Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Our Neighborhood

(Above) Driveway into our estate

Me and Gayle are always appreciative of our good fortune in getting a home in this part of the East which is a nice little estate at Bedok South Avenue 3. When people think of HDB flats in the East, they will tend to think of mostly either Marine Parade or Mcnair rd, near Old Airport road area. In fact these were the two places that we were also looking at until we managed to chanced upon this area. We like this part of Bedok South because of two factors - private , quiet area and accessibility to central locations in the east and amenities. We like the fact that our estate is near the main road,yet not too near to traffic. Thus there is no need to have to drive through a number of lanes before coming out of the estate. 1 minute and we are on the Upper East Coast Road heading for the ECP to town, East Coast, Siglap or Marine Parade. We like the fact that our estate is ringed by a low lying private estate of semi detached and terrace houses(below) thus giving a very private and quiet feel to the area.
As we drop by Siglap area often to shop at Cold Storage and NTUC, makan at the cafes and restaurants there and borrow our weekly dose of video ezy or do our finance stuff at the UOB and ATM branches there, we were glad that our current home is just 5 minutes drive away. Being near to our parents - one in Marine Parade and one at Upper East Coast Rd also is a bonus. There are a number of bus services serving our estate so one is not at the mercy of one miserable feeder service. However, we are also fifteen minutes leisurely walk from Tanah Merah MRT station.

Being foodies,we enjoy besides being 5 minutes drive away from famous eateries such as the Siglap area or Simpang Bedok/Bedok bend hawker centre, Bedok South Hawker centre is 5 minutes drive away. We can drive futher to Marine Parade to shop and eat at Parkway Parade within 10 to 15 minutes.
For closer convenience, there is a 24 hr coffee shop just a block away from us with a row of convenience stores such as a clinic, pet shop, pet clinic, 7 - 11, laundrymat, hairstylist. There are also two coffee shops located opposite our place across the road. There is even a SAM machine and a POSB ATM two blocks away to pay bills and withdraw money. (Above)Temasek Primary school in background

Those who have kids will find our location convenient as it is near two good schools - Temasek Primary School and Temasek Secondary School(above), the former 5 minutes walk and the latter 10 minutes walk.
Although our estate is 22 years old, a mid-life upgrade has renewed the place such that it doens't look it's age. We noticed that there is also a lot of greenery and landscape work(above) done to beautify the area around. If you stay on the higher floors in certain blocks, you can even have a view of the sea (below).With the upgrading of the lifts(below) all lifts stop on every floor with each block served by 3 lifts, a boon to both old and young alike. For security, the lifts are wired with CCTV cameras thus enhancing the security of the estate.

An important convenient addition is the building of sheltered walkways(above) all the way from the bustop to our block or from the coffee shop to our block. A sheltered driveway(below) has also been added to allow for dry unloading and alighting during wet weather.

(Above)New modern playgrounds dot the estate
(Above) Exercise path for elderly

There are playgrounds and exercise stations for the young and elderly which help provide further menities to the place. There is also a big piece of empty land(below) designated by Singapore Land Authority as a public recreational area and many residents play their ball games and do their jogging there. All in all, it's really a wonderful place to stay in. But getting a unit here isnt't easy. We spent two months looking for our unit and even then, there was 3 days of public viewing for it, an indication of the demand for flats in our area. We managed to secure a good price at that time which was last June 2007 at 288k at 25kCOV. Last we heard, a similar unit was sold early this year for 360k.
There are a mix of 4 to 5 room highrise blocks and low rise massionette flats which provide a wide range of housing choices for couples. Ours is a corner 4 room Type A flat which is about 102sq m or 1118 sq feet. So if you like a place somewhere near East Coast, close to ECP and MRT, near amenities, yet private, then you may wish to consider Siglap East estate .

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

hi i stay in siglap east estate too... its my parents' house... 3 years later i gonna stay in punggol with my hubby after the BTO is completed.... after reading your post... u make me feel regretted not looking for a resale flat near my parents.... but i realise the resale value here are very ex.... congrats on your new home.... it is indeed a nice place to stay in... nice sea view!!!!!