4 Tips to Choose the Best Condo Unit in a Showflat

Walking into a new launch showflat may give you the jitters because you will be overloaded with a lot of information and you are meeting highly motivated real estate salespersons who are trying to sell you a unit. Here are 4 useful tips to help you choose the best condo unit.

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     Table of Content

• Tip 1: Stack, Facing, Views
• Tip 2: How to choose Floor Levels
• Tip 3: The Less Desirables
• Tip 4: Actual Site vs Showroom

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📌Tip 1: Stack, Facing, Views

• You may be bombarded with information in a showroom and this may overwhelm you.
• The trick is to focus on what you want to know and filter out the rest.
• The site plan with colour-coded stacks will indicate the different bedroom types
• If you only want a 3-bedroom (e.g., in yellow), then you can ignore the others.
• The next step is to choose the facing and views.
• Whenever possible, try to avoid units facing west as these units will get the afternoon sun.
• To be more exact, the sun set in the North West Direction between March to September
• From September to March, it sets slightly in the South West
• When buying to stay, you can choose what you like (e.g., units with pool or garden views)
• If you are buying as an investment, it is ok to choose units with no views because they are likely to be more affordable.
• It is never wrong to enter low.
• Avoid premium stacks with magnificent views that may come with a premium price tag.
• If you are buying for the unblocked views, make sure you check the masterplan to ensure there will be no tall buildings that may block your views in future.

📌Tip 2: Deciding Floor Levels

• For those who like high floor units, go for it if you are buying to stay and can afford it.
• There is no fixed rate for the increase in pricing for every floor level.
• It is up to the developers and most range between $4,000 to $10,000 per floor.
• Those with sea views will command premium prices of between $10,000 to $20,000 for every floor as we go higher.
• If you are buying as an investment, it is alright to go for low floors (e.g., 3th to 5^th floor).
• There is nothing wrong with second floor unit but there is a stigma because of the HDB cross-over effects.
• Avoid buying ground floor units as a form of investment because your future buyers’ pool will be smaller.
• In my opinion, only 3 out of 10 people will like ground floor units.
• The possible problems with ground floor unit are the lack of privacy and pest issues.
• These problems are unlikely to deter ground floor lovers because they are likely former residents of landed properties, have green fingers and/or like to keep pets.
• Ground floor lovers will also be open to top floor penthouses with open terraces

📌Tip 3: The Less Desirables

• A man’s meat maybe another’s poison.
• Everyone have different preferences and I will attempt to list out some of the less desirable items to buyers.
• Void area is top of my list.
• A void area refers to the empty space above the floor in a strata unit that you have to pay
• The standard ceiling height is between 2.8- 2.9m.
• When you see units with high ceiling (3.2m or higher), you may want to check with the showroom personnel if these void spaces are chargeable
• The other less popular choices may include units that are near: Sub-Station, Bin Centre, Entrance/ Exit, BBQ pits etc.

📌Tip 4: Actual Site Vs Showroom

• When you are at the showroom, the developer will show you many drawings or visuals inside the project and of its surroundings.
• After you have a good idea of the “inside space” within the project, you may want to visit the actual site.
• Walk around the estate and check out the amenities to see whether you like the community’s vibe in the area

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