Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 10:09 pm Post subject: Cairnhill Crest - Anyone heard of it?
My family (3 of us) are planning to move to Cairnhill Crest which is still under construction, and I wondered what's the general consensus or opinions are. Any information on when the construction is to be finished would be appreciated too.
Also, is living in Cairnhill area convinient? Our family is currently in Great World City which is located right above the shopping mall w/ Cold Storage and food court, etc., and we love it. However, it seems that it might take a bit of walk from Cairnhill to Orchard area.
Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 11:36 pm Post subject: Look around the areas
I think you should visit around the area before you decide, ie: location, convenience to shops, traffic jams?, closeness to schools.
Maybe you can contact the admin for some recommendations. Good luck. _________________ The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. - Groucho Marx (1890-1977)
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 12:16 am Post subject: Cairnhill Crest
We lived at the Somerset serviced apartments on Mount Elizabeth Link which are almost opposite this development for a while. We liked being near Orchard most of the week. On weekends the stalls for the banks, mobile phones and so on around the Paragon, Singtel and Citibank are a bit noisy and overwhelming so we tended to avoid that stretch of Orchard then. It is fairly convenient for groceries with Paragon Market Place and numerous coffee shops just a few minutes' walk down the hill and food court and Cold Storage at Takashimaya. Also easy walking distance to Chatsworth School if that is of interest to you. Traffic can be a bit of a nightmare though, especially on weekends when it can be queued all the way down Cairnhill to Orchard and up Bideford Road in the other direction. You are also right next to the ERP gantry. I'm not sure if the condo entrance is inside or outside the gantry. Sorry, no idea when it is due to be finished. Before you commit to a long lease, you might want to try living in the serviced apartments there. Less resorty than Great World City but will give you a feel for the area.
I lived right behind it all throughout it's construction...
Like a few people have already said, traffic would be a main issue as it faces a big road, right nearby the ERP gantry and an express way. The traffic was terrible at peak hours/weekends so I would imagine it creating major congestions once they open their main gates. I would suggest you getting a unit facing inwards rather than the street as well. It's less than a 5 min walk to the Heeren taxi stand so you can always walk down there for a cab if you find it difficult to hail down a cab outside the condo.
There are a few options to get to Orchard Rd. You can either go down Cairnhill rd which will come out to the corner of Heeren and the Singapore Visitors Centre, go down Bidford Rd. leading to the corner of Paragon and Crown Prince Hotel. Both of these are about a 5min walk. Alternatively you can walk down Emerald Hill, which is right at the back of the condo, and arrive at Centre Point, which has a few food courts, cold storage and Somerset MRT. This would be about a 10min walk. If you like your hawker centres, it's less than a 15 minute walk down to Newton Circus as well.
Traffic is not much of an issue for my family, because my mom is not likely to drive in Singapore for a year or two. She doesn't speak English and she's afraid of getting any trouble because of that.
As for grocery shopping, we'll probably frequent Takashimaya because my mom's collecting "Royal Doulton" stickers for Cold Storage. (I'm sure some of you're doing that too!)
A bit of information you must know. I live very close to Cairnhill Crest and I have seen what happened in the past year.
Cairnhill Crest was actually completed early this year, with people already moving into the units that were actually sold during launch. After a couple of months, we saw people moving out, and the entire place plunged into construction again.
My friend's dad just bought one of the 6 bedroom penthouses at Cairnhill Crest without knowing its history. After I told him about its history, that it had already TOP'ed but had to refurbish because of complaints from residents, he dragged me along to sort it out with the Cheung Kong agent who sold him the property.
When I questioned the Cheung Kong sales agent, along with his D.T.Z co-broker about the building being already TOP'ed and seeing people move in, they denied that Cairnhill Crest was ever TOP'ed and people ever moved in and they denied that people complained about the finishings and the construction. They even made the lame excuse that "the lights and people you saw in the apartments were there because we were hosting a James Bond night", which I supposed was some kind of fancy dress party held at the supposedly unfinished condo. Hello? Does it make sense to hold a party at an unfinished condo?
Two things:
1) During its launch 3 years ago till today, there have been very few buyers of Cairnhill Crest. It is crazy - a couple of hundred apartments and only a handful sold? If this sounds frighteningly familiar, that's cos you're thinking of another condo, this time in the East, called the Costa del Sol. Costa del Sol, till today, remains largely and absurdly empty. Mind you, this is a condo with several hundred units.
Not surprisingly, both Cairnhill Crest and Costa del Sol are developed by Cheung Kong, a HK-based developer owned by property tycoon Li Ka-Shing.
2) Why is there such a lack of buyer interest in a super-prime piece of property in Cairnhill, an area where average prices are S$1,400 psf? ie:- The Light@Cairnhill? That is because, as one property news publication put it, Cairnhill Crest was "A third-rate building with third-rate finishings in a first-rate neighborhood."
So if you're thinking of moving in there: the location is superb, a 5 min walk down to Orchard Road, the views are good and unblocked. But don't expect too much, as they are now fighting against time to re-furbish a couple of hundred of units that had third-rate finishings, shoddy construction, and they may not do a very good job even this time round. God forbid, if their shoddy construction included the piling and the foundation.... who knows what may happen?
Just what kind of developer is this who projects such an image? A developer who cuts corners, employs shoddy construction, lousy finishing at the expense of their customers?
Everything I wrote here is as I have experienced it. Buyers and tenants, do your own research about this place. Cheung Kong may be able to hoodwink some of their customers, but not all.
Thanks for your insight! I'm certainly showing that to my dad, although it's not likely to make any difference because the deal's done. I guess the poor finish at initial construction explains why they're rebuilding many elements such as balcony, lobby, etc.
My mom and I already visited the place few times and we agreed that the apartment itself wasn't that impressive. Compared to new developments in various area (ie The Paterson, Grange Residences, etc), Cairnhill Crest looks rather old. Also, despite the number '1773 sqf', the unit looked rather small. My mom's friend lives in Pebble Bay and we can get much bigger house there at much cheaper price!
Afterall, since my mom's not driving, I guess the location is the factor. While I'd like to stay in Great World City for longer, but the size is too small and it doesn't seem suitable as a permanent residence for a family with kids.
Oh, and I have a question. What's with the "bomb shelter"? Cairnhill Crest's units have bomb shelters which uselessly take up space and the steel door is certainly far from eye-candy. Most of the apartments we've visited don't have this useless thing.
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