Dunearn House: Your Way Into Bukit Timah, Without Freehold Prices

New Launch Review | Bukit Timah Turf City | District 11

Dunearn House is the first chance to buy into Turf City, with two-bedrooms from about $1.5 million. The question is how much you should pay to be first.

Why you would buy Dunearn House

Buy Dunearn House if you want a new home in Bukit Timah near the Downtown Line, you plan to hold for ten years or more, and you can buy one of the remaining units at or below about $3,100 psf. If you want freehold, a quick resale or a high yield, look elsewhere.

A Bukit Timah address at a leasehold price

Most new homes in this part of Bukit Timah are freehold and priced well above $3,000 psf. Dunearn House starts from about $1.5 million for a two-bedroom. For a young family, or parents helping a child into a first private home, it is one of the few new launches in District 11 that fits under $2 million.

First in a new precinct

URA is turning the former Bukit Timah racecourse into a new residential precinct over the next two decades. Dunearn House is the first private project in it. The second Dunearn Road site next door was sold for $1,625 psf ppr in April 2026, 15% more than Dunearn House's land (EdgeProp). Analysts quoted by EdgeProp expect that project to price above $3,000 psf. Buying first means later launches are likely to price above you.

The Downtown Line at the corner

Sixth Avenue station on the Downtown Line is about 500m away in a straight line on my map, with direct trains to Newton, Bugis and the CBD.

Who should skip Dunearn House

• You want freehold. This is a 99-year lease in a neighbourhood full of freehold homes, and that gap will matter more as the lease ages.
• You want to sell within five years. The precinct around you will still be under construction, and new launches next door will compete for buyers.
• You need a primary school within 1km. Methodist Girls' School is about 1.1km away on my map. Check with MOE.
• You are buying for rent. At these prices, yields will be lower than at nearby completed condos.

GFA harmonisation: compare new with new

Dunearn House was tendered after the GFA harmonisation rules took effect on 1 June 2023, so its floor areas exclude air-con ledges. Amberwood and the second Dunearn Road site follow the same rules. Fourth Avenue Residences, completed in 2022, was sold before the change, so its strata psf understates its real price per square foot of living space. I add 10% to 12% for that below. My GFA harmonisation guide explains the rule.

Why not Fourth Avenue Residences, Amberwood or the next Dunearn site?

Choose one of the others if you want to move in now, need a bigger family unit, or would rather wait and compare. Dunearn House wins when you want a new Bukit Timah home near the MRT at an entry price under $2 million.

Sources: developer price chart (Dunearn House, 20 September 2026); Yahoo News Singapore (Dunearn House launch weekend, July 2026); EdgeProp transaction data (Fourth Avenue Residences, accessed October 2026); EdgeProp (Amberwood launch, September 2026; second Dunearn Road site tender, April 2026).

What the market isn't telling you

1. The remaining units are priced above the launch average

Launch-weekend buyers paid an average of $3,140 psf (Yahoo News Singapore). The remaining 143 units on the 20 September chart run from $2,856 to $3,387 psf, with most of the cheapest stock already gone. Sales slowed too: 228 were sold by 12 August and 237 by 20 September, so nine units in five weeks. That gives you time to choose, and a reason to negotiate on the higher-priced stacks.

2. The nearest resale is cheaper, but not by as much as it looks

Fourth Avenue Residences, the closest completed 99-year condo, averaged about $2,544 psf over the last 12 months (EdgeProp). It was sold before harmonisation, so adjusted for floor area it is roughly $2,800 to $2,850 psf of liveable space. That puts Dunearn House's lower-priced stacks close to resale value, and its upper floors well above it.

3. Being first means living through the build

Turf City will be built out over many years. Dunearn House is expected to be completed around 2030, while the second site and later plots follow. Expect construction around you for much of your first decade, and new launches competing with you if you sell early.

4. Rent will not carry the loan

Fourth Avenue Residences rents at about $7.30 psf a month and yields about 3.5% at its current prices (EdgeProp). At Dunearn House's prices, the same rent works out to roughly 2.6% to 3.0% gross. Buy it as a home or a long hold, not as an income property.

Strengths and watch points

What I think you should do

Ask for the developer's current price chart and shortlist units at or below about $3,100 psf. Check each stack's facing against the future construction sites, and how far it is from Sixth Avenue station on foot. If Methodist Girls' School matters to you, check your block's distance with MOE, because the school is just outside 1km on my map.

If you are buying with a grown-up child, read my ABSD guide for second properties first. If you need a bigger family unit, compare Amberwood at Holland. For CPF and financing, speak to a licensed financial adviser for advice specific to your situation. Upcoming Turf City sites are on my GLS Tracker.

Frequently asked questions

James Ong | CEA Reg No. R008385F | PropNex Realty Pte Ltd (CEA Licence L3008022J)