Sunday 6 January 2013

La Fiesta review (NorthEast District-Sengkang)

Details of this project
Developer: EL Development.
Property Address: 50-76 Sengkang Square Singapore 544830.
Site Area: Approximately 22,497.6 sqm or 242,164 sqft.
Type of Development: Full condominium facilities.
No. of Blocks: 13 blocks of 15 Storeys comprising of a total of 810 units.
No. of Car park lots: 810 (one for one as per agent); 2 level of basement parking.
Tenure: Leasehold 99 years commencing from 3 September 2012.
Expected T.O.P date 30 June 2017.
Expected Legal Completion Date 30 June 2020.

Overview:
The very special name of La Fiesta means "The Festival" in Spanish.The actual launch will be on 15th January 2013. This project location is superb as it is just besides Sengkang MRT and Compass Point shopping mall. The location is even better than neighbouring plot of Luxurie by Keppel. EL Development will also build a shelter linkway to connect to the overhead bridge thus integrating La Feista with Compass Point and Sengkang MRT. As such, the pricing is also out of the world and will set another record high for Sengkang. Tentative launch price will be between 1050psf to 1280psf (depending on facing and floor + unit type). There are also numerous interesting facilities such as Tea Garden and Candlelight Dining Pavilion. The water feature at the drop off point and the mini waterfall along entrance driveway makes this already very impressive development very magnificent.

Private Preview of Showflat-5 Jan 2013
Crazy crowd.....so crowded till it was claustrophobic. Plus one needs queuing within the showflat to enter the units on display....this is going to be a hot selling project! Heard that many cheques offered for 1 bedroom....so balloting required on 15th January 2013 (Tuesday).
People Mountain People Sea.

Squeeze mates!

Notice the guy in orange- He is the unofficial protector of the miniature model.

Queuing to view the showroom of the 3 bedroom compact and dual key 4 bedder.

Home buyers crowding around the miniature La Fiesta model

Main entrance depicted on the miniature model

Drop-off area- Note that the circular fountain in brochure has beautiful water jets shooting upwards

The sheltered linkway from La Fiesta to the overhead bridge to Sengkang MRT and Compass Point
Super large playground for the little ones and tennis court.
  
Big plot of land and even jogging track included in this development!


Parting shot of the main entrance and side gate link to overhead bridge

Clean cutting modern facade
Dinning area for the 3 bedder Compact (893sqft)

Note: For compact 3 bedder, there is one bedroom room which can only fit a single bed.

Master bedroom for the compact 3 bedder on display

Wardrobe for bedroom

King size bed can fit nicely into the master bedroom.

Master bathroom with marble finishing for floor and wall plus mosaic tiles on one side of wall.


Wash basin in Master bathroom.
Location and Amenities
What more can be say? Sengkang MRT and Compass Point shopping mall just a stone's throw away. This is a dream home for many families. In addition:
  • Reputable schools such as Nan Chiau Primary school and Nan Chiau High School (accorded SAP status recently).
  •  Quick accessibilty to Tampiness Expressway (TPE) and Kallang Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE).
  • Seletar Aerospace, Wafer fabrication near Yio Chu Kang/Jalan Kayu and Sengkang Hospital in development which will boost rental demand in the vicinity.
  • Walking distance to Kopi Tiam food centre and Seng Kang Community club
  • Extremely near distance to the Seng Kang neighbourhood police post- safe neighbourhood
  • Access to cineplexes in Sengkang West (Seletar Mall); Serangoon (NEX); Punggol (Watertown Mall).
  • Plus many many more.......simply too many too list down here.
Site plan and facilities of La Fiesta 
This plot of land is huge. Being 242,000sqft, there is even a jogging track built within the development. There are also many type of gardens in line with the Spanish Festival theme. The one that caught my eyes is the Sinful Garden! There are 2 main pools for La Fiesta with a whole array of water facilities such as Social Pool, Aqua Gym, Spa Pool, Water Play Zone and 50M lap pool.


 

Showflat and finishing + Unit Layout
The finishing given by EL are decent here. Homogenous tiles for living and dining room. High quality laminated flooring for all bedrooms. Okay, the best part is this: Marble finishing given by developer for the Master bathroom for flooring and walls. In addition, Mosaic tiles given for the wall directly with showerhead which adds to the grandeur feel. For even better finishing, one can consider getting a unit next door at the Luxurie by Keppel.

There is no penthouse units in La Fiesta. All the units are quite small in size actually...which is a strategy by EL to ensure the quantum is affordable (due to high PSF being marketed) to all.

Initially, I was skeptical before I visit the showflat at how liveable a 893sqft apartment can be....turns out that the use of space was extremely well planned and efficient except for the A/C ledge of 6sqm which is the same size as the balcony. At S$1,100psf, this compact unit will be approximately S$982K which is affordable in terms of quantum.

 Summary:
 Despite the small size of the units, the efficient planning by the architects ensure decent livable space. I would recommend for families size household, they should aim for at least the 3 bedder compact unit type. The 4 bedder will be approximately 1098sqft and will be in the region of S$1.2Mil onwards (getting pretty expensive for 4 bedder and above layout). The location for this project is excellent and offer investors room for further capital appreciation once developments for the D19 area completed. Facilities on offer are also impressive.  If EL can lower the price and launch at S$1000psf, this will be a sell out within a day. Anyway, let's wait for 15th January to see how fast EL can move units at it's asking price of S$1100psf onwards.