you really did a lot of homework on this....if you can afford a project one notch better, which one would you be looking at? residences@evelyn? newton gems? newton 18? rivergate?Originally Posted by bargain hunter
you really did a lot of homework on this....if you can afford a project one notch better, which one would you be looking at? residences@evelyn? newton gems? newton 18? rivergate?Originally Posted by bargain hunter
I'd prefer rivergate, even larger plot of land at 320,000 sq ft. This, I am quite sure is the largest plot of land in D9, 10 and 11, correct me if I'm wrong. Actually, I stay near Rivergate currently and would prefer it anytime to Infinia but prices still out of reach. Even more complete facilities (Golf simulator thrown in hee) and the pool is so huge, I think i would feel comfortable even though it has 545 units.
I love the layouts of the interior even more for Rivergate, good sized balconies (rather than planters for Infinia), rooms and living areas and imagine chilling out by the river. I recently visited the place and really liked it. The drawback is it is further away from an mrt (about just under 1km walk to somerset or clarke quay) but I love to walk so it does not bother me. By car, its easy to access the CBD or orchard more than infinia. So far the nearest mall is Great World City but can expect more amenties to pop up in the area after the other developments like Tribeca, Trilluim, Martin No. 38, The Inspira and 8 Rodyk are completed. The best part, I heard 4 bedrooms maintenece only $350! I think Infinia's is much more expensive because of the Private Lifts which I feel is not necessary.
I think R@evelyn is not bad but since I prefer rivergate, did not really look at it in detail. I was already put off by the smaller 3rd bedroom for the 3 bedder at R@evelyn but maybe because I prefer all the bedrooms to be able to fit in at least queen sized beds or 2 single beds. I prefer bigger plots of land so did not look at newton gems and newton 18 in detail. In any case, those are older developments and the ownership is likely more stable and less likely to be able to get good bargains. I also feel that they are facing other buildings and would probably get partially blocked views.
Originally Posted by dmonddd
many thanks. will view the units and do a SAD. but definitely not buying in next two quarters. probably with the second. third, fourth wave of retrenchment, hope still have a job to hold on to....Originally Posted by bargain hunter
generally, you'd consider PI if you have young children. lots of open grounds for the kids to run, explore and have fun. children's pool is great (even if your young child cannot swim). i have also seen some families bring their dinner down to enjoy by the poolside. i have only used the pool, so cannot comment on the rest of the facilities.Originally Posted by bargain hunter
i guess being near to united sq is a plus for those parents with kids attending classes there. i go there for makan sometimes. pek kio is a short drive away. can do your marketing and also get food there. the nearest supermarket is cold storage at united sq. if you need ntuc, can go either to the small outlet at pek kio or head to square2.
pros
- big landscape, with lots of running space for energetic kids
- lovely adult pool
- practical and safe children's pool
- understand from colleagues the gym is of decent size
- well serviced (imo) bus routes (both the newton and thomson road bus-stops)
- shopping and eateries nearby
- some pre- and primary schools nearby
- unit's very bright and breezy
- open and nice view
cons
- lots of construction sites all around (noisy & dusty)
- baywindows galore, just have to design your furniture around them to utilize them to some extent
- near but not THAT near MRT station (around 10mins walk, i think, didn't really time myself)
- maintenance is not exactly cheap for 400+ units, but considered ok if compared with other newer projects
i can only come up with these... not sure what else you need my feedback on.
actually, ardmore park has a landsize above 300,000 sqft. not sure of the exact figure though.Originally Posted by bargain hunter
wow ardmore park! don't think we will find many people staying or targeting to buy there in this forum?
Thanks for the pros and cons breakdown. Well written and fair.
Originally Posted by duckweed
people who live in ardmore park dont actually need to work.
Originally Posted by bargain hunter
yeah, prob busy rubbing shoulders with Jet Li's family or relaxing somewhere. Envy.
