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semi-detached. Focus:  We get for you affordable Singapore homes.  Rent or Investment.

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Asia USA Realty (Singapore) asiahomes.com Pte Ltd  
Estate Agents Licence No. L3007306B      22 Mar 2011   
Focus:  We get for you affordable Singapore homes
Rent or Investment
1. ASPEN HEIGHTS
Downtown Singapore
 
  606 units. 261/ 263 River Valley Road. Completed: 1998. Tenure:  999 years.

2-bedroom: 82 - 105 sq. m.
3-bedroom: 122 - 142 sq. m.
4-bedroom: 146 - 149 sq. m.
Penthouse:  250 - 292 sq. m. One level and 2-level maisonettes. A balcony off the living and master bedroom.
 
Aspen Hts has full condo facilities, new. "City within a city" complaint by some expats. Singapore Nassim Wood ground floor 3-bedroom is in great demand.
Aspen Heights is located near Mohamed Sultan pubs, supermarkets, Robertson and Clarke Quays food and beverage joints Ground floor units with patios are in great demand for rent by young Caucasian families. 
  Singapore. Aspen Heights, Park Ave Residences, Fraser Place near Mohamed Sultan pubs

Interiors:  The living/dining  has light cream coloured marble tiles. The bedrooms have teak  strips.

The built-in wardrobe has good looking "wooden" doors. The kitchen has Bosch German appliances including oven, microwave.

The maid's room has only sufficient room for a bed.

Facilities:

Swimming and bubble pool, big gym, saunas,
putting green, fitness centre and jogging track, tennis and squash courts, BBQ pit, clubhouse and a
children's playground. A mini-mart, hair dresser and laundromat.

The Aspen Heights' swimming pools are interconnected and fanciful, with statutes and water spouting fountains and the children's pool has some frogs spouting water. 

The large central pool flows into 2 jacuzzi pools and a bubble pool.

The UE Square has a rectangular lap pool, half the Olympic-length and suits swimmers who want to practise for competition.

Tennis courts (one only in UE Square). 

Spacious gym but UE Square has a bigger gym and higher ceiling.

The UE Square has 2 squash courts.  

Playground (small one in UE Square), barbecue area (none in UE Square), jogging track (none in UE Square), 24-hour security system,  covered car park (fees are payable in UE Square) and multi-function room (huge hall in UE Square), sauna. 

Mini-mart, hair dresser, video-rentals are present only in Aspen Heights. 

The well stocked Shop N Save supermarket, Delifrance cafe and retail shops are at the door step of UE Square but Aspen Heights has a mini-mart.

A big courtyard  in UE Square,  referred to as a "garden" next to the swimming pool is a good serene meeting place for  tenants & visitors.

Advantages:
UE Square is 3-minute walk to a big supermarket but it takes around 8-minute walk for Aspen Heights.

Free shuttle service to City Hall subway outside UE Square Office/Shopping Complex, just opposite UE Square Condo. No such service for Aspen Heights residents who can walk to the Somerset subway in around 15 minutes.

Aspen Heights is newer by around 6 months, being completed in 1998.

Aspen Heights looks residential as it has the tiled sloping roofs. One main complaint is that UE Square apartments look like offices while Aspen Heights look like residential homely apartments.  However the  location is great and both condos are usually over 90% occupied at any one time in 2001.

Tall windows and small balconies (a table and 2 chairs) with wrought-iron railings in most units.  A very small percentage of UE Square apartments have balconies.

Windows are tinted green.
Natural stone is used in the common areas around the lift and pool.

Both condos seem to be breezy but Aspen Height's waterfalls on the  driving uphill to the Eastern Block seems to impress the expatriate.  A large number of children and Caucasian and Japanese families can be seen at around 4.30 p.m at Aspen Heights.


Update on Aspen Heights & 18 pictures

Photo: Aspen Heights 2 blocks on a hill top (orange-coloured roofs)

Photo: Office-like UE Square & Aspen Heights building

Aspen Heights - pictures of ground floor units with patios

 

2. UE SQUARE
Downtown Singapore
 
345  units. 205 & 207 River Valley Road.
Completed: 1997. Tenure: 929 years.

Studio: 47-93 sq. m
2-bedroom: 81-115 sq. m
3-bedroom: 120-166 sq. m
4-bedroom: 139 -205 sq. m

aspen.jpg Singapore UE Square 4 bedrooms with balconies
Location of UE Square & Aspen Heights condos UE 4-bedroom 205 sq. ft with balcony floor plan. Only 6 units have balconies


Maisonette:
184 -199 sq. m.

Penthouse:
223, 287 sq. m. 2-level maisonettes with no balcony but huge family area upstairs. Rents from $9,000 - $11,000..

Other features: 
UE Square is within a 15-minute walk by the Singapore River to the financial district (Raffles Place) and 5-minute walk to Clarke Quay where all Caucasians will meet at least one for entertainment and food.

5-minute taxi to Raffles Place. Add 8-15 minutes walk for Aspen Heights to Raffles Place but young people should have no problem.

Around 8-10 minutes to walk to the Dhoby Ghaut Subway for UE Square and slightly longer for Aspen Heights.  Both are not really within walking distance (5-minute walk)  to the subway.

For Aspen Heights, visitors get impressed by the grand entrance which has 2 waterfalls cascading down the fake rock walls.  The uphill winding entry road up the East Block will not fail to give a good impression to visitors.   The West Block has a shorter winding road but no waterfalls.

Disadvantages:
Need to pay around S$110 parking fees by Tenant or Landlord for a UE Square car parking.  Free car parking lot in Aspen Heights.

