Telok Kurau - Do You Like The Condo You're Living Now?

[sodan 0]

Hi...

Wish to find out is there any TK neighbours out there to share view for this topic? There are alot of boutique condos in the area, do you think you've chosen the best condo and happy to for your choice?

[bepgof 20]

Hi...

Wish to find out is there any TK neighbours out there to share view for this topic? There are alot of boutique condos in the area, do you think you've chosen the best condo and happy to for your choice?

I'm a non-TK neighbour, "cramp" feeling makes me sick. Even went up to 4-storey roof, horizontal eye level, 360 deg turned 1 round, makes me more sick.

Edited June 12, 2010 by bepgof

[TYM 0]

Went to wife ex-boss house warming at TK, cannot remember which project, all low low, look the same to me. Parking is a problem for guest. Unit small small and surrounded all-round. Most neighbours were rental tenants.

[kellogs 0]

I am looking forward moving to Telok Kurau.

I have bought an unit over at The Verte and currently is being built (TOP might be end of the year)

Things that i am looking forward

1. Jogging in the morning/evening using Siglap Park Connector to East Coast Park

2. Quiet and Peaceful environment for my kids to grow up

3. Good food around the area

4. Private pool and open terrace for my own unit

I have attached the floor plan of the unit which i bought.

There are many boutique projects in that area ... so you just have to make sure you pick the one you like ... some are super small mickey mouse unit and some are not so accessible. As for parking issue, it is the same situation in all landed area where resident park along the road side.

Edited June 14, 2010 by kellogs

[blueocean 0]

Interesting history about Telok Kurau. Extracted article :

Telok Kurau Road

By Thulaja, Naidu Ratnala written on 2003-08-04

National Library Board Singapore

Telok Kurau Road connects Changi Road to Marine Parade Road. Named after a fishing village called Telok Kurau on East Coast Road, the road has been a popular middle-class residential district since the 1960s.

History

The word Telok Kurau means "mango fish bay" as telok is Malay for "bay" and Kurau is Malay for "mango fish". Before kampongs were phased out by the 1980s, a Malay village called Telok Kurau was located on East Coast Road. It is not known when and why this village was named Telok Kurau Road.

In the pre-war days, it was common to see the Indians in Telok Kurau, They reared cows, leading the animals about freely on public roads. The cows would be led from one house to another and milked whenever someone wanted to buy milk.

Telok Kurau Primary School, formerly called the Telok Kurau English School, was established in 1926. A two-storey wooden building set in the middle of a coconut plantation, it shared the same football field with the Telok Kurau Malay School which lay in the adjacent compound. During the Japanese Occupation, the Telok Kurau English School was used as a screening centre before Sook Ching or "purging" was done by the Japanese soldiers. The road also had its share of violence during the Maria Hertogh riots.

Description

Since the '60s, Telok Kurau has been a sleepy and tranquil suburbia in Katong, known mostly as a residential enclave of the middle-class. This suburb roughly covers Telok Kurau Road which is intersected by several smaller roads namely Lorongs J, K, L, M and N, Telok Kurau. The charm of this area is in a big way due to the presence of unimposing buildings; a mix of modest bungalows, terrace and semi-detached houses and low-rise apartments, existing with coffee shops and small businesses. This settled charm it has managed to retain despite the thronging urban development that had taken place in nearby Katong.

Since the '90s, new housing projects has altered the landscape of Telok Kurau although not drastically. The low-rise character of the buildings still dominate with tall condominiums being the exception. New semi-detached houses have sprung up, and together with freshly-painted terrace houses, they constitute a notable feature in the changing landscape of Telok Kurau. Another prominent building along this road is the Hua Yan Jin She Temple.

[Hubstation 0]

Hi...

Wish to find out is there any TK neighbours out there to share view for this topic? There are alot of boutique condos in the area, do you think you've chosen the best condo and happy to for your choice?

Actually TK is "acquired taste". Its either you love it or hate it. Indeed the roads are cramp and parking for guests is a problem but I guess thats common among all landed areas throughout Singapore.

As TK is made up of so many lorongs, you have to be selectively which one you would prefer. Those closer to East Coast (Lorong N) or those closer to Mrt (Lorong G,H). Even then, within the lorong itself, it stretches from still road side to the park connector side. Most of the units are pretty close to each other but there are some developments better than others. If you do a search, the common gripes are "crampiness", lack of facilities and monotonous exterior. If you can get over these, I think TK is the cheapest, value for money Freehold properties in D15.

Personally I like TK especially those near to the park connector and TK park cos it has that serene and peaceful feel to it. Thats why I think Verte is one of the premium developments in TK.

[blueocean 0]

I havent seen any full condos at Telok Kurau yet (with tennis courts and reasonable sized plot of land). Most of the condos along Telok Kurau tend to be "apartment status" with swimming pools. There are some that come with security whilst most dont. Even "The Sound" doesnt have tennis courts ...

The developers like building small apartments there ... just buy over two plots of land and build vertically up ..

And there are even studios cropping up along TK ... i wonder what's the rental demand like there for studios ...

Actually TK is "acquired taste". Its either you love it or hate it. Indeed the roads are cramp and parking for guests is a problem but I guess thats common among all landed areas throughout Singapore.

As TK is made up of so many lorongs, you have to be selectively which one you would prefer. Those closer to East Coast (Lorong N) or those closer to Mrt (Lorong G,H). Even then, within the lorong itself, it stretches from still road side to the park connector side. Most of the units are pretty close to each other but there are some developments better than others. If you do a search, the common gripes are "crampiness", lack of facilities and monotonous exterior. If you can get over these, I think TK is the cheapest, value for money Freehold properties in D15.

