With private housing prices at a new peak, HDB upgraders may find condos are currently out of reach. The next best alternative might be the spacious Executive Apartments (EAs), which go up to a whopping 1,600+ sq. ft. in some areas. At around half the price of a typical new launch condo today, and minus the high maintenance fees, EAs are increasingly on the shortlist of home buyers. Here’s how their prices have moved since last year:

A shortlist filtered by price, size or tenure is a useful way to narrow your options, but it won't tell you which property is the best fit for your finances, lifestyle or long-term plans.

That's where the real evaluation begins: comparing the trade-offs between each option to decide which one makes the most sense for your situation.

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.

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What are HDB Executive Apartments?

We have a more detailed description in our previous piece. But in short, the first Executive Apartment came about in 1984. Unlike their Executive Maisonette (EM) counterparts which have 2 storeys, EAs are set over just one floor, but they were still among the largest flats built by HDB. At the time, they ranged between 141 to 156 sqm. 

Executive Apartments have certain features that you won’t find in many other flats. The main ones are balconies and study rooms (which can be easily reconfigured to other purposes). 

Here are some of the various floor plans you can check out too, if you are looking for an HDB Executive Apartment.

We’ve also done several house tours of Executive Apartments if you want to see just how different each can be:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/tdT6obiSwrk
https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Q8gUulVIHI

Current EA prices and locations 

HDB Executive Apartment Jan Sep 2022 Map
HDB EANo. of TnxPriceAverage PriceAgeSize
Ang Mo Kio7$800,000 - $1,120,000$948,57126 - 26146 - 156
Bedok22$690,000 - $980,000$852,62626 - 38141 - 158
Bishan3$870,000 - $1,180,000$1,059,33330 - 35141 - 142
Bukit Batok29$640,000 - $900,000$773,15124 - 38140 - 152
Bukit Panjang37$500,000 - $960,800$680,75619 - 34124 - 145
Choa Chu Kang50$580,000 - $880,000$679,83319 - 33125 - 151
Clementi1$890,000 - $890,000$890,00037 - 37149 - 149
Geylang6$815,000 - $965,000$915,16735 - 37142 - 160
Hougang28$618,000 - $1,072,888$771,58723 - 38136 - 149
Jurong East15$620,000 - $960,000$844,33324 - 36142 - 147
Jurong West89$503,000 - $750,000$648,42420 - 33125 - 154
Kallang/Whampoa5$800,000 - $1,095,000$954,60028 - 36141 - 147
Pasir Ris130$635,000 - $928,000$749,05726 - 30143 - 161
Punggol21$605,000 - $750,000$655,41118 - 19128 - 130
Queenstown4$1,046,000 - $1,130,000$1,089,00027 - 27142 - 149
Sembawang47$560,000 - $670,888$614,76720 - 24125 - 142
Sengkang84$567,000 - $828,000$678,17519 - 24125 - 144
Serangoon12$765,000 - $1,150,000$903,08324 - 36140 - 150
Tampines61$670,000 - $950,000$793,45325 - 38137 - 159
Toa Payoh2$908,000 - $950,000$929,00029 - 29142 - 145
Woodlands118$600,000 - $1,040,000$779,45721 - 36130 - 192
Yishun31$660,000 - $1,038,000$802,94130 - 36142 - 187

Most notable price movements since last year 

The biggest price increases happened in the following neighbourhoods:

