Singapore Buyers Got Misled Into Investing Into Malaysia Johor Properties Under Private Lease Scheme- Slim Hope of Winning Civil Suit.

It is shocking when I read the news that some fellow Singaporean buyers are in legal dispute with a Malaysian developer over the form of ownership of Johor condo purchases. Apparently, these fellow Singaporeans have bought into a property under a "Private Lease Scheme (PLS)" that is unique in Malaysia but not in Singapore property market. It is akin to being a tenant as all the rights associated with ownership are missing and the only rights is to be able to stay in the condominium apartment for 99 years. You need to seek permission from the Developer to sublease or re-sell the unit.  

1. What is PLS?

Under such a scheme, the Malaysian developer retains ownership of the property and you essentially have a long-term rental agreement and NOT TRUE ownership. One thus does not have full ownership rights such as voting on condo management or selling the property freely. 

2. Where is the Disputed Residential Properties?

According to the Edge, some residential properties in Medini, an area within Iskandar Puteri in Johor, were sold in 2013 and 2014 under a PLS and not as 99-year leasehold condominiums. 

3. Statutory Claims Limit in Civil Suit as well as Signing the Sales & Purchase Agreement with Eyes Wide Open

3(i) Considering now is 2024 and that this matter is only raised up now, there will also be an issue of statutory expiry of civil claims lawsuit which is 6 years in Malaysia. Can affected PLS Singaporean buyers even file the suit in the first place on being mislead into paying for a PLS instead of a normal purchase?

3(ii) Also, even if they raise a claim successfully, how do these buyers argue their way out of an agreement that they have signed with eyes wide open in the first place?

Parting Thoughts

I thought that investing into Malaysian assets can become extremely risky if one is not careful in the due diligence process. Nonetheless, even if one is very careful, we should not forget about the constantly changing policy by the Malaysian government (depending on who is in power). We have seen the aftermaths of the 1998 CLOB issue where many Singaporeans lost their hard earn money overnight due to political risk. We have also seen Forest City which was marketed to many folks in China and Singapore as a 2nd residential home under special visa stay programme but which Mahathir's government subsequently reversed hence turning it into a ghost city. 

Moreover, even if there are capital gains of 100% in say 10 years, the depreciating currency based on historical trend against SGD will mean that the investment gain will be be wiped back to zero. Therefore, buying into Malaysian property is definitely more for staying or living in rather than as a form of investment. 

To put it bluntly, I think that the affected Singaporeans on PLS have very little room to maneuver to get the ownership title restored and will just be incurring more unnecessary legal fees expenses. The only stakeholder that will surely benefit the most will be the Malaysian la

Crazy Singapore Property Price- Price Collapse Will Lead to Bursting of People's Dream.

When one sees Woodlands Condo, Norwood Grand, lauching at close to S$2,000psf and still gets snapped up like hotcakes, this signal something very wrong with the property market. Emerald of Katong launched at S$2,621 psf average also gets snapped up by 99% within a single weekend signalling a red hot property market. Once the bubble bursts, many folks will be saddled with over S$1.5Mil+ of mortagages. I still believe market goes up and down in cycles.....it cannot shoot up perpertually. Look at what is happening to Hong Kong property market right now. 

Be cautious when many people are bullish. Buy only if one has sufficent cash buffers. Don't end up being a slave to the banks.

AMO Residence Over 98% Sold In A Day- Singapore Property Market Shining Bright In spite of Economic Downturn. Will You Pay S$6K To Service Your Mortgage in Outside Central Region?

 

AMO Residence located off Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 ended the weekend of 23 July 2022 with 98.1% of its 372 units all sold out. The average price of units sold is at incredulous S$2,100psf. What a crazy price for Ang Mo Kio. UOL Group and its partners are now laughing all the way to the bank. I can still remember back in 2010 when Centro Residences debuted at Ang Mo Kio Centre- it was going for  an eye popping S$1,200 psf by Far East Organization during launch and many people were saying that is so exorbitant and a record price of over the psychological  barrier of up to S$1,000 psf for sub-urban area. Well, 12 years later, prices for new launch condo at Ang Mo Kio now apparently hit S$2,100 psf. This is paying close to S$2Mil for a compact 958 sqft 3 bedder unit.

