THOMSON GRAND - Jalan Tambur (Upper Thomson Rd), By Luxury Green Development Pte Ltd

[adrianmtsg]

On weekend, i'm usually in t-shirt and bermudas, somtime jeans. But i dont think any housing agent will judge customer based on what they wear. It is usually over some conversation before they can spot if you are a potential or passerby.

Actually i drove pass it this morning but never go in. 2 full pages in today's paper and a big banner in Thomson plaza advertising...i think this is something rare in D20.

If visit the showflat wear tshirt and jeans and no money to buy will kena chased out or not?

[ysyap]

On weekend, i'm usually in t-shirt and bermudas, somtime jeans. But i dont think any housing agent will judge customer based on what they wear. It is usually over some conversation before they can spot if you are a potential or passerby.

Try going in torn clothes and unkempt hair plus a bit of BO from not bathing for 3 days.

[azeoprop]

LKS marketed Thomson 800 with a 10% capital appreciation guarantee for 5 years ie if the price didn't go up by more than 10% at the end of the 5 years, you got back the difference in the market valuation price up to max of 10%. Well they had bad timing for that because at the end of the 5 years was when SARS hit, so we got back 10% of the purchase price in cash. It was an interesting and novel marketing gimmick at the time of their launch but most people thought that the guarantee would never be activated. Unfortunately for them, external factors supervened.

Wonder if they have other novel strategy up their sleeve this time? (also considered a relatively jittery market today).

View of Thomson 800.

[5577]

On weekend, i'm usually in t-shirt and bermudas, somtime jeans. But i dont think any housing agent will judge customer based on what they wear. It is usually over some conversation before they can spot if you are a potential or passerby.

I went in my t-shirt, shorts n slippers. Agent still take me around for viewing. No problem leh.

[sleek]

Because they can smell $$$ all over you!

I went in my t-shirt, shorts n slippers. Agent still take me around for viewing. No problem leh.

[5577]

Because they can smell $$$ all over you!

I wish I have the $$$$!!!!!!!! Lol!!!!!!!!

[bargain hunter]

so how is the sales?

[ysyap]

As reported in the papers today... Nearly all 100 units scheduled for launch this year has been snapped up and up to 70% of the strata houses already sold with the highest priced at about $4.4mil.

[kane]

100 units sold. another 100 buyers out there where money is no object. i can see why COE prices are still climbing at these levels.

[proper-t]

Not surprising. As I was driving by today, spotted LTA soiltest for MRT just outside Sin Ming walk. Looks like Thomson line going to be close by.

[ysyap]

100 units sold. another 100 buyers out there where money is no object. i can see why COE prices are still climbing at these levels.

Next month there's gonna be further reduction to the COE quantum so expect COE to soar further and break the $100k mark!

[DC33_2008]

Better stay near walking distance home. The cost of owning a car will balloon in future.

Next month there's gonna be further reduction to the COE quantum so expect COE to soar further and break the $100k mark!

[testtest]

CK marketing 101 works very well!!! Others developers should learn from them...

[kingkong1984]

Next month there's gonna be further reduction to the COE quantum so expect COE to soar further and break the $100k mark!

Yes.... Better go book ur dream car fast.... It will hit pretty soon.

[ecimbew]

Maybe the high psf is because of future Thomson MRT line. There could be a station at it's doorstep. But I don't like the west-east facing for all high rise units.

[mantrix]

Maybe the high psf is because of future Thomson MRT line. There could be a station at it's doorstep. But I don't like the west-east facing for all high rise units.

Yeah the chances are good...

[DC33_2008]

Is it walking distance?

Yeah the chances are good...

[mygeemeel]

Lease of SICC is ending soon?

[kingkong1984]

Is it walking distance?

Hey, subjective, in old days, children walk 10 km to school.

[mantrix]

Is it walking distance?

Yup I would think so

[kane]

Yup I would think so

my guess is they need a side gate for a short cut access.

[Eldenfirefly]

I went down over the weekend. Its rather small leh. Except for the master bedroom. Other rooms are all tiny tiny in size. They don't even dare to put in a bed in most of the other bedrooms. They put in a big drumset, (and that fill up the whole room liao), or some cushion sofa and that fills up the whole room also.

And seems like they priced in Thomson line already leh, or is Bishan really so hot now ah? This should definitley be considered OCR right? OCR now cost 1400 psf?

[hyenergix]

The new MRT stations muz have been leaked months ago to e developer.

[ysyap]

Or developer just insist the buyers to pay for the gamble and if MRT is near, buyers win if not then buyers lose. In any case, developer sure win!

[mantrix]

The new MRT stations muz have been leaked months ago to e developer.

Not just the developer, but many people also know liao...but who knows LTA can choose to play punk and choose the alternative location

[ecimbew]

[ysyap]

Is S$8 million for condo showflat worth it?

By property_guru | Property Blog – Sat, Jul 30, 2011

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Take a peek at the S$8 million showflat. (PropertyGuru)



High prices for private homes in Singapore are nothing new. But with an S$8 million showflat and an average unit price of S$1,330 psf, we felt compelled to ask the developer of Thomson Grand: Why?
Located in the Upper Thomson area, Thomson Grand is Hong Kong property developer, Cheung Kong Holdings Pte Ltd's (CKH) latest Singapore project and since its launch, the response has been overwhelming. PropertyGuru reporter Cheryl Tay sat down with Cannas Ho, sales manager of CKH, and got her to spill the beans on Thomson Grand's unique features, buyer profile and more.

