In Singapore’s competitive property market, buyers often find themselves caught between their aspirations and crushing reality. Budget constraints often force…
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Bournemouth Road, a landed estate in Katong where prices start(ed) from $5 million (at the time of writing, at least.) Before the article was published, I knew there would be feedback about how the estate is priced out of reach for most people (and yes there were comments about the price.) Unfortunately, landed property- or any property in Singapore comes with a hefty price tag, and there’s not much I can do about that.
However, there is good news for people who liked what they saw in the Bournemouth walkabout but whose pockets don’t run that deep – there are some terrace houses in the same neighbourhood, just a few streets down, over at Swanage Road. Let’s head over to take a look!
Before we start, here’s a map for your reference. Bournemouth Road is right at the bottom of the screenshot, and Swanage Road is right at the top. Both lead onto Tanjong Katong Road so have access to the many shophouses there. (There are more commercial units on the Swanage end as compared to the Bournemouth end.) Across Tanjong Katong Road is Tanjong Katong Girl’s School. Just behind Swanage Road is the upcoming Grand Dunman. However, the condo has its own separate road leading into it, so you don’t have to worry about the condo traffic clogging up Swanage Road.
There are different types of units on Swanage Road, which is shaped like an E that faces the sky: terrace units, semi-Ds, and I believe even one detached unit.
Here’s an aerial view to give you a better idea. As you can see above, the terrace units are concentrated at the junctions where Swanage Road meets Tanjong Katong Road and Dunman Road. Note that Swanage Road is a one-way road from Crescent Road. (You can walk out to Dunman Road, but you can’t directly drive out to it.)Here’s where Swanage Road meets Tanjong Katong Road – you can only drive out onto Tanjong Katong Road (and not into Swanage Road.) At the entrance, there’s a Chinese charcoal hot pot shop, and another Hunan eatery a few doors behind.There’s also a massage spa, pet shop, pet groomer, gym, tuition centre, and even a tailor.Across the road, there’s an Indian restaurant, cafe, pizza hut, small coffee shop etc.As you can see, Tanjong Katong is a major road, with around 4-5 car lanes running parallel – there’s a traffic light to facilitate crossing over a stone’s throw away (about 1.5 streets away.)Here’s what it looks like when we walk into Swanage Road: as shown, it’s a 2 car lane road. I didn’t see any grocers when exploring the area, but you can get basic necessities from either of the 2 petrol stations in the area. (The SPC on the top left is the closest, and there’s a second petrol station across the road.)Looking towards the second petrol station here. (It’s behind the taxi.)SPC.There’s a small alley separating the commercial shophouses from the start of the residential area. I’ve heard friends report pest issues when staying close to many eateries, but luckily there aren’t that many right next to Swanage Road. Note the car parked in the alley – as you’ll see later, parking can be in short supply here and there might be some spillover from the commercial units.Walking down Swanage Road and encountering another parked car – there’s a double yellow line on one side of the street, so you can only park on the same side as the houses here. Unfortunately, in the beginning, it’s mostly terrace houses, so there isn’t that much space between the houses’ gates for parking. I had to park somewhere else in the estate and walk over on my 2 visits (both on non-festive days), so your friends and family might find it tough to park right outside your house when they stop by.See what I mean? There’s really only enough space for 1 car to park in between the houses unless you want to block the house gate! The road is also quite narrow, despite being a 2 car lane road, so you will need to park close to the curb.Hence the presence of the parking cones. Thankfully, the driveway in front of some gates is quite long, so residents with 2 reasonably sized cars should not have issues. (Note that, unfortunately, the driveway in front of the gate decreases in size as we move towards Grand Dunman.)Behind the row of plants we saw in the previous photo is the first of 2 side streets (both also named Swanage Road.)Here’s the first side street.If you squint, you’ll see that the end of the street is closed off (to cars) – which also provides a nice nook for street parking. (There were 3 cars parked there when I visited.) Here’s what some of the houses on this side street look like – do you see the shorter driveways?As shown, parking is in short supply here too, but the street is wider.Most of the houses have not maximised their plot ratios – look to the right and you’ll see the white house has been redeveloped to stand taller than its neighbours.Close-up of a taller house.Vintage house and car – cute!Most properties are quite modern though.As you can see, there’s easy pedestrian access to Dunman Road.I always see people cycling around (leisurely and not for sport) when I visit the East, which is in keeping with its reputation as a more laid-back part of Singapore.Looking to the left of Dunman Road.Across Dunman Road.As per the current Master Plan, the area across Dunman Road doesn’t allow for high-rise development so you won’t find a skyscraper towering over you anytime soon. (Although there is Grand Dunman to your left.) Now looking to the right – Dunman Road can get quite busy.Walking back in.And now back to the “main” Swanage Road – do you see what I mean about the width of the cul-de-sac being broader?The houses have started transitioning into larger semi-Ds here.I’m not a huge fan of the size of the street (given that there are semi-detached units here, and they usually have more public space outside). I had to drive down carefully to avoid scratching some of the parked cars, but I do like the width of the pavements, which makes it easy to walk around.More semi-Ds. It’s pretty much all semi-Ds on the main Swanage Road now, but you’ll find a few more terrace properties on the 2nd cul-de-sac.Second side street on the right.Turning in.It’s another cul-de-sac.Looking down the 2nd side street- as shown, it’s pretty similar to the first. The only difference is that there’s a pair of semi-Ds at the entrance of the side street (to the right.)One of the few detached units that we passed. In true vintage single storey style- you see more of this type of architecture in the East.We’re slowly walking towards Grand Dunman, which will be a huge condo with over 1,000 units. It won’t TOP for a few more years, so the area may feel quite different once it’s completed.Go past these houses, and we’ve now reached the end of Swanage Road, where it meets Crescent Road.
Before we go, here’s a list of the last few transacted prices. As mentioned, there was a sale for $ 3.5 million in 2023, but the last sale in 2024 was for $4.4 million. (The $4.4 million sale commanded an almost 25% increase in PSF as compared to the previous 2 sales.)
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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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