having it in the bedroom makes more sense to me - I can see an alternative logic for it to be built in the living space: it's like having a separate study "room" that's away from the room you sleep in! [Source: UppMarketSg Floor Plan Archives]

Suites Units

Size Range: 549-649sqft

Pretty much a normal 1-bedroom unit type of layout. The selling point of these "Suites" units is that they're all built into a specially designated block...meaning that if you're a single/couple, you won't be subject to screaming kids living next door.

This is a layout of a ground floor unit. Note: on other levels, PES space is replaced by a balcony [Source: UppMarketSg Floor Plan Archives]

Condominium Units

Size Range:

549-632sqft for 1-bedroom

921-1156sqft for 2-bedrooms

1169-1410sqft for 3-bedrooms

1374-1682sqft for 4-bedrooms

From what I've seen, most units feature tidy layouts - main door opening to a living/dining space with bedrooms folding out to one side.

Interestingly and perhaps less common in condos of that generation is the inclusion of both wet and dry kitchen spaces for 2-bedroom units.

Equally interesting (and perhaps somewhat redundant) is the presence of another WC (fancy name for another toilet bowl) at the back of the kitchen of some 3-bedroom units. Well...I guess...just in case the whole family gets food poisoning at the same time, you're covered with ample bowls!

Pretty much a standard layout, nothing to complain about aside from the seemingly redundant additional WC in some 3-bedroom units.

Townhouse Units

Size Range: 4-bedrooms, 3257sqft

Again, we're looking at a layout pretty much the typical townhouse you'll see in developments that feature such units - 4 bedrooms spread evenly throughout, with an additional family room to retreat into from a roof terrace on the top floor.

In fact, if the "landed" factor is a reason why anyone would like a townhouse, then euHabitat's Townhouses are as close as they can be to actually living in a landed estate since the units line an actual lane of landed houses.

The Townhouses of Towers 10 & 11 feel a little too close for comfort with the condominium towers.

That said, there is a row of them (I personally feel) sits too close to the condominium units opposite - privacy at risk!

Location & Public Transportation

Public Buses & MRT

Nearest MRT Stations

• EW7 Eunos - 1.3km / 20mins walk

• DT27 Ubi - 1.2km / 15mins walk

While they look close by, neither MRT station is near enough to walk to on a daily basis. Fortunately the bus stop is near enough and there's an abundance of bus services stopping there.

• 5: via PIE with stops outside Toa Payoh, Novena, Newton, Scotts, Great World City / or / to Tampines, Simei & Pasir Ris on the other end

• 15: to Parkway Parade, Tampines, Temasek Polytechnic, Pasir Ris

• 21: Bedok Reservoir, Tampines Ave 4, 7, Pasir Ris / or / to Geylang, Boon Keng & Balestier

• 25: Upper East Coast, New Upper Changi Rd, Kembangan / or / Hougang, Ang Mo Kio

• 45: Bedok, Lorong Ah Soo, Serangoon NEX, Ang Mo Kio, Yio Chu Kang

• 51: Hougang / or / Geylang, Kallang, Lavender, Bugis, Chinatown, Havelock, Alexandra, Pasir Panjang, West Coast, Jurong East

• 55: Upper East Coast, Marine Parade, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan

• 59: via PIE to Toa Payoh, Bishan / or / to Kaki Bukit, Tampines, Loyang, Changi Village

• 60: Eunos MRT, Bedok Reservoir, Bedok North & Bedok Central

• 61: Eunos MRT, Ubi, MacPherson, Boon Keng, Bugis, Chinatown, Telok Blangah, Alexandra, Tanglin Halt, Holland Village, Ulu Pandan, Bukit Batok

• 63: Eunos MRT, MacPherson, Aljunied, Kallang, Bugis, Chinatown, Tiong Bahru, Redhill

• 93: Eunos MRT, Braddell Rd, Lornie Rd, Farrer Rd, Queensway, Telok Blangah, HarbourFront

• 94: Eunos MRT, Airport Road

• 506: Express bus to Toa Payoh, Bukit Batok & Jurong East / or / to Bedok Reservoir & Upper East Coast

• 854: Bedok Central, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Lentor, Yishun

I hope you have as much fun exploring the world via public bus from euHabitat as I had fun compiling that list above...

Putting everything together, you should be pretty well covered by public transport if you don't drive.

Driving

The entrance to the PIE (Pan-Island Expressway) is just a minute or two away from euHabitat's guardhouse. With that, you'd expect to go places pretty easily, aside from crawling in the (increasingly frequent) traffic jams on the PIE.

I mean, it still beats having to go through multiple traffic light stops before reaching an expressway.

Driving distances from euHabitat

What's Nearby

This is where things get a little tricky for me.

euHabitat's surroundings are bustling with activity - traffic activity that is. However, I can't really think of any mall or food places in the immediate vicinity.

Yes, there's exciting Geylang not too far away with its food and entertainment options. There's also Parkway Parade, PLQ. But...all of these places can only be reached by driving or spending at least 20 minutes on a public bus.

My attempt at pointing out places nearby that will interest your tummy

Perhaps if you aren't too picky, there are a couple of neighbourhood coffeeshops that you can get to with a 15 minute walk. Not the most exciting of places, but well...you'll get your tummies filled.

One of these places is a Chicken Rice store I've frequented since the 1990s at Blk 121 Bedok Reservoir Road - you can pick a boiled soup to accompany your rice (this is not a sponsored post btw, just a personal recommendation!!).

Facilities

Come explore what's on offer with our signature photographic collection!

Chill out on the deck - with swimming pools for you to dip into at almost every corner of the estate

More swimming pools...lining the front of all Townhouse units

The beach may be far away, but an abundance of swimming pools comes with space for deck chairs to chill out on - and perhaps it's good to note that some of the pools are relatively quiet and child-free.

Host your year-end party in this clubhouse - 8 persons maximum, now that we're finally heading into Singapore's "Phase 3"

Pricing & Property Value

euHabitat's prices appear manageable for the average middle-income house buying couple. At between $1100-$1200psf and a quantum under $1.5 million for a pretty spacious 3-bedroom unit, you could even consider it pretty "affordable".

For the investor - grabbing a small Suites or SoHo unit could even bring you a pretty decent yield - these units are rented out at between $1800-$2100 a month - not bad for a $600-700k unit!

However, if you were one of those that bought a unit when it was first launched...well, the price trend here doesn't look as good.

Average monthly PSF prices of units sold, separated out into the different types. Note how Townhouses saw the biggest dip. [Data: UppMarketSG Research/URA Data]

Of course there were sellers who made money upon cashing out. However, you can hardly say that any of them made a sizeable profit - probably the kind of trend that will become the norm in years to come.

For euHabitat, this could also imply that condominiums in the area have reached a "price saturation" point, where there is a lack of buying interest that can help push prices up. Note that next door's Urban Treasures - launched late last year (2019) - has seen rather lackluster sales so far with less than 30% of its total units sold to date.

My Humble Opinion

Overall, euHabitat is quite a nice little...well, habitat to reside in. It's location isn't the greatest unless you're driving but I could pretty much see myself living here comfortably with a good mix of facilities to keep me entertained.

Do you live in euHabitat and have any thoughts or feedback to share about this review? Drop me a message!

Check out @nakedmilkshake for some pretty pastel collections!