Part I. 9401
Condo/Conservation shophouse
updates.
Maplewoods & Conservation Shophomes
Part II.
Case study: Networking with expats. Are Indian,
Chinese & Indonesian nationals more
"difficult" clients?
PART
I. Condo/Conservation shophome updates:
House-hunting list for Realtor Christine from Realtor
David for Saturday October 9, 1999. German family with
one 2-year old wants 3+1, >1500sf, Maplewoods.
Update on Conservation shophomes for a young banker with
budget of $9,000. Wants space >2000sf, high ceiling,
loft preferred. A unique modern house or apartment.
The
following are available for rent:
Condos are Casa Esperanza (next to Maplewoods) and
Maplewoods:
1. 2 pm Casa Esperanza
3+1 1850sf $4800, Blk 995, 6th floor.
Another unit 3+1 2000sf $5000.
2. 2.30pm Maplewoods
Felicium Ct #05-11 4+1 1800sf $5000.
Meet agent Ms Tan.
3. 2.45pm Maplewoods
Chempaka ground floor, 3+1 1600sf $5000
4. 3 pm Maplewoods 3+1
1500sf $3500 Chempaka lobby to meet agent Michelle.
5. 3.30 pm Maplewoods
3+1 1496sf $4,000 pool view. Meet Agent Joane at Bauhinia
lobby. Not facing main road.
6.
Maplewoods with a big roof terrace 3+1 1500sf
asking $5,500 Felicium Court. Available on
November 15, 1999. The terrace is used as a place for
BBQ. Facing Bt Timah Hills. Call Asia USA Realty +65 9668
6468.
7.
Maplewoods Bauhinia 2nd floor facing the main Bukit Timah
Road. Owner getting fed up of expats viewing and then not
considering this unit. It is renting cheap if you don't
mind the noise.
8. Maplewoods Penthouse 4+1 2995sf $8500. Pool view. Call
Asia USA Realty +65 9668 6468.
Maplewoods has
full condo facilities and even has a mini-mart. A
caucasian enclave. Extremely popular with Germans, Dutch
and other Caucasians.  Owing
to high occupancy, many rent units facing a stalled
construction of a condo on one side and fronting the main
Bukit Timah Road.
Click
on thumbnail to view bigger image.
In the Saraca and Bauhinia blocks, sound proofing of the
living room's sliding doors reduce the traffic noise from
the Bukit Timah Road but the bedroom facing the busy road
does not have such double-glazed windows! Some units of
the Felicium block faces construction and expats have
been known to include an escape "construction
commencement" clause in the tenancy agreement in
case construction begins. Penthouses are very popular and
rent around $9000.
985-993 Bukit Timah Road. 697 units. 2 years old.
2-bedroom 79-99 sm.
3-bedroom 106-143sm.
4-bedroom 165-176sm.
Penthouse 4+1 or 3+2 237-283sm.
Pool, wading pool, gym, tennis court, squash court,
covered car park, 24-hour security, basement car parking,
mini-mart, playground, sauna, putting green, BBQ area,
fitness area, audio-visual intercom.
Express downtown bus goes into condo. 5-minute drive to
the German, Dutch & Australian schools. Around
10-minute drive to theCanadian, Japanese, United World
College and Tanglin Trust. 15-minute drive to downtown
Orchard Road.
Some Caucasians dislike the high rise high density crowed
swimming pool of the Maplewoods. If you are one of them
or if you wish to rent Maplewoods condo,
tel: +65 9668 6468, 254 2728, 254
3326
email: judy@asiahomes.com
fax: +65 256 0501, 4545 843.
CONSERVATION
SHOPHOME
UPDATE AS AT OCTOBER 10, 1999.
1. Conservation shophomes vary in quality. Most popular
ones will be the Emerald Hill conservation shophouses  which are within a 5-minute walk to the
Somerset subway and Orchard Road. One or two units are
available for rent. One of the units in the image was
rented to an oil executive for $20,000! Click on image to view
bigger image.
Owners do get $10,000 - $15,000 rent for remodelled units
as there is sufficient demand from expats who want to
experience nostalgia an history in a great downtown
location. No condo facilities obviously and no privacy.
Orchard Road, Somerset subway and the Chatsworth
International School is a 2-minute walk to the right.
Surprising quiet during daytime as the area is off-limits
to outside traffic and there are more convenient parking
lots at the Orchard malls!.
2. Some of the Cairnhill Road
conservation shophouses are quite pretty  but some are really run down. See image
on right. They have a loft or attic room with skylight. Click on image to view
bigger image.
One or two units are available for rent from $10,000.
Some owners have divided the house into 2 parts for 2
tenants or 3 parts for 3 tenants but this is not common.
Email judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65
9668 6468
3. The ones in Chinatown area within walking distance to
the Outram subway are in demand. They are located at Everton,
Blair, Neil and Spottiswood Park Roads. One or
two in this area may have wall cracks. Do be careful in
the selection. A handful of units are available for rent.