  • Yishun (+10.6%)
  • Kallang / Whampoa (+9.5%)
  • Bishan (+9.5%)
  • Choa Chu Kang (+7.7%)
  • Tampines (+7.1%)
HDB EA20212022Price Change% Change
Ang Mo Kio$910,793$948,571+$37,779+4.1%
Bedok$797,940$852,626+$54,686+6.9%
Bishan$967,600$1,059,333+$91,733+9.5%
Bukit Batok$730,566$773,151+$42,585+5.8%
Bukit Panjang$680,259$680,756+$497+0.1%
Bukit Timah$1,027,500None
Choa Chu Kang$631,087$679,833+$48,746+7.7%
Clementi$879,000$890,000+$11,000+1.3%
Geylang$910,444$915,167+$4,722+0.5%
Hougang$736,876$771,587+$34,712+4.7%
Jurong East$810,707$844,333+$33,626+4.1%
Jurong West$619,548$648,424+$28,875+4.7%
Kallang/Whampoa$871,438$954,600+$83,163+9.5%
Pasir Ris$705,905$749,057+$43,153+6.1%
Punggol$615,151$655,411+$40,260+6.5%
Queenstown$1,089,333$1,089,000-$333-0.0%
Sembawang$581,541$614,767+$33,226+5.7%
Sengkang$638,940$678,175+$39,234+6.1%
Serangoon$860,842$903,083+$42,241+4.9%
Tampines$740,730$793,453+$52,723+7.1%
Toa Payoh$941,225$929,000-$12,225-1.3%
Woodlands$728,886$779,457+$50,571+6.9%
Yishun$725,987$802,941+$76,954+10.6%

Note that for Geylang, Queenstown, and Toa Payoh, the transaction volumes were very low; this would account for the price movement being mainly flat, or showing a slight dip. 

The real eye-opener this year has been Yishun, with the average quantum for EAs in this estate is now $802,941. This may be due in part to the following three transactions this year:

MonthAddressStorey RangeSize (Sqm)TypeLease CommencementLease RemainingPriceAge
2022-06608 YISHUN ST 6101 TO 03164Apartment199268 years 11 months$1,000,00030
2022-05664 YISHUN AVE 407 TO 09181Apartment199269 years 02 months$1,000,88830
2022-02652 YISHUN AVE 404 TO 06187Apartment199269 years 04 months$1,038,00030

In any case, the average EA price in Yishun is now surprisingly higher than the average in Tampines ($793,453) – this is despite Tampines being a mature estate, and the regional centre of the east! 

Choa Chu Kang is another non-mature area with a notable price jump. The causes are less apparent, but one realtor mentioned the August 2022 BTO launch exercise. He said that those who fail to obtain a BTO flat, but are insistent on the location, sometimes turn to nearby resale options. 

The realtor also noted that Choa Chu Kang will see improved connectivity with the Jurong Region Line, for which Choa Chu Kang MRT station will be an interchange. This improved accessibility will take the estate one step further from its current “ulu” status. 

The rising prices in Kallang/Whampoa, Bishan, and Tampines should come as no surprise: resale flat prices are at a new peak in Singapore, and these mature estates are long-time favourites. Do note, however, that Tampines seems on average the cheapest among these hotspots. 

A quick note on Tampines 

One realtor we spoke to had an opinion about Tampines showing the lowest average EA price. 

She noted that recent EA listings in Tampines have been in locations such as Tampines Street 32 to Street 45. These EAs are close to Tampines East MRT station (Downtown Line), but this is not the part of Tampines that most people are attracted to. The “hot spot” for Tampines is the cluster of three malls (Tampines Mall, Tampines 1, and Century Square) and the Tampines MRT station (East-West Line).

She noted that, if you look for EAs along Tampines Avenue 5 – which is within a five to seven minutes walk of Tampines MRT, there are few listings that will go below the $980,000. 

So Tampines is a rather large estate, and be aware that the prices can diverge significantly as you get closer to Tampines MRT. 

EA prices still have room to rise 

EA prices are benefitting from a number of factors, similar to the ones we highlighted for Maisonettes. It’s a combination of high demand from the aftermath of Covid-19, and limited supply (even with ramped up production, HDB needs four to five years to build a BTO development). 

Another factor are the high prices in the private property market – we’ve seen new launches like AMO Residence and Lentor Modern hit $2 million for three-bedder units. 

In light of a pricey private home market, HDB upgraders may set their sights on a larger flat instead; especially with home loan rates climbing (depending on their income level, many EA buyers may be told to get a bank loan instead of an HDB loan). 

Barring a drastic change, such as new policy measures to curb Cash Over Valuation (COV), there doesn’t seem to be much reason for EA prices to fall anytime soon. 

For more on the situation as it unfolds, follow us on Stacked. You can also visit us for in-depth reviews of new and resale projects alike. 

A shortlist sorted by one variable is a fast way to narrow your options, but the pick that's cheapest, biggest, or most convenient isn't always the one that fits your situation best.

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.