Property Views

[lee_yl]

mum_sugoku:

No idea why.. but even if I find the price attractive, a 4-figure monthly maintenance fee will instantly kill my interest!! :scared:

Plus I too, prefer pure landed to strata landed.

Oh gosh, you reminded me again of the high monthly maintenance fees.

To be fair, not all cluster housing charges sky-high monthly maintenance fees. I went to see another 2 cluster housing projects (new developments) and their monthly maintenance fees are not that high, one is $400 & the other $600.

A friend asked me to consider carefully as $1.1k may be affordable now but after my DH retires, it can be very taxing for retirees.

But even for landed, also need to set aside money for periodic maintenance, repainting etc.

[Coolkidsrock2]

lee_yl:

mum_sugoku:

No idea why.. but even if I find the price attractive, a 4-figure monthly maintenance fee will instantly kill my interest!! :scared:

Plus I too, prefer pure landed to strata landed.

Oh gosh, you reminded me again of the high monthly maintenance fees.

To be fair, not all cluster housing charges sky-high monthly maintenance fees. I went to see another 2 cluster housing projects (new developments) and their monthly maintenance fees are not that high, one is $400 & the other $600.

A friend asked me to consider carefully as $1.1k may be affordable now but after my DH retires, it can be very taxing for retirees.

But even for landed, also need to set aside money for periodic maintenance, repainting etc.

Will likely need a helper if living in landed. But the space is nice, especially if one entertains a lot.

Have seen some condominiums above 3,000sf (non-penthouse so it is all useable space rather than air-space) and is an option as well. Cuts down on some of the maintenance work that is required. I don't want to be painting or jet washing here and there of the exterior every Lunar New Year.

My kids are older now and hardly at home. Not sure if I need a bigger space anymore. In fact, I have spare storage now as I have given away all their toys and things that they have out-grown.

[sleepy]

Coolkidsrock2:

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My kids are older now and hardly at home. Not sure if I need a bigger space anymore. In fact, I have spare storage now as I have given away all their toys and things that they have out-grown.

dd1 told me after consideration, she decided she will leech on to me :rotflmao: because she doesn't think she can afford to be a property owner in the future. She told me to get a big house

[Coolkidsrock2]

sleepy:

Coolkidsrock2:

[q

My kids are older now and hardly at home. Not sure if I need a bigger space anymore. In fact, I have spare storage now as I have given away all their toys and things that they have out-grown.

dd1 told me after consideration, she decided she will leech on to me :rotflmao: because she doesn't think she can afford to be a property owner in the future. She told me to get a big house

I wanted to send them to boarding school but they don't not want. DS actually cried over it.

[lee_yl]

Coolkidsrock2:

Will likely need a helper if living in landed. But the space is nice, especially if one entertains a lot.

Have seen some condominiums above 3,000sf (non-penthouse so it is all useable space rather than air-space) and is an option as well. Cuts down on some of the maintenance work that is required. I don't want to be painting or jet washing here and there of the exterior every Lunar New Year.

My kids are older now and hardly at home. Not sure if I need a bigger space anymore. In fact, I have spare storage now as I have given away all their toys and things that they have out-grown.

Thanks coolKidsrock2,

Honestly, my DH does not like the idea of us getting a landed bcos he is someone who dreads even when asked to change a light bulb. :faint:

He prefers a condo with MCST taking care of everything. Thanks for the timely reminder, that's a very good point because it never crossed my mind that I need to jet wash here & there (incl exterior) before CNY. Now I understand what my DH has been trying to tell me.

Oh ya, i have seen one, Tan Tong Meng Tower, each apartment is over 3000sqf in a single level, quite scary if I'm alone at home plus hearsay building is haunted.

[Nebbermind]

lee_yl:

Oh ya, i have seen one, Tan Tong Meng Tower, each apartment is over 3000sqf in a single level, quite scary if I'm alone at home plus hearsay building is haunted.

Wait! Then you are no longer alone!

[Funz]

Maintenance + facilities were the reason why we chose condo over landed when we were house hunting before we got our current place. When kids are young, having a pool and easy access to playgrounds is a huge convenience.


DH wanted landed but I insisted on condo. Told him maintenance for landed will be tedious. On top of that, he travels so often, leaving me and the kids alone most of the time. So living in a secured estate is safer.

[doodbug]

Every family has its own considerations and needs at different stages of family life. We lived in HDB, leasehold condo and small landed before. For us we found that we hardly ever used the condo facilities. What we appreciate about the HDB flat is the covered sheltered walkways to busstops though there was no security. We like the peace and quiet of landed but it is feasible oy because we have a maid.

[jetsetter]

doodbug:

Thanks Jetsetter. I viewed the showroom at Newest and while the unit is supposed to be 2900 sq ft, after being cut to 4 levels, I found each level very small. The living and dining area felt smaller than the 1st generation of HDB EMs.


Then I viewed a few completed units at the 3000 to 4000 sq ft size range without internal lifts. We found the stairs very steep and unsuitable for older folks or very young children. One plus point is that there is a lot of privacy and separation for a maid as she would presumably be at the basement level at night.

Probably they were formerly large bungalows owned by the wealthy and after the descendants sold them to developers (or some leased for 99 or 103 or 999 yrs), the developer had to squeeze in as many units as possible.

Most of those in D9, D10 will be very cramped, and most cluster houses face the communal pool to maximise the land. They don't have the \"landed feel\" so to speak. A lot of townhouses, 4-storey walk-up or ground-floor condos with patios built in the 80s-90s are also facing swimming pools, so there's not much diff in terms of lifestyle and style! Look at Estrivillas, Hillcrest, D'Manor and a couple of others.



So far, I only saw one that truly gave one the illusion of a terraced/semi-D/D landed, and that's located in the heartlands - Luxus Hills (all phases from 1-8). I viewed that about 9 yrs ago when I was house-hunting....There is a conventional dual lane in front of your gate/private car porch + garden. No need to enter from the basement thru your home lift. So fengshui-wise, it's still acceptable and there's plenty of privacy as the pool is a distance away.

https://s4.postimg.org/7gzjyza9p/Luxus_Hills_Night_View.jpg\">

IMHO, those with swimming pool facing your living / dining room are not very ideal.

Have you ever stayed in a resort in Bali or Phuket with this sort of layout before? Well, I had a few times and GOSH! I had my colleagues swimming up to my deck/patio facing my bedroom, waving at me with their champagne glass! Can't imagine making out in my living room at night and neighbours' kids swimming to my \"berth\" to spy on me!

https://s12.postimg.org/id1i7pz2l/PPHO_2015743_V550.jpg\">

Why pay so much for this kind of cluster houses? Looks like a large maisonette condo indeed...haha!

https://s13.postimg.org/d288rcsvb/Hillcrest_Villa_Newton_Novena_Singapore.jpg\">

[doodbug]

Hi Jetsetter,


I agree with you. My personal view is cluster house is neither here (like landed) nor there (like condo). Does not have the feel of either as cluster houses lack the privacy and spaciousness and facilitieswise cannot compare with condo. I viewed a few cluster houses in D5.

The cluster houses I like better are the older townhouses without pools.

Ultimately I think the buyer pool for cluster houses is not large as it is a niche market.

That said I do think Gilstead Brooks managed to address the privacy but the steps are really quite steep.