Adora Green @ Yishun

Updated 30 Jan 2011: Some configuration details
Updated 23 Feb 2011:  Price, Unit configuration and floor plan location

More than a year after the launch of the Parc Lumiere @ Simei, there is finally news of another DBSS site, Adora Green @ Yishun. Once again, the floor plans are not available even though the online application for this DBSS will be ready first quarter next year and the ground breaking ceremony has happened. Seems like developers nowadays have a habit of delaying the availability of floor plans. It happened for Parc Lumiere.

Now that HDB has upped the household income cap to $10,000 / month, using this amount with a 35% limit on the repayment amount based on the gross salary, you can now loan up to a maximum of $771,000+ for 90% loan over a period of 25 years with a 2.6% interest rate (CPF Housing Loan), according to the CPF website calculator. Looks like Adora Green has done its sums well as it seemed to have taken into account that most people may not be able to take a loan for 25 years since the average age of marriage has been increasing steadily (You should pay finish your mortgage by the age of 62).

Anyway, DBSS @ Yishun has been named Adora Green, and is located at the junction of Yishun Central and Yishun Avenue 11, opposite the Yishun Pond and Yishun Park. Northpoint and Yishun MRT is about 700 - 800m away, and there are a number of primary and secondary schools within the 1km  vicinity. The pricing of the units are estimated to start from $450 to $500psf, higher than Parc Lumiere. Majority will be 4-room flats. The pricing and configuration are as follows (as of the information that is publicly available now):

3 room	~67 sqm (168 units)	from $310,000 to $390,000	Internal Floor Area: 57 sqm Balcony & Aircon Ledge: 10 sqm
4 room	~92 sqm (510 units)	from $420,000 to $520,000	Internal Floor Area: 80 sqm Balcony & Aircon Ledge: 12 sqm
5 room	~112 sqm (128 units)	from $520,000 to $650,000	Internal Floor Area: 96 sqm Balcony & Aircon Ledge: 16 sqm 3 Bedrooms, 1 Master Bedroom Configuration 1: Individual Balconies for Living room & Master Bedroom Configuration 2: One Balcony shared by Living room, Bedroom 3(smaller) & Master Bedroom

The unit configuration is not available as of now but the five-room flats seem to come with four bedrooms instead of the standard three. The pricing has increased about $20,000 to $50,000 for the four room and five room flats. All the rooms are extremely small. Once again, I'm not sure of the current trend of having balconies. For the four room flat, the internal floor area is only 80 sqm, with large part of the space taken up by the balcony and out of all things, the air-con ledge. The air-con ledge really looks quite big to me from the floor plan.

The five room flat is split into 2 configurations, one of which has a smaller bedroom nearer to the living room that is suitable for use as a study. I like the idea of a shared balcony with the smaller bedroom, the master bedroom and the living room though. The other configuration has a smaller bedroom nearer to the master bedroom and suitable for use as a nursery or walk-in wardrobe. Another thing unique about the five room flats is that the master bedroom toilet is not next to the door.

However, the internal area of the five room flat is only slightly bigger than the current HDB 4 room flat. That means each room is super small, in my opinion. I'm unable to find details on the furnishings that come with the flat though as the information is not publicly available.

You can find more information on Adora Green, including the floor plan, from their website here.

Personally, I think flats are getting too small for anyone's liking, and I do not understand the trend of having such big balconies and air-con ledges. Looking just from the location perspective, it's a tad too far from Yishun MRT and Northpoint for my liking. I like it that it's near Yishun Park and Yishun Pond though. If you calculate the psf using the internal area, it's not quite worth it.

I will keep a lookout for more information and will update when I chance across it. The DBSS is estimated to be ready in 4Q 2013.

Update 1: (not from the official website) It seems like all units come with balconies and come ready with wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, air-conditioning and doors. Buyers are also given a choice of color scheme and most units have a north-south orientation. It seems that there are also childcare centres, eating house, shops and mini-mart right at the doorstep.