My friend recently invited me to her new condo unit at the SM Field Residences in Paranaque. I was quite excited, since for the longest time I have been curious with the quality of condos made by this giant company.
The entrance to the development is right behind SM Sucat. The property is gated and guarded by security. Upon entering, I immediately felt relaxed as if I was on vacation. I think that was what SM had in mind, having alloted a really big land for this development. The mid-rise buildings were built on beautiful landscapes and spaced well enough so as not to give you the "crowded feel" of ordinary Manila condos.
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| Building No. 8 from the outside |
We walked to the lobby entrance of building 8. I'm not sure if each building had specific names, but let's just call it no. 8 :) The lobby is not air-conditioned, but I liked it that way. It reminds me of Tagaytay hotel lobbies.
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| The lobby |
Next, we checked out the parking spaces located on both sides of the lobby. Some parking slots have small rooms behind them, I was told that they were meant as storage spaces not for drivers to sleep in.
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| Parking slots with small rooms |
Then, it was time to see the actual unit. While waiting for the elevator, we saw the undergoing construction of the other buildings and the pool. As of this writing, only Buildings 1 and 8 are ready for occupancy.
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| 2 elevators servicing each building |
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| Pool and building still under construction |
My friend's unit was at the second floor. I learned that each floor has 30 units on each side, having a total of 60 units!
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| The corridor leading to units on side A |
What I liked about the second floor was its glass railing you encounter upon exiting from the elevators. This railing overlooks the lobby counter and entrance so you can see your visitors or shout call out instructions to the lobby attendant. Units on this floor are lucky, since there are no intercoms installed in all units. Having lived in a condo for the longest time, I find this lacking feature a big inconvenience. (When I asked about this, the agent just said that it was part of their cost-cutting scheme so as to have more funds in beautifying the development. hmph)
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| The door |
All units have this beautiful light-colored wooden door. I forgot what material it's made of, but they said its not the very sturdy kind.
The units are quite small, averaging from 24-28 sqm. (correct me if im wrong.) These are one-bedroom units, so those who wanted more space or more rooms, opted for tandem units. That's two adjacent units with their shared wall removed.
TIP: Buying a combined unit is great way to save money when purchasing condos. There is a 12% tax levied on properties bought P2.5M and up. So if you want a bigger home, buy two, three or even more separate small units that cost below P2.5 M each, instead of buying a big one that costs higher. That way, you don't have to pay taxes, while still enjoying the same size of home that you wanted. Imagine how much you saved! 12% of P2.5M is P300,000! That money can be used to fully furnish your home.
Anyway, back to the unit. :)
This is what the entrance looks like:
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| L-R: Kitchen counter, main entrance, and bathroom door |
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| Toilet and Bath |
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| Living area and bedroom 1 |
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| Bedroom 1 has a balcony |
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| Bedroom 1 |
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| Bedroom 2 with small space for hanging and drying clothes. |
Both bedrooms have sliding doors, which are space-efficient. But there are no door locks. The beds have wheels on them for easy movement. I don't like them because they remind me of hospital beds.. Another thing I do not like with the bedrooms is this:
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| The gap |
The wall dividing the living area and bedroom does not reach the ceiling! Another friend said she likes it coz the living area can benefit from the bedroom's airconditioning. But for me, It doesn't feel like a real room. Any noise from outside the bedroom can be heard clearly.
Moving on, the other side of the tantem is alloted for dining area and kitchen.
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| Dining area |
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| Kitchen |
My friend got a fully-furnished tandem unit but decided not to remove the shared wall, because she has plans to have one half rented out and the other for personal use. The whole space is around 52 or 53 sqm, which is quite big compared to other developments' 2-bedroom units. But since the two units are still divided, (only a door-sized space is alloted for movement from one unit to the other), you may feel that the combined unit is still small.
For a fully furnished unit, my friend shelled out an additional of P100,000 to P150,000 (not sure of this amount though, she already forgot the exact amount hehe).
I estimated the worth of these furnitures and fixtures, they are more or less around a P100,000. If I am the unit owner, I will prefer to buy these myself. Of course, those who want less hassle can choose to avail of the fully furnished promo.
The package for tandem unit includes:
2 LCD TV's (TCL)
2 DVD players (Coby)
2 airconditioners
2 beds with mattress, pillows and covers
1 sofa bed
1 refrigerator (Samsung)
1 dining set (4 or 6 seater)
2 bedroom closets
1 set built in electric stove and range hood
1 microwave oven (American Home)
Before heading home, we checked out the clubhouse and its pool.
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| The club house |
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| The pool |
Only this pool is ready for use. The others are still under construction.
The ratings:
Location ****
SM Field Residences is located behind SM Sucat. Living beside a mall, needless to say, solves all your basic needs. It is also quite near the airport, very convenient for those always on the go.
Amenities ***
Swimming pools, club house, playground, jogging path
Security ***
The entire development is gated and guarded by security. Cars that enter are being checked. Each building also has lobby guards. The only thing I find not ok is that each building has two entrances. One front entrance (lobby) and the other is from the back (there is a small entrance from the shared pools that leads directly to the elevators) It is very possible for someone to skip the lobby security and just wander into the building through this passage. Visitors or even unit owners from other buildings can do this! Ok, maybe I'm thinking too much ^_^
Others ***
There is no doorbell and intercom system. Very inconvenient if you have visitors.
Construction Quality ***
Quality-wise, SM's Field Residences is so-so. I'm not generalizing all SM properties, but I am not impressed with the quality of this one. The doors and cabinets are made of not sturdy wood, which will need repairs or replacement in 5 years. The units are not very sound-proof either. We stayed over one night and was requested to tone down our voices. While standing in the corridors, you can hear sounds and laughters from units that are a few doors away. Some of the walls are pre-fabricated and just installed (this is according to SM's sales agent) to hasten the building process. That is why most SM condos have shorter turnover dates.
Aesthetics and Design *****
What they lack in quality, they made up for it through design. Two thumbs up for the landscape, spaciousness, recreation area, the lobby. They really spent a lot to make everything pleasing to the eyes.
Investment ***
Overall, this is still a relatively good investment. The price is affordable, around P1.3 for preselling units and P1.5M-P1.8M for ready for occupancy ones. The perfect starter home for working people who has a few hundred thousand savings. With this affordable price, many can now own a condo.
