Cluster homes are in that weird spot between landed housing and condos. On the one hand, they’re landed; on the other hand, you still have an MCST, and common facilities. But next to walk-up apartments, this may be one of the least studied and understood housing segments: besides being relatively few in number, they tend to have small unit counts with more volatile pricing. This week, we took a look at how these rare properties have been performing:

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Average price growth for cluster housing (freehold) 

PSF of Freehold Cluster Homes 1
YearAverage of Unit Price ($ PSF)Change
2013$865
2014$9125.4%
2015$799-12.3%
2016$726-9.2%
2017$7604.8%
2018$7974.8%
2019$8020.7%
2020$747-6.9%
2021$8148.9%
2022$98521.1%
2023$1,0385.3%
Avg Change2.26%

From 2013 to the present, freehold cluster homes have seen an average gain of 2.26 per cent. As we mentioned above, however, these units are not common, and 1,760 transactions over 10 years is a very low number. 

Nonetheless, let’s contrast this against leasehold cluster homes:

Average price growth for cluster housing (leasehold) 

PSF of Leasehold Cluster Homes
YearAverage of Unit Price ($ PSF)Change
2013$807
2014$8100.4%
2015$780-3.7%
2016$674-13.6%
2017$666-1.1%
2018$74011.1%
2019$7521.5%
2020$716-4.7%
2021$89424.8%
2022$9243.3%
2023$9563.4%
Avg Change2.15%

The average performance is slightly inferior to freehold counterparts, coming in at an average of close to 2.15 per cent. However, we’re still working with low transaction volumes, with just 1,582 transactions over the past decade.

While freehold cluster homes performed slightly better on average, there could be other factors that aren’t visible here.

When leasehold properties are down to 60 years or fewer, banks often lower the maximum loan amount; the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio may be reduced to 55 per cent from 75 per cent, resulting in a much higher cash outlay. This could drive prices down, especially since landed homes tend to be bigger and fetch a higher quantum.

Some realtors have also opined that older leasehold landed properties are harder to sell. Most landed property buyers are looking for intergenerational assets, rather than something with 60 or fewer years on the lease. Evidence for this is anecdotal though, and the sentiment for such homes may be different as compared to true landed homes. After all, the appeal of a cluster home is the bigger space and landed living at a more affordable (and less maintenance) price.

Now let’s look at average annualised returns:

