There is a certain advantage in living close to your workplace, I’m sure many people attest to that. If travelling from work to home is just 15 minutes, it allows us to spend more time on the people & things we love. That is probably why in Singapore home-buyers never fail to look out for property in a central location, be it for investment purposes or for their own stay. Today, I venture into Alessandrea!
About Alessandrea
Alessandrea is a Freehold Condominium completed in 2003. Housing a total number of 105 units, this cosy project sits snugly along Alexandra road and has public bus services bringing residents to Raffles place (CBD) or Orchard road (town). Even with moderate traffic, getting to these places shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes on the bus.
A distinct strategic edge Alessandrea has is that it faces the Alexandra canal, which merges into the Singapore River at Clarke Quay. In fact, for those with enough stamina, you can enjoy a scenic run to the heart of the city via the Park Connector Network.
I was told by one of my clients that before Alessandrea, the same spot used to be a Soy sauce factory! Of course, I’m sure that was quite a number of years ago when the real estate scene wasn’t so developed.
View of the Alexandra canal from within Alessandrea
A view of the Alexandra Canal on ground level
The Park Connector Network (PCN) by our NParks
Alessandrea: Facilities and layout
Through the grace of the owner, I visited Alessandrea a couple of times to feature his home and it occurred to me that this project is quite popular with Chinese Indonesians and Japanese tenants. What I like about Alessandrea is that while it isn’t a mega sized project, it steers clear of less popular facilities (such as tennis courts or squash courts) and provides only the useful ones and make them good.
View of Alessandrea from outside
The foyer area of Alessandrea, quiet and clean
Well maintained gym with enough space to move about
The main swimming pool
And a smaller wading pool
At the side of the main swimming pool is a Sauna room which should be quite popular with the Japanese tenants. For just 105 units, I think the facilities are rather generous and well maintained, and most of all it is very clean within the compound.
Into the home!
The owner of this high-floor unit is currently renting it out, and allowed me unrestricted access!
View of the living room area
View from the entrance of the house
A very decent sized kitchen
With a total of 1,098 sqft, this unit features 3 bedrooms and there is almost no wastage of space in terms of its layout. The dining and living rooms are rectangular in shape, increasing the functionality when it comes to placing furniture and the floor-to-ceiling window offers a soothing view of the greenery across the road. The kitchen also leads to a small helper’s room and a toilet.
1 of the common rooms with squarish layout
The master room with attached bathroom
Master Bathroom
Even though this project was completed a decade ago, the owner told me he merely re-polished the floor and re-painted the interior and indeed that was enough to make it look as good as new. Personally, a home with a view is always a bonus, but what I fancied about this house was that it has a nice spacious layout, very functional, and it’s actually enough for a small family with children. Best of all, getting to places from this centralised location is a breeze.
Ikea right opposite Anchorpoint shopping mall
The only drawback I imagine I’d have staying here is grocery shopping. Driving is easy enough, with Anchorpoint shopping mall and Ikea along Alexandra road, or Tiong Bahru Plaza round the corner too. There is no direct bus service going to both of these malls though, the best method is to actually take a bus at Blk 104A Henderson Crescent & thereafter 2 bus stops to Tiong Bahru Plaza. But if grocery is done once or twice a week then it’s no big issue.
Potential Value
The value of Alessandrea lies in its strategic proximity to the heart of Singapore. Tenants will always be looking at such a project mainly for the convenience. Other than that, there has been a recent revival of the surrounding estate as new projects pop up one after another, such as Ascentia Sky (completed 2013), Echelon (expected completion 2016) and Alex Residences (about to launch). Judging from historical data, new projects tend to help push pre-existing projects upwards in terms of valuation.
Watch the complete Video
I’m really honoured to be able to do a feature on this project, once again due to the kindness of the home owner! If you wish to see the interior of Alessandrea in 3D, Click here to view this video in Youtube!
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