Ong Beng Seng Smokes Peace Pipe; Horizon Tower Owners Get Pep Talk

Source: The Business Times

Well surprise surprise, one of Singapore's most respected hoteliers have passed around the peace pipe to Horizon Tower Owners.

The response would be fragmented at best judging from any of my (or even your) prior experiences with en-bloc. Add to that, most of the owner's staying there are likely you-know-who's and might take abit of getting used to receiving pep talks from another you-know-who.

As always, respect to the man.

Cascadia? Finally some news?

Source: Straits Times

Bukit Timah (D21) has been long slated to be the next 'spillover' area from escalating property prices along with Meyer Rd (D15).

However what the D15 area has achieved recently has only made its luscious green and hilly counterpart turn only more green in envy.

Projects that have been lined up to launch in D21 have been 'delayed' forever. Leaving agents red faced when clients demand they make good on their 'launching this weekend' promises. These projects are: Jardin, Cascadia, Hillcrest, Floridian and unnamed projects along Shelford Rd and Balmoral.

However the latest development was spotted in a one-liner in the Straits Times to conclude the article on a $2.02b bid on a prime site at Marina: "MGPA has been on an active buying spree here. In March, it agreed to buy Temasek Tower from CapitaLand for $1.04 billion. Last month , it also bought 162 units of Allgreen Properties' Cascadia condominium in Bukit Timah for a median price of $1,527 psf, sources said".

Well there you go folks. Finally after all the hush hush from Knight Frank, the exclusive marketing agent, we know whats going on - the cream of Cascadia is probably being made available for tenancy before brochures are even printed.

Now sit back and watch the Maplewoods, Sterling, Blossomvale and gang skyrocket.

Oh it's That Time of the Year Again...

Source: The Business Times

It's been pretty quiet around here lately, especially with that time of the year here again. Some agents I speak to tell me that calls slow down to a trickle. Some even whoop in joy if there is even a response from an ad during this inauspicious month for the local chinese.

Well in conclusion to the figures that The Business Times failed to point out: Speculators and very rich people are one superstitious lot.

Now that it's all over, let the games begin again!

Advance in Nanotechnology Reaches New High; Property Developers Dig New Low

Source: Prophunter

Introducing the Hillcrest Villas (D21): 163 cluster terraces in 256, 486 sqft of land.

Don't be fooled by the seemingly decent landsize. By guesstimation, Condos on plots that size have roughly 20-30 stacks at most and this? A massive 163 stacks packed into a medium-sized parcel of land. Reminds me of the never ending cascades of UDMC Chalets at East Coast Parkway.

Well, one man's meat is another man's poison...furthermore it's only a whisper away from Raffles Girl's Primary School - a prime breeding ground for capable future CEOlettes who might decide not to pack 163 cluster terraces in 256,486 sqft of land.

Thanks Prophunter for your contribution.

'Park Your Own Boat' Strikes Back

By now every agent you knew since you were a kid is probably e-mailing you these super secret site/floorplans of the Turqouise located on Sentosa Island that have 'changes are expected' plastered all over within.

If you aren't part of the inner circle, well you came to the right place. Download the siteplans here for no cost - or any of those 'puhhhleazzeee call me and I will get you first in queue'.

Floorplans and Siteplans aside, I simply love the concept of 'park your own boat'...although I certainly bet those nice boats berthed along the Condo are just for aesthetics. Rumoured to start at a 'comfortable' level of $2500psf

p.s. Yeah i have the floorplans too, but there are far too many floorplans. You can try begging...or trade with me at least one complete set of site/floorplans of another project. I don't care which. i'm just an obsessive compulsive floor/siteplan collector. realgossip@gmail.com

Mandarin Gardens Waltzes to Enbloc Tune

So I have this friend who has a 'couple' of units in Mandarin Gardens and he's been telling me about en-bloc letters finally circulating within.

1000 units and over 1 million sqft of 99yr LH land area on a super-prime spot with full seaview and a shortwalk from some of the best seafood in Singapore. Debacle guaranteed.

Own a Piece of Regal Estate

King's 8. An absolutely lovely address! Enter by King's Rd and Exit by Queen's Rd!

Checked out the showroom and it was so-so at a not so so-so price. Eight 3-storey cluster houses jam packed into a small area behind Crown Centre. A nice distraction for the filthy rich or Chinese PR's who badly want their kids to be enrolled in Nanyang Primary School.