Using a loan of S$1.5Mil spread over 30 years for a young couple along and assuming a 2.5% interest rate, this will mean a monthly payment of S$5.9K which means each husband and wife need to cough up around S$3K individually each month to service their mortgage. Total interest paid over 30 years will add up to S$634K.

2.5% borrowing rate simulation

If interest rate continues to increase to say 3.0%, it will mean a monthly servicing of S$6.3K per month. Total interest rate paid over 30 years will be S$777K- I think it is time to buy more shares of DBS, UOB and OCBC listed on SGX which seems to be a better investment. 

3.0% borrowing rate simulation

Well, such pricing is not for the faint hearted folks. Down payment and stamp duties will mean half a million upfront in cash and CPF and not to mention in the current climate of rising bank borrowing rates, it certainly takes great courage to sign the option to purchase. According to property agents, the success of AMO Residence shows that "the market is hungry for attractively priced homes in good locations". Property prices is still a good hedge against inflation according to many people. I am not sure on that. However, I do hope that job losses are kept to a minimum in the upcoming economic downturn and everyone gets to keep their bread and butter. Else it will be extremely painful to support a S$6K per month mortgage. 

Property Investments Seminars Advertisements On YouTube Driving Me Nuts

 

Not exactly sure what is Marko (and/or something) property investment programme but I was quite disturbed to see frequent Youtube advertisment of it popping out telling me the story from this crying woman. Basically, a woman broke down into tears saying that thanks to Marko (and/or something), she finally managed to move out of her public HDB flat and got to stay in a private condominium as well as to escape the "rat race". Is living in a HDB flat so horrible for her that she broke down into tears just recapping it? Or was it tears of joy from earning lots of money from this property investment programme and now finally flushed with money to buy a private condominium? 

From the advertisement, there is another 22 years old man that says thanks to this programme, he managed to own 2 properties "at such a young age". I think it is better to be modest than to boost about owning multiple properties. I seriously do not think this young man can own 2 properties at such a young age (unless he is really born with a silver spoon in one's mouth). Simple common sense indicates that he must have borrowed tons of money from a bank to finance his properties. Whether the 22 years old man owns 2 properties or the bank is the de facto owners the properties is only a figure of speech. If the marco-economic conditions meltdown totally and banker came to seize his property for a forced auction at the worst possible time, this young man will be in financial ruin and working as a rat (as aforesaid mentioned by the crying woman) in the rat race for the rest of his life paying off millions in bank loans.

Who dare wins?

I reckon that this Marko (and/or something) investment programme is something similar to the well known iQuadrant teaching people to use leverage to purchase multiple industrial properties. The eventual realised return can go up to 30%-40% per annum if everything goes smoothly in finding undervalued industrial properties for rental out and letting tenants help you pay for the properties while awaiting capital appreciation. Well, high risk high return. Obviously, there are people who have made tons of money from employing such strategies taught by the gurus from these properties investment programmes

Parting Thoughts:

Who dare wins is what I believed in. However, I do disagree with the downplaying of leverage to such an extensive extent on industrial properties to portray them as manageable low risk. 

Personal Updates: Singaporean Venture Into Cambodia Property Investment Horror Story

 

I guess the horror story began back in 2014 when my wife came back home one evening and told me that she had purchased a USD220K 2 bedroom condominium unit jointly with her sister in Cambodia at a road show. The property agent (let's call her Ms M) was a close friend of both of them and has extolled the virtues of overseas property investment because the quantum involved is so much cheaper than getting an investment property in Singapore. Ms M is a successful property investor who currently owns 3 condominium units in Singapore and has accumulated a high net worth from buying and selling Singapore properties. She has also invested in this particular Cambodian project being jointly developed by Singapore based Oxley Holdings and their Cambodian partner.

