Last week wasn’t just a good weekend for the property market; it was the weekend. In just two days, over 900 private homes were sold across three new launches, with River Green alone moving an astonishing 88 per cent of its units. Promenade Peak also came in strong with more than half its towering 63-storey project snapped up, both phenomenal results for city centre properties. Meanwhile, Canberra Crescent Residences, out on the fringes in Sembawang, also managed a solid take-up of 40 per cent; this despite a location often criticised as being “too ulu.”
So what just happened? We took a look at these three mid-year launches and what their sales reflect about the property market:
How well did the three weekend launches perform?
This was the strongest launch weekend so far in 2025:
- River Green (CCR) sold 88 per cent of its 220 units at an average of $3,130 per square foot, making it the best-selling CCR project of 2025 so far.
- Promenade Peak (RCR) followed with a 54 per cent take-up rate across 596 units, reaching up to $3,521 per square foot.
- Canberra Crescent Residences (OCR) saw 40 per cent of its 328 units sold, averaging $1,974 per square foot, with some units starting below $900,000.
Overall, the sales numbers send a clear message: even though units in the CCR are smaller now, there is demand for these units; the $PSF may be high, but the lower quantum is still palatable. This is, however, also relevant to where in the CCR the launch is. In this case, River Green and Promenade Peak are in River Valley and the Great World area, which has a stronger family element. Aurea – the former Golden Mile – saw a notably weaker launch and moved only 23 units on its debut. It’s also in the CCR, but along the Beach Road area (part of District 7.)
For Canberra Crescent Residences, we may be seeing more regard for higher build quality. While 40 per cent sales is not in itself spectacular, we should consider the area around Canberra has a lot of competition: there are many cheaper Executive Condominiums (ECs) and resale condos around this project. In addition, it is a developing, non-mature region.
All in, sales here were respectable; but we suspect they may have been better if buyers weren’t also waiting on Springleaf Residence (more on this below.)
A few interesting observations from the launch
One realtor noted that, at one point in the sale process, Promenade Peak – which has a more premium positioning – had units that came very close to the cheaper River Green project.
This was the Promenade Peak pricing at the time:
Stack 04 (657 sq ft, 2-Bedroom):
- #29-04: $2,141,000 → $3,550 psf
- #30-04: $2,147,000 → $3,561 psf
- #31-04: $2,152,000 → $3,569 psf
- #32-04: $2,158,000 → $3,579 psf
Stack 05 (764 sq ft, 2 + Study):
- #29-05: $2,220,000 → $3,379 psf
- #30-05: $2,229,000 → $3,393 psf
- #31-05: $2,235,000 → $3,401 psf
- #32-05: $2,242,000 → $3,412 psf
Whereas the following was the River Green pricing at the same time:
Stack 06 (635 sq ft, 2-Bedroom):
- #32-06: $2,080,000 → $3,276 psf
- #31-06: $2,070,000 → $3,260 psf
- #30-06: $2,060,000 → $3,244 psf
- #29-06: $2,050,000 → $3,228 psf
Stack 07 (624 sq ft, 2-Bedroom):
- #32-07: $2,070,000 → $3,317 psf
- #31-07: $2,060,000 → $3,302 psf
- #30-07: $2,050,000 → $3,286 psf
- #29-07: $2,040,000 → $3,269 psf
At a glance, River Green looked cheaper on a $PSF basis. But zooming in on quantum, the difference was surprisingly narrow. In some cases, buyers at River Green paid more for less space: a 624 sq ft unit at River Green (#32-07) cost $2.07 million, while a slightly larger 657 sq ft unit at Promenade Peak (#29-05) was going for $2.22 million; a difference of just $150,000 for over 30 sq ft more. So River Green’s pricing wasn’t always meaningfully lower, even though it had smaller layouts.
One possible reason as to why buyers didn’t notice or compare is market positioning. Promenade Peak’s developer avoided emphasising that it was cheap or affordable, and instead focused on quality – a more traditional move for a prime region property.
River Green, however, was unreserved in banking on its low quantum, and on being an “entry point” into the CCR.
This could have led some buyers to casually assume Promenade Peak would be much pricier; and hence fewer buyers spotted the opportunity.
Alternatively, it may be a sign that the status and prestige of the location are still playing a strong role
It’s also possible that buyers were aware of the narrow gap at the time, but chose to stick with their decision. Promenade Peak’s premium placement as the highest residential tower in the area (63 floors with rooftop infinity pool) may have sealed the deal; or perhaps buyers simply associate its River Valley location with old-school grandeur (living in River Valley used to be a sign that you’ve “made it” in Singapore).
For example, one realtor had a case where a buyer opted for River Green instead of Promenade Peak. The reason? It’s simply because River Green is in District 9, and Promenade Peak is in District 3. It’s splitting hairs, given that both projects are not too far apart location-wise; but the buyer felt the price for River Green was more “justified” just because it was in District 9. So clearly, there’s still historical prestige attached to that area.
In the end, both projects sold strongly, but this brief overlap in pricing shows how buyer perceptions, branding, and timing can matter just as much as the price tag.
Meanwhile, Canberra Crescent Residences may have seen even stronger results, had it not been for Springleaf Residence.
Some buyers may have held off committing right away, opting instead to check out Springleaf before making a decision. Springleaf Residence is a 941-unit launch by Guocoland, located just a two-minute sheltered walk from Springleaf MRT on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).
As the first major condo in Springleaf, it has a clear first-mover advantage, and units start from $878,000 for a one-bedder, with indicative prices from around $1,955 psf. As there are relatively few new launches in the OCR for now (around 14 of the next 22 launches are in the CCR), some buyers may have wanted to check out all their options before committing.
Regardless, Canberra Crescent Residences has had a decent showing; and it’s still one of the most affordable new launches by 2025 standards.
Going forward, developers are faced with a tough choice regarding market positioning in the CCR.
Going forward, developers in the Core Central Region are faced with a challenging fork in the road:
Should they lean into the affordability narrative to move units faster, or maintain the aura of exclusivity that’s long defined the CCR?
River Green’s success suggests that pricing units more accessibly, even if it means downsizing layouts, can generate strong early momentum. Its marketing was unapologetically geared toward value-seekers looking for a foothold in the CCR, and it worked. But it also created moments where the project’s positioning seemed to blur the lines between luxury and mass market.
Promenade Peak took the opposite route, staying quiet about affordability and leaning into its prestige instead. Nonetheless, we can see the price gap from River Green was not always vast.
This tension between price and prestige is likely to define upcoming CCR launches. Developers will need to decide early on whether their project is aiming to be more inclusive or to retain the air of an exclusive offering. Stray too far in either direction, and they might get a lukewarm launch response.
Ultimately, we hope this isn’t taken as a sign that every future CCR project should shrink, until units sell on price alone. Affordability has clearly struck a chord with buyers. We get it. But there’s still value in offering a more holistic unit mix – one that balances smaller and larger units. Compact one- and two-bedders may drive launch weekend buzz, but it’s not great if our residential scene is reduced to hamster cages.
Also, keep in mind that, whilst a small unit may be a cheaper purchase, there’s no guarantee it will be easy to resell in future (or that it may be more profitable).
At Stacked, we like to look beyond the headlines and surface-level numbers, and focus on how things play out in the real world.
If you’d like to discuss how this applies to your own circumstances, you can reach out for a one-to-one consultation here.
And if you simply have a question or want to share a thought, feel free to write to us at stories@stackedhomes.com — we read every message.
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