Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Sentosa Cove death no foul play

SINGAPORE: The dead China national, whose naked body was found in a pool at Sentosa Cove in March, was paid S$800 by a businessman to accompany him at a nightclub and to have sex with him.

At Tuesday morning's Coroner's Inquiry hearing into her death, the police ruled out foul play in the death of Ms Li Hongyan.

The 24 year old's naked body was found floating in a swimming pool in a bungalow at Sentosa Cove on March 24.

Ms Li had followed the bungalow's owner Mr Adrian Chua home after the pair met at a nightclub in Havelock Road.

Mr Chua, who is the chief executive of real investment company RoundHill Capital, had proposed to pay Ms Li S$800 for accompanying him in the nightclub and spending the night with him.

The pair also downed a few alcoholic drinks that night.

When they got to his home, Ms Li drank a can of beer before the couple had sex.

Mr Chua testified on Tuesday morning that he did not use any physical force on Ms Li during sexual intercourse.

The 39-year-old then fell asleep at around 3am to 4am and was only awoken by two Sentosa rangers who informed him about the discovery of Ms Li's naked body.

Closed-circuit television camera recordings captured Ms Li, fully clothed, walking alone towards the bungalow's sliding doors leading to the swimming pool at about 3.50am.

Mr Chua's maid, Aye Aye Tun, testified that she locked the sliding doors before she went to sleep the previous night. Ms Aye also found some women's clothes on a chair near the swimming pool before making the grisly find.

No visible injuries was found on Ms Li's body.

The inquiry heard that those who knew the dead woman had also said she did not seem unhappy that night.

State Coroner Victor Yeo will deliver his findings later Tuesday.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Upcoming Launch! Spottiswood 18

SPOTTISWOOD 18 - Sheer Elegance!

A new star is born. Standing at 36 storeys, it set to be a new landmark at at spottiswoode park, raising the bar of privileged living with 2 sky terrace #14 and #24 overlooking spottiswoode park, its where we truly experience life.
Two themed Sky Terraces offer you a world of endless possibilities. From practising yoga to pampering your body and soul. Admiring the city skyline to an evening stroll in the company of lush greenery. Catching up with friends to a workout. There’s so much awaiting you.
While you delight in the convenience of living just steps away from your workplace, you enjoy easy access to an infinite wealth of leisure excitements. Chill out with friends at Club Street, indulge in high-end arts performances at the Esplanade. Then game, shop and dine at Marina Bay Sands – Singapore’s latest and biggest world-class entertainment mecca that never sleeps. The Great Life simply never ends.
Eminence that glistens never fades with time. This glorious scene did not about overnight. Singapore has come a long way to become the alpha global city it is today, boasting one of the world’s best investment environments, workforces and networks’. Now with an enviable address in the prosperous CBD at Spottiswoode 18, you can lounge back in the comfort of home and enjoy being part of the City’s phenomenal success.
The future of of spottiswoode 18 has never been brighter before with the upcoming revamp of the PSA into the next waterfront living and also the Tanjong Pagar Railway station moving to woodlands.
A distinctive lifestyle, here to stay the best of both business sand pleasures is yours, here at the CBD. Welcome to Spottiswoode 18

Why must you buy Spottiswoode18?

Highly sought after location in spottiswoode area
Low Quantum from 7xxk only
High capital appreciation (Government aims to develop CBD into 24/7), and upcoming facelift at PSA
Surrounded by large population of expatriates will leads to higher rental demand
Live in vibrant city yet enjoy the convenience and economical of local amenities as food centre, wet markets (Famous Chinatown). You never get to go hungry again.
8 mins walk to outram mrt
Centralize location – near to many amenities, schools and expressways

Specifications

Project:

Spottiswoode 18

Developer

RL Development Pte Ltd

Address:

18 Spottiswoode Park Road S088642

Tenure:

Freehold

Type of Development:

Proposed erection of 36-storey Residential apartment building with Total 251 Residential units, 2 sky terraces

Total Units

251

TOP

31 Dec 2015

Legal TOP

31 Dec 2018

Site Area:

43,366sf

Carpark Lots

251

Unit Type

<><>

BED	Type	Total Units	Size (sf)
1RM	C	-	387
1+1	B	-	506
2RM	A1/A2	-	635 / 657
1RM Dup	DP1/DP4	-	710/872
2RM Dup	DP2/DP3	-	1076/1098
1RM PH	PH1/PH3	2	893/1292
1+1 PH	PH2	1	1324

FOR a VIP preview email me at property@ckgroup.sg / sms +65 97938778 with your name / contact / type

GOOD CLASS BUNGALOWS

Buying the ultimate home

With only about 2,400 units of good class bungalows in the market, almost any GCB would be a rare find.

