3 Tips to Help You Pick Your Dream Condo Unit
Have you been working from home since the start of COVID-19 and feeling that your current house seems unconducive somehow? Do you wish you had a balcony to enjoy the view after a long day working from home?Are you cooking a lot more these days as you want to avoid crowds and long queues at restaurants with safe distancing measures?Wouldn’t it be great if you have your personal working space in your house to avoid distractions from your kids who are having online classes in the living room as well?
Well, if you are thinking of buying your next private property, here are 3 tips for you to pick your next dream condo unit:
Tip No. 1: Choose the floor based on your family’s needs
One of the first things to consider while choosing your preferred condo unit would be whether it’s a high floor or low floor unit.
If you have younger children and would like to have more floor space for them to run around and walk conveniently to the condominium facilities without taking the lift, a ground unit would be ideal. One concern about children is that they tend to perch or climb onto window latches; so, it would be a lot safer for you to purchase a ground floor unit as the risk of falling is likely to be less serious as compared to staying in a higher level unit.
Moreover, if you are someone who likes to host parties or have friends over for meals, a ground floor apartment typically has more spacious Private Enclosed Spaces (PES) as compared to an upper level unit. There can be bigger outdoor spaces like a private patio outside of the house as compared to smaller balconies on higher levels. Of course, you can also consider a penthouse apartment as well if you want a bigger floor plan but still stay on the highest level.
If you are planning to live together with elderly parents or grandparents, or you may have family members who are less mobile, a ground floor unit is a better choice. If your family member requires a wheelchair to move around, a ground floor apartment would afford you bigger lobby space for him/her to manoeuvre. What’s more, you don’t need to worry about lift breakdowns or lift upgrading issues and do not have to worry about their mobility in such instances.Let’s say you have green fingers and would like to have your mini garden or lawn. While it’s still possible to grow potted plants in a balcony on a higher floor unit, there is less space to do so.
However, if you are someone who cannot stand noise from roads or people using the condo facilities nearby, it would be good for you to pick a top floor condo unit instead for higher privacy and lower noise levels. You can also enjoy beautiful unobstructed views of the surrounding areas if there are no other buildings in front of your condominium. Higher floor units also tend to have less problems with rodent infestations as compared to the ground floor apartments as they are further away from common facilities such as garbage chutes and BBQ pits.
Tip No. 2: Pick the best unit position according to your priorities
The next thing to consider is the unit position. Is convenience or privacy more important to you?
Let’s say you decided on a certain unit because of its proximity to nearby amenities e.g. school, shopping mall, MRT station or bus interchange. While it is very convenient for you to walk a short distance from your unit to access these nearby amenities, have you considered the noise levels these nearby amenities may generate?
For instance, you bought a particular unit as it is nearer to the side gate which is right beside your child’s primary school. Great, isn’t it? However, have you thought of the noise level of a school, especially in the early mornings and afternoons where students are having their morning assembly and CCAs? Not forgetting the school chime every half an hour as well as PA announcements for the students.
Sure, you may be overjoyed that your condo unit that you picked is a stone throw away from the transport hub as compared to other units at other apartment blocks, but have you considered how massive the flow of traffic as well as commuters would be? Would you be able to deal with the surge in traffic right outside your unit during peak hours?
Tip No. 3: Remember to keep in mind your plans for the future when picking a suitable unit type and size
Even if you are buying this apartment for you and your partner and both of you are currently fine with a smaller condominium unit like a studio apartment, do you have plans to have children or have your elderly family members to stay over in the future?
1 Bedroom/studio units are best suited for two people to stay in. Let’s say you want to have friends over for a night—where are they going to sleep in? Moreover, in some studio units, the bathroom can only be accessed from the bedroom, which could be quite inconvenient for you and your guests.
There are more choices in the market for 2 bedroom apartments which would give you some privacy when you have additional guests over. You may also wish to consider getting a larger kitchen with windows if you intend to cook often as most new launch condominium units come with enclosed kitchens with no windows.
The most comfortable unit layout for parents-to-be would be a 3 bedroom unit. If you have a maid, it would also be best to have a separate room for your helper to stay in. However, as newer condominiums nowadays are generally smaller in size, it would be good to ensure that your room sizes are large enough to accommodate queen size-beds or some extra space to place your baby crib and toys etc.
However with the COVID-19 situation where more people are expected to work from home, people are looking for units that have more space, and/or a study or a room that they can use solely for work. Space and design layout has now become a top priority on people’s mind when they come to select the dream home and pick their condo of their choice.
Conclusion
While it’s tempting to pick your dream condo unit based on first impressions, it would be good to keep in mind the 3 above tips in mind when choosing your desired private apartment. Take some time to discuss with your partner and family on what matters most to you before bagging that dream house!
Get a head start and speak to our consultants, your one-stop source of information to assist in helping you to pick the dream condo!