2012 apr 6
What Makes a Mmmm! MM (How to Choose a Good MM)
1. Location, Location, Location
Small doesn't necessarily mean ulu. Although the word UlU when turned upside down = MM,
this is extremely taboo when it comes to an MM in an ulu location. Note that however,
in today's context, when even Punggol new launches are seeing hordes and new PSF highs,
there are still some generally regarded 'ulu' areas to avoid:
- All the 'kangs' except maybe Yio Chu Kang and Hougang.
- Anywhere with nary a HDB in sight within 1km radius (unless you are say talking about
established and expat popular private enclaves like Telok Kurau or West Coast). Why? It
usually means amenities are hard to come by, which brings me to the next point...
- Amenities, nearest, that require more than 5 mins walk - including convenience stores, coffee shops,
eateries, post (drop-off) box, supermarket...(no, shopping mall is _not_ a necessity ok!)
- More than 1 min walk to a bus stop or max 10 mins walk to an MRT
- More than 1 min walk to a main road (god forbid!!! This is Singapore!)
- More than 5 mins walk to a road with readily available cabs (at reasonable times, of course,
not during rush hour peak traffic or heavy downpour)
- Not more than 5-10 mins drive to major expressway entry/exit
Absolute no-nos (may differ depending on your motivation):
- Any spot with any risk of new developments sprouting up in the foreseeable future
- Beside/facing any place of worship (even if you like or convenient for you, your future buyer will not)
- Beside/facing/near cemetary/burial grounds
- Beside/facing longkang that is not very well kept
- Near/at traffic junction
- Cul-de-sac of narrow road
- Beside highway/often or highly jammed roads
- Bad rep areas (seedy Geylang lorongs, certain blue collar FT congregation spots eg Golden Mile,
City Plaza, Joo Chiat Place/Rd (certain stretch), Orchard Rd (yes!)
- Areas with lots of budget hotels
2. Price
In MM, and often 'gently' reminded by agents if you've been actively shopping around,
people don't look at PSF. Instead the word is 'quantum'. That's right. It's the absolute
price you are paying. 323sf at 550k is still considered cheap and reasonable for an MM in
city fringe location even though in PSF it is a staggering 1703psf - now this PSF may get
you a property in River Valley but I'm sure you will be paying millions for it instead of
550k.
So reasonableness comes into play here. 323sf for 550k at city fringe is reasonable. 323sf
for 550k at say, Sembawang, is not. At time of writing, it is safe to expect to pay upwards of
1000psf in untested OCR, 1200-1300psf in tested OCR, 1400-1500 in RCR and popular high demand OCR,
1600-2000psf and beyond for popular RCR and CCR.
Examples:
OCR Untested - Parc Rosewood, Nautical
OCR Tested - Casa Cambio, Presto @ Upper Serangoon, Centra Residence, Guillemard Edge
RCR Untested - err... which RCR is untested???
RCR Tested - Cavan Suites, The Viridian, Farrer Park Suites, Interweave
CCR Untested - is there such a thing??
CCR Tested - Espada, Stevens Suites, Parc Sophia, Loft at Holland
Having said that, please please do not ever pay above 50-100psf over a recently launched project in
a 1-2km radius unless this one has significantly better facilities, layout, reputation blah blah...
3. Layout
In small apartments like MM, space planning becomes even more crucial. Common good practices are:
- No oversized balconies, planters or A/C ledges
- Bathroom with window (rare)
- High ceiling of at least 3.2m (rare, unless so-called 'SOHO' concept popular these days)
- Living room that fits at least 3 seater sofa
- Living room wall-to-wall distance of at least 8 ft
- Master bedroom able to fit at least queen size bed with at least 2-3 ft width of walking space
around the bed
- Dining area can fit at least 2 seater comfortably or compact 4 seater
- No bay windows / odd pillar in corner of unit (common in corner units)
- Double access doors to toilet (from both bedroom and living area) if toilet not in bedroom
- Shower stall of reasonable size to enable a medium sized man to shower without undue restriction in
movement (usually means about 5 x 5 sf cubicle at least)
- Ideally no bomb shelter (rare), but if have, situated near main door away from main living area
(some may prefer it to be in bedroom to convert to walkrobe - personal preference here)
- Ample light is able to stream in to the unit to illuminate at least 80% of it
- Ventilation can happen reasonably with just one window or balcony door open
- Fridge location is at/beside kitchen
- Washer location is up to preference - some like it indoor in toilet, some like it indoor at the
kitchen area, some like outdoor at corner of balcony
- Last but not least, regular shaped with no odd corners or wasted slanted/curved areas
4. Finishing and Fixtures
- Ample power and lighting points (for power, at least two at TV wall, one beside sofa, one at dining,
two at kitchen, one each on either side of bed in bedroom, two at TV wall of bedroom...)
