Monday, December 10, 2007

Sentosa Cove: For sea views away from the city

WATERFRONT living has become the trendiest lifestyle choice in Singapore and Sentosa Cove is one area to lap it up.

But those who are keen to get a property there will have to be prepared to pay a lot more as values in the 99-year leasehold gated residential enclave have shot up considerably.

If that is not an issue, there are still a few condominiums left on the island to look out for. Next month, the Lippo group aims to push out its 124-unit Marina Collection, with homes that sources say could be priced from $2,600 per sq ft (psf).

The showflat for the condominium - each unit will come with a complimentary marina club membership - is ready.

City Developments also has a 228-unit condominium coming up. If you can wait a little longer, luxury developer SC Global Developments - which won a site for a record $1,799 psf of potential gross floor area - will build a condominium right in front of Tanjong Beach.

And Ho Bee Investment and IOI Group will jointly launch a 151-unit condominium that has sea views.

Sentosa Cove has one last condominium site up for tender on Dec 12 - for which consultants have projected bids of at least $2,000 psf, putting the expected sale price to house-hunters at $3,200 psf and up.

It also recently put up its last four bungalow plots for sale. Such plots - for those who prefer to design their own homes - now cost up to five times more than they did in 2003.

When land sales started at Sentosa Cove back in 2003, at a time when the property market was in a trough, the enclave's master developer could not even award all the sites it had put up for sale.

The reason: Tender bids were below its expectations.

Those that it eventually sold in its maiden tender were priced just at $302 psf for seafront plots.

Ho Bee paid just $351 psf of potential gross floor area for the first condominium plot in Sentosa Cove and subsequently launched it in late 2004 at $785 psf on average.

Today, units in The Berth by the Cove have been sold for up to $1,790 psf on the resale market.

Source : Sunday Times -18 Nov 2007

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