Casero @ Dunman
Overview & Key Facts
CASERO @ DUNMAN is a freehold boutique condominium at 489 Dunman Road in the heart of Katong, District 15, completed in 2008 by Scan-Bilt Development. With just 15 units, it occupies one of Singapore’s most storied residential addresses — a mid-rise infill on the same stretch of Dunman Road now occupied, barely a stone’s throw away, by the 1,008-unit Grand Dunman at S$2,537 psf on a 99-year lease. The contrast is stark and, for a certain kind of buyer, compelling.
Scan-Bilt Development is a developer with deep roots in the Katong-Dunman corridor, responsible for multiple boutique freehold projects in the precinct over the years. CASERO @ DUNMAN follows a familiar Scan-Bilt formula: a tight land parcel, a small unit count, freehold tenure, and a residential character that sits comfortably in the surrounding conservation-adjacent neighbourhood. At 15 units, the development is genuinely boutique — maintenance fees are low, the community is intimate, and the strata floor plates tend to be generous by the standards of a post-2010 new launch.
The broader investment case rests on a simple data point: 28 rental transactions on 15 units over the tracked period represents a near-2x annualised turnover, signalling persistent, repeat rental demand in a location where tenant quality and tenancy renewal rates are consistently high. A gross yield of 3.6% — derived from an average rent of S$4,125 on units priced around S$1,276,667 at last transaction — is meaningful for a freehold asset in a prime D15 Katong address, and it sits comfortably above the yield available at most of the competing 99-year launch projects along the same road.
Location & Connectivity
Dunman Road is one of the most prestigious residential streets in the Katong enclave, and CASERO @ DUNMAN sits squarely in the middle of its best residential section. The surrounding streetscape is a textbook blend of D15 old-money Singapore: pre-war shophouses, conservation black-and-whites, tree-lined streets, and a food culture — from Peranakan restaurants on East Coast Road to hawker staples at Old Airport Road — that cannot be manufactured by any developer. Katong’s identity as a neighbourhood, rather than just a postcode, is the defining intangible that drives sustained rental and resale demand in this micro-market.
MRT access has improved dramatically with the opening of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). Dakota MRT (CC8) is 0.60km away — about an 8-minute walk — on the Circle Line, while Tanjong Katong MRT (TE25) on the TEL is 0.61km, giving residents an effective two-station walk-to-MRT footprint covering two separate lines. Better still, Paya Lebar MRT is 0.88km away and functions as a full East-West Line / Circle Line interchange — one of the most versatile transfer nodes in the network, connecting east, west, city-fringe and North-East all without changing twice. For residents without cars, the combination of three reachable MRT stations (two within sub-1km) on three distinct lines is an unusual accessibility advantage for a 2008-vintage boutique condo.
Daily errands are handled with equal ease. Kinex (formerly OneKM) mall at Paya Lebar is a 10-minute walk, and the sprawling Paya Lebar Quarter development adds office and retail depth to the corridor. East Coast Road’s restaurant strip and the Marine Parade wet market are both within a few minutes’ drive. URA’s Paya Lebar Airbase relocation plans — which will open up 800 hectares of central Singapore for residential and commercial development in the 2030s — sit partly within the broader catchment, adding a long-range structural tailwind to the entire D14/D15 corridor.
For schools, CASERO @ DUNMAN sits in the middle of one of the most concentrated primary school clusters in the eastern districts. Haig Girls’ School is just 0.21km away — a strong brand, all-girls primary, well within the 1km Phase 2C(S) priority zone. Tanjong Katong Primary (0.52km), Tao Nan School (0.58km), and Kong Hwa School (0.70km) are all within priority-zone walking distance, meaning families here have a genuinely unusual school optionality across multiple popular primary schools. Tanjong Katong Girls’ School (secondary) is 0.78km away, and EtonHouse International at Broadrick provides an international school option.
