shoeboxmickeymousehouse

2009 nov 27 Ku Swee Yong ‘Shoebox’ apartments are selling well because few investors know what these units look like physically. Few of us have friends and relatives who live in such units. Fewer have lived in apartments of less than 500 sq ft. http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20101126/2611PPP070.pdf

I'm enticed by Mickey Mouse flat race By Sylvia Toh Paik Choo IN THE real Chinatown of old, multiple families lived elbow-to-elbow in cubicled quarters upstairs of shophouses. A family of nine, parents and seven children, would hunker down in cramped spaces the size of your maid's room today. Cockroaches and mice were part of the decor. All the tenants shared one bathroom and toilet in the 'kungsi fong'(communal housing). Those living conditions were by circumstance, never choice. So the recent news about under-300 sq ft apartment dwellings selling like hot kueh did add a furrow to my already raised eyebrow. To want to go from mice-infested to Mickey Mouse flats (as they have been dubbed). Nostalgia for a long lost past? (Won't the mice be hunchbacked?) Or is this lately considered another form of upgrading? Investment, not liveability, a savvy wag informed me. But why invest in a home that may be bigger than a breadbox but smaller than a broom closet? As...

‘URA and HDB should study this trend and its implications for the floor areas of future HDB and private flats.’ MR LOO FOOK KAY: ‘The growing trend of shoebox apartments is the result of growth of income lagging behind the growth of assets like real estate (‘Buyers pounce on ‘mickey mouse’ flats‘, Sunday). URA and HDB should study this trend and its implications for the floor areas of future HDB and private flats. In my opinion, shoebox apartments are a sign of prosperity plus inflation in real estate prices. Other shoebox cities like Hong Kong and Tokyo are all prosperous.’ Source : Straits Times – 23 Oct 2009

Buyers pounce on 'mickey mouse' flats By Joyce Teo, Property Correspondent What do you call an area equivalent to 2-1/2 carpark lots? An apartment, covering 258 sq ft. Such units were among apartments of various sizes put up for sale at the Suites@Guillemard project in Guillemard recently. The cost of the small unit? $374,000 or $1,450 psf - and all four such units were snapped up. They might well be Singapore's smallest private apartments, beating out a 312 sq ft unit at Kent Residences near Farrer Park, which made the news in June last year. Indeed, buyers are seeing more so-called 'mickey mouse' or 'shoebox' flats - which are below 500 sq ft - on the market. The trend took off late last year. So far this year, nearly 500 'mickey mouse' units have been sold, up from 299 last year and 275 in 2007. Recent launches with units under 500 sq ft include The Lenox along Changi Road. Upcoming launches include the 40-unit City Loft in Race Cour...

http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/property-management-news/2009/10/26575/home-buyers-prefer-mickey-mouse-flats The project Suites@Guillemard recently put up a sale of apartments of different sizes, which included units covering 258 square feet and an area equivalent to 21/2 car park lots. Offered units were priced at $1,450 per square foot or $374,000. These are the smallest private apartments in Singapore, which shelled out a 312 square feet unit at Kent Residences. It seems that home buyers are seeking for more so-called 'shoebox' or 'mickey mouse' flats in the market. Such flats cover an area of below 500 square feet. The trend set forth in the latter part of the previous year. To date, almost 500 'mickey mouse' flats have been sold, a growth from last year’s 299 units and 2007’s 275 units sold. The Lenox project down Changi Road was one of the recent launches with an area covering below 500 square feet. Future launches include City Loft located at Ra...

http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/property-management-news/2009/10/26430/-shoebox-apartments-might-drop-under-ura In Singapore, the newest type of ‘shoebox’ flats may have captivated the property enthusiasts’ thoughts; however they are not anticipated to intrude the housing landscape. Some of them may not even have the approval of the planning authority, if latest conclusions are anything to go by. Recently, Singapore's smallest apartment unit, at 258 sq ft, was placed on the market at the Suites@Guillemard project. Since then, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has rejected some applications regarding flats, which are below 300 sq ft or 28 sq m. Aside from the size, another factor may also have been the layout of the proposed micro units. For example, if a flat does not effectively render for a kitchen, it may appear like a hotel room instead a residential development. URA claimed that it does not specify that a housing development should cover a certain mix of unit sizes ...

Always a way to do up a micro unit By Kalapana Rashiwala 'A LOT of people don't understand that you can still make a small apartment feel comfortable if you do not put in the wrong things. Space planning to me is the most important part of interior design; it is not about decoration first,' says William Ong, executive chairman of Axis ID. Micro apartments and shoebox units have gained currency in the past year or so as some developers have shrunk apartment sizes to keep lumpsum unit prices within reach of lower-budget investors. However, there has been concern about the challenges that buyers will face in fitting out their units when they take possession of their properties. Mr Ong argues that while such units are small, they can still be practical and liveable if designed and laid out correctly. And one can always count on some clever interior design tricks to help make them appear bigger than they are. 'In terms of space, you have to first see the space; then se...