- Thick sound-proof casement windows and balcony doors (Fragrance and WCL de facto here), sliding windows
although allows building facade to look neater, it doesn't allow maximum ventilation, besides, how often
do you stand outside the building to admire the facade?
- Kitchen with both top and bottom shelving plus cooker hob and hood. Ideally stainless steel basin as
more durable, and comes with built-in microwave/oven. The top shelving should include a dish holder, strainer.
- Anti-slam/slow closing for all cabinetry
- Taps, WC, shower fixtures of good brands like Grohe (Hansgrohe is more upclass but less durable), Toto,
Duravit...
- Built-in fridge and washer/dryer is best, as they would have cabinetry to hide/conceal
- Aircon is positioned correctly (not some nook or cranny or awkward spot) and ensures whole apartment is
covered by the air streams
- Marble or compressed marble living flooring, good quality timber strips for bedroom, granite tiles for
bathroom (no homogenous or ceramic as it is too slippery and hazardous!)
- Skirting of matching material
- Good quality lockset (VBH equivalent or better)
- Power switches are wheelchair friendly at the recommended height
- Needless to say, but included for completeness, warranty on all appliances given
- Open-net ready
5. Facing
Now, this can be subjective, and challenging in smaller/tighter projects, but generally the below is favourable:
- Unblocked
- If facing at neighbouring unit in same/other project, at least 15m away, and ideally not directly area into area
like your living stare at their living area etc
- Pool facing (if you have young children who loves the pool)
- Non-pool/tennis court facing (if you are very particular about noise)
- North/south facing (usually more windy, and less of morning/afternoon sun), and this referring to your main
balcony / bedroom where most of the windows are, not main door in feng shui sense
- If you are on low / ground floor, ideally not at the water features/garden unless you are sure they will be well
maintained (due to mosquitoes/bugs risk)
- Unit is away from BBQ area, trash points, power generator rooms, mechanical car lifts (trust me you can hear or even
feel them moving)
- Not facing the main project entrance if low floor
6. Facilties
Again, subjective depending on individual needs, but generally should at least have:
- Decent sized pool of at least 15m long and 5m wide, with separate jacuzzi/kids wading pool
- Pool deck of reasonable size (at least 4-5 deck chairs?) and quality timber decking
- If lap pool, at least long enough to swim 8-10 strokes *average asian adult
- Sky pools are nice and great space savers, but you don't want to be the unit below it
- Gym with at least treadmill, bike/stepper, weights/multi-gym
- Common toilet (if you the cheapo type who will visit and use facilities after you lease your unit out)
- Guard post with security guard engaged (especially important for projects with ground level units)
- Fitness stations and playgrounds are waste of space - rarely used
- Bike parks are nice to haves (especially for projects 10 mins away from amenities/MRT)
- Underground basement car parks (multi-level CP please if you are in Orchard or Bt Timah)
- At least 1 lift for every block or every 20-30 units
- Side/back gates
- Maintenance fee not more than 250 for studio/1BR on average, but really depends on facilities and location
7. Rental Yield and Potential
If you are buying it for investment, make sure the area is tested with confident rental yield of at least 4-5%
and if capital gains are what you are after, than take note of any _announced_ and _confirmed_ government/commercial plans
to spruce up / develop the surrounding areas like parks, rivers (long kangs), business centers, international schools,
malls (huat ah!), MRT (mega HUAT!!!), even road widening helps (but please make sure that is completed before your project
TOP or before you intend to occupy or rent out)
8. Developer
Now this may not be obvious to some, but logically this should matter the most!
There has been cases, especially amongst MM (or boutique, as they are formerly known affectionately as) developers who run
into financial troubles and projects stop work for months or TOP super late. This is not what you want, so be sure to buy one
from a reputable (read listed) developer or one that has at least completed 2-3 projects (of which you can check out the quality
of design and workmanship live). Do yourself a favor and check out their recently completed projects and you will probably get
an idea of what you'll be getting. Also take note of their previous projects and any issues and workmanship complaints they have
had before (a few minor ones here and there is fine, and could be subjective, hey nobody is perfect right?) Also note the
contractors and builders they use (most of them will use back the same ones for cost efficiencies). Try to avoid those from certain
countries...
Some well known MM developers:
Fragrance Land
World Class Land
Macly
Oxley
Roxy
Teambuild
So much said, I believe the above tips are surely non-exhaustive. But one mitigating factor will void all the above! What is that?
It's the magic 2012 formula of MRT + Mall. See, MM has a new meaning - MRT + Mall. Haha...
