A FUNNY thing happened on the way to the showflats...

You suddenly realise you can't really pronounce the name of the condo you were eyeing, or even know what the name means.

Many of the new names are not as simple or uncluttered as those of the older projects say, like Bayshore Park, Pandan Valley or Lakepoint.

Instead, at the showhouse today, you often have to ask the sales folks what the name actually means. Try Arte, Tresalveo, Trevista, Aalto and Trillium for example.

I am not sure if ususual, even bizarre, names really add to the attractiveness of a property, or give it any bragging-rights distinctiveness.

What I am very sure, at least on one score, is that you would have a very hard time telling the taxi driver where you are headed to, if you live in a condo with a too-fancy name.

Even the Housing Board is not immune to this craze for novelty.

Its latest build-to-order project is called Punggol Spectra. Is there anyone out there who  really knows what Spectra means?

It sounds like a character from a band of celluloid superheroes to me.

It wasn't that long ago when other BTO projects were named simply Fernvale Crest or Champions Court.

Which is why I am very pleased when I come across projects whose names are elegantly simple and give a clue to the neighbourhood.

You can't go wrong with, say, Siglap V, RV Suites (in River Valley) and the no-brainer Ardmore Park (there's no need to make a bigger song and dance if you are in a ritzy area).

Ask property chaps how the names come about, and you get answers like "the ideas were brainstormed by the developers’ staff" or were "inspirations" from the boss, chairman or director.

Names have also followed a couple of trends over the years.

There has been a fixation, for instance, on a holiday lifestyle or being at home with nature, giving us names like Costa del Sol, Botanika and Flame Tree Park.

There have been nods to auspicious numbers like Draycott 8, Newton 18 and Scotts 28. And then there have been aspirational names like The Peak, The Light@Cairnhill and Icon.

In the greater scheme of things, the name of a condo is not likely to affect its pricing or popularity among buyers.

These things are triggered more by how hot the market is, at any point in time, than whether or not a condo has a fancy name.

Still, with more launches being rolled out in today's sizzling market, is it too much for a buyer to wish for a name that does not boggle the mind or trip the tongue?