Originally Posted by franzmark
The facilities in PI are very basic to the t. Very surprising given the 233000sq ft of land size. A condo with just 90000 sq ft of land can accomodate all the PI facilities, without vying with 486 residents. The developer could have done so much more with the land they have. No steam room, no suana, no play pool, no games room, no billiard room, no foot reflexology path, no squash court, no table-tennis table, no golf putting green, no mini golf driving range, no jogging track, no karaoke room, no bowling alley... Plus the whole area really doesn't feel as big as the brochure describes it to be.
Next, the location. Though the developer is marketing it as a Newton project, I am not convinced. I find the the whole PI plot is nearer to Thomson road than Newton Road. If you drive along Thomson Road, you can see PI very clearly & very near too. But if you drive along Newton Road, you can see that it's not as near. I believe this is the reason why PI is priced lower than Evelyn side of condos... which are really 100% Newton. However the opposite side of Lincoln Road, which has the future Miro, Lincoln Residences & Lincoln Suites are more Newton and therefore will definitely command a higher premium than PI, & equal value, if not more value than the Evelyn side of condos. In property location, especially small Singapore, just a street away or opposite sides of road can mean a difference in prestige, perception & price.
I don't think Lincoln Road of less than 10 metres wide will make any different in price like what you say. If this is true, why The Linc opposite to PI and just besides Miro selling lower than PI?Originally Posted by raetan
Please also check the latest URA transcation. In facts the current price of PI is on par with Evelyn now. Of course a fair comparison must consider same floor and facing.
It is absurd to say that PI is nearer to Thomson than Newton Area. I only hear others debating whether PI location is in Newton or Novena. You must be seeing MIRAGE!!
All your comments don't make sense at all. If you don't know what you are talking about, then don't just shoot out nonsense.Originally Posted by dormer
1st, you compared PI with the Linc. Come on, you are comparing apple with orange. The Linc is just an apartment with minimal facilities. Of course it will cost lower than PI. If PI is located at the Linc plot, then it will definitely be able to command a higher premium. Instead of stretching its land all the way to Thomson Road, imagine PI at the Linc plot will be able to stetch its land all the way to Newton Road. Miro & Lincoln Residences are already transacting at $1500psf. But PI has only gone downhill, now at between $1100psf to $1200psf.
Next, you said it's absurd to say PI is nearer to Thomson Road than Newton Road. I wonder whether you know your locality at all. Why don't you drive out from Keng Lee Road & see whether the next road reads Thomson Road or not. Of course when I mention Thomson, I am just stating the road name. Obviously I mean the Novena district because Thomson Road is part of the Novena district! And I am not seeing mirage. YOU are the one seeing mirage. Why don't you just step inside PI, go to the main pool tomorrow & tell me what condos you are surrounded with. Or I'll just tell you to save you the trouble of going there. You'll see all the Thomson Road & Suffolk Road properties. You'll see The Spinnaker, Suffolk Premier, Ten @ Suffolk, future Lucida, Viva, The Strata & Thomson Euro Asia. All these properties are priced lower than Lincoln Road properties because they are situated in the Thomson / Novena district, whereas the true Lincoln Road properties are in the Newton district. However the opposite side of Lincoln Road is surounded by higher class neighbours. Newton 18, Amaryllis Ville, Newton Suites, Newton Gems, Iridium, The Lincoln Modern, The Sentinel & the future Miro, Lincoln Residences & Lincoln Suites. Now you tell me who is absurd, babbling nonsense & seeing mirage.
Lincoln Road used to be an area with avantgarde boutique apartments, with Lincoln Modern leading the way. Suddenly a huge condo with the ugliest orange perimeter fencing ever came and spoil the place there. PI should be a Suffolk Road project instead. But because their land size is big and some of the land happen to spray into a small part of Lincoln Road, the developer is smart to utilize the prestige of Lincoln Road properties, by opening their main entrance at Lincoln Road, so that they can command a higher value. If their Suffolk Walk 2nd entrance becomes PI's main entrance, and PI address becomes Suffolk Walk (off Thomson Road), do you still think it can command such a high premium?