What Makes a Mmmm! MM (How to Choose a Good MM)
1. Location, Location, Location
Small doesn't necessarily mean ulu. Although the word UlU when turned upside down = MM,
this is extremely taboo when it comes to an MM in an ulu location. Note that however,
in today's context, when even Punggol new launches are seeing hordes and new PSF highs,
there are still some generally regarded 'ulu' areas to avoid:
- All the 'kangs' except maybe Yio Chu Kang and Hougang.
- Anywhere with nary a HDB in sight within 1km radius (unless you are say talking about
established and expat popular private enclaves like Telok Kurau or West Coast). Why? It
usually means amenities are hard to come by, which brings me to the next point...
- Amenities, nearest, that require more than 5 mins walk - including convenience stores, coffee shops,
eateries, post (drop-off) box, supermarket...(no, shopping mall is _not_ a necessity ok!)
- More than 1 min walk to a bus stop or max 10 mins walk to an MRT
- More than 1 min walk to a main road (god forbid!!! This is Singapore!)
- More than 5 mins walk to a road with readily available cabs (at reasonable times, of course,
not during rush hour peak traffic or heavy downpour)
- Not more than 5-10 mins drive to major expressway entry/exit
Absolute no-nos (may differ depending on your motivation):
- Any spot with any risk of new developments sprouting up in the foreseeable future
- Beside/facing any place of worship (even if you like or convenient for you, your future buyer will not)
- Beside/facing/near cemetary/burial grounds
- Beside/facing longkang that is not very well kept
- Near/at traffic junction
- Cul-de-sac of narrow road
- Beside highway/often or highly jammed roads
- Bad rep areas (seedy Geylang lorongs, certain blue collar FT congregation spots eg Golden Mile,
City Plaza, Joo Chiat Place/Rd (certain stretch), Orchard Rd (yes!)
- Areas with lots of budget hotels
2. Price
In MM, and often 'gently' reminded by agents if you've been actively shopping around,
people don't look at PSF. Instead the word is 'quantum'. That's right. It's the absolute
price you are paying. 323sf at 550k is still considered cheap and reasonable for an MM in
city fringe location even though in PSF it is a staggering 1703psf - now this PSF may get
you a property in River Valley but I'm sure you will be paying millions for it instead of
550k.
So reasonableness comes into play here. 323sf for 550k at city fringe is reasonable. 323sf
for 550k at say, Sembawang, is not. At time of writing, it is safe to expect to pay upwards of
1000psf in untested OCR, 1200-1300psf in tested OCR, 1400-1500 in RCR and popular high demand OCR,
1600-2000psf and beyond for popular RCR and CCR.
Examples:
OCR Untested - Parc Rosewood, Nautical
OCR Tested - Casa Cambio, Presto @ Upper Serangoon, Centra Residence, Guillemard Edge
RCR Untested - err... which RCR is untested???
RCR Tested - Cavan Suites, The Viridian, Farrer Park Suites, Interweave
CCR Untested - is there such a thing??
CCR Tested - Espada, Stevens Suites, Parc Sophia, Loft at Holland
Having said that, please please do not ever pay above 50-100psf over a recently launched project in
a 1-2km radius unless this one has significantly better facilities, layout, reputation blah blah...
3. Layout
In small apartments like MM, space planning becomes even more crucial. Common good practices are:
- No oversized balconies, planters or A/C ledges
- Bathroom with window (rare)
- High ceiling of at least 3.2m (rare, unless so-called 'SOHO' concept popular these days)
- Living room that fits at least 3 seater sofa
- Living room wall-to-wall distance of at least 8 ft
- Master bedroom able to fit at least queen size bed with at least 2-3 ft width of walking space
around the bed
- Dining area can fit at least 2 seater comfortably or compact 4 seater
- No bay windows / odd pillar in corner of unit (common in corner units)
- Double access doors to toilet (from both bedroom and living area) if toilet not in bedroom
- Shower stall of reasonable size to enable a medium sized man to shower without undue restriction in
movement (usually means about 5 x 5 sf cubicle at least)
- Ideally no bomb shelter (rare), but if have, situated near main door away from main living area
(some may prefer it to be in bedroom to convert to walkrobe - personal preference here)
- Ample light is able to stream in to the unit to illuminate at least 80% of it
- Ventilation can happen reasonably with just one window or balcony door open
- Fridge location is at/beside kitchen
- Washer location is up to preference - some like it indoor in toilet, some like it indoor at the
kitchen area, some like outdoor at corner of balcony
- Last but not least, regular shaped with no odd corners or wasted slanted/curved areas
4. Finishing and Fixtures
- Ample power and lighting points (for power, at least two at TV wall, one beside sofa, one at dining,
two at kitchen, one each on either side of bed in bedroom, two at TV wall of bedroom...)