My initial reactions

I was rather shocked as my wife did not consult or discuss with me on this big ticket item purchase. Her argument then was that she was using her own money. Basically, it works like that, the money she earned is her money but the money I earned is also her money and need to consult her on major item purchase together (unfortunately this is a 1 way street and how it works in my family.....haha).

In addition, Ms M had mentioned 5 "convincing" reasons to wifey for recommending the purchase:

1. Cambodia is an upcoming country in development;

2. The quantum involved to get a condonimum in Cambodia is lesser than a 5 room HDB flat;

3. Oxley Holdings is a well known developer listed in Singapore;

4. The are 3 years of guaranteed rental at 6% per annum by Oxley Holdings & partner;

5. Ms M herself had already purchased 1 unit of the new project in development.

1. Beginning of horror story- USD bank borrowings is around 8% at that time.

The financing rate quoted by the  Cambodian banks for bank borrowings is incredible. No one sane will dare to borrow from them. This seems to have caught my wifey and sister in law by surprise. When they called up to ask Ms M, she brushed this away as saying that she thought the purchase amount is not a large sum and she has all the way plan to finance it by paying in cash for the instalments and assume they will also do that hence it did not cross her mind.

No choice, wifey and sister in law coughed up the USD220K over in hard cash over the course of the work in progress till completion of the project.  

2. Property agent Ms M does not seemed to have reminded her clients/friends that there is withholding tax in Cambodia. 

The selling point seems to have been overemphasis on the 6% guarantee rental by the developer for 3 years. Netting of withholding tax on rental, the amount repatriated is a lot lesser. Also, future capital gains (if lucky and not a loss) made by non-residents is subjected to withholding tax of around 20%. 

3. USD rental return subject to much unfavorable forex conversion costs 

To opt for cash received in SGD back in Singapore leads to additional losses in forex markup. The local bank exchange rate is also another interesting weird point. I told my wife and sister in law to open up USD bank account and then use SingX (started by an ex-Citibank banker) for the conversion to reduce the forex conversion loss due to inferior rates.

4. Guaranteed rental scheme ending soon- Oxley Holdings will not renew it due to poor market conditions.

The rental guarantee scheme will come to an end as informed by developer upon its expiry as COVID has wiped out tourism and many expats and the Cambodia economy is in a virtual standstill. An alternative profit sharing scheme maybe rolled out pending indication of sufficient interest from other Singaporean owners to help pay for the monthly maintenance expenses. 

Also, who will help go to the Cambodian government agency to pay for property tax or other administrative matters? 

I guess the matter of exit plan and contingencies were not addressed during the purchase. "Buy first then see how later" will normally lead to eventual headaches.  

5. Lack of networking to find trustworthy property agents in Cambodian market

In the event that the developer "washed their hands off" the renewal of the rental management scheme, investors will need to either find their own tenants or sell off the property on behalf. The problem is the property agent market in Cambodia is not well established yet and there seems to be a lack of regulation. So how does one find a trustworthy agent? 

Language is also a major barrier for effective communication with the Cambodians agents.

As for selling off the property, I was told that even if one lowers the price significantly, there is currently not a lot of expat buyers due to the COVID situation in Cambodia.

Parting Thoughts

I think that property investment in a developing country is a real headache and will not recommend it...simply too much hassle and risk. For those who also have investment properties in Cambodia, maybe can help share your thoughts on the current predicament and possible solutions or networking referral of a good property agency in Cambodia. 

A Game Of Thrones in Condominium Disputes And Filing of Case With The Singapore Strata Title Board

This is a follow-up posting from the last one on "Problems With Living In Singapore Condominiums- Not As Glamorous As One Think It Is". When communication breaks down between residents and the Management Committee of the MCST, all hell breaks loose, in particularly, with many egos being at stake, some estate issues will definitely escalate out of control. This is where a group of very pissed off resident group will get together to campaign to overthrow the incumbent Management Council team by mudslinging on social media and tit for tat went on between the 2 parties This is also whereby some residents will file a case with the Strata Title Board ("STB") to take on their own MCST.