Personally I like TK especially those near to the park connector and TK park cos it has that serene and peaceful feel to it. Thats why I think Verte is one of the premium developments in TK.

Edited June 14, 2010 by blueocean

[Hubstation 0]

I havent seen any full condos at Telok Kurau yet (with tennis courts and reasonable sized plot of land). Most of the condos along Telok Kurau tend to be "apartment status" with swimming pools. There are some that come with security whilst most dont. Even "The Sound" doesnt have tennis courts ...

The developers like building small apartments there ... just buy over two plots of land and build vertically up ..

And there are even studios cropping up along TK ... i wonder what's the rental demand like there for studios ...

Hmm.... If I dont remember wrongly Blu Coral in Lorong L has condo status. One of the very few. Even then it does not have a tennis court. Like I mentioned before, people who buy into all these boutique apartments have to make do with the lack of facilities and small little pool if there is one.

[bepgof 20]

If you can get over these, I think TK is the cheapest, value for money Freehold properties in D15.

Personally I like TK especially those near to the park connector and TK park cos it has that serene and peaceful feel to it. Thats why I think Verte is one of the premium developments in TK.

Your 2 paragraphs speak my bottom of heart!

Edited June 14, 2010 by bepgof

[sodan 0]

Kellogs,

Very nice layout of your unit leh... wow... no wonder you sounded so looking fwd to move in la~~

Congrates you have found a lovely unit for yourself and family. How long does it take you for the hunt?

Just wondering how much did you pay for the PSF? What's the size area har....

I am looking forward moving to Telok Kurau.

I have bought an unit over at The Verte and currently is being built (TOP might be end of the year)

Things that i am looking forward

1. Jogging in the morning/evening using Siglap Park Connector to East Coast Park

2. Quiet and Peaceful environment for my kids to grow up

3. Good food around the area

4. Private pool and open terrace for my own unit

I have attached the floor plan of the unit which i bought.

There are many boutique projects in that area ... so you just have to make sure you pick the one you like ... some are super small mickey mouse unit and some are not so accessible. As for parking issue, it is the same situation in all landed area where resident park along the road side.

[sodan 0]

I've seen 2-3 units of the Blue Coral Condo... Don't like it AT ALL. During the viewing, I juz asked myself how am I going to fit in the bed(s) and furnitures into the rooms. My existing furniture is juz normal size and not those super bulky one yet. For those common rooms, I really don't think it's a REASONABLE size of room... I don't know is the room(s) built for dwarf to live in or who??

Scary... I can't believe those architect can actually came up with this sort of final design and the developer actually accepted and built it as the final product!!

Hmm.... If I dont remember wrongly Blu Coral in Lorong L has condo status. One of the very few. Even then it does not have a tennis court. Like I mentioned before, people who buy into all these boutique apartments have to make do with the lack of facilities and small little pool if there is one.

[sodan 0]

Just curious, where around do you live? Do you like there? Recommend or not?

I'm a non-TK neighbour, "cramp" feeling makes me sick. Even went up to 4-storey roof, horizontal eye level, 360 deg turned 1 round, makes me more sick.

[sodan 0]

Anyway, I'm juz curious to know why local prefer buying condo than landed?

I've open a new topic, "If You Have 1.6m To Spend, To Choose Condo Or Landed?"

[bepgof 20]

Just curious, where around do you live? Do you like there? Recommend or not?

I'm a kumpong boy, stayed near present's Ubi rd, due to relocation, "forced" to move to Bedok North since 1979, till now. Moved from ave 3 to ave 4 after married, then to reservoid rd and now back to ave2, just want to close to mrt. Due to work nature, travel around whole main island, including some smaller islands, even went up to roof top of >300 HDB blocks, >100 private residential/commercial buildings, even one time next to our SM's roof top at namly ave.

Present price for D15, FH = very good , view/transport/amenities not that good. Resale demand resistance high. Ideal for "retirees" who do not "enjoy" facilities.

Edited June 15, 2010 by bepgof

[blueocean 0]

Residential buildings are developed "for profit". The developer would tell the architect to maximse the gross floor area and achieve 110% efficiency in sell-able floor area. The reason why it can be more than 100% is because of bonus GFA from balconies, roof terrace etc.

That's why the design are so cramped up. Buyers have a choice. And if buyers continue to bite into such small apartments, the developers will continue to sell such products. Buyers are attracted to the net quantum amount and dont realise that the PSF is high. I have also noticed some couples are are buying up studio apartments to stay - maybe the attraction to own a condo ? The rental market for studio apartments especially if it is out of the central area is not established - it will be interesting to see how it develops later.

Another innovation in in some developments is mechanical parking (one lot can have 3 cars). Basement parking is sometimes not feasible and it is also more expensive. And if I can free up more space on the ground floor to sell via mechanical parking, i would do that as a developer.

If the property is located near a MRT, the developer can also maximise the GFA and building cost by having less parking space under LTA rules.

I've seen 2-3 units of the Blue Coral Condo... Don't like it AT ALL. During the viewing, I juz asked myself how am I going to fit in the bed(s) and furnitures into the rooms. My existing furniture is juz normal size and not those super bulky one yet. For those common rooms, I really don't think it's a REASONABLE size of room... I don't know is the room(s) built for dwarf to live in or who??

Scary... I can't believe those architect can actually came up with this sort of final design and the developer actually accepted and built it as the final product!!