Leasehold VS FREEhold Part 2

Another round of side-by-side comparison is available with the launch of The Atelier at the district 9 Newton area. Kopar, the 99-year leasehold development launched in late 2020 has been selling well being near the Newton MRT and within 1km to popular schools in the neighbourhood.

Now, The Atelier which is a freehold development by Bukit Sembawang Estates will now open its door for preview and accepting booking in mid-March 2021.

Here is a quick comparison table between the two projects.

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Update in Apr 2022:
One year on, Kopar has since sold 76% of its 378 units while Atelier only sold 11% of its 120 units. Although not everything could be price driven, the pricing gap between the two projects is a key factor in the take-up rates. 

Currently a one bedroom in Kopar is only priced at $1.359mil while Atelier's one bedroom is priced at $1.45mil+. Although one can argue that Atelier's one bedroom is slightly bigger at 549sqft vs Kopar's 517sqft, the difference is not that great. 

The affordability issue becomes greater when the 2 bedrooms are compared. Atelier's two bedroom of 872sqft starts from about $2.27 mil while Kopar's smaller two bedroom 614sqft starts from $1.663mil. Should a buyer choose size over price quantum? That is for the individual to decide. However the sales figure of the projects perhaps already point to a certain market preference.

The conclusion I am trying to make here is that it is not always true that freehold projects will do better in terms of capital appreciation.