In Singapore’s competitive property market, buyers often find themselves caught between their aspirations and crushing reality. Budget constraints often force…
I was on my way back from town when I came across some houses on Bo Seng Avenue – it’s a street I’d never visited before, so I thought it would be interesting to do a walkabout of it and the neighbouring Whitley Road houses.
The first thing I noticed was that a freehold semi-D on the street had sold for $3.95 million in 2024 – a price we rarely see in this day and age even for terrace houses, let alone semi-Ds, in prime areas. Obviously, there’s a catch (there almost always is) – the house in question is strata-landed and part of a cluster housing development. However, given the number of housebreaking incidents in the last year, the security of living in a cluster development is starting to hold more appeal (to me, at least.) (If not a strata project, then the last transacted price at Whitley Road is $7 million for a semi-D.)
There are a few cluster developments on Whitley Road. One is Mont Clair @ Whitley and the other is The Whitley Residences. There are also 13 townhouses at Villa des Flores, a condo at the end of (one of the) Whitey Road cul-de-sacs. (There is more than 1.) FYI the 41-unit Villa des Flowers development went up for en-bloc sale in November 2023 but, as there was no further news, I am assuming the en-bloc sale was unsuccessful.
Above are the transacted prices for Bo Seng Avenue – as you can see, the average price here is higher, as there isn’t a cluster house development on this street.Here’s what Bo Seng Avenue looks like. It’s a nice straight road, with street parking easily available. (Only 1 dustbin was out and about to reserve street parking space.) The road actually slopes upwards, so the houses at the top are elevated.Some of the houses we pass along the way – there are quite a few houses here which have similar structures (where the garden/outdoor space is located on the first floor, above the car porch, something I find very practical. It’s breezier and more private.)The houses to the left (when walking up Bo Seng Avenue) feel more spacious than the ones to the right, as they have quite open views to the back, as you can see above. (There are houses behind these ones on Bo Seng Avenue, but the view is still relatively unblocked.)There is also a pavement on both sides of the street.As shown, the plots here come in a range of sizes. The end of the street.If you peer through the trees, you’ll see that the houses behind Bo Seng Avenue are elevated on even higher ground. These should be the ones on Chancery Hill Road – we’re very close to the Chancery area, but there is no through path here, although you can reach it via Dyson Road (the parallel street).Walking down Bo Seng Avenue – can you see how the main road (Whitey Road) is located on lower ground?Some of the terrace houses on the street – I’m not sure if it’s the architecture but they look huge!One thing about this area is that there is a LOT of construction work. You’ll get a better look when we reach the beginning of the street.A recently sold property. If we turn right here, it’s only a 9-minute walk to Balestier, where you can find lots of good local food. Unfortunately, the walk isn’t very enticing due to all the roadwork. You also head that way to reach Novena MRT but that’s a bit too far to walk to, at 18 minutes on foot. (One of the property ads said that the closest MRT is Mount Pleasant MRT, which is technically true, as it’s just across the road. However, it’s not easy to cross the road and Google has the estimated time on foot at 50 minutes! (Moreover, Wikipedia says that Mount Pleasant is a non-operational MRT at the moment…)Here’s what your walk would look like.However, we’re heading left instead to see the houses on Whitley Road. Thankfully, there’s a path to walk over (as to be honest, the construction is making the whole Thomson-Novena area feel like quite a mess.)We pass some houses on the main road. Normally, I’m not a huge proponent of such units as it is difficult to drive in and out. (Moreover, Whitley Road can get very, very busy.)The developers might have taken this into consideration, as there is a nice long driveway in front of the houses here, so I don’t think driving in and out will be an issue.There’s no road crossing here, so it’s not easy to cross Whitley Road.Zoomed out a bit so you can get a better view of the houses.Some of the Whitley Villa units are located along the main road. (Whitley Villas is one of the cluster houses in the area.) Still no traffic light or crossing to cross the road.Turning into the first Whitley Avenue cul-de-sac. Some houses were undergoing construction here.As shown, the road is quite winding here, and there’s a white line so you can’t park on the street. In the background is the second cluster development, Mont Clair. The entrance to Mont Clair. At the time of writing, there was a unit for sale here at $4.5 million.See what I mean about the winding road?There are also some non-strata landed houses here. Back on the main road, and heading to the 2nd Whitley Road cul-de-sac (which is also where we will find Catholic Junior College (CJC.)) As there are no houses on the right side of this Whitley Road cul-de-sac, the street feels more spacious.Like the other Whitley Road, you also find a bend here.It seems a lot of people like to walk their dogs here as all these signs are to remind people to clean up after their four-legged furry companions.The houses we pass on the way. (The area to the right is relatively open, but you can’t feel it here at the moment as the truck is blocking the view.) Repositioned myself so you get a better sense of the openness of the space.The properties we pass along the way.The reason for the openness is because we’re opposite CJC and they have fields. It’s a dotted white line as we go further up the street, so your visitors can park here.Some units here have very long driveways.The view enjoyed by the houses. School wasn’t in session when I visited so it was quiet, but you might want to visit a few times to get a sense of the noise level before committing to a purchase here.At the end of the road is the condo development I mentioned earlier- Villa des Flores. As you can see, the land isn’t very built-up (which is probably why they were trying for an en-bloc) but if an en-bloc eventually goes through, you could have more neighbours. (The Straits Times article said that the land could be repurposed into another condo or more landed houses.)
This brings us to the end of today’s tour. How did you find the area?
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Before we go, here’s the Master Plan. As it shows, there are a few plots of land that are “subject to detailed planning” in the vicinity, so there may be an increased supply of homes in the future, which could impact prices.
You may also have noticed from the Map that we’re very close to town and many schools. However, I personally feel that you’ll need a car to enjoy living here (at least till all the construction work is done.) There aren’t any amenities in the immediate area, although you can walk to Balestier Road in 9 minutes, as shown previously, the walk really isn’t very inviting to me. If you feel differently, let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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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
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