Just off the city centre, with a quiet and exclusive environment and a variety of hip and happening eateries, retail and office housed in quaint heritage buildings nearby, River Valley has always been a property hotspot for expatriates and young professionals.
So it probably comes as no surprise that developers were quick to bid, fast and furiously, on a GLS (government land sales) site in its vicinity. With the highest bid coming from Guocoland at $595.1 million or $1, 239 psf for the Martin Place plot which is situated near the upcoming Great World MRT station and promises to yield as many as 450 homes, this could be one of the highest bids for a land plot, aside from those on Sentosa. In January this year, a Siglap road condominium site was sold for $624.2million but that could yield up to 900 units, twice the number of units the Martin Place plot is capped at.
Confidence was likely to have been boosted by strong sales from the recent Cairnhill Nine launch. The area is peppered with a wide variety of private properties, including shophouses, older resale condominiums, newer developments and upcoming residential projects. Demand continues to be strong as rental prices become more competitive. Sales volume has always been on the rise, with 86 units sold in May this year, compared to the 15 units monthly average in 2015. Developers’ response to this land sale could be a positive indication of market confidence in recovery.