1. Procedure of Filing to STB and whereby all residents gets punished from depletion of management funds in the legal dispute.

From my last posting, one typical problem will be whether 2nd and 3rd car can park for free issue in most condominiums  or whether the MCST can enforce stringent wheel clamping rules against fellow residents.

The proceedings at Strata Titles Boards consist of 4 main stages:

(1.1)  Application: The Applicant will file an application against the Respondent.

(1.2) Mediation: All parties (Applicant and Respondent) are required to attend mediation session(s) fixed by the Board. The matter may stop at mediation if parties resolve the dispute at that stage.

(1.3) Hearing: If the matter cannot be resolved at the mediation stage, the Board will give directions to the parties to prepare for a hearing and fix the hearing date.

(1.4) Post-hearing: The Board’s orders is binding on parties and may be enforced at the Singapore State Courts.

1.1 Cost of Application Stage- Money commences burning

An application fee of S$500 is required to submit the application along with the "prayers" being sought. Prayers here is not referring to the religious prayers but rather a specific request for judgment, relief and/or damages at the conclusion of a complaint or petition. The applicant/applicants will typically hire a lawyer at this stage to help prepare the filing and incur additional cost of between S$3K to S$5K.

At this point, the MCST is known as the respondent. The Management Council Members may also be named by the applicant/applicants individually as additional respondents along with the MCST. To get ready a respond, the MCST will typically incurr legal fees for crafting the respond. This can cost anywhere from S$3K to S$5K depending on the number of issues, its complexity and hours spent by the legal counsel.

 1.2  Mediation- Extra money burnt for legal counsel to attend Mediation session on behalf of Applicants/Respondent

The lawyers representing the applicants and the MCST at this stage will be very happy as they can bill around S$3K to attend the mediation session. 

So applicant wasted S$3K out of their own pocket if they hired legal counsel at this stage and the respondent will also waste S$3K. 

Normally, there will be at least 2 mediation sessions before all stakeholders either resolve the issues or decided that mediation is useless and to move on to full hearing. If there is another mediation session, another S$3K will be wasted at each side.

Therefore, at least S$6K will thus be burnt by applicants and respondent respectively at the mediation sessions.

1.3 to 1.4 Hearing and Post Hearing

There will be an STB hearing cost here as well as individual legal counsel cost. This stage typically cost around S$10K to S$20k for each respective party depending on the number of hours spent by the legal counsel on hearing preparation and submission.

One import thing to note here is that many people have the wrong notion that if they win the STB case, they can get back all legal consultation and mediation costs from the losing party. This is totally wrong concept. Only party to party cost and panel hearing cost can be recovered. To give an example, I have known of MCST who spent S$50K in legal fees overall to defend against the prayers sought by the applicants and won the case but in the end only got back S$10K in cost recovery. 

Summary

A typical STB case may thus cost up to S$20K to S$30K for applicants and respondent respectively depending on the number of prayers and the complexity of the issues. This is a lose lose situation as this means that S$40K to S$60K would have been wasted by both parties. The only winners out of this will be the legal counsels. Unfortunately, such incidents are not isolated. There are many people with different personalities and principles living in any estate. Residents should thus participate actively in the Annual General Meeting and ensure that they elect their council members wisely. 

Most importantly, more residents should step forward to take up the thankless job of being a management council member lest the council is left in the control of an extremist group of residents who can then make numerous house rules to turn the entire estate into an army camp or prison which will have negative repercussions such as the estate getting into multiple lawsuits with vendors at Small Claims Tribunal/State Courts or cases lodged by fellow residents at STB.

Problems with Living in Singapore Condominiums- Not as glamorous as one think it is

After buying a brand new condominium and waiting for the construction to reach Temporary Occupation Permit stage typically requires 3-4 years for an average 600 unit size development. Of course, many residents could not contain their excitement upon receiving their keys and moving in after renovating their dream home. But this is where the nightmare will start. 

