Hundred Palms, Riverfront Residences Or Tampines Trilliant — Which Is The Better Buy For A Young Family Today?

Hi Stacked,

I’m a homebuyer with an 8-month-old baby. My primary goal is strong capital appreciation over the medium- to long-term, and I’m currently focused on homes in District 19 but open to alternatives.

I’ve been comparing two properties in D19:

1. Hundred Palms Residences (Yio Chu Kang) — a fully privatised EC, post-MOP December 2024. It has a strong track record (+157% since launch, record S$2,055 psf in October 2025). But I’m concerned that as a new buyer, I’m entering at fully privatised prices and the best gains may have already been captured by the initial owners.

2. Riverfront Residences (Hougang Ave 7) — A condo with lower entry psf (~S$1,725), larger 3-bedroom units (1,066–1,292 sq ft), longer remaining lease (~93 years), and upcoming catalysts like the Cross Island Line and Paya Lebar Air Base redevelopment yet to be priced in.

For a 3-bedroom premium unit, Riverfront Residences seems to offer a better value per sq ft and more headroom for price appreciation. But since I also have a young child, proximity to good schools and family-friendly amenities matters too.

My key questions:

1. Between Hundred Palms and Riverfront Residences, which would you recommend for a new homebuyer entering today, specifically for capital appreciation?

2. Should I be considering Tampines Trilliant (D18) instead? Its location in Tampines Central, dual MRT lines, and connection to the future Cross Island Line seem compelling — though its lease is already down to ~88 years.

Thank you.

(This is part of an ongoing series where we answer reader questions about the property market. If you have one of your own, send it to stories@stackedhomes.com.)

Hi and thanks for writing in!

You are asking two questions that pull in opposite directions. One is about where the remaining upside sits across these three projects. The other is about what actually meets the daily needs of a young family. Both are legitimate concerns and the tension between them is worth keeping in mind as we address each of your questions.

Before we get into the analysis, there is one point worth correcting.

Hundred Palms Residences is not fully privatised yet. It cleared its 5-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) in December 2024, which means Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents (PR) can now purchase units on the open market.

An EC’s full privatisation is when foreign buyers can also purchase units, and this only occurs at the 10-year mark which works out to around 2029 for this project. As a Singaporean or PR, this does not bar you from buying a unit there. But it narrows the eventual resale pool slightly, though the numbers may be negligible considering the 60% Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) imposed on foreign buyers.

Now let’s work through what the data we’ve compiled show.

How the three projects compare at a glance

All three are priced within a fairly narrow band for three-bedroom units, which makes this less a question about the entry price points and more a question of where each project sits in its growth cycle.

From our compilation of the data, Hundred Palms Residences commands the highest average price of $1,827 psf, followed by Riverfront Residences at $1,772 psf. Tampines Trilliant comes in relatively low at $1,648 psf, but its larger average unit size of around 1,084 sq ft brings the overall quantum broadly in line with the other two developments.

It is also worth noting that both Hundred Palms Residences and Tampines Trilliant are Executive Condominiums (ECs), built under public housing rules and subject to ownership restrictions before fully privatising, while Riverfront Residences is a private condominium development.

Despite that distinction, both ECs currently transact at a psf premium over Riverfront Residences. This reflects the demand each project’s respective location continues to attract, but it also means the repricing uplift that EC buyers typically capture when a project transitions from below-market launch prices to open market values has largely already occurred.

As you rightly observed, coming in as a resale buyer you are entering after that strong initial price growth phase.

What are you paying relative to nearby projects?

Price alone does not determine whether a development is well or poorly positioned. For that, it helps to compare each project against what else buyers could purchase in the same neighbourhood.

Hundred Palms Residences vs nearby alternatives (3-bedroom units, 2025 transactions)

At $1,827 psf, Hundred Palms Residences sits in the same tier as The Garden Residences and Affinity at Serangoon, both newer leasehold condos. For more info, you can check out our comparison of the two projects in this article.

The price gap that once made Hundred Palms Residences a bargain relative to its neighbouring condo no longer exists. What you are buying now is a 99-year leasehold development in a quiet residential enclave, priced at market rates for that type of home.

Riverfront Residences vs nearby alternatives (3-bedroom units, 2025 transactions)

Meanwhile, Riverfront Residences is the most recently completed project in its immediate catchment, and its average price of $1,772 psf reflects that position. Compared to Kingsford Waterbay, Heron Bay, and Riversails, it commands a clear premium over the older projects in the vicinity that offer larger units at lower overall entry prices.

Part of what keeps Riverfront’s pricing competitive comes down to the scale of the project: with 1,472 units (almost triple the 531 units at Hundred Palms), resale supply for units there is substantially more abundant compared to most condos on the market, which tends to contain pricing power in the near term.

With regards to Riverfront Residences, its price trajectory is less about location and more about what happens when a mega-scale development has a large pool of sellers and an established catchment of buyers.

The Tampines Trilliant vs nearby alternatives (3-bedroom units, 2025 transactions)

The average price of $1,648 psf at Tampines Trilliant positions it toward the upper end of the Tampines resale market. The more telling figure is The Tapestry, which was completed in 2021 (six years after Tampines Trilliant) and transacting at a $56 psf discount.

For a newer project to fetch prices below an older one in the same vicinity points to something specific: Tampines Trilliant’s proximity to Tampines MRT and the Tampines Regional Centre appears to be sustaining a location premium that the newer projects around it do not share to the same degree.