ProjectTenureAvg Annualised (%)Avg Holding Period (Yr)Average Profit ($)Avg Profit (%)No. of Tnx
CHATEAU LA SALLEFreehold33.6%0.3$300,0009.1%1
ASTON RESIDENCE946 yrs from 01/01/193821.3%2.7$816,66739.2%3
HILLSGROVE999 yrs from 02/12/187813.6%3.6$1,385,00056.5%2
DUNSFOLD 18Freehold13.1%2.9$1,200,00042.9%1
THE HILLOFT999 yrs from 12/10/188510.1%2.3$730,00024.7%1
MARLENE VILLEFreehold9.0%4.1$807,96340.1%3
HORIZON GREEN99 yrs from 23/06/19958.6%4.2$699,32039.2%4
THE SILVER SPURZFreehold8.0%4.6$818,50044.8%2
SURIN VILLASFreehold7.5%5.6$1,200,00050.0%1
LE ROYCE @ LEITH PARKFreehold7.2%5.7$900,00048.6%1
SOLARIS RESIDENCESFreehold7.0%6.1$1,050,00051.2%1
AFFINITY AT SERANGOON99 yrs from 18/05/20186.7%4.3$759,99033.1%3
CABANA103 yrs from 23/04/20096.6%5.2$620,29833.5%7
KENT RIDGE HILL RESIDENCES99 yrs from 10/11/20186.6%2.8$569,38019.6%1
PARKWOOD COLLECTION99 yrs from 22/09/20176.6%3.1$727,00021.9%1
BELGRAVIA GREENFreehold6.4%3.7$752,80124.0%7
MONTCLAIR @ WHITLEYFreehold6.0%4.8$932,66733.6%3
PALM TREE NINESFreehold6.0%6.5$690,00045.7%1
GOODMAN CRESTFreehold6.0%4.3$1,062,50029.4%2
SHAMROCK VILLASFreehold5.8%3.7$880,00023.2%1
THE WOODS99 yrs from 09/03/20105.7%3.0$350,00017.9%1
NAMLY COURTFreehold5.6%3.6$850,00024.7%2
WHITLEY VILLASFreehold5.5%4.8$900,00029.0%1
WATERCOVEFreehold5.3%4.2$669,25426.5%7
THE SHAUGHNESSY99 yrs from 19/03/20015.1%5.5$407,56827.6%19
THE TOP RESIDENCE999 yrs from 14/07/18845.1%3.9$450,00021.4%1
CHARLTON RESIDENCESFreehold5.0%3.8$570,00020.4%1
ESTRIVILLASFreehold4.9%5.0$920,00027.2%1
RIVERFRONT RESIDENCES99 yrs from 31/05/20184.9%3.2$415,00016.5%1
BOTANIC @ CLUNY PARKFreehold4.8%5.9$2,100,00032.1%2
SUMMER GARDENS99 yrs from 23/06/19954.7%5.8$343,33318.3%3
BINJAI CREST99 yrs from 13/12/19964.6%5.4$452,95322.6%9
TRANQUILIA @ KISMISFreehold4.5%5.7$980,00028.8%1
KEW GATE99 yrs from 03/02/19944.4%5.4$360,60028.4%5
LEGEND @ JANSEN999 yrs from 01/09/18764.2%5.0$444,33323.7%3
CASA FIDELIOFreehold4.1%3.9$320,00017.0%1
ELITE RESIDENCESFreehold4.1%4.6$521,70020.2%1
CHESTNUT RESIDENCES999 yrs from 25/09/18824.1%4.5$450,00019.6%1
SPRINGHILL99 yrs from 07/01/20024.0%5.3$299,28022.2%29
JANSEN 8Freehold4.0%5.1$476,00020.2%3
THE SPRINGFIELD99 yrs from 22/06/19953.9%6.3$337,83322.5%12
INFINIUMFreehold3.7%4.1$507,40317.1%4
D'ELIAS999 yrs from 22/03/18813.7%3.9$273,00015.2%1
BELGRAVIA ACEFreehold3.6%2.1$341,0007.7%1
THE GARDENS AT GERALD999 yrs from 01/01/18793.6%4.0$289,50015.2%2
TRUSSVILLEFreehold3.6%4.3$282,00016.4%1
FORTUNE VIEWFreehold3.6%5.0$266,25016.8%4
MILFORD VILLASFreehold3.6%7.9$625,00033.7%2
D' KENARIS999 yrs from 01/01/18793.5%7.7$600,00030.8%1
ONE SURINFreehold3.5%5.3$497,42419.2%8
THE GREENWOOD103 yrs from 02/06/20083.5%4.8$530,00018.0%1
WATER VILLASFreehold3.3%5.5$370,00016.1%2
THE MORRIS RESIDENCESFreehold3.3%4.9$493,33317.7%3
HILLCREST VILLA99 yrs from 03/08/20063.2%5.0$468,27316.2%22
DUBLIN LODGEFreehold3.2%9.3$1,700,00034.0%1
RIDGEWOOD999 yrs from 06/07/18853.2%5.8$962,50027.9%2
LOTUS VILLEFreehold3.1%5.9$573,02818.9%4
HIGH PARK RESIDENCES99 yrs from 05/11/20143.0%5.9$420,00020.7%5
PALM GROVE REGENCY999 yrs from 02/12/18782.8%4.0$231,66710.6%3
SUNCOTTAGES999 yrs from 09/01/18832.8%4.8$10,0002.3%2
MEDALLIONFreehold2.8%4.9$320,00014.7%1
THE TENERIFFE99 yrs from 07/09/19962.8%5.6$374,80814.7%11
RIVERTREES RESIDENCES99 yrs from 28/08/20132.7%5.9$215,43313.0%3
THE AMBIENCE999 yrs from 01/05/18742.6%4.4$235,00012.0%2
WATTEN RESIDENCESFreehold2.6%4.3$410,00011.9%5
