The Nautical Condo - TOP and Preview

Finally, after 2 years, the Nautical Condominium at Jalan Sendudok has been completed and received its TOP status. Block 99 and 97 have began issuing of keys. However, now is the Hungry Ghost Festival Month and few unit owners will collect their keys in this month. I think majority of the owners will book the keys collection on 14 Sep 2015 onwards. From 14 Sep 2015, there will be more human traffic at the development.

 

I must say that the development looks interesting. The outdoor chairs and tables are quite classy and attractive. I forgot to take picture of the chairs and table. The keys collection is located at Block 97e Sky Dining.

 

The free-form pool is very nice and the resting area at the end of the pool is spacious and you can enjoy the breeze there.

 

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Keys collection

 

Swimming pool

 

Playground

Playground

Free-From Pool

Swimming pool resting area

 

View from the balcony

Ground floor unit

 

Tennis court at roof top

 

Resting area on the roof top



Preview of the interior



Basement Carpark

Earn money with your credit cards

Credit cards can help you earn money every day if you know how to use them properly.

Have you wondered why many people use credit cards for their purchases? They have the cash with them but yet people choose to use credit cards to pay for all purchases. This is because most credit cards have rebates or cash-back when you use them.

There are discounts when you use certain bank's credit cards at restaurants or promotional items.

Personally, I use only two credit cards for my purchases. I use another credit card for all online purchases and also Pay-pal. This is to minimise any fraud transactions for online purchases.

I use one credit card to get dividend cash-back of about SGD50 to SGD100 per quarter. Average monthly spending is about SGD700. I charge my petrol bills, phone bills, meals, etc all to this credit cards. I enjoy discounts at petrol stations as well as meals at restaurants.

Check out this website that ranks the best Petrol Credit Cards for 2015. Citibank Dividend card is the best in this category. I have been using this card since it was introduced. Image the amount that I have already saved and earned.

• 18.3% discount at Esso Stations - 5% Esso site discount + 5% Smiles card discount + 4% Citicard discount + 5% Citi DIVIDEND Cash rebate on nett purchase
• 18.1% discount at Shell stations - 5% Shell site discount + 5% Shell Escape discount + 4% Citi Rebate (applies after Shell discount) + 5% Citi DIVIDEND Cash rebate (applies after Shell discount)

Below is a screenshot of my dividends redeemed this month. It is SGD53.58. Just image that you pay via cash, you will not have discounts and dividend cashback. It is a good way to save and earn money. The banks are giving you money and you just need to be disciplined.



Dividend cashback

Another thing about the annual fee for credit cards, so far only UOB does not allow fee waiver. Most banks will waive the annual fee if you request them. Remember to request for annual fee waiver and you will save a lot on this. Just pick up the phone and dial the bank's number. Punch in a few keys and you will save at least SGD100. Don't be lazy. I can help you do it if you pay me the annual fee.. Just kidding.

Banks earn money by:

• Late Fees and Finance charges
• Interest rate charge on revolving balance (which is not paid before due date)
• Fees for cash withdrawal
• Annual membership fees (this is ridiculously high)

So, let's try not to give away our hard-earn money.

Some people are sceptical about credit cards, one person is my brother. He is afraid of using it because he had been burned by the bills. He had overspent his limits and was unable to pay. In the end, he had to cut all his credit cards and vowed not to use them again. So, credit cards can help you save and earn money but you must know the right way.

The Nautical Condo TOP

I'm pleased to announce the TOP of the Nautical Condo today. Congratulations to all the owners. Huat ah!!!

The Nautical Condo Signage is ready

The Nautical Condo Signage is ready. I went by last week and the signage at the main gate and another one at the back gate near Sembawang Shopping Centre (SSC) have been erected. I think TOP is getting nearer.

The Nautical

The Nautical Side Gate

Is the Nautical Condo going to TOP soon?

The blue plastic stickers have been removed from the glass windows of the sky lounge and the gym since end of Apr 2015. I heard from the Nautical Condo Facebook page that the waterfall at the edge of the swimming pool is running.

The balconies of the two units at Block 93 that were still under construction had already been completed. I didn't have the time to see whether the Nautical signboard at the entrance has been completed. Last time I saw that the sign was still not ready yet.

From the outside, it should look like the Nautical Condo is ready for TOP. I have the feeling that the TOP will be around July 2015.

I have checked the bca.gov.sg eServices website. The Nautical Condo has applied for site inspection on 9 April 2015. I think the site inspection is currently being carried out at the Nautical Condo. Some people have already posted on the FB page that water is running on the edge of the pool (liked waterfall). I think if the inspection takes a couple of months and rectification to be done (if any during the inspection), the most likely date for TOP is still in July 2015.

Status of Plan Application

The website for the Nautical condo handover slots eBooking is up. The venue for the keys collection is at Block 97 Jalan Sendudok 5th floor Sky Dining lounge. The FAQ section will tell you more information on the online booking of appointment and procedure for key collection. You will need to clear all your payments and wait at least 5 days before you can book the appointment.

The Nautical - Handover Slots eBooking System

Canberra MRT Station NS12 to be ready in 2019

New Canberra MRT Station.

The new Canberra MRT station (NS12) will be along Canberra Link and is located between the Sembawang (NS11) and Yishun (NS13) stations. We have waited for this Canberra Station since 2012. When I bought the Nautical Condo unit, I had anticipated that there would be a MRT station near it. This was because from Sembawang to Yishun stations, there is a missing station (NS12). From this, I could tell that one day, the population near the area will grow rapidly and a new station is needed to cater for the people.

The distance from Sembawang station to the Nautical is about 900 metres. If you walk 1 metre per second (1 m/s), that will be about 15 minutes walk from Nautical to Sembawang station. But I don't think we walk 1 m/s, most probably will be faster than that. The walk will take about 10 minutes or so. Of course, I wouldn't want the station to be that near that I can hear the train passes by every few minutes.

Looking at the map and making some measurements, I think the distance from the nearest Canberra station exit to Nautical's main entrance will be about 500 metres. Again, assuming one person takes 1 m/s to walk to the station, it will take about 8 minutes. So, I think on average, it will take about 5 to 6 minutes to walk to the station. That is considered near to the MRT station I must say. I'm thinking that the price around the area will appreciate by 10% at least.

The station is expected to be completed by 2019. I hope that it will be completed in early 2019 instead of end of 2019.

Sold my Singtel and SGX shares 20 March 2015

I sold away my Singtel and SGX shares. They were bought one year ago and already earning 4% dividends. They were sitting on 15% profits and I wanted to lock them in. However, I had the feeling that after I sold my shares, they would climb higher. I learn not to fall in love with my stocks and so I sold them to get some capital gains.

I will buy again when Singtel is around $3.50 and SGX is less than $7. These are the entry prices that I think will earn at least 10% in a year.

Now I'm thinking of whether to sell my CapitalMall Trust shares. It is sitting on some profits that are quite hard to resist but on the other hand, it is paying good dividends. I will sell if it hits $2.30 and buy again at $1.90.