Whether you are looking to upgrade your current living situation or take advantage of the low interest rates, if you’ve decided to find a new home, there are a host of new launches in 2021 to choose from. Here is the list of new launch condos and upcoming ECs to keep an eye on from 2021 and beyond.

Jointly developed by CDL, CapitaLand and Ascott Reit, Canninghill Piers is the latest mixed-use development after the successful collaboration between CDL and CapitaLand. CanningHill Piers is inspired by its unique location facing Fort Canning Hill and beside the Singapore River. The residential towers are part of the upcoming integrated development that’s completely reimagined and reborn on the site of the former Liang Court. With a picture-perfect riverfront promenade that extends the vibrancy of Clarke Quay, this new luxury residence rises above an iconic waterfront development that features serviced apartments, a new concept hotel and lifestyle amenities. Besides affording panoramic views of the city, those living here can enjoy an unparalleled connection to all forms of transport links including water taxis and direct access to Fort Canning MRT.

Located on the site of the former Amber Glades Condominium, Amber Sea is a freehold new launch condo that sits in the prime district 15 of Singapore. With a projected 132 units within the development, it is a more exclusive and luxurious project for property seekers.

Amber Sea’s location is a prime reason to be interested in this development, a simple 10 mins walk to East Coast Park gives residents the opportunity to take leisurely walks along one of Singapore’s most popular weekend destinations. When it comes to travelling to work, those working in the CBD will be glad to know that Amber Sea is just a 12 mins drive to the Marina Bay Financial Centre, a key business hub in the CBD of Singapore.

For young adults looking to start a family or families with young children, Amber Sea has a variety of good schools located within a 2km radius: Dunman High School, Chung Cheng High School, CHIJ (Katong) Primary School, Tao Nan School. This gives many options for parents looking to send their children to a school near home. For your daily shopping convenience, there are a number of shopping malls that are located in close proximity to Amber Sea, giving residents a variety of options when it comes to their food and shopping needs. With this many highlights, it is no wonder that Amber Sea is a hotly discussed and eagerly anticipated new launch condominium.

The Commodore

Located in District 27 in Canberra, the Commodore is the latest new launch condo development by JBE Holdings. Residents will enjoy the strategic location of the Commodore which is a 5 minutes walk from the newly opened Canberra MRT, giving residents easy access to the North-South Line and to the Central Business District (CBD).

This 99-year leasehold condominium has an estimated 219 units that can be built on site with an estimated completion date of 2026. Aside from its convenient location to an MRT Station, the Commodore is also located in close proximity to several good schools, including Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School which is just a 10 min walk away.

Liv @ MB, a high-rise residential condo development, is a 24-storey tower with 111 apartments, five penthouses, and two commercial units. Apart from offering property seekers a relaxed, quality living, and a 99-year leasehold, Liv @ MB condo is set to provide incremental value, with the development of Katong Park MRT Station on the Thomson-East Coast Line slated for completion as soon as 2023. Held by Bukit Sembawang Estate, the developer is an esteemed industry player with experience building homes in Singapore since the 1950s. The company is behind notable residential projects such as The Atelier, 8 St. Thomas, and the Former Katong Park Towers.

This upcoming EC awarded to established Sing Holdings in the Yishun area will be located about 500m from the Junction 9 shopping mall and two bus stops away from Northpoint City. The 99-year leasehold site located at Yishun Avenue 9 sits on an estimated 2.15ha of land and is projected to have 600 residential units. The nearest MRT to this EC will be Yishun MRT, which is about a 20 minutes’ walk away and is accessible by bus as well. Some of the prominent schools located nearby include Chongfu School and Northland Secondary School. It is located close to recreational facilities such as SAFRA Yishun Country Club, Orchid Country Club and Yishun Pond.

Tampines Street 62 EC is a 99-year leasehold site awarded to Qingjian Realty and Santarli Construction. The estimated number of housing units is projected to be 590 units, subject to change by the developers. If you are interested in the amenities situated close to the Tampines Street 62 EC, Tampines Eco Green Park, IKEA Tampines and the recreational facilities at Pasir Ris including Downtown East are all within close proximity to the development. It is an affordable option for those who wish to live in a mature estate like Tampines.

Pollen Collection is an urban collection of landed homes in Singapore’s Nim Road, located in District 28, between Seletar and Ang Mo Kio. The development is part of the Nim Collection and is also referred to as Nim Collection Phase 3: Pollen Collection. Expected to TOP in 2021, Pollen Collection will feature abundant greenery that embellishes 4 semi-detached homes and 128 units of terrace homes. Residents can look forward to enjoying luxury lifestyles at a location that is convenient, but tranquil.

Belgravia Ace is a well-planned freehold strata landed housing estate by a renowned developer, Fairview Developments Pte Ltd (Tong Eng Group). Located at Ang Mo Kio Ave 5, Belgravia Ace sits in the cool and character-filled Seletar Hills neighbourhood. The Belgravia Hills in which this project sits is a mirror of the beautiful and affluent Central London district, Belgravia, making the area a stunning one to walk along and soak in the grandeur. For those with young children or looking to start a family, Belgravia Ace is located close to established educational institutions like Ai Tong School, which is a short drive away.