HORIZON GARDENS99 yrs from 23/06/19952.6%7.2$444,00023.9%3
KINGSFORD WATERBAY99 yrs from 03/03/20142.5%4.5$254,95014.1%4
THOMSON THREE99 yrs from 07/11/20122.5%5.5$425,00015.3%2
JEWEL @ CHUAN HOE999 yrs from 01/01/18862.5%8.7$575,00025.9%2
WOLSKEL LODGEFreehold2.5%3.7$151,0008.0%2
PLACE-8Freehold2.5%3.3$230,0008.4%1
GENTLE REFLECTIONSFreehold2.5%6.5$550,00017.2%1
WATERFRONT @ FABER99 yrs from 17/09/20132.4%6.7$395,72516.7%4
SERANGOON GARDEN VIEW999 yrs from 23/01/18792.4%3.6$162,0008.8%1
RESIDENCE 8Freehold2.3%5.9$700,00014.6%1
FERNHILL COTTAGEFreehold2.3%3.3$220,0007.8%1
EIGHT RIVERSUITES99 yrs from 11/07/20112.2%5.7$195,42912.8%7
BARKER VILLEFreehold2.2%6.7$450,00015.5%1
ECO99 yrs from 14/05/20122.1%6.6$418,00013.7%5
D'MANOR99 yrs from 14/03/19972.1%5.0$172,8339.9%6
JC VILLEFreehold2.1%7.0$317,50015.4%2
ATELIER VILLASFreehold2.0%5.6$293,63315.1%6
CHARLTON VILLASFreehold2.0%3.4$150,0006.8%1
THOMSON IMPRESSIONS99 yrs from 12/01/20151.9%2.9$175,0007.1%2
CHARLTON 18Freehold1.9%4.2$234,8758.2%4
VENTURA HEIGHTSFreehold1.9%5.2$51,6674.2%3
SOMMERVILLE REGENCYFreehold1.8%7.2$269,44412.9%2
LANGE 28999 yrs from 02/12/18781.7%4.0$106,1127.1%1
PALACIOFreehold1.6%6.8$185,2116.4%5
BELGRAVIA VILLASFreehold1.6%5.6$295,3539.5%27
KEW RESIDENCIA99 yrs from 03/02/19941.5%7.1$182,33312.3%3
PLATINA GARDENSFreehold1.4%6.5$170,0009.6%1
GILSTEAD BROOKSFreehold1.4%6.5$289,0009.6%2
TERRA VILLASFreehold1.4%5.4$240,0007.8%1
VICTORY VILLEFreehold1.4%4.3$150,0006.0%1
URBAN VILLASFreehold1.3%3.4$130,0004.6%1
ALANA103 yrs from 12/08/20131.3%6.2$99,6256.1%8
THE ARECA99 yrs from 08/11/20001.3%6.8$244,44415.8%2
KOVAN REGENCY99 yrs from 24/04/20121.2%9.8$443,29813.8%2
RIA TOWNHOUSESFreehold1.2%3.3$88,0003.9%1
POETS VILLAS99 yrs from 01/04/20101.1%5.4$126,0006.3%3
SOMMERVILLE RESIDENCESFreehold1.1%8.7$300,0009.7%1
THE CHANCERY RESIDENCE99 yrs from 31/01/20040.9%8.0$181,4007.5%5
HONG KONG PARK999 yrs from 07/05/18790.9%4.6$200,0009.0%2
TERESA 8Freehold0.8%8.3$200,0006.9%1
CHANCERY HILL VILLASFreehold0.8%4.5$165,2504.2%4
8 @ STRATTONFreehold0.7%6.1$59,0002.3%2
ARCHIPELAGO99 yrs from 01/06/20110.7%8.0$200,0005.7%1
KALEIDOFreehold0.7%4.1$91,1032.8%1
MARINE GARDENFreehold0.6%5.5$60,0003.3%1
ENGLISH VILLASFreehold0.4%8.5$100,0003.6%1
CHARLTON 27Freehold0.4%6.0-$64,657-1.3%6
CENTURION RESIDENCESFreehold0.4%4.7$48,0081.9%1
GRANDIOSO 8Freehold0.2%10.1$90,0002.4%1
SEVEN CRESCENTFreehold0.2%6.0$40,0001.2%3
LYNNSVILLE 331Freehold0.2%4.5$6,6670.6%3
DALLA VALEFreehold0.1%4.6$207,50012.1%4
PALMS @ SIXTH AVENUEFreehold0.1%7.7$65,2631.4%7
WOODHAVEN99 yrs from 07/02/20110.1%7.5$73,7052.8%2
ONE CHILTERNFreehold0.1%8.7$19,9880.6%1
THE FORD @ HOLLANDFreehold0.0%8.0$3,0000.1%1
VERDANA VILLASFreehold0.0%6.9-$90,556-1.3%2
ILLOURAFreehold-0.1%7.0$125,0002.2%2
D'LEEDON99 yrs from 08/04/2010-0.3%5.4-$1,377,680-6.8%2
VILLAS LA VUEFreehold-0.3%9.3-$100,000-2.7%1
ESTE VILLAFreehold-0.6%3.8-$12,500-0.4%2
WILKINSON 8Freehold-0.6%5.0-$90,000-3.2%1
WEST SHORE RESIDENCESFreehold-0.7%8.0-$219,979-5.9%3
SELETAR VIEW999 yrs from 01/01/1879-0.7%6.2-$100,000-4.3%1
EUHABITAT99 yrs from 06/12/2010-1.2%5.9-$644,700-14.7%2
THE WHITLEY RESIDENCESFreehold-1.3%8.1-$417,956-8.0%9
ELEVEN @ HOLLAND99 yrs from 06/12/2010-1.8%9.9-$750,000-16.7%1
HILLSTA99 yrs from 03/10/2011-2.7%4.0-$271,943-8.1%3
LYNWOOD EIGHTFreehold-3.9%4.8-$700,000-17.5%1
GAMBIER COURT99 yrs from 03/02/1997-4.0%3.8-$545,000-14.3%1
THE SEAWINDFreehold-4.0%7.3-$1,308,500-25.6%1

