ST : Bargain landed homes for under $1m
Aug 20, 2006
It's possible to get new leasehold houses in non-prime areas for less money than luxury condos
By Fiona Chan
MANY Singaporeans aspire to live in spacious landed property, but such homes are often seen as pricey and unattainable.
However, property agents say that if you know where to look, it is not hard to find a terrace, semi-detached or even detached house going for the price of a new condominium unit.
If you have $1 million to spend, you may want to forgo that tiny Orchard Road studio for a new 99-year leasehold terrace in popular residential areas such as Serangoon Gardens or Yishun.
A 1,743 sq ft inter terrace at Chuan Green in Lorong Chuan was sold for $1 million in June, while further north a 3,433 sq ft terrace at Allgreen Properties' The Shaughnessy in Miltonia Close off Yishun Avenue 1 went for a mere $830,000.
Freehold and 999-year leasehold houses are also available for under $1 million, but these tend to be older properties, said Mr Steven Tan, executive director of the residential division at property agency OrangeTee.
He noted that there are landed freehold homes in Districts 15 and 16 in the East Coast area going for as little as $650,000 - less than the price of a new 1,000 sq ft condo in the same area, in recently launched freehold projects such as One Amber and MCL Land's The Esta.
And if you do not mind a 99-year leasehold property that is more than 50 years old, you can even land a detached house in Upper Bukit Timah - a 5,371 sq ft home with 40 years left on its lease went for only $500,000 in June, said Mr Tan.
However, he added that a more extensive search can also throw up some new freehold bargains, such as Le Royce @ Leith Park in Yio Chu Kang, where a 3,509 sq ft terrace fetched $1 million in June.
On a per sq ft (psf) basis, landed homes are definitely a better bargain than condo units, said Mr Eric Cheng, senior division director of PropNex.
In Districts 19 and 20, which include Serangoon Gardens, Thomson and Ang Mo Kio, older single-storey terrace or semi-detached homes are about $350 psf on average, which means you can get a 2,800 sq ft house for under $1 million in these areas, he said.
This compares with more than $600 psf for the nearby freehold Le Crescendo in Paya Lebar Road, which was launched in June 2002.
But landed property bargains come with their own set of caveats, said property agents.
'When you buy a landed property, you shouldn't just look at land size and the cost per sq ft, because the condition of the house is also very important,' said Mr Tan of OrangeTee.
Buyers may have to incur refurbishment costs of up to a few hundred thousand dollars, bringing the total price to above $1 million.
PropNex's Mr Cheng added that some older homes have outdated designs that leave out modern conveniences such as attached bathrooms.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Emergency exercises held at Serangoon Garden, Bedok North
By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 15 January 2006 1859 hrs
SINGAPORE : Hundreds of residents and volunteers took up their respective positions in a emergency exercises at Serangoon Garden and Bedok North on Sunday.
A simulated car bomb exploded outside Chomp Chomp hawker centre at Serangoon Gardens around 11am, followed by another blast metres away.
That was the cue for the police and rescue workers to swing into action.
Some 120 grassroots leaders from the Constituency Emergency Response Team were also activated to help with casualty evacuation.
They have been trained to provide first aid and basic fire-fighting skills during emergencies.
About 13,000 shops and residential units around the area had been notified in advance of the largest emergency exercise of its kind in Serangoon district.
Almost all the roads leading to Serangoon Garden Circus were closed for over two hours to faciliiate the execution of the exercise.
It was an eye-opener for many residents but some felt the exercise could have been more realistic.
Said resident Tracy Ooi, "Don't let us know so early, don't let us be prepared; maybe like just get a normal crowd on a Sunday afternoon, maybe a few minutes before it happens."
Another resident, Yeo Yee Peng, said, "If it's a real thing, there'll be a lot of cars. At the same time I don't think the police will come here in five minutes; it's just a rehearsal. As a rehearsal it's good but in a real situation, it'll be more chaotic than this."
To minimise chaos during a crisis, the constituency also launched the Temporary Assembly Areas where residents could gather.
The aim of the whole exercise was to test the readiness of the volunteers and raise awareness.
Said Lim Hwee Hua, MP for Marine Parade GRC, "I want to bring it down to a local level, so that the ones who are not normally reached by news, or who don't follow news can actually see it visually and start asking questions like can this happen here and what do I do if something like this happens."
Over in Bedok North, a suspicious package blew up in the neighbourhood during an emergency drill.
Residents saw how the Civil Defence Force conducted its decontamination and rescue operation.
These are among several exercises which took place over the past week.
But will such drills lull people into a false sense of security?
Said George Yeo, Foreign Affairs Minister and MP for Aljunied GRC, "They know this is playacting, but they will learn, they will see what are the things that will happen; they will see the kind of assistance that will be forthcoming. I think mentally this will help people. A real situation will never be the same as the one you exercise."
As part of the emergency evacuation procedure, new assembly point signs will be placed at lift landings and staircases at HDB blocks in Aljunied GRC to direct residents to safety.
A total of 150,000 residents will benefit from the GRC-wide project.
Separately, 1,500 volunteers from the North East District will also be sent for training in basic life saving skills. - CNA /ct
SINGAPORE : Hundreds of residents and volunteers took up their respective positions in a emergency exercises at Serangoon Garden and Bedok North on Sunday.
A simulated car bomb exploded outside Chomp Chomp hawker centre at Serangoon Gardens around 11am, followed by another blast metres away.
That was the cue for the police and rescue workers to swing into action.
Some 120 grassroots leaders from the Constituency Emergency Response Team were also activated to help with casualty evacuation.
They have been trained to provide first aid and basic fire-fighting skills during emergencies.
About 13,000 shops and residential units around the area had been notified in advance of the largest emergency exercise of its kind in Serangoon district.
Almost all the roads leading to Serangoon Garden Circus were closed for over two hours to faciliiate the execution of the exercise.
It was an eye-opener for many residents but some felt the exercise could have been more realistic.
Said resident Tracy Ooi, "Don't let us know so early, don't let us be prepared; maybe like just get a normal crowd on a Sunday afternoon, maybe a few minutes before it happens."
Another resident, Yeo Yee Peng, said, "If it's a real thing, there'll be a lot of cars. At the same time I don't think the police will come here in five minutes; it's just a rehearsal. As a rehearsal it's good but in a real situation, it'll be more chaotic than this."
To minimise chaos during a crisis, the constituency also launched the Temporary Assembly Areas where residents could gather.
The aim of the whole exercise was to test the readiness of the volunteers and raise awareness.
Said Lim Hwee Hua, MP for Marine Parade GRC, "I want to bring it down to a local level, so that the ones who are not normally reached by news, or who don't follow news can actually see it visually and start asking questions like can this happen here and what do I do if something like this happens."
Over in Bedok North, a suspicious package blew up in the neighbourhood during an emergency drill.
Residents saw how the Civil Defence Force conducted its decontamination and rescue operation.
These are among several exercises which took place over the past week.
But will such drills lull people into a false sense of security?
Said George Yeo, Foreign Affairs Minister and MP for Aljunied GRC, "They know this is playacting, but they will learn, they will see what are the things that will happen; they will see the kind of assistance that will be forthcoming. I think mentally this will help people. A real situation will never be the same as the one you exercise."
As part of the emergency evacuation procedure, new assembly point signs will be placed at lift landings and staircases at HDB blocks in Aljunied GRC to direct residents to safety.
A total of 150,000 residents will benefit from the GRC-wide project.
Separately, 1,500 volunteers from the North East District will also be sent for training in basic life saving skills. - CNA /ct
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