0405Singapore Real Estate, Palm Spring  Houses, Apartments, Condos, Singapore Classifieds, Internet Property Advertisements published by: Asiahomes
Internet

If you want your  young kids to have many friends, this is the condo to be in.



Expats wanting the best deal, contact  Judy@
asiahomes.com or tel: (65) 9668 6468, 254 2728, 254 3326, fax: (65) 256 0501, 4545 843.

Completed: around July 1997.

167 units.
2-bedroom:
88, 99 sq. m

3-bedroom:
138 -147 sq. m. Dining areas may fit only small dining tables for four.

4-bedroom:
168 - 248 sq. m
Rentals in April 2001 are around $6,000 - $7,000 for the 168 sq. m apartments and $8,800 for the biggest units.

Penthouse: 272 - 278 sq. m.  Asking rent is $12,000.

Rent:
As at April 2001, 4-bedroom units are asking $6,000 - $7,000 rent and 3-bedroom units are asking around $5,000..

Living/dining - marble tiles. Bedrooms - parquet.

Facilities: Barbecue area away from the pool near the children's playground, covered car park, gym, jogging track of soft padded rubber flooring.   Fitness area. Big waterfall pool at basement adds a resort ambience.

Advantages:

Quiet, low rise resort ambience, full condo facilities. 


High quality finishes of the master bathroom impress Caucasian tenants.  Jacuzzi long bath, hair dryer, marble tiled floor and wall, shower stall (left, not visible). CLICK thumbnail to see bigger image.

A 5-min drive to downtown Orchard Road, 10 -min drive to the new French school at Ang Mo Kio and other international schools.

Large number of young Caucasian children. Some expats feel that a car is essential as the location is a 10-min walk away from the main Bukit Timah or Stevens Road.

On site management

Small balconies. 4 stories in most blocks but 10 stories in Blk 18 facing pool.

Low rise and low density. Cream coloured marble flooring.

Sauna, squash court, Big swimming pool, children's pool,


Big pool & balconies are assets favoured by Caucasian tenants. Blk 18 is on left.   CLICK thumbnail to see bigger image.

One tennis court, 24-hour security system. Panic buttons in master bedroom & kitchen. Audio visual intercom.  

Investors to note: These freehold condos are a 10-minute walk from the main road.   Yet they are in great demand by Caucasian families owing to its good location,   landscaped grounds, low rise and low density, sprawling ground with balcony concept.  Some features are found in the newer 99-year leasehold Duchess Crest condos and they do attract a very high percentage of Caucasian families with young kids. 

Ground floor are rented out within a week or two.

Disadvantages:

You may need to walk 10 minutes to the main Bukit Timah Road. There are buses going to Orchard Road or Suntec City, but you are not living near a subway.

Taxis are available as this location is close to the Newton area and Stevens Road, leading to Orchard Road.

Kitchen is dark for some units due to insufficient natural lighting and lack of windows. 

Built-up area with other condos close by. 

Very small dining area in some 3-bedroom units, sufficient to install a dining table for four.


3-bedroom with very small dining area (left lower edge of image).
CLICK thumbnail to see bigger image.

A bigger table will obstruct the entry into the passage to the bedrooms (left of image).   The main door is at the bottom of the image.  Unblocked city views from Blk 18A high floor. Asking rent is $5,000. Email judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +9668 6468 now.

"I like the 40-year old Filipino maid" said the Asian-American wife who felt the urgent need to get a maid. The new Woodlands house gets dusty every day despite the closed doors and she needs mopping daily to remove the dust. Woodland housing near the American School still has a lot of construction of new lots and dust is to be expected.

However, she was informed that the maid had to be sent home first by the British couple (since the pregnant wife had decided) and then come back again.

The maid's salary has been S$450/month, every Sunday and public holidays (around 10) being her off-days. She would have to resign as she could not cope with the moods of the new mum and was prepared to take $400.

Later in the evening she phoned and said that if she had to entertain guests, the maid would not be around and changed her mind!

Singaporean employers pay around S$320 for a new Filipino maid, inexperienced permitting 2 Sundays off per month.

Some Caucasian employers have generous pay and off days and maids do not work after 5 p.m. There are Caucasians who adopt the local practices too.

The cost of an inexperienced Filipino maid:
salary: S$300 or S$320 (2 Sundays off).
Government levy: S$350 (approximate).

Monthly cost to employer excluding agency fee, food, accommodation and air-fare home at the end of 2-year contract is from S$650.

What does the Agency fee cover?

Follow-up services for the new maid.

Work permit application service.

Insurance which should cover:

Government's guarantee $5,000 (forfeited if the maid becomes pregnant or is not repatriated - some maids run away).
Personal accident of $10,000.
Medical expenses of $2,000.
Repatriation expenses of $10,000
Hospital & surgical expenses of $5,000.
Wage compensation of $30/day (max. 30 days).
Termination expenses of $300.

Why are some agency fees payable by the Employer lower than others?
Much depends on the creative ways to lowering cost to the employer. 2 examples are given as follows:

Example 1.

Agent in Philippines charges $400 and get another 6 months' salary from the maid when she works in Singapore. Total charges paid by the maid amount to around S$2,200.

Singapore agent charges $1,400 (no other hidden cost) to employer.

Example 2.

Employer pays a total of $1,600 to agent and recover $600 from maid's 2 months' salary.

Agent in Singapore charges maid $300.

The maid saves as much as $2,200 less $600, a hefty savings of $1,600 but the net cost to the employer (if the maid stays at least 2 months) will be $1,000.

There are various formulae. Just be cautious and get a good agent.