The Botany at Dairy Farm

The Botany at Dairy Farm by Sim Lian Group was formally launched for sale on March 4, 2023, and 187 units were sold within the first weekend.

To be honest, I can’t wrap my head around that.

For the average homebuyers or investors, it’s shockingly easy for them get into the hype of any new launch projects in Singapore.

Especially during the pre-launch or preview stage, when they get overwhelmed by the amount of other prospective buyers they see at the showflat.

As a result, it produces a FOMO effect, leading people to believe that this is a fantastic property to purchase.

Let’s be honest. In most circumstances, no salesperson you met at that showflat will tell you it’s a terrible investment.

In addition, you’ll be bombarded with data and numbers that assist them rationalise why this is a property you shouldn’t pass up.

And if you’ve seen Botany, the most common sales pitch you could have heard is that this is the market’s lowest-priced new launch project (as of March 2023).

Is that really true?

With the most recent 460-unit Dairy Farm Residences (just next to the Botany) being fully sold last year in 2022, you would probably be sold by the FOMO effect.

But did you know that the Dairy Farm Residences only sold 20 apartments in its first month of launch, in November 2019?

Around then, the average per square foot (psf) price for units sold was $1,563.

And today, The Botany at Dairy Farm has sold 9 times as many units as what Dairy Farm Residences has sold during initial launch.

How is this possible? Is The Botany at Dairy Farm a wise purchase in today’s market?

Here are my thoughts on it.

Project Overview

Before we go into the review, here is a quick overview of this new condominium at Dairy Farm.

Project Name	The Botany at Dairy Farm
Address	Dairy Farm Walk
Type	Residential
Developer	Sim Lian Group
Tenure	Freehold
Site area	~168,597 sq ft
Total number of units	386
Total number of parking lots	386 (including 4 EV-charging lots) plus 5 accessible parking lots)
Number of blocks	5 blocks
Number of storey	9 to 15-storey
Expected TOP date	End 2027

Location

This new launch condo at Dairy Farm is located along Dairy Farm Walk. It’s adjacent to both Dairy Farm Residences and German European School Singapore (GESS).

For those who are unfamiliar with Bukit Panjang, Dairy Farm is just one of 7 subzones of this massive housing estate.

Also, a lot of changes and improvements have been made to the estate over the last 20 years.

Here are some of the key features of this new residential project.

Within close proximity to Hillview MRT station

Most homebuyers and investors probably care most about how convenient and easy it is to get to The Botany at Dairy Farm condo.

Hillview MRT station (DT3) is the nearest MRT station to the development. It is located along Singapore’s Downtown MRT Line (DTL).

The station is around 900 metres away and should take about 10 minutes to walk.

Along the DTL, there are a number of interchange stations where commuters can easily switch to any other train line in the network.

So, it wouldn’t take more than 30 minutes on the train to get to most places of interest or the heart of downtown Singapore.

Botanic Gardens, for example, is only 5 stations away, while Orchard is only 9 stops.

Surrounded by various malls and amenities

Bukit Panjang, as previously said, is a rather large housing estate.

It contains an excellent mix of modern and old public housing, as well as private residential.

Like all other similar estates of this size in Singapore, there will undoubtedly be one or two ‘heartland’ shopping malls within them.

Bukit Panjang Plaza is one of the neighbourhood’s oldest shopping complexes and the newest Hillion Mall is located diagonally across the street.

These two malls comprise a variety of well-known retail outlets, eateries, and grocery marts.

If you live at The Botany at Dairy Farm, there are several reasons to visit these two shopping malls.

Above all, it aids in the fulfilment of your everyday basics and shopping demands.

However, if you do not wish to travel out, there will also be amenities and possibly a supermarket right at the 1st level of Dairy Farm Residences that’s just across the road.

Nature lovers’ favourite spot

We’re all aware that Singapore is a concrete jungle.

Yet, unlike other of the world’s largest cities, Singapore has made an attempt to implement conservation programmes.

Since most parks and gardens are man-made, Singapore has just 4 natural reserves.

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is one of them.

As a result, living at The Botany at Dairy Farm would be a huge benefit for nature enthusiasts.

The Dairy Farm Nature Park is close to the development and leads to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

In summary, if you enjoy spending time in nature with your family or friends, the location of this condominium would be ideal.

Floor Plans and Unit Types

The Botany at Dairy Farm condominium comprises 386 units, across 5 residential blocks in total.

Here are the available units types and the floor plan for each of them.

