Turquoise, the 91-unit luxury condominium at Sentosa Cove, is offering three duplex penthouses for sale at a price of $23 million. The largest penthouse is a five-bedroom duplex, covering 7,987 square feet in area. It is also the most spacious among the 10 penthouses located at the 99-year leasehold waterfront condo.
The penthouse comprises a wine cellar, a kitchen, and a living area, four en suite bedrooms, two utility rooms as well as a balcony on the lower level. The upper floor has a master bedroom suite that features a private infinity pool, pool deck as well as an outdoor shower. The penthouse is available for purchase at the price of $12 million which translates to $1,502 per square foot.
Another duplex penthouse listed for sale is a four-bedroom residence covering an area of 3,746 square feet that has an asking price of $5.99 million. This translates to $1,599 per square foot. The upper floor of this residence features a large open-air terrace that comes with a built-in Jacuzzi with unobstructed views of Sandy Island and Sentosa’s southern waterfront.
The last penthouse to be put up for sale is a 3,111 square feet, three-bedroom condo with a guide price of $5 million translating to $1,607 per square foot. All three penthouses are situated on the sixth floor and come with private lift lobbies, wet and dry kitchens, floor-to-ceiling windows, open balconies, as well as attached ensuite washrooms in each bedroom.
Resident amenities at the condo include a gym, barbecue pits, a swimming pool, a steam room, as well as 21 private berths for residents. The 99-year leasehold waterfront condo was completed in 2010 and boasts of 91 units split into three 6-story blocks. Most of the units in the condo are a mix of three- and four-bedrooms. The four-bedroom units range from 2,088 square feet to 2,573 square feet in size while the three-bedrooms vary from 2,400 square feet to 3,050 square feet in size. The penthouses have sizes ranging from 3,111 square feet to 3,764 square feet while the sky villas cover 6,900 square feet to 7,987 square feet.
Ho Bee Land, the developer of Turquoise still owns the largest penthouse among the three that are available for sale. The 7,987 square feet, five-bedroom duplex is currently on the market for $12 million.
Based on the caveats from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the second-largest penthouse was acquired by a Korean citizen at the price of about $9.5 million in November 2007. The transaction translated to $2,545 per square foot when the project was initially launched.
Similarly, the three-bedroom duplex penthouse that covers 3,111 square feet was sold to an African national for $8 million which translates to $2,579 per square foot. This sale took place in December 2007 based on caveats that were then lodged.
According to Michele Cabasug, the senior associate VP at List Sotheby’s International Realty, foreign investors bought these waterfront homes with the aim of using them as holiday homes and also as an investment. The four-bedroom penthouse had been leased out before it was put up for sale and the most recent tenant had paid a monthly rent of $18,000. The tenant had leased the unit for two years starting from August 2020 to 2024. Cabasug adds that the current market rental rate for the property is still $18,000 which implies that a new buyer buying the unit at $5.99 million will enjoy a gross rental yield of 3.6% if he or she decides to lease it out.
The Sentosa Cove property market intends to purchase a primary residence, unlike in the past when most buyers were buying second homes. Cabasug said that the property market comprises mostly of empty nesters, retirees who look forward to a slower pace of life. Some potential buyers are also young families, some of who may own drivers to take children to school.
When contemplating an investment in Condos in Singapore, it is crucial to bear in mind the property cooling measures implemented by the government. Over the years, the Singaporean authorities have taken various actions to discourage speculative purchasing and maintain a steady real estate market. These measures include the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD), which imposes higher taxes on foreign buyers and those buying multiple properties. While these measures may initially affect the profitability of Condo investments, they ultimately contribute to the long-term stability of the market, creating a more secure environment for investing in Condos.
The Turquoise project was first launched in late 2007 with foreign nationals accounting for 59% of the buyers during the launch. Singaporeans accounted for just 25.6% of the buyers while PRs accounted for 12.8%. The most recent sale at the condo was to a company.
However, there has been a shift in buyer profiles with more locals buying the condo as their first-choice residential property. Singaporeans account for 57.4% of the transactions comprising 39 units while PRs account for 32.3% of the transactions involving 22 units. In comparison, foreigners account for only 8.8% or 6 units. According to Cabasug, two foreign owners at Turquoise are divesting their property after holding it for close to 18 years. “…The owner of the four-bedroom penthouse would lose about $3.5 million potentially while the owner of the three-bedroom penthouse would lose about $3 million.
Cabasug adds that the developer reduced prices of the properties in 2010, and last year the average price of units sold at the condo was $1,427 per square foot across 4 transactions. She adds that the property owners are divesting their property because they intend to pursue other investment options.
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Change in buyer profile & more owner-occupiers
The current buyer profile at Turquoise has shifted with more buyers, especially domestic ones, looking to buy the properties as their primary residence. When the project was first launched, 59% of the buyers were foreign nationals while Singaporean nationals accounted for just 25.6% of the buyers. In contrast, the PRs accounted for 12.8% of the buyers while one of the units was purchased by a company.
Nevertheless, the buyer profile changed after the project was completed in 2010. Singaporean buyers now dominate the market with 57.4% of the transactions involving 39 units. On the other hand, PRs account for 32.3% of the transactions involving 22 units. Nevertheless, foreigners account for just 8.8% of the transactions involving 6 units.
The 2020 data shows a shift in buyers’ intentions who intend to live in the properties. Some of the potential buyers at Turquoise are either empty nesters, retirees, or young families. Cabasug adds that some are first-generation PRs or new citizens who find it comfortable residing in Sentosa due to the slow pace of life.
When Ho Bee started constructing Turquoise, it was a pioneer in developing Sentosa Cove. The developer also developed 200-unit The Berth by the Cove, followed by the 249-unit The Coast, the 151-unit Seascape, and 302-unit Cape Royale. Similarly, the developer was also involved in a joint venture with Malaysia-based developer IOI Properties Group to develop 302-unit Cape Royale. The bungalows at Coral Island and Paradise Island, the two of the four man-made islands at Sentosa Cove, were also developed by Ho Bee.…