Can a 90,000sq ft of land accomodate 2 tennis courts? I don't think many new condos have the facilities you mentioned, squash court, table-tennis table or bowling alley (especially for prime districts)? Could be quite passe by now. I think the developer is trying to create a sense of space, thus, the big lawn areas rather than facilities which no doubt as you pointed out can easily be included if they wanted. I agree that the brochure is misleading though (but which brochure does not?)
I agree that Evelyn side should command a premium over PI because it is truly Newton but can't agree on Lincoln Rd properties. Please get your facts right also before you shout at others.
In case you did not notice, The Lincoln Residences has dropped its prices significantly to move the sales. The following units were sold to related parties of Sim Lian with at best tiny discounts to public: #18-04 sold at 1367sq ft at 1201psf, #13-03 1324sq ft at 1156psf, #03-04 1776sq ft at 927psf, #12-04 1367sq ft at 1130psf.
http://info.sgx.com/webcoranncatth.n...df?openelement
http://info.sgx.com/webcoranncatth.n...df?openelement
The public was being offered at $1100+ to 1300+psf recently (please refer to the units sold for Apr when it is released on 15th May). That is very similar to prices being sold at PI recently (certainly for the less desirable leftover units of PI). So, let's see...err...prime units of Lincoln Residences are being offered at same price as leftover units of PI? I think the market already tells you the answer, which is the preferred project.
You said, "Miro & Lincoln Residences are already transacting at $1500psf. But PI has only gone downhill, now at between $1100psf to $1200psf."
Your $1500 is for 3 units sold pre lehman crisis last year, please stop quoting prices from 8 months ago. Likewise, 1500 for Miro is for the only 2 units sold last October and is obviously a price which cannot move sales since then.
If anything, for PI, if you buy the right units above #20 you get panaromic views as "The Spinnaker, Suffolk Premier, Ten @ Suffolk" you mentioned are all less than 20 storeys. What do you get if you buy The Lincoln Residences above #20? Your views get blocked by the "Newton 18, Amaryllis Ville, Newton Suites, Newton Gems, Iridium, The Lincoln Modern, The Sentinel & the future Miro, Lincoln Residences & Lincoln Suites." that you mentioned.
Originally Posted by raetan
This forum already states all the pros of PI, & I agree that PI indeed has many things going for it. Thus my original post is simply to highlight 2 of the cons of PI. Ok. I know I am exaggerating about all the fanciful facilities. I am just disappointed because Keppel could have done so much more with the land size they have. The facilities are really lacking in relation to the land size. Eg, they could have easily added a steam room or suana in the jungle spa's changing room to create a better spa experience. But they simply choose to save cost. Instead they choose to waste space on useless things like volcano island. If you go inside the volcano island, you'll know what I mean. There's absolutely nothing inside. Maybe if there is rain suddenly, those swimmers can all crowd inside & use it as a rain-shelter. I live in a 48600 sq ft condo but it already has more facilities than PI, although the facilities are of course in a smaller scale.
As for the location, I just want to highlight the true unbiased fact that PI is indeed nearer to Thomson Road than Newton Road. Street directory doesn't lie. Have a look on the street directory if you are still biase. When I mention PI's neighbours, I am not highlighting about the panaromic views on high floors. I am just reinforcing my point about PI's location... as PI's surrounding neighbours clearly show that it is located more Thomson than Newton. Similarly when I highlight about the opposite side of Lincoln Road, I am just highlighting the fact that properties on the opposite side of Lincoln Road / Surrey Road are truely Newton, as clearly shown by the surrounding neighbours.
Lastly, the orange perimeter fencing of PI is a really ugly & mismatched.
Originally Posted by bargain hunter
agree with raetan..
PI for its prices, doesnt give me that Div 1 league feel. more like Div 2.
Key selling point for PI = "Big" or huge land area. not competing on quality or design...etc.
lacking the Div 1 feel.
Why keppel chose main entrance to be on lincoln rd despite its inaccessibility? Because of prestige. PI could easily have had other mo accessible entrances, but then people will associate it with a Thomson Rd property.
