A Visit to Vista Residences
We paid a visit to the Vista Residences showflat along Jalan Datoh, just a stone's throw away from the PIE and Balestier Road. Look inside for our in-depth review, photos and floorplans.About Vista Residences
This project consists of two 36 and 35 storey towers, with full condo facilities comprising of one, two, three and four bedroom units including penthouses. A freehold condominium developed by Far East Organization, there are a total of 280 units and it is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012.
Facilities are standard issue "full condo", with notable amenities such as a 50m lap pool and Sky Gardens on the 24th floor (which we think is a brilliant way to skirt around the "unlucky" 24th floor problem).
Scale model of Vista Residences, look at the LEDs! Aren't they cool?
First Impression
It wasn't as crowded as the other showflats we visited earlier, maybe because it wasn't exactly a mass market condo as prices range from $1,100 to $1,300 psf, which places it in the upper-mid end range. One thing we noticed immediately upon looking at the scale model were the two multi-storey carparks (which holds 331 lots). Quite disappointing for a supposed upper-mid end condo, we expected at least basement carparks with lift access.
Tennis court on top of the car park
Another thing that caught our eye was the solitary tennis court on the roof of a multi-storey carpark. Avid tennis players should start looking for another sport to pass the time. They also have this vertical garden growing on the side of their towers, something very gimmicky fashionable right now.
The developer has decided to only release the first 23 floors (181 units) of this project for now. At the time of visit, all but one two bedroom unit are sold, most of the one bedrooms are going fast, with plenty of three and four bedrooms left.
Sales chart showing most two-bedrooms sold.
Location
No matter how they try to sell it, this project is located in Balestier, same for The Arte at Thomson, you can't really get away from the 'sleazy' Balestier factor. Various budget hotels down the street are readily available should the traffic from the PIE (just next door!) become too much for one to bear.
It's also located close to Novena Square and fifteen minutes away from the city. Note that Balestier Rd and Thomson Rd are very busy, traffic during rush hour will hold you up quite a fair bit. Jalan Datoh is also a very busy road too as traffic from the PIE filters into Balestier.
Location Map, note proximity to the PIE and the Jalan Datoh filter to Balestier.
Choice of units
The Arte is right beside (it's a 36-storey twin tower freehold condo) so units 5, 6, 9 and 10 are all out of the question. Various other smaller private apartments like the Citrine will block views from the lower floors. Note that the 3rd floor for Vista Residences begins at the 7th floor height.
From what we see from the floorplans, unit 8 in Tower 1 seems to be best, as it gets the morning sun, is away from the PIE, is unblocked and has a pool view.
External floorplan of the condo.
Estimated Unit Sizes (sqft)
1 Bedroom: 615 to 635
2 Bedroom: 900 to 930
3 Bedroom Compact: 1150 to 1220
3 Bedroom: 1235 to 1280
4 Bedroom Compact: about 1320
4 Bedroom: about 1400
4 Bedroom Penthouse: 2325 to 2580
Price
Two bedrooms are going for about $1.2m and three bedders are going for around $1.3m. So generally speaking, we're talking about $1,200 psf on average. Units at The Arte next door were going for an about $880 to $900 psf about 2-3 months ago.
Units and Layout
The layouts are standard - corridor linking the rooms, kitchen by the side, and so on. Notably, for three bedroom units, balconies are large enough to fit a dining table, all rooms have floor to ceiling windows. The developer has also done well to do away with planter boxes and large air-con ledges, maximising the usable floor space.
Floorplan of a typical three-bedroom unit.
Fittings are not fantastic, the kitchen comes with cooker and cooker hood, bathroom fittings look like they belong to a mass market condo rather than an upper-mid end one. Note also that the bathrooms have no full length windows, which will surely disappoint some exhibitionists.
Bathroom of the three bedroom unit.
Kitchen's cooker and hood. Oven for display only.
Kitchens are L-shaped thanks to the cabinetry, three people might find it a hard squeeze. Bomb shelters are located in the kitchen too so you're safe from any North Korean missiles.
The showflat has done away with a lot of walls and fences, so the place looks much more open than it actually is.
The Citrine blocks the south view of Tower 2
Other private apartments around Vista ResidencesFinal Word
Judging from the facilities, location and the number of units, this project feels more like a mass market condo much like La Casa or Double Bay than an upper-mid end condo like those at Newton and Novena. Even though it's located near the city, the proximity to 'icky' Balestier is a disadvantage. Compared to what one could have got at The Arte three months back and what you can actually get from the Novena or even Toa Payoh with $1.2m, we think this one might be slightly overpriced.
Posted on 05-07-2009 14:15 | By John
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