I've lived at The Prive EC at Punggol for nearly 2 years - here's my review of what it's like to live there

Executive Condominiums (EC) are a very popular choice in Singapore, and for good reason.

It comes with all the facilities that a condo would have, just at a more affordable price, and restrictions such as a 5-year MOP. 

For T and her husband, they have been staying at Prive for more than a year already. But this EC wasn’t their first choice to begin with. 

“We started our house hunt in November 2020,” she shared. “Initially, we were considering both the Central region and the North Eastern region.” This is because her husband’s parents were staying in Bukit Merah while her parents were in Hougang. 

In fact, the couple had already placed an OTP for an HDB unit in Pinnacle@Duxton. However, the news came out that the government was considering differentiated measures for the prime regions, which caused them to hesitate in their decision to go ahead with the Pinnacle@Duxton unit.

In the end, they forfeited their OTP and started their house hunt in the northeast region. They finally bought their unit in December 2020 and moved in around April 2021.

Let’s get into detail as T shares about their house-hunting journey and their experience so far living at Prive Executive Condominium.

How Prive compares to other estates

T said they considered other condos during their search. However, they eventually narrowed down to ECs as they thought these would provide them good value, considering the facilities and lower price point compared to condos.

“We wanted something that was within walking distance to the MRT, and Prive was the nearest, which is only 6 minutes away if you use the side gate.”

The next closest development was Twin Waterfalls, but they did not like how the estate was laid out.

“It made us feel claustrophobic for some reason,” she added. “Also, some of the newer ECs do not have storerooms, which is a no-no for us.”

What made Prive stand out from other choices

Just like how an EC wasn’t originally their first choice, Punggol wasn’t a place that they had in mind initially either. 

Researching further, though, they started to feel that Punggol was a promising location as there were many ongoing developments to look forward to in the future.

These include the Punggol Digital District (PDD), Punggol Coast MRT, Cross Island line, One Punggol, Punggol Heritage trail, and Punggol Sports Hub. As such, they felt that the end state of Punggol looked promising to support potential capital appreciation.

All of these, including other existing amenities such as Punggol Waterway Park, Punggol Safra, Waterway Point, Oasis Terraces, Container Park, and the newly completed Northshore Plaza, also bodes well for the estate.

And despite Prive being at the end of the North-East line, T said it only takes 22 minutes to get to Dhoby Ghaut MRT and 28 minutes to Outram Park MRT. Since her husband works in the east, his commute is even shorter.

“When the Cross-Island line is completed in 2030, it will drastically shorten the time to get from Punggol to Pasir Ris and Ang Mo Kio.”

As they narrowed down their search within Punggol, they started looking at the various condos and ECs in the area.

“We actually have friends who are staying at Prive. We had visited them several times and were impressed that the estate was well-maintained and within a 6-minute walk to Punggol Interchange and MRT,” T recalled. She added that this was quite rare as most ECs are usually pretty far from the MRT stations. Additionally, Prive is only a 3-minute walk from Cove LRT station.

The couple also liked that the majority of the units in Prive are north-south facing, thus avoiding the heat from the afternoon sun. She said that this last point might seem quite trivial, but they liked how the buildings were laid out. It allowed the wind to flow through the estate and give it an open feel.

Since they both love the outdoors, they also love Prive’s proximity to Punggol Waterway Park. It gives them a chance to cycle all the way to Coney Island.

“This was a godsend during the Covid-19 lockdowns as it allowed us to partake in outdoor activities, helping us maintain our sanity during those trying times,” she said. Even now, they still maintain their routine. And as a result, their health couldn’t be better.

The unit in Prive itself also stood out from the other choices. “We like that the units in Prive come with a storeroom, which we feel is very important as it allows us to hide the unsightly barangs. The other thing we like is that there are two balconies.” Having two balconies allowed them to hang their clothes in the one adjoining the master bedroom while preserving the aesthetics of the balcony connected to the living room.

And lastly, they also like that their unit has an enclosed kitchen so they can keep the cooking smells from their living room.

What a typical day looks like at Prive

So how does the couple spend their weekends at Prive?

T said they usually start it with breakfast at their favourite wanton mee at Foodfare@Punggol Place. Then they head off to one of their cycling trips along the waterways.

Sometimes they would have lunch at home or visit one of the numerous restaurants at Waterway point. In the evenings, they can usually be found downstairs at the swimming pool with their daughter.

A look behind the facade of Prive

Having lived in the estate for more than a year already, T and her husband share some of the downsides about staying at Prive.

“The main gripe for us is that the walk from the MRT to the estate is not sheltered.” The couple found it a bit of a hassle to walk back from the MRT and LRT stations when it rains.

Their other minor problem is that there are not enough bicycle parking lots in the car park. She believes that this can be resolved by doing what other estates have done – by transforming some parking lots into bicycle lots.

So while the estate is pretty well-maintained at present with its recent painting, increasing the number of bicycle lots would be really helpful as many people own bicycles in the estate.

Considerations potential buyers should know

T had two things to share with those who are planning to get a unit at Prive.

“Prive is actually the first EC that the government launched after a long hiatus. One Punggol Hub was recently completed and provides many amenities under one roof, which adds a long-awaited hawker centre to the estate.”

Then there’s the Punggol Regional Sports Hub which is currently under construction. Once completed, it will be one of the largest sports hubs in Singapore.

Another thing to think about for young families is the availability of childcare. It’s been an issue in Punggol due to the large demographic of young families living there, so much so that some people have been on the waiting list for more than a year.

As such, T shared that “one reservation that young families might have is that of childcare spaces. However, with several new mega centres being constructed in the neighbourhood, it will greatly ease the demand for childcare spaces.”

Staying at Prive Condominium

Finally, for the couple, their favourite part about staying at Prive is really about the lifestyle. 

“Our favourite part was the lifestyle that it affords us,” she answered. “We love that we can go on regular cycling trips.”

She said that the good thing about cycling in Punggol is that the terrain is very varied. There are manicured waterways near Oasis Terraces, rugged terrains on Coney Island, and grassy expanse – all within one track. If they wanted to go further, they could always cycle all the way to Seletar or Pasir Ris.

They also like that Prive is not a far walk from the MRT station, so transportation has been relatively easy for them. Amenity-wise, there are plenty of eateries located less than 5 minutes around. There’s also the newly-opened hawker centre at One Punggol Hub. For groceries, five supermarkets are located within a 10 minute walk away.

When it comes to the estate itself, T said they love the three swimming pools they frequently use. There’s also a tennis court, BBQ pits, and gym that they use occasionally.

So how long are they planning to stay at Prive Condo? T’s reply was succinct.

“For now, we see Prive as our forever home.”

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This article was first published in Stackedhomes.