Both Aspen Heights and UE Square have cable connections. UE Square has it only after July 2000 as the developer did not provide for it.  You will have to confirm with the Landlord as regards cabling connections to the various rooms as not all Landlords will cable every room. In Aspen Heights, all rooms are cabled..

In 2002, the rents for a 4-bedroom 1600 sq. ft  Aspen Heights unit is around $6,000.  3-bedroom rents around $4,500. Those ground floor units with patio rent around $5,000. Much depends on views and negotiations.

Characteristics:

UE Sqare & Aspen Heights condos near Clarke & Roberston Quays.
UE Square is considered an office-like structure with flat roofs and no balconies of majority of units (left of image). 

Aspen Heights (right with reddish roof tiles) have been built on a hill with apartments on a hill terrace.

2 blocks, each with 8 small point blocks from 5 to 17 stories high rising up the slope of the hill and giving the impression that Aspen Heights predominates other developments.  The point blocks form 3 prongs, emanating from a central core of each of the 2 blocks.  Each point block has its own lift and they are linked by covered walkways.  Entrances to the apartments have a circular corridor so that the atrium in the centre brings up the breezes and natural ventilation.

2/3 of the units enjoy views of the city while the rest has pool views. 20 designs from 915 to 3,230 sq. ft.

It has also been considered a hotel and a massive "city within a city" by European expats who don't like high density living.

Beautiful 
UE Square pictures

FOR RENT
0907singapore_flag_gif.gif (9239 bytes)March 22, 2011    For Rent
Almost full occupancy  for both condos since completion. Email judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65 9668 6468 for appointments to view.
TIPS FOR REALTORS

Case Written: July 14, 1998.
Case study:
"Subject to Contract": Closing on the Canadian Giant. This case study is meant to teach new associates of Asia USA Realty.

"I have my professional reputation to take care of, just like you" said co-broking agent Ms P. She had shown the Asia USA client Mr S a high floor 3-bedroom 1,300 sq. ft with balcony and green tree/canal views in the Tanglin Regency Condo, knowing that his budget was $3,500.

Our associate knew the Landlord would not lease it at $3,500 fully furnished and in any event, he had an "offer" of $3,600. After rejection, she wanted to show another similar one.

By not qualifying the Landlord of the first unit, the co-broker and our associate would be wasting the time of both prospective Tenant and Realtors.

Mr S had little time off to house hunt and definitely would not pay more than $3,500 (company contracted rental). He would lose confidence in Asia USA if our associate showed units he could not afford.

Mr S, being a 6.5-foot tall Canadian had a special requirement:
the shower bar in which the shower head can slide up and down was positioned below his head in almost all units except the bigger 3-bedroom and no Owner would risk damaging the marble wall of the bathroom to relocate the shower bar.

Co-broking agents with Owner base need to close quickly as the many Owners lose confidence with time.

However, they need to qualify the Owner as regards the lowest rental acceptable and how much the Landlord wants when renting fully furnished. Ms P was told that the budget was $3,500 and no more; therefore this would rule out Owners who wanted more.  3-bedroom in Tanglin Regency rents from $3,500 to $5,000 (in July 1998).

"You can use the original Letter of Intent to open the utilities account" hurried Ms P when another unit was confirmed for Mr P.

The "Owner" had accepted the good faith deposit on a Letter of Intent "Subject to Contract" but had not signed the Lease Contract.

The starting date would be in 7 days and yet proof of ownership had not been produced by the co-broking agent who forgot about this aspect.  The "Owner" was a foreigner and proof of ownership is even more important as the good faith deposit had been handed to him by Ms P who gave to him.

If he was not bona fide, the $3,500 would be gone and it would be costly to sue for recovery of the deposit as the "Owner" was overseas and had to be served the Summons.

  • Legal meaning of "Subject to Contract". According to the "Law of Contract" by Cheshire Fifoot & Furmston, 11th Edition, pg. 38, the use of the formula "subject to contract" creates a strong presumption that the Landlord and Tenant do not intend an immediately binding contract. This allows the Tenant time to investigate the title and survey the condo.

In the present period of decreasing house rentals, this formula appears unfavourable to the Landlords as the Tenant could refuse to sign the formal contract unless the Landlord would agree to a lower rental.

Recommendations:
In this case, it has been extremely difficult to find a unit for Mr S, due to his shower height requirement and his wish to live only in Tanglin Regency. A 1300- sq. ft unit usually rents more than $4,000 fully furnished and this was the only one available.

The good faith deposit was given to the co-broking agent and she was reminded she would be responsible if it was a scam as she could not produce the proof of ownership in time.

First-time Realtors have to use their own judgment. If you follow the SOP (standard operating procedure), you should verify proof of ownership, then release the good faith deposit with the Letter of Intent.

However, the delay may result in you getting no unit for your client as this unit is a bargain and it is one of the few 3 bedrooms with the shower head position slightly above his head.

A Letter of Intent with "subject to contract" is not a final contract at all.  The prospective Tenant could recover his good faith deposit while the Landlord could rent his place to anybody who forwarded a formal tenancy agreement.  It is best to get the tenancy agreement signed by both parties before proceeding to open the utilities account.

Reference: Tips For Realtors.

If you have any queries, email judy@asiahomes.com, tel: +65 9668 6468, 254 3326.

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Subdivisions (condo & house details) has some of the details of the advertised condos.
Tel: +65 9668-6468, e-mail judy@asiahomes.com for viewings

ŠAsia USA Realty (Singapore) asiahomes.com 
Pte Ltd.  Website:  asiahomes.com
Blk 1002, Toa Payoh Lor 8, #01-1477, Singapore 319074, Republic of Singapore
Estate Agents Licence No. L3007306B
Salesperson Name/Registration No.  Sing Kong Yuen/R030822Z

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