By Arthur SimPublished: August 13 2009,The Business Times
THEY are wealthy and successful people who can probably afford to buy any home they want, but many of them are being drawn towards good class bungalows (GCBs). There are only 39 designated GCB areas in Singapore and Binjai Park is one of them.

However, these areas are not all equal. Some GCB locations are more prestigious than others. For instance, the current asking price for GCB land in the Nassim area is between $1,500-$2,000 per square foot (psf) whereas in Chestnut Drive, GCBs have been known to have transacted at around $550 psf.

There are also pros and cons to buying either an old bungalow or a newly built one. 'Some old GCBs have unique architectural features and come with a rich heritage. Buyers, however, have to be prepared to set aside some money to refurbish and upgrade the building and fit it out with modern conveniences,'

New buildings, he says, can be tailored to specific tastes but also be expensive. But what usually pushes up prices is the location. A martial arts movie star who picked up a GCB at Binjai Park for $19.8 million at around $871.36 psf earlier this year appears to have gotten a good buy. It was reported that the seller of the house had incurred a loss of $1.2 million on the deal, having bought the property in early 2007 for $21 million, or $924 psf. The selling price for a newly built GCB will generally be higher than that of an old GCB. 'The choice normally depends on whether the buyer is price sensitive,'. A new house might take as long as two years to build although it is more likely to be built to the owner's precise specifications.

If one is looking for exclusivity, the most expensive GCBs are generally in the Nassim and Lady Hill areas. This is followed by those in the Tanglin vicinity such as the Rochalie, Bishopsgate and Chatsworth areas.On the prices, GCBs in the Tanglin vicinity range from $1,200-$1,400 psf for the top of this category.

'Other popular GCB areas are in the Swettenham, Pierce, Dalvey, Cluny Park areas where prices can range from $1,100-$1,300 psf', '1,000 psf is the standard price for an average GCB. Prices have been moving up over the last six months. Permanent residents are permitted to buy landed property, but only with permission from the government. Foreigners cannot easily buy a GCB or any other landed home here as the government restricts foreign ownership of residential property. However, foreigners who take up Singapore citizenship may buy landed property. The exception to the restrictions is the gated residential enclave of Sentosa Cove, where ownership rules were eased to allow foreigners who are not permanent residents to buy landed homes or land plots, though permission is still needed.

Apart from some restrictions on ownership, one of the common misconceptions when buying a GCB is that some buyers unknowingly pay a premium for a home that actually falls outside the designated GCB areas. 'Some buyers think that as long as a bungalow has a land area of 15,070 sq ft, it is considered a GCB, not knowing there are only 39 designated areas,' he added. Before buying any home, it is also useful to do some checks. For instance, it is useful for a surveyor to be called in to assess and ascertain the site boundary for issues such as encroachment. A structural surveyor or engineer can also be engaged to assess the structural integrity of a house, especially if it is an old or conserved bungalow. It is also important to check with the relevant authorities about possible drainage and road reserves as this could affect the the boundary setbacks. Finally, the terrain, shape of the site and frontage are other physical characteristics that are important, especially if one is going to build a new house. But with only about 2,400 units of GCBs in the market, almost any GCB would be a rare find. 'The majority are owned by the who's who - and are seldom placed for sale in the market. On the contrary, there's an increasing pool of buyers made up of high net worth individuals, GCB collectors as well as permanent residents who are looking to buy GCBs for their own use,' he adds.

GCB buyers are a discerning group of investors who also have a different view on what makes a good investment. 'Yields are not part of the investment criteria - which is typically less than 2 per cent,' said Mr Han. Instead most see GCBs as a good long-term asset class of investment, 'especially in land-scarce Singapore where land value appreciates over time'. And Mr Han believes that the outlook for GCBs is also good.