• 1-Bedroom + Study (506 – 710 sqft)
• 2-Bedroom (603 – 743 sqft)
• 2-Bedroom Premium (678 – 829 sqft)
• 2-Bedroom + Study (743 – 904 sqft)
• 3-Bedroom (883 – 1,098 sqft)
• 3-Bedroom Premium (1,033 – 1,238 sqft)
• 3-Bedroom Flexi (1,033 – 1,216 sqft)
• 3-Bedroom + Study (1,076 – 1,281 sqft)
• 4-Bedroom (1,270 – 1,518 sqft)
• 5-Bedroom (1,539 – 1,765 sqft)

Units available for sale and price

Here’s an overview of the prices of each unit type at the Botany at Dairy Farm condominium (as of 05 April 2023).

For the latest update, do drop me a note using the contact form below.

Bedroom Type	Starting Price	PSF$
1-Bedroom + Study	$1.175 million	$2,322
2-Bedroom	$1.433 million	$1,929
2-Bedroom Premium	$1.572 million	$1,896
2-Bedroom.+ Study	$1.714 million	$1,896
3-Bedroom	$1.793 million	$2,031
3-Bedroom Flexi	$1.994 million	$1,930
3-Bedroom Premium	$1.985 million	$1,922
3-Bedroom + Study	$2.118 million	$1,968
4-Bedroom	$2.39 million	$1,882
5-Bedroom	$2.964 million	$1,926

Showflat location

The showflat for the Botany at Dairy Farm is located at the actual site of the development.

It is along Dairy Farm Walk and right across the German-European School Singapore.

To date, the opening hours of the showflat is from 10 a.m to 7 p.m daily.

However, I would really grateful if you could make an appointment through me, using the contact form below.

My review for Botany at Dairy Farm

It’s hard to believe that the prices of new homes in the Dairy Farm precinct have gone up by 27 percent in just 3 short years.

I’ve never thought about paying around $2,000 psf for a property in this area, at least not this soon.

But the truth is that home prices in Singapore have gone up a lot in the last three years.

Not only in Dairy Farm, but also in all the other parts.

Land, raw materials, and labour are all getting more expensive, so it’s only natural that property prices will go up too.

Taking into account the price of The Botany at Dairy Farm, it is possible that this is the least expensive new condo project to come out in Singapore to date.

If price is your main concern, then this project is a no-brainer at this point.

But if you’ve read my other reviews, you’ll know that price isn’t my main concern when it comes to buying a home.

The most important thing is the value.

For instance, what you’re getting when you buy this property? Is it because of the convenience, you like the lifestyle or you just really like the area?

In short, getting this property has to make sense for your life.

So, aside from the price, I’d like to talk a bit about these aspects.

Great layouts, except …

When I look at all the floor plans, I really can’t find much wrong with them.

The layouts are mostly standard, practical, and very efficient.

It does show that the developer knows what homebuyers like and what kind of layouts will appeal to them.

Well, except for the two-bedroom.

Similar to Terra Hills, my biggest complaint about the 2-bedroom units would be that the kitchens don’t have enough natural ventilation.

So, if you like to cook, get ready for the odour that will be built up in the kitchen within 1–2 years (or maybe even just months).

I like an enclosed kitchen, but not one that is “tucked away” and doesn’t have any windows.

I just can’t picture myself cooking in that space.

Other than that, I think Sim Lian has done a good job with the unit layouts and you can find hardly any wastage of space.

Not the most convenient location

The most obvious downside of Botany would be it’s proximity to the nearest Hillview MRT station.

According to Google Map, It will take residents approximately 14 minutes of walking to reach the station.

Also, even though there are malls nearby, there’s nothing better than having food and groceries literally right at your door.

There, the retail and F&B podium at the nearby Dairy Farm Residences would be very helpful.

Another thing is that Dairy Farm Road is one of the main roads that people who live in the Dairy Farm and Hillview precinct use to get around.

Because of this, you could expect a lot of traffic during rush hours.

Final word

Aside from how hard it is to get around on public transportation, I can’t find much wrong with The Botany at Dairy Farm condo.

It is a viable option if you are willing to overlook its remote location in favour of the amenities and nature lifestyle it provides.

But does that mean you have to buy The Botany right away?

Even though it’s technically the “lowest priced” new launch condo project in Singapore to date, there’s still a good chance that this is the “ceiling price” for projects in the OCR (Outside Central Region) for the next 2 years.

Why is that so?

Let’s look at how much The Botany at Dairy Farm’s land costs.

As you can see, the land cost $980 per square foot per foot. Remember that it happened back in March 2022.

And just 13 months later, GuocoLand and Hong Leong acquired a GLS plot at Lentor Gardens for $985 psf ppr.

It’s clear that land prices for OCR plots haven’t changed much in the last year.

Therefore, I don’t see a rush to get into The Botany right now.

That is because you’ll have more options to choose from for at least the next 2 years, unless there’s another big world event that drives up the real estate market in Singapore.

76%

Good, but nothing great.

• Location
• Transport Links
• Amenities
• Interior
• Value