How prices have moved over time

All three developments have recorded price growth since completion, but the trajectories – and the reasons supporting these trends – differ. 

Based on our analysis of the transaction data, Hundred Palms Residences and Tampines Trilliant both show annualised growth rates that outpaced their respective districts and the broader market. On the other hand, Riverfront Residences trails all three benchmarks.

However, the EC figures require a closer look.

For Hundred Palms Residences, relevant transaction data starts from 2022, since the earlier years had a handful of pre-MOP sales with special approval that are not representative of open market conditions. The annualised rate is calculated from a relatively compressed window, and the jump from a low starting base inflates it.

Tampines Trilliant faces a similar issue: transaction volumes in its first few years post-completion were thin and largely unrepresentative. This is the standard EC trajectory. Early buyers benefit as the development moves from below-market launch pricing to open market values. The headline growth numbers reflect that repricing, not the ongoing capital gains available to a resale buyer entering today.

For Riverfront Residences, the 3.65% annualised rate is not necessarily a weak signal. Larger projects with substantial resale supply typically take longer to build pricing momentum, given the volume of units available at any given time. Whether that changes as the project matures is the more relevant question for a buyer with a medium to long horizon.

What could drive prices higher from here?

A direct catalyst that could accelerate the price growth at Hundred Palms Residences is the completion of the upcoming Serangoon North MRT station on the Cross Island Line (CRL), which is expected to be operational by 2030.

The project currently has no MRT access within walking distance. That changes once the station opens, as transport-linked price improvements in Singapore’s residential market are generally well supported by historical data.

That said, 2030 is still several years away, and the degree of uplift will depend on where the overall market stands at that point.

Both Hundred Palms and Riverfront stand to benefit if the Hougang Central government land sales (GLS) plot proceeds at a land breakeven price of approximately $2,245 psf ppr. When new projects launch at high land costs, the benchmark effect tends to pull surrounding resale prices up over time, especially if the development adds amenities to the area.

The Paya Lebar Air Base redevelopment is a longer-dated positive for Riverfront Residences. The full relocation of the air base will free up a large land parcel, and redevelopment is expected to unfold over the coming decade. But the overarching impact on the surrounding residential market is difficult to put a finger on at this early stage.

For Tampines Trilliant, there is less in the way of new catalysts kick-starting steeper price growth. Its MRT access, mall proximity, and regional centre catchment are already priced in, which is why it commands a premium over newer Tampines projects. The investment case here is built on the stability of a well-serviced location rather than the anticipation of incoming infrastructure.

What this means for a young family

The liveability picture is where the three projects diverge most clearly, and for a household with a baby, it is probably the consideration that affects your daily life directly.

All three developments have a number of primary school options within 1km, which is the proximity band most crucial in Phase 2B of the Primary 1 registration exercise. Hundred Palms sits within range of Roysth School and Hougang Primary School, among others. Riverfront is close to Holy Innocents’ Primary School and CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity. Tampines Trilliant has Poi Ching School and Gongshang Primary School within 1km.

Based on what you’ve shared with us in your question, your child will be approaching their Primary 1 registration around 2031 to 2032. The school catchment you are in at that point is directly relevant to your options, so it is worth verifying the specific schools within 1km of any unit you are seriously considering, rather than relying on the development-level figures above.

On day-to-day liveability, Tampines Trilliant has a clear practical advantage. Tampines Mall, Century Square, and Tampines 1 are all within walking distance, and the MRT interchange makes accessibility straightforward. Hundred Palms and Riverfront are quieter, but that quiet comes at the cost of relying on a car or public transport for most daily errands.

What should you do?

All three projects are in established residential areas with broadly similar entry prices. The differences between them are less about quality and more about where each sits in its cycle today, and how that aligns with what you are actually trying to achieve.

For Hundred Palms Residences and Tampines Trilliant, the growth story that produced the headline annualised rates is largely beyond the reach of new resale buyers. The repricing from EC launch pricing through MOP to open market levels has already occurred. Future appreciation from here is more likely to track the broader District 18 and 19 markets than outpace them by the margins those historical figures suggest.

Riverfront Residences is at an earlier stage in its condo lifespan. Its annualised growth has trailed both the district and the national average, partly because of the scale of the development and the fact that large newly completed projects typically take several years to build resale momentum. For a buyer planning to hold for 10 years or more, there is more room for prices to adjust upward from current levels, particularly if the Hougang GLS plot materialises on schedule. While it is not a guarantee, it is a possibility that the other two projects do not offer to the same extent.

That said, considerations surrounding livability and lifestyle needs should not be secondary. A home that does not work for your family’s daily life adds friction and costs that compound over time.

If access to public transport and the convenience of nearby amenities genuinely matter for your household, Tampines Trilliant’s advantage is plain to see. Its lower psf price relative to newer Tampines projects also suggests its location premium has not been fully captured yet. 

If you can absorb the current connectivity limitations of Hundred Palms Residences or Riverfront Residences in exchange for a quieter setting and a longer remaining lease, both are viable options, with Riverfront carrying more potential runway for a buyer entering at this stage.

Eventually, we say that the decision comes down to how you weigh those two variables. Whether the infrastructure catalysts described here translate into the kind of outperformance you are hoping for over your specific holding period remains to be seen.