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The wife and I happened to be lunching at the Pasir Panjang area last Sunday, so we decided to drop by at the sales gallery of VIVA VISTA for a look-see.
VIVA VISTA is a 5-storey (plus attic) freehold condo project and is being marketed as a high-end exclusive development. It is sited on a 39,000sqft plot where Village Centre used to be.
The entrance to VIVA VISTA is along South Bouna Vista Road (which is also the address for the development), while the exit from the development is via Pasir Panjang Hill – a road located behind the project.
VIVA VISTA is a mixed development consisting of 144 residential units (2nd – 5th floor) + 106 commercial shop lots (1st floor and basement). It is developed by Hume Homes Pte Ltd ( Oxley), who is also responsible for boutique projects like Parc Sophia, Loft @Nathan and Suites @Guillemard – which contains what is probably the smallest studio unit in Singapore at 258sqft.
VIVA VISTA is supposedly a 7-minute walk away from the future Hwa Par Villa MRT station, 5-minute drive to Biopolis/One North/NUS, 5-minute drive to Sentosa/Vivocity/Harbourfront and 8-minutes drive to CBD & Marina Bay Sands. It is also near to Kent Ridge Park and West Coast Park. So one cannot argue about the centrality of its location.
VIVA VISTA has started previewing in end-August and was launched only in mid-September. So the wife and I were shocked to learn that only 3 of the residential units – all penthouses – are left, while 94 out of the 106 shop lots have already been sold. The average transacted price for the residential units was about $1500psf, while the shop lots were sold at a whopping average price of $2700psf!
The unit types are typically 1- and 2-bedders. But for a project with only 144 units, VIVA VISTA has a stunning 30 units of penthouses. Each penthouse unit occupies 2-level, i.e. 5th floor + attic.
- 1-Bedroom (103 units): 323 – 484sqft
- 1+Study (3 units): 463sqft
- 2-Bedroom (8 units): 420 – 560sqft
- 1+Study Penthouse (24 units): 635 – 1076sqft
- 2-Bedroom Penthouse (4 units): 775 – 980sqft
- 2+Study Pethouse (2 units): 635 – 883sqft
2nd floor stack plan
3rd & 4th floor stack plan
Facilities wise, all you get is a swimming pool, pool deck and a gym. And if you own a car, you need to know that parking lot does not come free with the unit. Parking lots are available within the development and this is supposed to be one of those high-tech ‘mechanized’ parking system. However, the lots are ‘shared’ between the shop patrons, shop tenants and residents. And residents will have to pay for season parking.
The only showflat on display is a 35sqm (377sqft), 1-bedroom unit (Type A1).
Since we are paying $1500psf for a development in Pasir Panjang, the wife and I kinda expect a standard of quality similar (or at least close) to what we have seen in some of the recent Far East projects. However, we were dead wrong… and disappointingly so… and here are some reasons why.
- Homogenous tile in the living/dining area.
- The supposedly ‘tip top quality of fine household appliances and fittings from renowned brands such as OXO and Bosch’ looked distinctively… ordinary.
- The quality of wardrobe and kitchen cabinet provided cannot even match up to the standard of some of the mass-market projects (e.g. The Minton) we have seen recently.
The only saving grace about VIVA VISTA (other than its central location) that we can think of are:
- 3-metre high ceiling (but you will not see this in the showflat)
- The 3 penthouses that are still available (700sqft) do not come with balcony or rooftop terrace like some of the other units – you actually get alot more functional space with this unit type. So the wife and I are rather surprised that this is the least popular of the penthouse types. Do you really need rooftop terrace (or private jacuzzi for that matter) for a penthouse unit that is less than 1000sqft? Can you even call this a penthouse in the first place??
For those who are interested in the 3 remaining penthouses (Type PHL3), the quoted price for these (as of last Sunday) was $1.05 million, which translates to around $1500psf.
While researching about VIVA VISTA over the internet, the wife and I came across a rather interesting diagram that compares the price of 1-bedder unit in this project versus those of its neighbours. And in this regard, VIVA VISTA is touted as the best buy as it has the lowest quantum amount amongst the respective projects. However, there is no mention of the size of these 1-bedders that are being compared.
But given the unbelievable response that VIVA VISTA has managed, we reckon that buyers are still attracted by the lower quantum rather than the actual psf price that they are paying. Hopefully, this will not return to haunt them if/when they put the units out for resale.
For the wife and I, VIVA VISTA does absolutely nothing for us – we are no fan of ‘mickey mouse’ units to begin with, as they remind us of… cages (no offence to the developer).
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SG PropTalk 