1. Dealing with hardcore smoker neighbours staying above or below your unit smoking every 2 hours at Balcony

Many condo residents were sold by their property agent the idea of Alfresco dinning by utilising the balcony space. Hence they have planned for dinning tables to be shifted to the balcony area in order to free up inner space and a bigger allowance for the living room.  Alfresco is a style of dining that is casual and often offer a party-like ambience and looks cool. 

However, some condo residents are in for a rude shock when they discover that at dinner time, they often have to breathe in cancer causing harmful second hand smoke coming from their neighbours staying directly at the unit above them or under them. The effect of the second hand smoke is so bad that any units within a radius of 2 floors (approximately 6m) from that chain smoker unit will have second hand smoke drifting into their balcony.

Hence it is a fallacy to believe that upgrading from HDB to a EC or private condominium will mean the end of the 2nd hand smoke issue. This second hand smoke issue will never go away unless one purchases a landed property. 

2. Lack of good talents who wants to volunteer to join the Management Committee after the end of the 1st year
During the 1st year, the developer will run the condo along with the appointed Management Agent. However, by the end of the 1st AGM, the MCST is supposed to elect its own Management Committee ("MC") members. Most of the good residents will not want to volunteer. In Army National Service terms, these are extra duties which snaps up valuable time especially for residents who are still working.  There is also no remuneration for being in the MC to look after the estate. One will also have to deal with countless unreasonable complaints and fellow residents demanding to be served by the MC in all their requests. Hence most residents do not want to take up such thankless job. 

Those who joined will have a few types, namely, (i) truly altruism folks (this group is a rare breed), (ii) power crazy folks, (iii) resident associated with the People's Association or government grassroot and (iv) residents who need to get their children into the primary school of their choice- type (iv) is actually a subset of (iii) as the objective is to form the "Neighbourhood Committee" to promote grassroot outreach into the condo.

3. Carparking Woes

This is the most frequent issue in all condominiums. If there are insufficient carpark lots, this will create a problem. If there are ample carpark lots, this will also still be a problem and headache. The insufficient carpark lot scenario think everyone understands why it is a problem. SO let me elaborate on why a condo with ample carpark lots will also be a big problem. 

In most condominium, carparking house rule will stipulate that every owner will be entitled to 1 carpark lot. Then there will be units without cars and units with multiple car ownership. Those with multiple cars will assert that since there are ample lots, they can park unlimited cars in the condo to save on thousand of dollars of annual season parking. The other non-car owner group will be unhappy and demanded that this is unfair as maintenance such as carparking surface epoxy paintings and carpark barriers maintenance is unfairly borne by them hence they will demand second car parking charges. Once the root of all evil (money) surfaced, then World War 3 will begin in the Condo estate. Hence if during the 1st AGM, the carparking and registration rule is not converted into by-law, some of the owners with multiple cars will start to "play around with the Ënglish" in order to argue the best case scenario for themselves.

There are other issues for carparking rules that I will probably go into more details in my future posts.

Parting thoughts:

A smart and wise resident should propose a motion to convert all the existing house-rules into by-law in order for the MC to have legal powers to enforce them. This is the critical step at the 1st AGM which a lot of newbies do not know. House rules set by developers are just rules that looks fun but in the eyes of the Building Maintenance and Strata Act ("BMSMA"), they cannot be enforced without being blessed by the General Body of residents to convert into by-law.

Parc Botannia Review- The Condo Next To Jalan Kayu Food Heaven

Everyone in Singapore would have heard of the food heaven at Jalan Kayu which is home to the famous Thasevi roti prata. A branch of Blanco Prawn Noodle House is also located there and full of queuing customers. Have you guys heard of the famous Beach Road Prawn Noodle? Blanco and Beach Road Prawn Noodles are actually restaurants that are set up by the same Lee family (please read the history here by Dr Leslie Tay-Ï Eat I Shoot I Post"). The prawn noodle at Jalan Kayu is really superb and is a must try for all foodie! Ok, back to Parc Botannia review. The reason why I mentioned Jalan Kayu is that Parc Botannia is a stone's throw away from Jalan Kayu and one can feast on roti prata and prawn noodles daily if one choose to live in this lovely development.

