Soras Preview Weekend Draws 3000 Visitors Sales Gallery
NEWSThe opening weekend (June 22-23) of Sora’s sales gallery on Prinsep Street saw a strong turnout of 3,000 visitors by 5pm. Developed by a SingHaiyi-led consortium that includes KSH Holdings and Ho Lee Group, the private condominium boasts a prime location on Yuan Ching Road in the bustling Jurong Lake District. Spanning a massive 300m frontage of Jurong Lake Gardens, Sora offers 440 units that range from one-bedroom-plus-study apartments of 538 sq ft to five-bedroom units of 1,938 sq ft.
According to Raymond Chia, group CEO of SingHaiyi, the response from visitors was extremely encouraging. With a scheduled launch on July 6, starting prices for Sora begin at $1,850 psf, translating to less than $1 million for a one-bedroom-plus-study unit. One of the main attractions of the 99-year leasehold condo is its Sky 360 rooftop terraces, which offer unobstructed views of Jurong Lake Gardens. Occupying a sprawling area of 27,500 sq ft, these terraces are spread over two 12-storey blocks and two 20-storey blocks.
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In addition to the competitive pricing, many visitors were drawn to Sora for its prime location and scenic views, notes Chia. The project was designed by Singapore-based ADDP Architects, with Ecoplan Asia as the landscape consultant and Nakano Singapore as the main contractor. The developer has appointed the top five real estate agencies – PropNex, ERA, Huttons, OrangeTee, and SRI – as joint marketing agents for Sora.
Despite the rainy weather on Saturday, Ismail Gafoor, CEO of PropNex, noted a strong presence of genuine potential homebuyers at the sales gallery. He believes that the starting price of $1,850 psf was a major factor in attracting buyers, and that the positive response over the weekend reflects the strong demand for new project launches in the Outside Central Region (OCR) that are both well-priced and well-located. The last major launch in the OCR was the 553-unit Lentor Mansion in March, which was 75% sold on its opening weekend and is now 81% sold at an average price of $2,268 psf as of June 23.
Gafoor also points out that with executive condos (ECs) being launched at prices above $1,500 psf, private condominiums in the OCR priced around $2,100 to $2,200 psf are still considered to be reasonably priced for homebuyers. Commenting on the strong response to Sora’s opening weekend, he says, “It serves as an indication that there is a strong demand for attractively priced and well-located new projects in the OCR.”