Lessons from Singapore's top-performing two-bedder condos, showing how size, tenure, and neighbourhood timing shaped returns more than common buyer assumptions…
Some time ago, we visited Kimsia Park, the landed enclave behind Lucky Plaza. The location is undoubtedly very convenient for those who spend a lot of time in town. However, it’s also right smack in the hustle and bustle of town, and the houses are on the smaller side (for landed units.)
If you’re looking for a bigger property in a more tranquil estate, but still close to Orchard Road (and Stevens MRT), Fernhill is a landed estate that you may want to consider. (For those whose budgets don’t stretch that much, there are also several condos and townhouses in the area.) Let’s explore the area so you can see if it would suit you and your lifestyle!
Landed markets are thinner and less transparent than condo markets. Good comparables can be difficult to find, and an enclave often behaves very differently from another just a few streets away.
That’s where a second opinion can be valuable: benchmarking a specific property against comparable transactions, understanding what you’re really paying for, and weighing whether it makes sense for your own plans.
Over time, that’s also why we decided to work with agents who shared the same data-driven and advisory-led approach behind our editorial, consultants who could help readers think through decisions more objectively, rather than simply push transactions.
Today, the team has worked with more than 2,000 clients across over $5B in property transactions.
We’ll begin with a map of the area, so you know where we’re exploring today. As shown above, the enclave consists of three roads, Fernhill Road, Fernhill Close and Fernhill Crescent, which connect Orange Grove Road and Stevens Road. (Along Orange Grove Road, you’ll find Shang-ri La hotel- literally just minutes walk from Fernhill, and along Stevens Road is Stevens MRT.) Depending on where you stay in Fernhill, the walk to the MRT can take anything from 9 to 16 minutes.
This is where Fernhill Road meets Stevens Road – we’re looking towards Stevens MRT. It’s mostly residential along this stretch, and there are no amenities till we get to Bukit Timah Road. (There used to be a restuarant at the Metropolitan YMCA across the road, but according to Google it’s now permanently closed. It’s still mentioned on the YMCA website though!)Now looking in the opposite direction. This way lies Novotel, where you can find quite a few restaurants. If you walk further, you’ll eventually reach Scotts Road and Far East Plaza.Lots of condos across the road.A quick look at the Masterplan – we’re where the blue dot is located and, as you can see, there’s not much spare land in the area. (The closest two reserve sites are the ones at Tanglin Village and Scotts Road. If you’re wondering why that’s relevant, it’s because prices depend on demand and supply, so it’s always worth considering the future supply of residential units in the vicinity.)Walking back up Fernhill Road – here we see landed houses on one side, and The Fernhill condo on the other.As you can see, despite the lack of parking restrictions (no double yellow lines or unbroken white line), the road is pretty clear and easy to drive through. I’ve driven up and down this road numerous times and never really experienced much congestion here. This is about as crowded as it gets.It may not be obvious, but the road also slopes up (from Stevens Road to Orange Grove Road) so, if you live here and want to walk to Shang-ri La everyday, be prepared for a bit of a climb.This photo might be a better illustration of the slope, as well as the proximity to Orchard (you can see the skyscrapers in the background.)Now let’s look at the houses – here are some of the semi-Ds in the area.And some of the (smallest) terraces.
As shown, the area is quite a mish-mash of different architectural styles. You’ll find a bit of everything here: very old (for Singapore) vs very new properties, huge detached houses vs condos etc
One of the vintage properties.More terraces, this time built higher.Face on view so you can appreciate the size. (They’re not the largest terraces we’ll see though!)The pavement along Fernhill Road is also decent- there’s one on both sides of the road, making it easy to explore the estate.More terrace houses. You may have noticed that there are more older properties here than newer ones.Also some older apartments. According to PropertyGuru this property was built in 1991 and has only FOUR units. It doesn’t get much more exclusive than that if you’re living in an apartment!
