Originally Posted by
suchard
Hi ClearlyDefined,
I enjoy reading your posting. Agree with you on most points except on two:
a. Twin Waterfalls (TWF) have over 700 units, but I don't think one can say it is cramped based on this fact alone. One has to take into account its piece of land, which is 280K sq ft, almost 1/3 bigger than Ecopolitan (over 500 units). (And talking about being cramped….Ecopolitan main rectangular pool has only 3 lanes!) Also, TWF is built to 17 stories, while Ecopolitan is built to 16 only. I think the reason for this is that TWF sits on a flatter piece of land, and Ecopolitan doesn't, but both are subject to the same height restriction imposed on both by URA (because of planes flying into the nearby Seletar Airbase).
b. If a developer bid too high for the land, does it justify charging buyers a high price? In the developer's mind, it would want to, but whether it can or will depends on what's in the buyers' mind. That's where developers with their various claims (many unqualified /unsubstantiated) and tactics (some deceptive) are trying to influence /"condition" the buyer's mind. The higher the price for the land, the more desperate they would get in influencing the buyer's mind.
Yes, if marketing strategies are just to create awareness, that its o.k., but developers obviously hope to do more than that, as explained above. Some are downright dishonest in marketing their projects. Like in the architectural model, removing entire blocks (say say 3 blocks out of 8) so the project does not look cramped, while claiming that is to allow buyers to see the condo features better. Another trick in the past: inside the show flat, many developers remove walls or glass sliding doors with just markings on the floor to show where these would be, and placing iiving room furniture all the way onto the balcony, so visually the unit seems spacious and /or can accommodate huge furniture pieces.
You CLEARLY :-) are a knowledgeable and analytical, but not every man in the street is. Some buyers /upgraders are not so experienced and educated, and may not be alert to the tricks developers invariably use. It is these folks that I, and I hope you too may share and alert, so they make more informed decisions.
I am not disappointed at whatever price Ecopolitan wants to charge - it is the Qinjian's decision. Just that if it is the $750 avg psf agents are claiming, I will not be interested myself, and I will advise my friends /relatives that it is priced too high, and not value for money. Afterall, there are other projects still to be launched (that's why the government is releasing more land to cool down the market), and the private condo market is expected to have an oversupply.