Schools & Education
6 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Haig Girls' School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Tanjong Katong Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Tao Nan School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Kong Hwa School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Broadrick Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| EtonHouse International School (Broadrick) | international | Within 1 km |
| Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Tanjong Katong Girls' School | secondary | Within 1 km |
Facilities
Facilities at CASERO @ DUNMAN are those of a well-specified boutique condominium of its era: a lap pool, Jacuzzi, and BBQ pavilion make up the core outdoor amenity set, supplemented by a small gym and covered car parking. There is no tennis court, no function room, no multi-storey clubhouse — and at 15 units, none of those would be cost-effective to build or maintain. The maintenance fee structure that follows from this discipline is one of the hidden benefits of the boutique model: residents at a 15-unit freehold MCST pay markedly less each month than residents at a 300-unit facility-loaded development, and that difference compounds over a 10- or 20-year hold. The trade-off is that major capex items — lift overhauls, waterproofing, external repainting — are shared across only 15 owners, so buyers should always request the most recent AGM minutes and sinking fund balance before committing.
“The condo is a nice, quiet place with a pool and BBQ. We had some maintenance issues with the apartment fittings over the years since it is a 2008 build, but the management responds quickly. The neighbourhood is fantastic — everything you need is within walking distance on Dunman Road or East Coast Road.”
— Resident review via 99.co
Unit Sizes & Layout
CASERO @ DUNMAN’s 15 units are spread across a mid-rise block with a layout typical of Scan-Bilt’s boutique Katong projects: predominantly 2- and 3-bedroom configurations with floor areas that are generous by today’s new-launch standards. A standard 3-bedroom here typically runs above 1,000 sqft, offering a space allowance that would be impossible to replicate in a comparable-price new-launch unit in 2026. As a 2008-era development, interior finishes are mid-market — kitchens, bathrooms, and flooring are the first renovation targets, and buyers should budget S$60,000–S$100,000 for a thorough update. The structural elements — ceiling height, natural light, and layout efficiency — are not easily changed and hold up well.
Orientation matters on a compact site like this. Units looking toward the Dunman Road tree canopy pick up green-corridor views and natural light from the east in the mornings. The small block format means lift waits are essentially non-existent, and noise from neighbours — a common pain point at larger developments — is rarely raised in reviews, consistent with the owner-occupier-heavy tenant profile that boutique freeholds in Katong tend to attract. One caveat: with only one data point for PSF at S$1,295, price evidence is thin and buyers should stress-test comparable transactions at neighbouring boutique freeholds on Dunman Road before anchoring their valuation.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 BR | 1 | $1,363 | $880,000 |
| 2 BR | 1 | $1,376 | $1,200,000 |
| 4 BR | 1 | $1,145 | $1,750,000 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 3 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $880,000 to $1,750,000, averaging $1,276,667.
Rents range from $2,450 to $7,250 per month across 28 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 3.6%.
Neighbourhood Comparison
The competitive landscape on Dunman Road and the immediately surrounding Katong precinct is currently dominated by large-scale 99-year launch projects. Grand Dunman (S$2,537 psf, 99yr, 1,008 units) is directly on the same stretch of Dunman Road and is CASERO’s most immediate benchmark — but at nearly double the PSF on a depreciating lease, the comparison effectively illustrates the freehold scarcity premium that boutique Dunman Road projects command over time. Emerald of Katong (S$2,640 psf, 99yr) and The Continuum (S$2,790 psf, freehold — the newest large freehold in the area) sit in a higher bracket altogether, aimed at buyers seeking new-build luxury. Tembusu Grand (S$2,461 psf, 99yr) and Amber Park (S$2,540 psf, freehold) round out the D15 comparables. Against this backdrop, CASERO @ DUNMAN at ~S$1,295 psf freehold is not competing on facilities or build vintage — it is competing on tenure, address quality, and yield, and on those three axes, the comparison is favourable.
For buyers specifically weighing up Grand Dunman: the PSF differential of approximately S$1,242 psf (Grand Dunman at S$2,537 vs CASERO at ~S$1,295) is one of the widest freehold-to-99yr street-level gaps in Singapore real estate. That gap is partly structural (boutique 2008 vintage vs. brand-new 1,008-unit project) and partly an opportunity — buyers who are willing to renovate and hold long will be acquiring freehold Dunman Road tenure at a cost basis that is unlikely to remain at this discount permanently as the D15 corridor continues to mature.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CASERO @ DUNMAN | Freehold | 2008 | 15 | — |
| GRAND DUNMAN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2022 | 2023 | 1,008 | $2,537 |
| EMERALD OF KATONG | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2023 | 2024 | 846 | $2,640 |
| THE CONTINUUM | Freehold | 2023 | 816 | $2,790 |
| TEMBUSU GRAND | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2022 | 2023 | 638 | $2,461 |
| AMBER PARK | Freehold | 2021 | 592 | $2,540 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates CASERO @ DUNMAN across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“We have been renting here for almost three years. The unit is spacious, the block is quiet, and the location on Dunman Road is unbeatable — Haig Girls’ is literally a five-minute walk for our daughter. The pool and BBQ are never crowded, which is exactly what we wanted.”
