The Crest Vs ARTRA Price Analysis: $400K Gap Between Two Alexandra Condos In 2026

Across our many Stacked Pro articles, which offer the most in-depth and analytical features by our team, we cover a wide range of residential developments. Regular readers, and buyers hunting for a home in a particular neighbourhood, learn about the trends and trajectories of significant developments.

In recent months, we covered two landmark condos in the Alexandra Road neighbourhood. In December 2025, we unpacked why The Crest, a 99-year leasehold condo on Prince Charles Crescent, seemed to lag behind its neighbours in terms of capital and price growth.

Then, in February we examined ARTRA, a 99-year leasehold condo on nearby Alexandra View, and what were the factors behind its strong performance in the resale market.

A keen eyed Stacked reader wrote in to us, and pointed out that given the disparity in the average price of these two condos, might it be an opportune time for one of these condos – The Crest – to start pulling ahead over the next few years.

This reader also pointed out that the launch of Alexandra Peaks, a new Build-To-Order (BTO) project on Alexandra Road, is expected to be completed by 2029. A good number of residents there will be in a strong position to upgrade, possibly to one of the nearby condos like The Crest, when the BTO subsequently clears its minimum occupation period.

So, do we think the time is now for The Crest?

There have been a number of new BTO launches in the Alexandra Road area, and the most prominent is the 904-unit Alexandra Peaks, which is located along Alexandra Canal and in front of The Crest and Principal Garden.

There is also the 782-unit Alexandra Vale on Alexandra View. This BTO project launched as part of the August 2022 BTO sales exercise, and is expected to be completed in 2028.

Collectively, both of these BTO projects will inject 1,686 new flats into this neighbourhood, and a good portion of these homeowners will eventually turn their attention to the private housing market.

Alexandra Vale is worth taking note, since it is next to Redhill MRT station on the East-West Line, and it also neighbours ARTRA. In general, the presence of these two new HDB projects generates two effects on the resale private housing market in Alexandra.

The first is a straight-forward uptick in buying sentiment and the area’s overall liveability, since the BTO launches inject new housing supply that turns the spotlight onto the area, and is set to elevate the residential population in the area.

The development of Alexandra Peaks also comes with a new preschool, an eating house, a minimart, shops, a resident’s network centre, and children’s playgrounds. These amenities will benefit the residents, as well as others living in most of the nearby private developments.

Next, new HDB homeowners often translate into a larger catchment of HDB upgraders in the future. Typically, most HDB homeowners prefer to stay within the same neighbourhood and are more likely to move into a nearby condo, if they can afford it.

The first condos they’ll shortlist are the ones closest to them, or perhaps one or two MRT stops away. In the case of Alexandra Peaks and Alexandra Vale, this will likely generate a larger pool of prospective buyers for condos like ARTRA and The Crest. 

As an aside, take note that this effect doesn’t just kick in after the flats are built. The Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) begins after key collection, so this is very far into the future. Especially these two BTO projects, which are both ‘Prime’ flats and have a 10-year MOP.

For sellers at The Crest who may be banking on these factors to provide an uplift in terms of price growth, this may not materialise in the short-term (five years or less). It’s not possible to isolate how much prices may rise based on this one factor alone, since the trajectory of price growth (or declines) is due to a range of variables, and not just the proximity of new flats.

However, given the runway and long-term trends in this part of Alexandra Road, there is a good chance that when these BTO projects enter the resale market, it may lead to a boost in the price growth of nearby condos.

Could The Crest benefit from the current price disparity with ARTRA? 

Broadly speaking, we think there’s a reasonable case to be made for this trend. Let’s look past simple $PSF, which is sometimes abstract for some buyers, and examine some of the transactions lodged at these developments.

At The Crest, a 829 sq ft unit on the 22nd floor transacted for around $1.63 million in March this year. The same month also saw the sale of a 829 sq ft unit on the 34th floor at ARTRA change hands for $2.05 million.

The higher-floor ARTRA unit would be expected to command a premium due to elevation and view. Even so, the gap of roughly $420,000 for units of the same size remains notable.

If we look at sales of lower-floor units at ARTRA, there was a 829 sq ft unit on the 19th floor that fetched $1.938 million when it was sold in August 2025. Even allowing for the earlier transaction date, this still suggests a significant premium over the March 2026 at The Crest.

An important consideration here is the “sweet spot” for HDB upgraders: as we’ve pointed out in some earlier articles, the affordable quantum for these buyers is between $1.8 million to $2 million.

So, even though ARTRA has some advantages from being an integrated development that is connected to Redhill MRT, prevailing average prices at the condo tend to push upgraders much closer to the upper limits of their affordability. 

We pointed out in our Stacked Pro article that The Crest lagged certain neighbouring projects in terms of its price growth. However, this may turn into its advantage in 2026, where the relatively larger size of its units ends up looking like a potential value buy – especially if ARTRA is the point of comparison. 

Looking ahead two to three years – besides the HDB pipeline – our view is that ARTRA is likely to remain the benchmark in this part of Alexandria. It’s supported by its proximity to Redhill MRT, integrated retail component, and mainstream appeal.

However, gains may become more steady rather than a dramatic surge, as affordability limits are starting to bite at the palatability of units at ARTRA.

In that case, buying demand for units at The Crest may benefit from a different trend; if buyers in the private residential market become more price-sensitive, they may place greater emphasis on developments that boast space and a more palatable price.

The Crest’s larger layouts and comparatively lower price point might deliver it better growth prospects.

Should we fixate on how The Crest appreciates over the next two to three years? Or is there a more pressing issue.

From our perspective, a more pressing concern is how the price of your home-to-be appreciates. There’s no guarantee that the price of your existing property will appreciate fast enough to keep pace with the wider market, especially if the price of larger family-sized homes appreciates more quickly.

This is a very real concern for buyers and sellers in the property market in 2026.

In general, based on some of our recent engagements with developers and property agents, there is a reluctance to talk about $PSF prices, and some sales teams tend to steer the direction towards the absolute selling prices instead.

In my view, this could be due to the relative uncertainty brought on by changes to the GRA harmonisation framework – post-harmonisation projects tend to have a higher $PSF because they deduct the air-con ledges, but it’s not just that.

The main reason is that developers now cope with the higher $PSF by building smaller-sized units, and keeping the quantum manageable. This means that, even if you do find something within your budget, it may be much smaller than your present unit. And as prices increase, you may find that a similar or larger unit to yours has fallen out of your reach.

If your current home still suits your lifestyle, and the need for more space is not immediate, waiting could be reasonable. But if you already know a larger home will soon become necessary, it may be worth shortlisting some viable properties already, and planning to move sooner.