When we look at average annualised returns, we might see some confirmation of realtors’ claims. The top 11 entries, from Chateau La Salle to Solaris Residences, are all freehold, 999-years, or some variation thereof. Conversely, the bottom of the table has more leasehold cluster landed homes, such as Gambier Court, Hillsta, and Eleven @ Holland.

It is, however, tough to generalise further. Notice that many of the projects only have a single transaction, which makes prices volatile: if the previous transaction had special reasons (e.g., an urgent sale, or a buyer picking a final home with no intent of resale), this will significantly skew the price of the transaction that comes right after it. 

In addition to this, cluster housing projects can have very unique quirks. Chateau La Salle is a good example of this: this project only has six units, and whilst floor plans are unavailable, the last transaction was for a unit of over 4,800 sq.ft., whilst way back in 2001 there was a record of an 11,923 sq.ft. unit being bought here. Buyers can’t really find this elsewhere. 

As another example, Gambier Court is a 23-unit within the Robertson Quay area in District 9. It’s also a freehold project dating back to 1999, which suffers by contrast - it’s often expected that a District 9 condo will be freehold, which may explain the lower profitability of a 25-year-old leasehold unit here. 

Next, let’s look at the most and least expensive cluster housing projects to date, by price per square foot

These cluster housing projects were the most expensive:

ProjectTenureAverage of Unit Price ($ PSF)
BISHOPSGATE RESIDENCESFreehold$3,908
RIDGEWOOD999 yrs from 06/07/1885$1,886
NAMLY COURTFreehold$1,751
FERNHILL COTTAGEFreehold$1,735
KENT RIDGE HILL RESIDENCES99 yrs from 10/11/2018$1,683
GREENWOOD MEWS103 yrs from 03/10/2011$1,602
BOTANIC @ CLUNY PARKFreehold$1,462
AFFINITY AT SERANGOON99 yrs from 18/05/2018$1,437
RIVERFRONT RESIDENCES99 yrs from 31/05/2018$1,427
JC VILLEFreehold$1,382

Unsurprisingly, freehold cluster homes make up the majority due to their premium pricing.

Bishopsgate Residences is a bit of a shocker with that price tag, but this is a Kajima project - this developer was also involved with Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Financial Centre, hence the exorbitant price tag. The 31-unit project is also close to the cluster of foreign embassies near the Grange Road area, so it may be targeted at the likes of ambassadors and dignitaries, or those who may rent to them.

These cluster housing projects were the cheapest:

ProjectTenureAverage of Unit Price ($ PSF)
NORTHSHORE BUNGALOWSFreehold$419
SUNGROVE99 yrs from 05/12/1994$431
SURIN VILLASFreehold$560
THE WOODS99 yrs from 09/03/2010$567
THE HILLOFT999 yrs from 12/10/1885$580
TERESA VILLASFreehold$617
KIARA 10Freehold$629
THE SHAUGHNESSY99 yrs from 19/03/2001$679
ASTON RESIDENCE946 yrs from 01/01/1938$680
LYNWOOD EIGHTFreehold$682

Northshore Bungalows and Sungrove are probably eye-openers for the low price. For Northshore, this is due to its location at Punggol Point back in 1995. This was long before any of the amenities at Punggol today existed. Waterway Point was only finished 21 years after this condo was built, and it was about the same time before there was an LRT stop. So it was launched at very low prices given the poor accessibility and lack of amenities, but you could expect it to rise in the coming years.

For Sun Grove, you can check out this article for a bit more on this West Coast landed area. This is another example of an area that was undesirable in the ‘90s, as there was poor accessibility and amenities. The area is heavily improved today, but it’s still one of the most affordable places to buy a landed property.

cluster home facilities

There’s no getting around the fact that, when it comes to cluster homes with their small unit counts, performance can be very unpredictable

As such, these projects are better suited for own-stay use. For resale gains, condos tend to be more predictable. Cluster homes are angled at homeowners who like landed living, but cannot handle serious maintenance issues like roofing, repainting the facade, or building their own pool. 

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.