SHUI On Land, developer of Shanghai Xintiandi, a restaurant and bar area in downtown Luwan District, said it will allow home buyers to decide part of the layout for their apartments in one of its local projects.
The Hong Kong-listed company, which is due to launch the 250-unit Rainbow City Phase III apartment project as early as next month, said about 50 units have been chosen initially for the innovative scheme.
"Home buyers will be offered flexibility to remodel their apartments, catering to their own needs and lifestyles," said an official with Shui On's sales department who declined to be identified. "By providing such service, we hope to enable home owners to experience some unique living."
The idea of letting home owners to decide part of the layout started in an experimental housing project named Next 21 in Osaka, Japan, in 1993. The so-called "tailor-made apartments" can also be found in some high-end apartment projects in New York.
Under the Hong Kong company's plan, two apartment types - the one-bedroom apartment with a gross floor area of about 85 square meters and the four-bedroom unit with a GFA space of more than 160 square meters - will be covered in the scheme.
Home buyers will be allowed to do some changes according to their own wishes and needs. For instance, they may choose to have a larger living room or remodel the study room. However, kitchens and toilets should be untouched. Several interior decoration packages will be offered to home owners, the developer said.
It will not charge an additional fee for any changes in the trial project, the company said, adding that in Japan a 2-percent surcharge, based on the total home price, is required.
The scheme may appeal to the younger generation of buyers, industry analysts predicted.