— Tenant review via 99.co
“Bought freehold here instead of a larger 99-year project down the road — no regrets. The neighbourhood character on Dunman Road is what you pay for and you cannot replicate it. The management is small but responsive, and the sinking fund has always been healthy at the AGMs I have attended.”
— Owner-occupier review via PropertyGuru
“The apartment itself needed updating when we moved in — it is a 2008 build so expect some wear. But the bones are good: high ceilings, generous room sizes, and natural light from the Dunman Road side. We renovated the kitchen and bathrooms and it feels like a completely different apartment now.”
— Owner-occupier review via EdgeProp
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — permanent land ownership on one of Katong's most prestigious streets
- Three MRT stations within 1km: Dakota (0.60km), Tanjong Katong (0.61km), Paya Lebar interchange (0.88km)
- Haig Girls' School at 0.21km — within 1km P1 priority zone for a top-branded primary school
- Four primary schools within 0.78km: Haig Girls', TK Primary, Tao Nan, Kong Hwa
- 3.6% gross yield — meaningful for a freehold D15 Katong address
- 28 rentals on 15 units — near 2x turnover signals strong, sustained tenant demand
- ~50% PSF discount to Grand Dunman (99yr) on same road — compelling freehold value case
- Boutique 15-unit MCST — low maintenance fees, quiet community, minimal shared-amenity friction
- Katong neighbourhood character, F&B, and lifestyle amenities within easy walking distance
- Paya Lebar interchange (EWL/CCL) at 0.88km — one of Singapore's most versatile transfer nodes
- Very thin secondary liquidity — only 3 sales in last 12 months; exit timing is critical
- 2008 build vintage — kitchens, bathrooms, flooring typically need renovation (budget S$60K–S$100K)
- Minimal facility set — pool, Jacuzzi, BBQ only; no tennis, no clubhouse, no function rooms
- 15-unit MCST concentration risk — major capex items split across very few owners
- En-Bloc score 45/100 — boutique scale makes collective sale more complicated to organise
- Investment Score unrated — very low transaction volume limits quantitative scoring
- Single PSF data point (S$1,295) — limited price evidence; valuations carry higher uncertainty
- No large supermarket on doorstep — nearest major supermarket requires a 5–10 min drive or MRT hop
Verdict
CASERO @ DUNMAN is, in summary, a textbook illustration of the Katong freehold boutique proposition. The address is exceptional — Dunman Road carries genuine neighbourhood prestige, a school cluster that few streets in Singapore can match, and access to three MRT stations on three separate lines within sub-1km. The tenure is freehold. The rental demand is demonstrably real: 28 tenancies on 15 units is a rental intensity that many 200-unit developments would envy. And the entry price, at around S$1,276,667 median and an implied PSF of approximately S$1,295, sits at roughly half the psf of the closest comparable 99-year launch on the same road.
The honest counterweights are familiar: thin secondary liquidity (only 3 sales in the last 12 months means price discovery is slow and exit timing matters), a 2008 build vintage that requires renovation capex, minimal facilities, and the concentration risk of a 15-owner MCST where any major sinking fund call has a significant per-unit impact. The ShiokNest score of 58/100 and the En-Bloc score of 45/100 — modest, reflecting the boutique scale — are fair assessments of the development’s standalone risk profile. The Investment Score is unrated, typical for projects with very few transactions.
The right buyer for CASERO @ DUNMAN is a long-hold freehold investor or an owner-occupier family who values Katong living, school access, and tenure permanence over facility breadth and resale optionality. For that profile, this address — at this price — represents one of the more compelling value cases in D15 in 2026. Buyers chasing quick capital gains, resort-style amenities, or deep secondary-market liquidity will find Grand Dunman, Emerald of Katong, or The Continuum better matched to their needs.