(1) Location of Parc Botannia

Parc Botannia's address at Fernvale Road makes it a 10 mins brisk walk away to the Seletar Mall. This development is also just right next to Thanggam LRT station which is 1 LRT stop away from Seletar Mall and 4 LRT stops to Sengkang MRT station. There is also a plot of land designated for Park development by Npark just next to Parc Botannia (the new park sits between High Park Residences and Parc Botannia).

In addition, the Sengkang Riverside park is also near Parc Botannia or 1 LRT station away- Perfect for nature enthusiasts or folks who enjoy jogging. 

(2) More details about Parc Botannia

Tenure of Land: 99 years leasehold commencing Dec 28, 2016

Site Area: Approximately 185,095sqft
No of Units: 735 Units (spread over 4 blocks) and a childcare centre.
No of Parking Lots: 741 for residents and another 15 for childcare centre
TOP: Dec 30, 2021 (but expected TOP earlier in 2020 if construction progress is good).

Parc Botannia is being developed by joint venture partners, Sing Development and Wee Hur Development. The developers paid the winning bid of S$517.03 psf per plot ratio in September 2016 during the Singapore Government Land Sales.

(3) Internal Layout and Premium Units with Private Lift

This is one of the most efficient unit layout that I have seen despite the smaller size of the apartments relative to those launched in the area 7-8 years ago (H20 Residences, Rivertrees and Riverbank). 3 bedders are around 969 sqft but do not feel crampy as seen in the showflat. 

The high ceiling height of 2.9m certainly adds volume and exude class to the units. The developers are generous to have built in such high ceiling which is a sharp contrast to High Park Residences next door as well as many other condo ceiling heights of only 2.7m these days. 

The best units in this development are the 4 bedder Premium units as well as the 5 bedder Premium Units which comes with its own private lift. There are only a total of 3 stacks of such premium units. In addition, the premium units come with walk-in wardrobe in the master bedroom. The Master bathroom for the premium units also has 2 basins for "his" and "her" which are definitely very luxurious and posh.

Private Lift Lobby with Built in Shoe Racks/Storage

However, due to the high psf (please see "Pricing" below), getting a premium unit will set one back by an extra few hundred thousand dollars. In my opinion, getting the 958sqft 3 bedder or the 1,130sqft 4 bedder units are already value for money due to the efficient layout, high ceiling and premium fittings committed by the renowned developers, Sing Holdings and Wee Hur Holdings. 

3 Bedder Premium

4 Bedder-Typical

4 Bedder Premium with Private Lift

5 Bedder Premium with Private Lift

(4) Pricing of Parc Botannia

The average launch psf was 1,270psf. Since then, 75% of the 735 units have sold out as per the marketing agent. The remaining units are on the higher floor and may cost up to 1,350psf for high floor units. For a premium 1,249sqft unit, the price tag is thus approximately S$1.68 Mil before stamp duties.  

The strange thing about the pricing is that the developers seem to have priced the park facing units at a higher psf than the pool facing units. 

There is a current up to S$70k "Starbuy unit discount" on offer during this festive period for a limited time period. 

(5) Parting Thoughts

This is a well-conceived development by Sing Holdings and Wee Hur Holdings. There are many facilities on offer within Parc Botannia. The layout for units are very efficient and the finishing and fittings given are branded and classy. Being so close to Jalan Kayu and minutes walk away to Seletar Mall is very convenient for the residents of the development. One will certainly be enthralled when arriving home to one's personal sanctuary at Parc Botannia.

(P.S: Check out the official video here of Parc Botannia and the waterfall feature wall at the grand entrance).

Jui Residences Review- Inspired by Heritage, Designed for Quality Living

Jui Residences is a freehold development that sits on the former National Aerated Water Company site. I used to study in a school at Geylang Bahru and as I walked to the bus stop home along Serangoon Road, it became a daily ritual to always do a stopover at National Aerated Plant and buy Kickapoo from a vending machine near its main gate. It dispensed Kickapoo cheaply at a mere 10 cents per cup and was very popular with a lot of school kids then. As a result, this development held very fond memories for me.  