The following list of projects have recently been announced and there is little confirmed information about them. We will update these projects when more information is available but nonetheless, they are ones to keep an eye on:

• 99-year leasehold condo by UOL Group, Singapore Land Group and Kheng Leong Group located on Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.
  • A condominium in the mature estate of Ang Mo Kio that is located in close proximity to schools such as Mayflower Secondary and a short bus ride to Ang Mo Kio Hub and Ang Mo Kio MRT Station
• 99-year leasehold condo by City Developments Ltd (CDL) & MCL Land located on Northumberland Road
  • A condominium in the popular estate of Kallang, this project will be located in close proximity to schools such as Singapore Chinese Girls Primary School
• Tanah Merah Kechil Link, a 99-year leasehold condo by MCC Land (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
  • A condominium that is located just a short walk away from Tanah Merah MRT Station, it is also closely located to Bedok View Secondary School.
• The Tengah Garden Walk is a 99-year leasehold site set to be developed by Taurus Properties SG (City Developments Ltd & MCL Land) and is expected to have around 615 EC units.

With this many new launch projects to choose from, it’s sure to be a fun yet tiring process to sieve through all the information and choose your next home. Be sure to keep up to date on all the latest information and keep an eye out for showflat information in order to get the best experience of the project before making your decision!

Prices of private homes in Singapore rose for a third consecutive quarter, defying the Covid-19 pandemic and a recession.

The overall price index for private residential properties climbed 2.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020, faster than the 0.8 per cent increase in the third quarter, according to flash estimates from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Monday (Jan 4).

This is the steepest quarterly increase since the second quarter of 2018 when private home prices rose by 3.4 per cent before property cooling measures hit in July that year.

For the whole of 2020, however, private home prices increased by 2.2 per cent, less than the 2.7 per cent gain in 2019.

The price increase in the fourth quarter was driven mainly by the prices of private homes in the rest of central region (RCR) and core central region (CCR), which rose quarter-on-quarter by 4.8 per cent and 3.3 per cent respectively.

Prices in the outside central region (OCR) rose 1.7 per cent, same as the previous quarter.

For the whole of 2020, prices in RCR and OCR increased the most by 5.1 per cent and 3.1 per cent respectively, while prices in CCR decreased by 0.2 per cent.

Some new projects launched in the fourth quarter of 2020 could have driven prices up, said Ms Christine Sun, head of research and consultancy at OrangeTee & Tie.

In the RCR, the median price of new units at The Landmark near Outram Park MRT was $2,137 per square foot (psf) while The Linq @ Beauty World in Upper Bukit Timah saw $2,171 psf, above the $1,813 psf median price for all new condo units in the region in 2020.

In the OCR, the median price of new units at Clavon in Clementi was $1,637 psf, Ki Residences at Brookvale was $1,766 psf and Midwood in Hillview was $1,624 psf.

All these projects were similarly transacted above the $1,547 psf median price for all new condo units in the region in 2020.

Ms Sun noted that prices have also increased at many newly launched condo projects.

For instance, in CCR, the median price of Fourth Avenue Residences in Bukit Timah rose from $2,258 psf in the third quarter of 2020 to $2,296 psf in the fourth quarter of 2020. Prices at Kopar at Newton have also increased from $2,384 psf to $2,433 psf over the same period.

Similar price increases were observed at other projects such as Treasure at Tampines, Jadescape and Forett at Bukit Timah, Ms Sun added.

Ms Sun expects overall private home prices to rise by 1 to 4 per cent this year, while projects launched by developers could see faster price rises of 2 to 5 per cent.

"Buyer sentiment may pick up further on the growing vaccine optimism and Phase 3 reopening. A number of blockbuster launches could be released in the luxury and city fringe areas which may uplift the overall price index," she said.

She noted that there has been "renewed interest" in resale private homes over the past few months and expects resale prices to increase around 1 to 4 per cent for 2021.

Huttons Asia head of research Lee Sze Teck said up to 20 new launches can be expected in the first quarter of this year, with some 9,000 new units and a price increase up to 3 per cent this year.

“Selling prices are expected to edge up because of recent firm land tender prices and higher construction costs because of Covid-19 safety management measures,” he said.

The property market continues to draw interest amid the pandemic, with over 90 per cent of 120 units released for The Landmark condominium snapped up on its launch weekend.

About 110 units were sold as of Sunday, representing some 30 per cent of the total number of units at the 99-year leasehold project in Chin Swee Road.

The units went for at an average price of $2,250 per sq ft (psf). About half of them are one-bedroom units with a starting price of $1,955 psf.

Most of the buyers are Singapore citizens and permanent residents, said developer Landmark JV on Sunday (Nov 29).

Located on the northern foothills of Pearl's Hill, The Landmark comprises a single 39-storey tower of 396 one- to three-bedroom units, five decks of lifestyle facilities, as well as views of the city skyline and southern coastline.

It is expected to obtain a Temporary Occupation Permit in March 2025.