This also means that there may be a few en-bloc developments in the area, which will result in noise and dust for the residents of the area. For example, Fernhill Court launched an en-bloc exercise in 2018. (No further news and the development was still around when I visited so I’m guessing it was unsuccessful.)
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Another development in the area – this one was built in 2013, with only 24 units.Passed some construction along the way – according to the sign, they’re building a detached unit and two semi-Ds.There’s also the obligatory day care centre, The Prepatory Place – we see one or more of these in almost all landed estates.And now for the largest terrace houses ever. I actually had to zoom out on my phone to capture these three houses in one frame.If not, the houses are so big, you can really only capture one in a photo!One of the largest properties in the area.Opposite more construction.On your left, you’ll pass the turn into Fernhill Crescent (It bisects Fernhill Road so let’s continue walking to the end of Fernhill Road then down Fernhill Crescent.)We pass Fernhill Court, the development that had tried for en-bloc in 2018. (The properties here are maisonettes.)Looks like it’s ground floor parking here.
Depending on where you stay on Fernhill Road, you’re actually within 1 km of two famous Primary Schools (ACS and SCGS.) I viewed a unit in Fernhill Cottage during COVID and, according to the agent, this is the boundary of the 1 km. (i.e. Some houses in Fernhill Cottage fall within the 1 km restriction and others outside of.)
After Fernhill Cottage is a very short cul-de-sac where you find a few more houses:
We’re starting to approach the Nassim GCB enclave, so the end of the street is quite unblocked. (See below.)Do you remember what I said about the land in this area sloping? I think this may be one of the best illustrations of the slope (compared the house on the right to the one on the left.)As we approach Fernhill Close, the land starts sloping downwards even more. This part of Fernhill is my favourite – it’s the closest to the Nassim GCB enclave and the area feels MUCH quieter, more expansive (even with all that construction you see in the photo), and more exclusive. (Unfortunately, priced to match, as per this Knight Frank article.) (The houses on the right are quite a bit smaller – i.e. cheaper – than the ones on the left though. That’s if anyone ever wants to sell!)Zooming out a bit – does this better illustrate what I mean about the area feeling more spacious? (Ignore the construction please.)Fernhill Close is another cul-de-sac, so let’s walk to the end to see what we can find. (Mostly construction.) Oh, there’s actually a path connecting you to the Nassim enclave! Although most of us won’t really have much reason to go there, unless for an after-dinner stroll? (Or a shortcut to Botanic Gardens.)We’ve seen all of Fernhill Close now (it’s a very short stretch), so let’s head to Fernhill Crescent.Here, you also find larger properties. (However, the area doesn’t feel as open as Fernhill Close.)Some of the houses enjoy an elevated position above Fernhill Road, as shown here.There’s also an opportunity to expand your property upwards (compared the above house in the middle with the houses on the left and right.)Another example of how much higher you can build.Last look at Fernhill Crescent (if we follow this path down, it brings us back to Fernhill Road, where we started today’s tour.)
So how did you find the Fernhill enclave? Most of us won’t be able to afford the landed houses (and, at the time of writing, there weren’t many for sale too.) However, if you enjoy living in a smaller, more exclusive apartment, there are a few opportunities here. That being said, living in a boutique development has its own set of challenges!
See you again next week!
Unlike condos, there are very few true like-for-like comparisons in the landed market. Every purchase is effectively a judgement call based on imperfect comparables.
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.
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
3 Comments
Allan
I find this article an excellent read plus it is very informative!
Jamus L.
To me, Fernhill doesn’t feel as posh as map might suggest. It is a mixed-landed zone, with several old condos/houses. It is also very far from the nearest MRT station. Even worse, people think you stay in Sengkang (Fernvale) instead of Orchard (Fernhill).
3 Comments
I find this article an excellent read plus it is very informative!
To me, Fernhill doesn’t feel as posh as map might suggest. It is a mixed-landed zone, with several old condos/houses. It is also very far from the nearest MRT station. Even worse, people think you stay in Sengkang (Fernvale) instead of Orchard (Fernhill).