Q. There's been a lot of talk about Thomson Grand's S$8 million show flat. Why spend so much and what's the feedback been like from the public?

A. When we first saw this piece of land, we felt that it was very unique. It has open views of Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) and a lot of greenery. From the beginning, we'd planned to build a luxurious residence here. In order to achieve that, we needed to present it such that it matched the positioning of the product, so we have spent money to build a very grand sales office and showflat. The main purpose is to let potential buyers better understand and visualise what end product they are going to have. We want them to experience living here, even before the building is completed. I think it was worth every cent.

Q.The average price of a unit at Thomson Grand is S$1,330 psf, a high price for a mass market project in Singapore. What's the reason behind this?

A. I'd like to emphasise that this is not a mass market project — the finishes we offer are definitely not those of a mass market project. We have marble flooring, European kitchen appliances, and chandeliers in the bathrooms. So I don't think it's fair to compare Thomson Grand's prices with those of a mass market project. So far, the response has been really good. I don't think it is about whether the price is high or low but whether it reflects the actual value of the product. And (I believe) the market response has confirmed the value of the product.

Q. Thomson Grand's launch may have sold out but the initial weekend's 20 percent take-up rate of units was lower than the average 30 to 35 percent for other recent similar projects. What was the reason for this?

A. When we launched 50 units on the first day of the preview, they were taken up quickly. We then released another 20 units and they were snapped up as well. Of the units released, the take-up rate was 100 percent! Since we are not a big developer in Singapore, we did not plan for all the units to sell out at once. Also, the TOP date for this project is 2015. We are not in a hurry to sell all the units; we just want to meet (the demands of) the market. Then we will release it in batches — our target is to launch 100 units this year. Right now, more than 70 units have been sold and I think we will meet the target. We are very happy with the response so far.

Q. Sales of strata-titled units have been brisk. It's been reported that over half have been sold and the remainder put on reserve. What's the appeal behind them?

A. I think the homes themselves are very appealing. Traditionally, the Thomson area is known for having a lot of landed properties. However, the difference in this (development) is we have a clubhouse and very good security. So the facilities are much better than (those of) landed houses.




Q. What's the buyer profile of Thomson Grand? How many are locals and foreigners? Where are the foreign investors coming from?

A. The profile is quite interesting — over 70 percent of the buyers are locals (from) nearby (estates). We have talked to both agents and buyers; they like the product and feel that it is very difficult to find a similar project on the market, even in prime districts such as the CBD. About 30 percent of buyers are from overseas, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, UK and mainland China. In fact, nearly half of the foreign buyers are from China.

Q. Before the launch of Thomson Grand, there had been no new condominium launches in the Upper Thomson area. Was there any worry that this might affect sales?

A. No, in fact this actually helped sales! Because there had been no new projects in the area for many years, there was high demand. Residents in this area are looking for new developments and I think the lack of such offerings attracted buyers to Thomson Grand.

Q. Private residential sales volumes in Singapore have been slowing down recently. What do you attribute this trend to?

A. In the past six months, sales have slowed down a bit. However, we believe the economic fundamentals are very good, as interest rates are low and that in the second half of the year, sales will pick up because of this. Over the past few months, property seekers have been more cautious because of global economic uncertainty. As such, they have had to view more showflats and take more time to make their decision. But they have purchasing power and they will surely invest. I think in the next few months, sales will pick up again and the overall volume could be similar to last year.

Q. Cheung Kong only has a handful of property developments in Singapore. Any plans for more residential or commercial projects here?

A. We are always looking for opportunities here (in Singapore). We study the land supply in the area and target residential, grade A office and other types of commercial property. Our goal is to build a landmark project in the area. We are not a big developer in Singapore, so when we plan any land acquisition, we always look for the best and most unique location, such as Upper Thomson, which boasts grand views. We always look for good land with good prospects for luxurious landmarks, just like what we have done with Marina Bay Residences, Marina Bay Financial Centre and The Vision in West Coast. Every time we have a new concept, we build luxurious property and set a new benchmark in that area.

[kane]

The rate of cost recovery will help defray the cost of the showroom a little quicker than the norm.

[proud owner]

based on what she said ...

does it mean that if they spend loads of money to build a LUXURIOUS condo in say Marseiling ...since there hasnt been any high end condo there at all ... then it will NOT BE MASS MKT ?

[amk]

based on what she said ...

does it mean that if they spend loads of money to build a LUXURIOUS condo in say Marseiling ...since there hasnt been any high end condo there at all ... then it will NOT BE MASS MKT ?

You have to look at her HK parentage. CK is known to be able to create *different* segments within the *same* locality in HK. It's trying the same here. HK is a *very* snobbish society (no offense to any HKers here.. hey I have relatives there). Such segmentation within the same locality works. In HK, CK (and SHK) projects are always differentiated from the others, as being "grander", "higher class". Such concept works so far. In SG, the concept of "I'm higher class than you even if I live in the same area, my place is grander" has just been tested at the Vision. And it seemed to work. So he sees snobbishness also sells in SG market. Therefore "let's do it again".