- Thick sound-proof casement windows and balcony doors (Fragrance and WCL de facto here), sliding windows
although allows building facade to look neater, it doesn't allow maximum ventilation, besides, how often
do you stand outside the building to admire the facade?
- Kitchen with both top and bottom shelving plus cooker hob and hood. Ideally stainless steel basin as
more durable, and comes with built-in microwave/oven. The top shelving should include a dish holder, strainer.
- Anti-slam/slow closing for all cabinetry
- Taps, WC, shower fixtures of good brands like Grohe (Hansgrohe is more upclass but less durable), Toto,
Duravit...
- Built-in fridge and washer/dryer is best, as they would have cabinetry to hide/conceal
- Aircon is positioned correctly (not some nook or cranny or awkward spot) and ensures whole apartment is
covered by the air streams
- Marble or compressed marble living flooring, good quality timber strips for bedroom, granite tiles for
bathroom (no homogenous or ceramic as it is too slippery and hazardous!)
- Skirting of matching material
- Good quality lockset (VBH equivalent or better)
- Power switches are wheelchair friendly at the recommended height
- Needless to say, but included for completeness, warranty on all appliances given
- Open-net ready
5. Facing
Now, this can be subjective, and challenging in smaller/tighter projects, but generally the below is favourable:
- Unblocked
- If facing at neighbouring unit in same/other project, at least 15m away, and ideally not directly area into area
like your living stare at their living area etc
- Pool facing (if you have young children who loves the pool)
- Non-pool/tennis court facing (if you are very particular about noise)
- North/south facing (usually more windy, and less of morning/afternoon sun), and this referring to your main
balcony / bedroom where most of the windows are, not main door in feng shui sense
- If you are on low / ground floor, ideally not at the water features/garden unless you are sure they will be well
maintained (due to mosquitoes/bugs risk)
- Unit is away from BBQ area, trash points, power generator rooms, mechanical car lifts (trust me you can hear or even
feel them moving)
- Not facing the main project entrance if low floor
6. Facilties
Again, subjective depending on individual needs, but generally should at least have:
- Decent sized pool of at least 15m long and 5m wide, with separate jacuzzi/kids wading pool
- Pool deck of reasonable size (at least 4-5 deck chairs?) and quality timber decking
- If lap pool, at least long enough to swim 8-10 strokes *average asian adult
- Sky pools are nice and great space savers, but you don't want to be the unit below it
- Gym with at least treadmill, bike/stepper, weights/multi-gym
- Common toilet (if you the cheapo type who will visit and use facilities after you lease your unit out)
- Guard post with security guard engaged (especially important for projects with ground level units)
- Fitness stations and playgrounds are waste of space - rarely used
- Bike parks are nice to haves (especially for projects 10 mins away from amenities/MRT)
- Underground basement car parks (multi-level CP please if you are in Orchard or Bt Timah)
- At least 1 lift for every block or every 20-30 units
- Side/back gates
- Maintenance fee not more than 250 for studio/1BR on average, but really depends on facilities and location
7. Rental Yield and Potential
If you are buying it for investment, make sure the area is tested with confident rental yield of at least 4-5%
and if capital gains are what you are after, than take note of any _announced_ and _confirmed_ government/commercial plans
to spruce up / develop the surrounding areas like parks, rivers (long kangs), business centers, international schools,
malls (huat ah!), MRT (mega HUAT!!!), even road widening helps (but please make sure that is completed before your project
TOP or before you intend to occupy or rent out)
8. Developer
Now this may not be obvious to some, but logically this should matter the most!
There has been cases, especially amongst MM (or boutique, as they are formerly known affectionately as) developers who run
into financial troubles and projects stop work for months or TOP super late. This is not what you want, so be sure to buy one
from a reputable (read listed) developer or one that has at least completed 2-3 projects (of which you can check out the quality
of design and workmanship live). Do yourself a favor and check out their recently completed projects and you will probably get
an idea of what you'll be getting. Also take note of their previous projects and any issues and workmanship complaints they have
had before (a few minor ones here and there is fine, and could be subjective, hey nobody is perfect right?) Also note the
contractors and builders they use (most of them will use back the same ones for cost efficiencies). Try to avoid those from certain
countries...
Some well known MM developers:
Fragrance Land
World Class Land
Macly
Oxley
Roxy
Teambuild
So much said, I believe the above tips are surely non-exhaustive. But one mitigating factor will void all the above! What is that?
It's the magic 2012 formula of MRT + Mall. See, MM has a new meaning - MRT + Mall. Haha...
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