Strangely, the show flat of Jui Residences is right next to Woodleigh Residences. I had applied for annual leave to visit Woodleigh Residences as I was rather fascinated by staying in an apartment that is right above a shopping mall just like Punggol Watertown Residences and Sengkang Compass Heights. I harbored hope that maybe there will be special star buys around in Woodleigh Residences given the current feeble state of our global economy. When my property agent who was showing me around told me that prices are around S$2,000++ psf,  I nearly fainted as I gasp for breath. Then the agent whispered into my ear: "Yes, I also think the prices here are crazy.....why don't I recommend you a freehold development near the area that is way cheaper than this?" So, my agent then brought me next door to the Jui Residences show flat.   

In December 2016, National Aerated Water Company sold the freehold industrial site for S$47Mil to Selangor Dredging Berhad ("SDB"). SDB paid an additional S$22.66Mil to the local authorities for intensification of usage to a residential site. The total land cost thus translates to an acquisition cost of S$785psf per plot ratio for the land area of 31,705sqft with permissible built up of 88,775sqft of gross floor area based on plot ratio of 2.8. Also, the National Aerated Water building will be partially conserved as stipulated by Urban Redevelopment Authority and integrated into the new development and kept fenceless along Serangoon Road and the river.

Location:

This is a city fringe located freehold property. Coupled with it being just next to Kallang River, residents gets to enjoy river view. Not many properties can boast being near to reservoir or waterbody and I considered it an unique gem that is away from the hustle and bustle of City life. Coming back home to this development thus allows one to enter into a mini resort ambience and at the same time enjoy the convenient location.  

Good size Infinity Lap Pool albeit small landsize.

Amenities and Facilities

There will be 117 units for one tower in this development. Carpark lot is 1 for 1 as well as an additional 5 parking lots for visitors. There will be adequate parking space from B1 to level 4 multistorey carpark. There will not be big fights over parking relative to other developments which has cut down to less than 1 for 1 ratio.

The infinity pool is the main highlight for this development. It looks very impressive and is decent sized considering the small landsize.

However, I was quite disappointed that there was no gymnasium at all. This is good in the sense that this will reduce the yearly maintenance cost. In addition, the developer will link up Jui Residences to the Kallang Park Connector hence probably they make do away with the need for treadmills since residents can just go jogging along the track. 

Units and Finishing

Overall, the layout of the apartments here is quite small. The master bedroom based on my standard are tiny. This seems to be the trending these days. If one wants to buy a 3 bedder unit, please avoid type C1, C2 and C3 which have long entrances that wasted the use of space efficiently. The best will be type C4 as illustrated in the picture above which represented the best 3 bedder layout. Type C4 is also the biggest unit in the entire development.

I do have a serious problem with the finishing given, that is, the tiles for the kitchen wall and bathrooms which I find too "Retro" and does not exude a modern contemporary feel. This maybe due to the integration with the conservation of the older industrial facade for National Aerated Water Company. But one can always choose to change the finishing during the renovation to fit one's desired theme. Rather, it is the location that cannot be altered at will.

Pricing

Pricing is around S$1,700psf and there is still some discount available from the developer. This is a freehold status development. For home buyers who wanted more value for money and do not mind buying 2nd handed projects, one can look for other older developments located closer to Boon Keng MRT direction and also Potong Pasir direction. 

Parting Thoughts

The "Jui" in the name of this project actually means "Water". This is a good city fringe located property that is beside the beautiful Kallang River. The integration with a part of Singapore history that is being earmarked for conservation further enhances the uniqueness of this freehold development.

High Park Residences Review and Updates- 11th August 2018

Wow...4 months since my last update on High Park Residences. Very good progress since April 18. Spoken to one of the onsite construction staff. Still a lot of work for the renovation of internal units with the fittings and finishing. Also, building of the swimming pool and the super long water landscaping features are currently still in progress. Other landscaping works have been added on and off around the development. The construction staff mentioned probably another 1 year to TOP. But from my own personal site assessment, I reckon it can achieve TOP by Q2 2019.

