The Hillford Review — Upper Bukit Timah / Ulu Pandan · D21
HuatScore: 60/100 — Good
Is The Hillford a good buy?
HuatScore rates The Hillford 60/100 — a "Good" verdict. That makes it a conditional buy for value-focused buyers comfortable with the location tradeoff and investors chasing a workable ~5.7% yield. Strongest card: Both anchors locked in. Main watch-out: Thin transaction volume. Pricing is reasonable for the location at current market.
Last updated 2026-08-20 · scored against URA caveat data.
Key facts
- Verdict: Good
- Region: Rest of Central Region
- Tenure: 60-yr leasehold
- Avg PSF: ~$1,481 psf
- Price from: S$0.58M
Live market data
- Resale transactions (12mo): 14
- Recent resale PSF: ~$1,480 psf
- Gross rental yield: 5.7%
What works in its favour
- Both anchors locked in: 834m to BUKIT TIMAH PRIMARY SCHOOL and 736m (~9-min walk) to Beauty World MRT (Exit B). Strictly within the P1 1km zone, plus walkable to the nearest MRT entrance. This is the non-negotiable demand anchor — kiasu parents AND yield-chasing investors are both your buyers.
- Real gross yield: 5.7%: Yield is above the SG private market median (~3.2%). Decent cash flow buffer if interest rates climb. Based on URA median rent (2026Q1) over the project's real resale PSF.
- 3-bedder × investment — appreciation sweet spot: Sells into the deepest pool — owner-occupier families. That demand floor drives durable capital appreciation. The investor default for total return, not just headline yield.
What to watch out for
- Thin transaction volume: Only 14 resale deals in the past year. Equity trap risk — when you want to exit, very few buyers to anchor against.
- Thin future upgrader pool: Live count: 0 HDB blocks within 2km cross the 5-year MOP between 2025 and 2028 (of 151 HDB blocks total within 2km). Narrow pool to absorb your resale — demand leans more on private-market churn here.
- 3 new launches competing in D21 · Upper Bukit Timah / Ulu Pandan: 3 active private launches in your district right now. More competing supply softens both rental and resale pricing power.
Who The Hillford suits
- Value-focused buyers comfortable with the location tradeoff
- Yield investors — ~5.7% gross is workable; favour larger unit types
- Buyers who value a stable, established neighbourhood over speculative upside
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers hunting deep relative value — the market has already priced in most of the story
- Short-term flippers — stamp duty + agent fees demand a 5-year minimum hold
- Buyers wanting a guaranteed top-tier primary within 1km walking distance
Huat Kueh says
14 resales in a year, #8 in D21 — liquid. Lease 47 years left — financing starts to pinch.