SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - Singaporean Stephanie Chua moved from her condominium at Nassim Hill to Sentosa Cove in 2015. “I wanted a different experience,” she says. “I’ve been staying on the mainland all this time, and I thought island resort living would be nice.” Home is a spacious 2,433 sq ft, four-bedroom apartment at Turquoise.
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Prior to her purchase, she had visited the other condominiums developed by Ho Bee Land, a first-mover at Sentosa Cove, namely The Berth by the Cove, The Coast and Seascape. What prompted her decision to purchase her unit at Turquoise was the privacy of her fifth-floor unit, just one floor below the penthouse, and the unblocked view of the waterway and the Southern Islands from her balcony.
“At night, it’s not pitch-black. You can see the lights of the bungalows and the condominiums across the waterway, but they are not that close that you don’t have privacy,” she says.
Turquoise has just 91 units across three 6-storey blocks and comes with 21 private berths. Typical units are a mix of three- and four-bedroom apartments. The three-bedders have sizes from 2,088 sq ft to 2,573 sq ft, while the four-bedders are from 2,400 sq ft to 3,050 sq ft. Penthouses are from 3,111 sq ft to 3,764 sq ft, and sky villas from 6,900 sq ft to 7,987 sq ft.
The unit Chua purchased had been a foreclosed property. The previous owner had purchased it at launch at the peak of the market in October 2007 for close to $6.6 million ($2,712 psf). Chua bought it for about $3.72 million ($1,529 psf), according to a caveat in November 2015.
The four-bedroom unit had previously been tenanted, and the apartment had been pretty much in its original condition when Chua purchased it. Even though Turquoise was completed in 2010, the quality of the appliances and finishing provided is of high specifications, she notes. The kitchens are fitted with Miele appliances, while bathroom fittings are from the AxorStarck range, designed by Philippe Starck, and sanitaryware is from the Laufen Alessi Collection by Stefano Giovannoni. “All the bathrooms are the original, and well maintained,” she says.
The original marble flooring and the timber flooring in the bedrooms were also left intact. However, Chua changed the cabinetry of her dry kitchen to match her new interiors and wallpaper. She converted the bedroom next to the master bedroom into a walk-in wardrobe. Another bedroom has been turned into her home office. It has a view of the greenery and the Tanjong Golf Course. The fourth bedroom is her guest room.
However, she prefers to work in her dining and living area so she can enjoy the view. After all, her dining table and chairs are top-end Herman Miller, similar to those in her study.
All four bedrooms are en suite. “When my friends visit me and we go for a walk around Sentosa Cove, they are very glad that I have four bathrooms, so we needn’t have to wait for each other to use the bathroom,” she says. Since moving to Sentosa Cove, she has entertained more at home. “My friends love to sit out at the balcony because it is so big,” she says.
Chua enjoys the view from her balcony too, especially the passing wild life. “A hornbill landed at my balcony,” she says. “During the circuit breaker, I saw some otters enjoying the pool of one of the bungalows on Sandy Island.” On the grounds are wild peacocks roaming free.
The resort lifestyle was not interrupted by the circuit breaker. “Sentosa Cove was fantastic during the circuit breaker,” she says. “It was quieter as all the beaches were closed. But you could bike, run or walk around the cove. This is the only place where I dare to cycle on the road because there are hardly any cars. My friends told me I was lucky to be living in Sentosa during the circuit breaker because the parks were so crowded.”
Chua says she has enjoyed living in Sentosa Cove. “The six years just flew past," she adds.
However, she has decided to put her apartment at Turquoise on the market for sale with Simon Wong, associate vice president at List Sotheby’s International Realty, as the sole marketing agent. The price tag is $5.18 million ($2,129 psf).
Activity at Sentosa Cove has picked up significantly this year. At Turquoise alone, 25 units have changed hands this year to date, compared to just three for the whole of 2020, a sole transaction in 2019 and a handful in 2018.
Ho Bee took the opportunity to launch the remaining 16 units at Turquoise for sale in April this year. These were mainly units on the lower floors, and ranged from $1,290 to $1,536 psf after a promotional discount of $500,000 to $750,000. All 16 units have been taken up, according to Ho Bee.
“Overall in Sentosa Cove, there are more Singaporeans and permanent residents who are buying,” says List Sotheby’s Wong. “They are taking advantage of the prices today, and the unit sizes at Sentosa Cove as well as the waterfront lifestyle.”
The latest transaction at Turquoise was for a 2,153 sq ft, three-bedder on the fourth floor that changed hands for $3.45 million ($1,603 psf), according to a caveat lodged in early December. The unit was last sold for $5.77 million ($2,771 psf) in October 2007.
Wong reckons the eventual buyer of the unit at Turquoise will be a local buying for his or her own use. “They don’t mind paying a premium for the unit as it’s just one floor below the penthouse, and it’s situated right smack in the middle of the block with a direct view of the waterway and the ocean,” he adds.
Sentiment may be affected initially due to the latest property cooling measures that came into effect on Dec 16. But Chua is in no hurry. “I will live here until Simon finds a buyer,” she says. “And I will take my time to find a new place.”
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