Landmark JV is a joint venture between MCC Land, SSLE Development and ZACD Group. The partners bought the site through a collective sale of the former Landmark Tower in May 2018 for some $286 million or $1,406 psf per plot ratio. This includes a lease upgrading premium of $57 million. They also had to buy some adjoining state land, reported The Business Times.

In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, sales bookings were done virtually from five locations, such as the project's sales gallery as well as the offices of marketing agencies ERA Singapore, Huttons Asia, PropNex and SLP International.

Mr Ken Chew, general manager of SSLE Development, said: "The positive response from home buyers on the launch day bears testimony to our commitment to price the project to sell.

"We hope that a higher live-in population within and around the Central Business District will add more vibrancy to this neighbourhood."

HOME owners are trading up, spurred to take that plunge of a bigger financial committment by the work from home trend which has led to a surge in sales of large condos.

These are defined as more than 1,200 square feet (sq ft) in size. The most popular large units are in the 1,200 - 1,400 sq ft size as these are more affordable compared to even bigger ones.

Christine Sun, OrangeTee & Tie head of research & consultancy who analysed the trend, noted that in July and August alone, 208 units above 1,800 sq ft were sold at a median price of S$3.35 million, a trend that Ms Sun described as "pretty amazing amid the pandemic and economic slowdown".

The number is higher than in the same period of 2018 (187 units) at a median price of S$3.25 million and 201 units in 2019 with a median price of S$3.6 million, she said.

The Avenir and Jadescape saw the highest number of homes above 1,800 sq ft sold, seven and five respectively. The median unit price at The Avenir - located in the core central region - was S$3,218 per sq ft with median price of S$7.6 million. Jadescape's median unit price was S$1,604 per sq ft with median price of S$3.4 million. Jadescape is in the rest of central region.

At The Penrose which was launched late last month, five units larger than 1,200 sq ft were sold, based on URA/Realis figures as at Oct 2, 2020, said Wong Siew Ying, PropNex head of research and content. Prices of the five which have four bedrooms range from S$2.2 million to S$2.3 million.

In total there are 54 four-bedroom units at Penrose, ranging from 129 to 130 sq m (1,388.5 - 1,399.3 sq ft). These 4-bedders account for 9.55 per cent of the total 566-unit development.

Overall, in August, 582 condos of over 1,200 sq ft were sold, up 22.5 per cent from July's 475, and 44.4 per cent from August 2019, said Ms Sun.

The number is also a 27-month high (751 units in May 2018) and above the two-year average of 338 units (September 2018-August 2020).

"If we remove the low numbers sold in April-May 2020 during the circuit breaker period, August 2020 sales are still higher than the 22-month average of 359 units," said Ms Sun.

The increase was across all market segments, and from new projects and resales. New sales in August of 147 touched a three-year plus high; the previous record was 197 units in April 2017.

New projects with the highest number of large units sold from January to August 2020 were Jadescape (108), Treasure at Tampines (98), Parc Clementis (54) and Forett at Bukit Timah (28) and Parc Esta (28).

Resales of 432 was a tad lower than the previous record of 440 units in July 2018.

The 582 sales comprised 127 units in the expensive core central region, 274 in the rest of central region and 181 in the more affordable outside central region.

Rising prices did not deter buyers from upsizing.

In July-August 2020, the median unit price of large units was S$1,319 per sq ft, 3.5 per cent higher than the same period in 2019 and 29.2 per cent higher than the same period five years ago, she noted.

The rising demand for large units may be related to the work-from-home trend where more could be buying bigger homes or needing more space for work and leisure, said Ms Sun.

As well, the price resilience of properties in Singapore may have driven some to purchase bigger units now for fear that the price increase may put such units out of reach in future.

Private residential property prices for 2020 as a whole may end in positive territory, some analysts say, after prices rose 0.8 per cent quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) in Q3, nudging the overall price index up 0.1 per cent year-to-date.

"The coronavirus crisis may be changing the property market and consumers' buying behaviour in more ways than anticipated," said Ms Sun.

Many have been working from home since the start of the pandemic and Covid-19 could be causing a permanent shift towards remote-working in some organisations.

A growing number of companies and employees are already adjusting their mindset to adopt more flexible, work-from-home arrangements for the long term, especially for organisations that can save rental costs with the need for a smaller office space, she said.

"The substantial amount of time spent in one's apartment may have led some people to reconsider the function of a home beyond protection, social interaction and emotional bondage among family members," said Ms Sun.

An extra room or study helps create a more conducive workspace, providing clearer space boundaries between work and leisure as the lines could be blurring for some individuals.

The sweet spot for large units remains in the 1,200 - 1,400 sq ft size range. A 1,200 sq ft condo usually has three bedrooms or 3 plus study and some even will squeeze in four bedrooms. From January to August, 1,162 such units were sold.

The trend may signal a need for developers to consider reconfiguring their unit mix for future developments to include more large units or have more fittings or facilities to support the culture of work from home, said Ms Sun.

"For instance, instead of building more communal facilities like pavilions or BBQ pits, they may build more co-sharing spaces or libraries that are equipped with WiFi or 5G network."

They may also build more units with study rooms, carve out dedicated spaces or create convertible areas within the unit to set up a home office space, she said.