Ghim Moh Natura BTO Review: 6 minutes’ walk from Buona Vista MRT on the city fringe

Ghim Moh Natura was launched in the November 2022 HDB BTO exercise. Consisting of 991 2-room Flexi, 3-room and 4-room flats, the BTO project is located on Ghim Moh Road a short walk from Buona Vista MRT station.

It enjoys a choice location with everything residents could ask for—easy access to well-loved eateries and shopping amenities, proximity to nature, and many top schools in the vicinity.

However, there is a catch—officially located in mature estate Queenstown, the flats fall under the Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model, which means that owners are subject to more stringent rules, including a Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) of 10 years instead of five.

Let’s have a look at Ghim Moh Natura to see if it’s worth the hype.

Ghim Moh Natura BTO Review (Summary Table)

*Information from 99.co, PropertyGuru, and other property listing websites is accurate as of time of writing.

Ghim Moh Natura Price

At its launch, Ghim Moh Natura 2-room Flexi flats were priced at $206,000 to $314,000, 3-room flats at $364,000 to $487,000 and 4-room flats at $516,000 to $696,000.

Ghim Moh Natura will only obtain its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) in 2028, and the first owners will only finish serving their Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) in 2038. The first resale flats will only be put on the market 14 years from now, so it is difficult to say what kinds of prices they will command.

At Ghim Moh Link, located about 11 minutes’ walk away from Ghim Moh Natura, 4-room flats currently command prices of $790,000 to $950,000 on PropertyGuru. These flats obtained their TOP in 2011 to 2017 and are thus relatively new.

Judging from the resale prices of similar flats in the area, Ghim Moh Natura’s location could result in very attractive resale prices. However, it remains to be seen whether the PLH model will have a dampening effect on investment potential.

Ghim Moh Natura BTO Feng Shui

Ghim Moh Natura is located on a landform which boosts residents’ chances of receiving aid from foreigners, and can also be auspicious for careers in the political or military domains.

In terms of feng shui, the most auspicious units face north and south, followed by those facing northwest and southeast. Luckily, most of the units face these favourable directions.

Ghim Moh Natura Location

Ghim Moh Natura is located on Ghim Moh Road on the city fringe, about 6 minutes’ walk from Buona Vista MRT station. It thus enjoys great public transport connectivity, as Buona Vista MRT connects directly to Raffles Place MRT station in the city centre.

Ghim Moh Natura is also located in a highly attractive area within the Queenstown zone. For starters, there is no shortage of attractive shopping, dining and entertainment amenities within easy walking distance, including Holland Village, The Star Vista and the popular Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre, which is located just across the road. With the entrance to the Rail Corridor located just 3 minutes’ walk away, residents have nature at their fingertips.

Families with children can also take advantage of the many popular schools in the area, including Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Fairfield Methodist School (Primary), Fairfield Methodist Secondary School, Singapore Polytechnic and INSEAD.

In my opinion, the location can do no wrong, which explains the premium BTO prices.

Ghim Moh Natura Floor Plan

You can see the Ghim Moh Natura floor plans here.

2-Room

2-room flats at Ghim Moh Natura measure 38 sqm or 48 sqm, including the air con ledge. The smaller 38 sqm flats place the kitchen near the entrance, which means that an open kitchen is out of the question. The larger 48 sqm flats offer a bit more flexibility as the kitchen opens out into the living/dining area, offering the possibility of an open kitchen.

3-Room

The 3-room flats measure 66 sqm, including air con ledge, with a fairly typical layout placing the bedrooms side by side, followed by the living/dining area. There are two layouts which are quite similar, except that one of them offers the option of installing both a wet and a dry kitchen, while the other has a slightly larger living/dining area but does not leave space for a dry kitchen due to the position of the household shelter.

4-Room

The 4-room flats measure 89 sqm, including air con ledge, and likewise have a rather typical layout with the three bedrooms lined up in a row and the living room on the other end. Both layouts are quite similar, but due to the location of the household shelter, one of them has a much smaller kitchen but more spacious living room, while the other has a more spacious kitchen and a smaller living room.

Overall, I think these layouts are quite standard. Residents will have to consider whether they prefer to have a bigger kitchen or a bigger living room.

Ghim Moh Natura Rent

As Ghim Moh Natura falls under the PLH model, buyers will not be able to rent out the entire flat, even after they have served the full 10-year MOP.

Ghim Moh Natura BTO Review

In my opinion, Ghim Moh Natura’s location is unbeatable for those who want to live in the west. It is near the city centre, very close to the nearest MRT station, has a huge variety of shopping, eating, and lifestyle amenities nearby, enjoys easy access to nature and is also near many top schools.

The biggest downside? Ghim Moh Natura falls under the PLH model, meaning residents will have to serve a 10-year MOP before selling, and cannot rent out the entire flat. This means you can forget about rental yield unless you are willing to rent out rooms in your flat while continuing to live there, and could also potentially dampen resale prices, although the extent to which this will happen is yet to be seen.