4. One Peranakan shophome in Petain Road
has great appeal to Caucasians. 5-bedroom, 4500sq. ft
built-in area.
This renovated unit with metallic mesh staircase has a
unique one-of-a-kind appeal to Caucasian bankers. This is
for rent at $7500. Petain Road is north and a 10-minute
drive to downtown. It is not near any subway.
Email
judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65
9668 6468
5. Kim Yam Road. One big shophouse is
available for rent at $13,000. 5-minute walk to Clarke
Quay and the Singapore River. This waterfront al-fresco
cafe area has great appeal for Caucasians despite
on-going construction activities and worries about house
security. Unit available in December 1999.
Email
judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65
9668 6468
The four remodelled 2 bedroom models renting at $6000
have been snapped up over the past 12 months.
Tel: Asia USA +65 9668 6468, email judy@asiahomes.com for the latest
update.
6. Makepeace Road. A recently
re-modelled wood board flooring. 3-level with one loft.  Around 10-minute walk to the Newton
subway. Fully air conditioned and enclosed air well.
Asking rent is $10,000. Brand new. Fully air conditioned
and all wood flooring. Large roof terrace. The air well
has 2 plantar boxes (see image of air well and roof
terrace below). Unit available in November.
Email
judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65
9668 6468
7. Bugis Street's one bedroom with loft
and other areas rent from $2,500 but usually there is no
vacancy. Others are at Liang Seah Street, Mohd Sultan
Ismail Road, Spottiswood Park Road. Communal kitchen or
you have a kitchenette.
BASIC LAYOUT.
Narrow width around 20-foot wide. 2 or 3-storeys. Less
than 3 years old if remodelled.
Usually there is no car parking lot in the Chinatown
shophomes. The Cairnhill ones may have one lot at the
back. Emerald Hill ones have public car parking nearby.
Small garden or patio. Living area goes to  dining area and then the back with
kitchen, bathroom and store room or maid's room. The
living area may be ceramic tiled with old type or just
plain modern type seen in condos, (as in the image on
left, unit is for rent) or wooden
floored. There may be a patio or small garden outside the
living area.
Email judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65
9668 6468
Level 2
may have 2 or 3 bedrooms, usually with wooden strips
although some may have parquet flooring common in new
condos.  Owners are proud of the
"original" wooden strips which are replicas of
those in the old days. Bathrooms are modern and so are
air conditioners. Click on image to view bigger image of
wooden floor strips.
The area near the air well between the front and the back
rooms may have a long bath with open windows at the side.
It can be a family area or part of the study room
connected to the master bedroom.
Level 3, if available may have attic room and high loft
with an attached bath and skylight to appreciate the
stars with the other signifcant ones.
May have 2 bedrooms. One in Joo Chiat Road has a lounge
pool at the back area.
A roof terrace may be present. A jacuzzi bath for those  who love to bathe in the public view.
Large entertainment area for those who love barbecues and
impress friends and associates. This Makepeace unit is
available for rent at $11,000.
Email
judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65
9668 6468.
The air well may be enclosed or open. If open, the living
and dining areas are usually cooled by fans. If enclosed,
the whole areas are air condtioned. Most homes have a
plantar box  in the air well area (see image on left).
Click
on
image to view bigger image.
More expensive ones have water globe fountain. Very few
have a koi pond. Unit available for rent. Email judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65
9668 6468
Renovation cost usually exceed S$1 million. Rent in the
Emerald Hill ones are $15,000 - $20,000 per month for the
upscale units.
Of all the conservation shophomes and Balinese-style
house I have had seen, I like one at Everton Road. The
front faces Everton Road. On entering, the living area is
separated from the dining area by a display partition.
Ventilation is provided by the air from the open air well
as the living and dining areas are fan-cooled, not air
conditioned.
Asfrom the living to the dining area, there are a few
steps on the side to access the kitchen and backyard.
At this side, cascading water flows down the steps into a
good-sized koi pond which is the floor of the air well.
Bright daylight and air comes into this area.
The nostalgic ambience of the wooden floor strips, the
historical past romances you while gently flowing waters
and the orange koi fishes calms you after a hard day's
work.
The koi fishes will swim to one corner to avoid you as
you are a stranger but for the Tenant, they look forward
to meeting you.
You could talk to them about your problems and they will
listen without interruptions. Koi lovers are known to do
so. Sound crazy talking to fishes?
But this unit excited our American single who had seen
the whole of Singapore shophomes with Realtor Christine
and I. It was rented at $10,000.
This was one case of good timing and good co-broking. You
win some cases, you lose some (see case study below).
Other reports, visit:
http://www.asiahomes.com/singaporehouses/index.htm
Email david@asiahomes.com if you want to
view. Tel: +65 9668 6468. Fax: 256 0501.
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