Singapore's property ladder still exists in 2026, but rising prices, 10-year executive condominium minimum occupation periods, and tighter financing mean…
A few weeks back, a reader requested tours of landed estates closer to i12 Katong Mall, so today, we’re headed to Duku Road. There are 3 reasons why I chose Duku Road:
It’s a 9-minute walk from i12 Katong (as well as all the cool restaurants along East Coast Road) and about 6 minutes from the Joo Chiat Road shops (Duku Road actually forms a junction with Joo Chiat Road, so 6 minutes assumes you start from the other end of Duku Road—if you live closer to Joo Chiat Road, it will, of course, take even less time).
All of the last 10 sales transactions (at the time of writing) were between $2 million and $4.3 million.
The area has a plot ratio of 1.4: if you and your neighbours ever decide to form a group, you could (potentially) convert the units into a boutique condo. Moreover, it also means that your immediate neighbours will never tower over you, as they can only build low-rise buildings (and not skyscrapers, like you see along Marine Parade Road, for example.) We do see a couple of boutique condos as we wander around, but there are also a good number of single-storey homes still around.
Join me now as we take a walk around the area!
I walk into the area from East Coast Road, and along the way, we pass Duku Lane. (There are quite a few Duku Road cul-de-sacs (e.g. Duku Lane, Duku Place etc) that run perpendicular to the main Duku Road.
The houses, as you can see, are quite tall, and the area feels peaceful despite the proximity to shops.Street parking is allowed in the area, so we do find cars parked along the side of the road. Example 1 of the single-storey houses I mentioned earlier.If you were wondering how easy it is to find a parking space, here’s your answer. The street looks empty, but note that all the bins are out to reserve parking spaces.More single-storey units—some of these older homes don’t have a front porch or parking space, but this one looks like it could fit a small car.Contrasting example of how much higher you could build if you ever choose to redevelop. I love the vintage architecture but I also see why there’s a case for rebuilding (need for more space.)This photo is a better illustration of the rebuilding potential.Oh, I am right, the single-storey houses can fit a car here, though it looks to be a bit of a tight squeeze if you’re not the best driver. (In her heyday, my mother would have driven into the gate if trying to reverse here! True story.)Photo taken from the front so you can see exactly how tight it is.We are continuing along our way. Note that we are still on Duku Lane—the boutique condo you see ahead (Aura 83) is where Duku Road starts.These little alleys between the rows of houses are not so common these days. There are quite a few such alleys around Duku Road, which serve as shortcuts for pedestrians. (I took one such route from East Coast Road, and it saved me a lot of walking in the hot sun.)Fun fact: Aura 83 is one of the condos in which (at the time of writing) you can find cheaper condo units for rent. (I know because, at the time of writing, I was daydreaming about renting my own place (instead of staying at my Mom’s), and when I sorted the searches from cheapest to most expensive, Aura 83 came out near the top. I can’t say what the development is like as the economics soon convinced me to drop the idea, and I didn’t get around to viewing the unit.
Oh, and note the difference in heights between Aura 83 and the next-door property (which is also a condo) so you can imagine what it would be like to live here if more boutique condos crop up.
More single-storey units—this will be the last photo, I promise you. I just had to share this one, as it looks so charming and well taken care of.Some quirky houses. (Look at the roofs.)Another interesting house- I imagine the front screen is for privacy.I like how there’s a broad enough pavement to walk comfortably around the estate.I think this is my first time seeing round windows on one of these walkabouts! I love how landed housing allows the homeowners to be as creative as they want (compared to cookie-cutter apartments).There are more boutique condos in the area. This one should be quite dated as it didn’t even bother to maximise the plot ratio. (This is unthinkable these days now that land prices are so exorbitant.)These homeowners weren’t shy when building higher.Looking down Rambai Road, which connects Duku Road and Koon Seng Road. (But we won’t go down this way since we’re only halfway through Duku Road.)Looking down Duku Place, I see another boutique condo, Sundance Suites, at the end.A rebuilding project.Another of the little alleys.I mentioned earlier how some of the houses are pretty narrow, so parking can be a bit tight. However, others have this nice extended area in front of them, which could potentially also be used for parking.This homeowner has made charming use of the space! I would love walking home through such a green space, which also helps keep the home more private. More rebuilding work.Ah, I was right about how people use the long driveways in front of their houses for parking.This part of the road is also a dotted-white line space, so you can park along it.It looks like this single-storey unit is being redeveloped.Another boutique condo. Chapel Lodge and Katong Gardens are down the road, so there’s no lack of choices if you want to live here but can’t afford a landed place.Most are small landed plots, but there is also this large one.Duku Road is bisected by Tembeling Road (and a few metres down is Joo Chiat Road.) I’m going to turn left here to return to East Coast Road. A big part of the appeal of this estate is the vibe of the area and the shophouses nearby, so we should definitely check them out.East Coast Road. It’s a very busy road.The East is famous for its food.Although it’s a trendy area, there are still some old-school shops around.And, of course, cute cafes. (This is Pure Vanilla.)One thing about Duku Road is that you’re not super close to any MRT station, but many buses stop on East Coast Road. (Also, Still Road (13, 55, and 966) and Joo Chiat Road (16 and 16M).)See what I mean about East Coast Road? (If I lived here and drove, I would probably try to go home via another road.)This brings us to the end of today’s tour. Before we go, here’s a map of the area to help you better orient yourself.The Masterplan, so you can personally check out the 1.4 plot ratio. You can see a few pale yellow plots marked with E- those are the nearby schools. Depending on which Duku Road house number you’re looking at, you may be within 1 km of the following primary schools: Tanjong Katong, CHIJ Katong, Tao Nan, and Haig Girls.
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TJ's interest in property was sparked after returning from the UK- where balconies are not counted in one's square footage!- and finding that the Singapore property had totally changed in the 7 years she was away. When not reading and watching articles & videos about property, she is busy cooking and baking for friends, family & her blog Greedygirlgourmet
1 Comments
Serangoon gardens tour please