What counts as luxury in the Singapore residential market.

1. A HUGE bathroom, with the requisite his and hers sinks and standalone bathtubs(i love the claw-footed ones but the modern egg-shaped ones like those in Hills and Grange Residences are pretty swank too).

2. More than 3000sqft of space- brand new. Older apartments make the 3000sqft mark easily, with newer developments typically characterized by teeny flats, and selling at more than $1000psf. So the cold rationality behind it all is- if you can beat developer's expectations and pay the same psf amount for a 3000sqft apartment, then THAT's luxury.

3. A brand new,lowrise development- with four carpark lots. (It exists!) What this translates into is exorbitant maintenance costs- the costs of maintaining a swimming pool, carpark, security guard, etc, is divided between that much fewer residents. And an allocation for four carpark lots is way too decadent in landscarce Singapore. As is the assumption that residents would drive four cars in a city characterised by sky-high COEs.

4. A private concierge service. All the developments in my favourite, luxurious troika has access to a concierge service.
"Luxurious apartments

As the condominium market become more competitive and high-rise living becomes a conscious choice, developers have been coming up with developments promoting lifestyle statements. Developments such as the Pier, Icon, the Arris, amongst others, are targeted at a rarefied segment of society-in this case the urban young single/couple intent on living the good life.

SCGlobal , not a mega developer in the sense of having lots of projects under its portfolio, having come up with all of 3 projects so far, is succeeding in its lifestyle-marketing tack. All 3 developments are a calculated move towards projecting a luxurious, prestigious brand image. The 3 projects are: The Ladyhill, selling at $1,800psf when it was first launched, The BLVD, on Orchard Boulevard and the hip sister in the luxurious troika-the Lincoln Modern, the latter which I have covered on my segment under 'hip developments'.

Most of these apartments rent for about the same amount as a comparable semi-d with the same top finishes and quality design. Usually it is a toss-up between the grounds and privacy that living in a house affords and the convenience and security of living in an apartment. There are hidden costs of living in a house, such as pool and garden maintenance. Maintenance costs for apartment living is shared by the residents and has been included in the rental. Yet, there is also the exclusivity of having your own pool and garden for the children and dogs to run around. Security factors like having the condominium security, the card access system, etc, might also sway you to choose living in a condominium as opposed to a house although of course, some exclusive townhouses do provide security as well- giving you the best of both worlds. Ultimately, people who choose condominium living need the ease of a fuss-free lifestyle, especially if they expect to be travelling a lot. There are some penthouses with a private pool, which offers part of the exclusivity of landed housing in not having to share amenities. Yet again, this leads to the inevitable costs of pool maintenance which high-rise living is supposed to do away with in the first place. "

5. A private pool. Very un-pleb characteristic, that.