Khatib Court Review (MOP 2023): Yishun flats next door to Khatib MRT

Khatib Court is a HDB housing project launched in Yishun in the September 2013 BTO exercise. Located on Yishun Ring Road, it has the advantage of being located right next door to Khatib MRT station, which gives public transport connectivity a big boost.

The Khatib Court BTO project received its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) in 2018, and resale flats have been available since the first owners fulfilled 5-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) in 2023.

Khatib Court’s proximity to the nearest MRT station being a key draw, let’s see if Khatib Court is a good buy.

Khatib Court Review

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

Khatib Court Price

At the September 2013 launch, the Khatib Court price for Studio Apartments was $83,000 to $110,000, while the price for 3-room flats was $193,000 to $234,000. These prices look low more than 10 years later, but even back then, Yishun was considered a relatively affordable neighbourhood to ballot for a flat in due to its distance from the city centre.

3-room Khatib Court resale flats now cost $548,000 to $620,000, according to current listings on PropertyGuru. As you can see, these resale prices are more than double, and almost triple the price their owners paid for them at the BTO launch, making this an extremely profitable investment for the first batch of owners.

The area around Khatib MRT station is mostly populated by older flats. On nearby 825 Yishun Street 81, a 6-minute walk from Khatib MRT station, the going price on PropertyGuru for 3-room flats built in 1987 is $550,000. At 672A Yishun Avenue 4, a 15-minute walk from Khatib MRT station, the asking price for 3-room resale flats built in 2016 is also $550,000.

As you can see, Khatib Court commands a premium compared to its neighbours, probably because it is one of the rare, new HDB flats located this close to the MRT station.

There are no major development plans for Yishun in the forseeable future, and it is quite a distance from the city centre, so I would not consider this the most attractive place to invest in, although Khatib Court’s location right next door to the MRT station might help boost demand. As such, I would recommend Khatib Court more as a home than as an investment for resale buyers.

Khatib Court Site Plan

You can find the Khatib Court site plan here. The site plan shows where the residential blocks are laid out, as well as the shared facilities, which include a multi-storey car park, children’s playground and senior activity centre to cater to the elderly residents of the Studio Apartments.

Khatib Court Location

Khatib Court is located on 813, 813A and 813B Yishun Ring Road, right next door to Khatib MRT station, which is just one minute away on foot. While Yishun is usually thought of as a far-flung neighbourhood, being so close to the MRT station really helps keep travelling time reasonable. The ride from Khatib to Raffles Place in the CBD is 30 minutes on the North South Line.

One of the biggest advantages of Khatib Court’s location is that it is within walking distance of a huge number of schools, including Naval Base Primary School, Northland Primary School, Peiying Primary School, Naval Base Secondary School, Chung Cheng High School (Yishun), Orchid Park Secondary School and Yishun Innova Junior College. All these schools are located within 1 km and can be accessed on foot in 15 minutes or less.

In terms of amenities, I would say that the area is actually quite well-equipped, with the Khatib Central neighbourhood centre located right next door and Wisteria Mall located a 15-minute walk away. Khatib Court is also within easy walking distance of Nee Soon South Community Club and Yishun Swimming Complex. And Yishun MRT station and major mall Northpoint City, which houses Yishun Public Library, are approximately a 20-minute walk away.

For the seniors residing in the Studio Apartments, the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital is located within walking distance, and there is also Khatib Polyclinic just across the road, making healthcare easily accessible.

Overall, despite being in a neighbourhood that is usually considered far-flung, I feel that Khatib Court really punches above its weight. It is actually quite a convenient place to live, thanks to the MRT station being right next door and there being a good mix of schools and amenities located within walking distance.

Khatib Court Floor Plan

You can find the Khatib Court floor plan here. Khatib Court consists of Studio Apartments, mainly targeted at elderly residents, and 3-room flats.

Studio Apartment (no resale)

The Studio Apartments cannot be sold on the resale market and come in two types: smaller 37 sqm flats and larger 47 sqm flats.

3-Room Floor Plan

The 3-room flats measure 67 sqm and offer a classic layout, with the two bedrooms sharing a dividing wall, and accessible via a corridor from the living/dining area.

There are two basic 3-room flat layouts at Khatib Court. One of these layouts allows the kitchen to entirely merge into the living/dining area if the partition wall is removed, making the common area much more spacious, while the other confines part of the kitchen behind the household shelter, so even if you knock down the partition wall, you will not enjoy as much visual space. I personally prefer the former to the latter.

Khatib Court Rent Price

There are currently no Khatib Court flats being put up for rent, although there are individual rooms currently being listed on PropertyGuru for $1,000 to $1,300 a month.

Elsewhere on Yishun Ring Road, a four- to seven-minute walk from Khatib MRT station, PropertyGuru listings show flats being put up for rent for $3,000 to $3,200 a month. Mapped against current Khatib Court resale prices, this actually translates to a very attractive rental yield.

Potential tenants include local families with children, or households in need of accommodation while waiting for their homes to be built. However, since Yishun is a location that is popular with young adults looking for an affordable room to rent, owners might also want to consider renting out individual rooms in their flats.

Khatib Court Review

Singaporeans tend to think of Yishun as a less-than-attractive neighbourhood. But in my opinion, Khatib Court has some key advantages that actually make it quite a desirable home, the biggest being the fact that Khatib MRT station is right next door. Despite Yishun being far away from the city centre, residents can travel to the CBD in under 35 minutes.

Khatib Court is also within walking distance of a large number of schools, as well as neighbourhood amenities such as shops, eateries and the swimming pool. And the area’s biggest mall, which houses the library, is a 20-minute walk away.

Given the relatively affordable price of Khatib Court units compared to flats in more hyped-up neighbourhoods, I would say that a flat here offers great value for money. While I wouldn’t necessarily buy a flat in this project purely as an investment, living at Khatib Court seems to be a lot more convenient than one might guess.