June 23, 2007
Rooms with a
view
Block 29, Marine Crescent
RETIREE P.R. Sharma, 81, has a view from his 20th-storey flat that
many Singaporeans would envy.
His five-room HDB point-block flat overlooks East Coast Park and
the city skyline in the distance.
He can even see the sea from a side window and from the bedroom and
living room.
He gets to enjoy the sunrise from his flat, watch planes land and
take off from nearby Changi airport and count the number of tankers
dotting the sea off East Coast Park.
He paid $35,500 for the flat in 1974, and says he was offered about
$900,000 for it nearly 20 years ago. Property agents say the
current selling rate for such a flat is $500,000.
He adds that even if he was offered $1 million today, he would not
sell it.
He gets about three flyers a day from agents looking for sellers
but he throws them in the bin without even looking at them.
'It is not a question of money. I like living here and will not
leave,' he says of the convenient location. He enjoys going to
Marine Cove, across the East Coast Parkway from his block, for
meals and takes walks in the park.
After living there for more than 30 years, he no longer lingers by
the window for the sea view, unlike when the family first moved
in.
Still, whenever he visits his four children who live in
condominiums elsewhere, he feels a sense of happiness when he
returns to his flat.
'I always feel good that it has such a great view,' he says.
'It is so breezy here. I won't move out'
Madam Yeo Wee Geck, 85, on her 20th-storey Marine Parade unit. She
can catch the sunrise as well as enjoy the sea view from her
flat
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Block 2C Upper Boon Keng Road
DURING last year's National Day parade, friends and family crowded
into Mr Lucas Tan and Ms Teo Ee Mei's new five-room HDB flat.
Their 27th-storey flat gave unblocked views and they could see the
entire fireworks display during the event.
'The fly-past was about 5m away from my window,' says Mr Tan, 34,
an engineer.
They will still be able to see the fireworks display when the
parade moves to Marina Bay this year. From their living room, the
couple can see the National Stadium, the Kallang Basin area, Marina
Bay, the Singapore Flyer and Shenton Way.
They were living in their own HDB flat in the neighbouring Boon
Keng estate and chose this block and unit so they could have a
panoramic view from the living room. They paid $340,000 for it last
year.
Mr Tan's interior-designer brother custom-made a high dining table
so that the couple could enjoy the view when having meals.
Other perks: The Kallang MRT station is a five-minute walk away and
the flat is close to other amenities such as a market.
The couple have received offers of up to $550,000 from interested
buyers and property agents. 'But I don't think we will sell, we
like our flat too much,' says Mr Tan.
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Block 721 Bedok Reservoir Road
WHEN contractor Ho Kai Shian, 37, was living in Tampines, the view
from his fifth-storey flat was that of the neighbouring
block.
Since moving to Bedok Reservoir in 2000, he has enjoyed views of
water and greenery from his study in his HDB maisonette on the 14th
floor. He lives with his wife Veron, 35, a master's student, and
their daughter Sueann, three.
Mr Ho says they bought the flat for $468,000 in 2000 because of the
view of Bedok Reservoir across the street and Tampines beyond
that.
He adds that they like the unit's proximity to the reservoir so
they can go jogging and kayaking. Sueann also gets to watch dragon
boat races at the reservoir from her bedroom window.
Mr Ho does not know how much his flat is worth now, but has heard
from property agents that the rate for other units in the same
block is about $490,000.
But he is staying put because the family likes the space and
privacy the corner unit offers.
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Block 289A Bukit Batok Street 25
HOME owners Alice Tan and Johnny Ang say the view of the lush
greenery from their 15th-floor resale executive HDB flat was not
the main criterion when they were looking for a new home.
Ms Tan, a project manager, says they were looking for a flat with a
wide and bright lift lobby, a separate service yard from the
kitchen for drying clothes and a unit that would get the morning
sun to freshen up the whole house.
'This flat met all our criteria and it came with an added bonus ?
the view of two nature reserves,' says Ms Tan, 30. From the living
room, the flat overlooks the tree tops of the Bukit Timah and Bukit
Batok nature reserves.
They paid $433,800 for it and moved in last November. For that
price, they could have bought a private apartment but 'friends know
why we spent so much when they see the view we get', says Mr Ang,
32, a consultant.
The couple have received many flyers from property agents and
interested buyers. They have heard that buyers are willing to pay
from $480,000 to $500,000 for a flat in the same block, but there
are no sellers.
'We need to sell for at least $500,000 to recover our purchase and
renovations costs,' says Ms Tan. However, the couple say that with
such a good view and the tranquil environment, they have no plans
to sell just yet.
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Block 4B Boon Tiong Road
WHEN communications manager Raymond Lim, 28, was searching for a
family home, he picked Tiong Bahru because 'property is all about
location'.
His four-room HDB flat, which he shares with his wife So Young, 30,
a housewife, and 15-month-old son Ryan (above), is across the road
from the famed Tiong Bahru market and a 10-minute drive from town.
They bought the 20th-storey new unit for $306,000 in 2005 for the
unobstructed views from the unit's front and back.
From the living room, they get views of the flats in Bukit Ho Swee
and Great World City. From the kitchen and bedroom, they see the
pre-war flats and shophouses in Tiong Bahru with Pearl Bank
apartments and Shenton Way in the horizon.
Mr Lim says he is almost certain that the views will be permanent
as the neighbouring low-rise flats have been gazetted for
conservation.
He is unsure of the value of his flat now because it is less than
five years old and cannot be sold under HDB's rules.
But he has no intention of selling it even after five years, when
he can.
'The location is just too good,' says Mr Lim, who used to live in
Hougang and had to face massive jams to get to work in town.
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Block 81 Toa Payoh Lorong 4
HOME owners Marcus Lee and Lynn Heng have no plans to leave their
five-bedroom HDB flat because of its convenient location.
'We're opposite Toa Payoh Central with the bus interchange and Toa
Payoh MRT station nearby,' says Mr Lee, 30, director of an IT
trading firm.
The view, he says, is a bonus.
It is certainly impressive. On a clear day from the 18th-storey
flat bought from the resale market, the Lees can see the National
Stadium, the Swissotel The Stamford and the CBD area.
They can also see the fireworks display during National Day.
'The view is unblocked and because the unit is so high, it is also
much cooler,' says Mr Lee.
The couple bought it for $452,000 and moved in last year. They
spent nearly $100,000 on renovations.
The flat's convenient location and high floor make it a hot pick
among buyers, but the couple have no plans to sell, nor have they
received any offers yet.
Mr Lee says that if they do sell, it will be at a price that is
profitable after factoring in the purchase and renovation
costs.
'It would be a sum that no one would be willing to pay,' he
says.
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