Finishes: Living/dining - marble tiles, light yellow. Bedrooms - timber strips.
Fittings: Built-in wardrobe, kitchen cabinet, cooker hob & hood, air-conditioning.

Investors to note: These 949-year lease condos have not appreciated since launching. This scenario is common with almost all brand new condos. Many older condos have had been upgraded and are renting cheaply e.g. 3-bedroom of 1,700 sf in the Ridgewood Condo across the road rents for as low as $3,000! May attract Australians as Australian School is 5-minute walk away!

1. Brand new.
2. Low density living. A solitary blue and white building of 60 units give a low density feeling and some privacy.
3. One bedroom is relatively spacious. No ensuite bathroom.
4. 5-minute walk to the Australian School.
5. A beautiful blue mosaic tiled pool - small pool for adult and for children.
6. City views in some blocks.
7. No problem getting shuttle bus Raffles Place/Shenton Way.
8. Mini-mart and launderette at the Ridgewood & Pandan Valley Condo across the road.
9. Express shuttle service to Raffles Place in less than 25 minutes.

1. Rooms are small. Only the 3+1 bedroom has a master bedroom with space for a king-sized bed. Others have smaller bedrooms. As many Caucasians use king-sized beds, the choice is restricted.
2. Small gym giving a claustrophobic feeling for those energetic hot-blooded expats.
3. Swimming pool not long enough.
4. No decent-sized maid's room in many units. The 2+1 has a study room which may be a maid's room.
5. Built-up area with other condos close by.
6. No rooms with a good view from living or master bedroom due to surrounding condos; however some units have city views and green trees.
7. No Singapore Cable TV connections seen on inspection by Asia USA on July 30, 1998. Management to check this out.

The Sierra Condo is not the only condo given the TOP (temporary occupation permit) within the last 30 days! Aspen Heights Condo (606 units) in the River Valley Road, The Capri (18 units) in Stevens Road, Parc Vista (2^nd phase but total is 638 units) in Jurong, The Blossomvale (220 units) in Dunearn Road and few others are ready for occupation.

Many first-time Owners discover that the Developers are renting their own units early and before they get their keys. Such is the law of survival in the concrete jungle. Developers need to rent out their unsold units and have the people and money to advertise and promote their rental properties. They give full commission to agents too.

Many private owner Landlords are busy working and are uncontactable. Many also don't want to incur any advertisement & promotion costs too.

Landlords who advertise in the Straits Times (Asia USA has no revenue from the Straits Times) and other media, contact realtors persistently and are easily available to open their units for inspection anytime find their properties rented out fast (within 3 months if not in good locations).

Competitive advantages of private owners over many Developers are that the latter:

• are slower in response, having to refer to Management.

• their lease agreement runs into twice as many pages as the private owners and have many conditions protecting the Developer's interest.
• their lawyers or some administrators take a very long time (over weeks in one case) to finalise the lease agreement, giving prospects time to change their minds or find better deals.
• Inflexible rental targets and will not negotiate to close fast.
• higher rentals than small Owners but not true nowadays as some undercut the Owners to secure the lease.