I agree with Raetan. PI is really a Thomson Rd property, not Newton Rd. Note also that Thomson Rd is a v long road, stretching from D8 Owen Rd all the way up to D20 Marymount.
for PI prices, newton road properties are better buys
Miro & Lincoln Residences are already transacting at $1500psf. But PI has only gone downhill, now at between $1100psf to $1200psf.
For a buyer , PI is a newton project.. period. You can visbly see PI from the newton hawker centre and the address speck for itself.
I would personally prefer space and lots of it rather than has the whole project cramp together with so many amentities like, squash court , suana, golf etc.. thats the typical Sinagporean mentality of wanting so much more for the price that the pay. I rather enjoy my putting in my club.
Also, if you are so damn good in analysing the Newton aka Thomson road project.. how come you cannot properly analyse the prices between PI and Miro ? The Miro project was launched later and it is sold at much higher developer price VS PI subsell unit....with those from the not so desirable facing ???
I would personally prefer space and lots of it rather than has the whole project cramp together with so many amentities like, squash court , suana, golf etc.. thats the typical Sinagporean mentality of wanting so much more for the price that the pay. I rather enjoy my putting in my club.
Also, if you are so damn good in analysing the Newton aka Thomson road project.. how come you cannot properly analyse the prices between PI and Miro ? The Miro project was launched later and it is sold at much higher developer price VS PI subsell unit....with those from the not so desirable facing ???[/quote]
simple :
PI was launched much earlier ...with a lower land cost and material cost
Miro which came later ..would have construction cost 150-200 psf more ..
simple :
PI was launched much earlier ...with a lower land cost and material cost
Miro which came later ..would have construction cost 150-200 psf more ..
Now we are talking .
let's come back to basic....
PI was launched twice, first at $900 psf, second above $1100psf.
Historical URA prices may not reflect the true picture.
PI is known for its "big" project. materials in PI versus Miro?
In PI, paying for a premium for common area? long term commitment throughout life.
Potential enbloc 10 years down the road = PI because of land area. Separate issue whether owners can agree.
Other projects, any expansion to higher levels?
Newton area, projects above 100 units worth looking at? Yes. location nearer to Orchard.....
PI could have contracted its material prior to the sand ban ..hence possibly between 120-180 psf ..Originally Posted by dmonddd
after the ban .. costruction cost went up to as high as 300 psf
i may not be clear when i refer to materials.....i'm referring to the interior part of both PI and Miro. the tiles used, door installed, brand of sink used, etc.Originally Posted by proud owner
From what I hear and see, Miro 's interior stuff will be of higher quality/grade. Sadly, I've not visited Miro's showroom
to add on, I'm not too critical at what prices the developer buys his raw materials. key to us buyers is whether the building is safe and interior stuff is of good quality.Originally Posted by dmonddd
You know the league 2 properties (location out of D11, at the brink) are putting real good quality interior stuff to attract buyers.
Originally Posted by raetan
This guy is bubbling more and more nonsense now? He is confused. Cannot differential Newton, Novena and Thomson. He said what he meant about Thomson is Novena now. As suggested by him, he should be the one should go to pools of PI tomorrow & tell everybody what he sees before shouting around.
Finally, maybe he still can keep his ugly orange perimeter fencing as he keeps on repeating.
If I am LTA or LA, I would be very upset. I believe only rubbish truck will turn into PI from Thomson road, a huge waste of public money sprucing up that road...Originally Posted by china
Anyone could confirm PI's backdoor/gate?
regards
From the nonsensical way you respond, either you clearly do not comprehend my post at all, or you are simply totally not famaliar with that area. I shall not waste my time sharing points with you anymore.Originally Posted by dormer
i still find PI overpriced.
developer still holding on to prices?
PI's secondary entrance/exit is suffolk walk. thomson road baptist church uses this same road too.Originally Posted by repanse71
as for the road that is used by the rubbish truck, i think it's suffolk road (running parallel to suffolk way). there is a need for lta to maintain it as the main entrance of quite a number of other properties are serviced via this road.
Now the expanded road is under-utilized. Waste of public money.
Wondered if LA/LTA knew where's PI main entrance would be when they decide to expand and improve the road, or they just ASS-umed.
regards
Originally Posted by duckweed