The beautiful High Park Residences is gradually taking shape and looks like it will become better than what the marketing brochure has illustrated. High Park Residences will no doubt be the new gem in Sengkang West. The entire site is also humongous! Took me quite sometime to walk around the boundary and have to stop halfway after climbing up the stairs at Thanggam LRT Station to catch my breath.

Twin Vew @ West Coast 85% sold within single weekend of launch- S$1,399psf

Another impressive record for the residential units sales in the red hot property market. Earlier this month, 85% of the units in Twin Vew (520 units) were sold off within 1 weekend at an average price of S$1,399psf. 

Despite the hefty price tag, buyers rushed in to grab units as the adjacent plot had been acquired by City Development Limited ("CDL") for a significant premium. CDL's bid for the West Coast plot of land of S$800 psf ppr was actually 35% higher than the S$592 psf ppr paid for by CSC Land Group for its Twin Vew project.

This translates to forecasted breakeven of S$1,400psf - S$1,500psf for the CDL new launch in 2019 next year. Since this is CDL, selling price would be expected to be S$1,500psf. Hence for current prospective buyers of Twin vew, one of the key selling points by the property agents is that S$1,399psf is relatively cheaper than the upcoming CDL launch. 

The other key selling points would be the new educational institution site reserved by the Masterplan for the plot of land directly next to it as well as the close proximity to the upcoming High Speed Railway Terminus Station at Jurong East.

Personally, I like the Sungei Pandan Reservoir and park view around the area. This is a good home with good amenities nearby. Twin Vew is also very specially designed by the developer such that the 2nd level units started off 7 metres off the ground floor with high lobbies built enabling 100% landscaping. Beautiful project developed by CSC Land Group for their maiden residential development project in Singapore.

Fengshui Mythology and Properties

Do you believe in Feng Shui? Many property owners purchased their home via hiring of geomancers. Some of the principles of Fengshui are actually based on common sense. Others border along the line of absurdity.

Mythology 1: Living next to above ground MRT or LRT is a strict "No No" under Fengshui.
Even though it is super noisy, values of properties next to MRT actually commands a huge premium. For example, Lakefront Residences and La Feista (LRT track running along side). One can't always have the cake and eat it all the time. Obviously, most Singaporeans and PRs placed a huge premium over public transport convenience.

Mythology 2: Poison arrows from corner of buildings pointing in one's direction is bad.
Wow, this means most blocks of public and private housing are not livable.

Mythology 3: Unit layout must be squarish to enjoy good Fengshui. Odd shape floorplan is very bad.
 Look at Clover by the Park in Bishan, the floorplan has odd shape (round) corners instead of the typical squarish/rectangular shape. So this is considered very bad? But owners who had purchased at 750 psf at launch before its TOP in 2012 would now be sitting on at least 50% capital appreciation. Huat Ar! Also, the layout that resembles clover is simply beautiful. 

Rivercove Residences review- One and only EC launch expected in 2018

Rivercove Residences by Hoi Hup is the ONE and only EC launch in 2018. This project is a hot one with expected 100% sell out upon its launch on 14 April 2018. Indicated PSF is attractively priced at S$900++ which is absolutely value for money relative to the private condo Parc Botannia in the vicinity where its average selling price is more than S$1200psf. 

The huge crowd at the showflat site for viewing over the last 2 weekends have been incredible. Traffic jam up at the road along Sengkang West Avenue leading into the showflat carpark. 

It is worthwhile to mention that City Development had recently won another EC site at Sumang Walk in Punggol area at a record wining bid of S$583 per square foot plot ratio which translates to an expected selling price of S$1,000psf and above in the future. In contrast, Hoi Hup got the Rivercove site at only S$355 psf ppr. 

Will Hoi Hup repeat its amazing feat of selling out 100% of all units in Hundred Palms EC @ Hougang in less than 7 hours? With the sky high selling price of future EC and Rivercove being the one and only EC launch in 2018, this EC project will be selling like McDonald Hotcakes!