Dalla Vale

Overview & Key Facts

Dalla Vale is a boutique freehold development tucked along Springleaf Avenue in District 26, developed by Boo Han Holdings Pte Ltd — a subsidiary of the Far East Organization group. Completed in 2009, it comprises just 60 units across a low-rise cluster of walk-up apartments and strata-landed homes, with a mix of 2-bedroom apartments, larger family layouts, and a handful of ground-floor units with private enclosed spaces.

The development’s character reflects the character of Springleaf itself: quiet, green, and deliberately low-density. Springleaf Avenue is flanked by a landed enclave on one side and the leafy fringes of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve on the other, giving Dalla Vale a setting that feels closer to a weekend retreat than a typical OCR condominium. The boutique unit count means residents tend to know each other, and the freehold tenure — increasingly rare in this sub-market — has kept the development tightly held since TOP.

Buyer profile skews towards own-stay owner-occupiers, many of whom upgraded from nearby landed or from HDB flats in Yishun and Sembawang. With only 14 resale transactions logged in the past 12 months and an average PSF of around S$982, Dalla Vale trades at a meaningful discount to the wave of 99-year new launches that have opened in the Lentor cluster, reflecting both its older finishings and the thinner liquidity that comes with a 60-unit estate.

Location & Connectivity

Dalla Vale’s most significant locational shift in recent years has been the opening of Springleaf MRT on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), roughly 580 metres from the development. The walk is a gentle 7–9 minutes along Springleaf Avenue, though portions of the path are not fully sheltered — a meaningful consideration for daily commuters during monsoon months. From Springleaf, the TEL offers a single-transfer route to Orchard (about 20 minutes) and Shenton Way.

For drivers, access to the SLE and CTE is straightforward, with the SLE entrance less than two minutes away. This makes Woodlands, Yishun, and the Causeway easily reachable, while the CBD via CTE takes around 20–25 minutes in off-peak traffic. The location is particularly convenient for households with ties to the northern industrial belt or to Malaysia.

Everyday amenities are modest but sufficient. The Springleaf hawker row and the long-standing coffee shops along Upper Thomson Road cover daily meals, while Thomson Plaza and Greenwich V are short drives away. The upcoming Lentor Modern integrated development is expected to add a supermarket and F&B cluster within a few MRT stops, which will materially improve the retail picture for residents.

Schools are a weaker point for young families — there are no MOE primary schools within the 1-km P1 balloting radius, although Singapore American School at Woodlands (about 2 km away) is an asset for expatriate households. For secondary and beyond, options in Ang Mo Kio and Upper Thomson are reachable by car or a short bus ride.

Schools & Education

Facilities

Facilities at Dalla Vale are intentionally modest, which is typical for a 60-unit boutique development. The compound offers a lap pool, a small gym, a children’s pool, a BBQ pavilion, and landscaped gardens — the essentials rather than the resort-style inventory found at larger neighbours like Lentor Modern. Maintenance fees are correspondingly lower, and residents report that pool and BBQ bookings are rarely contested given the small population.

“We moved here from a 1,000-unit condo and the change is night and day. Pool is almost always free, the compound is peaceful, and we actually know our neighbours by name. Don’t come here expecting a tennis court or a grand clubhouse — that’s not what Dalla Vale is.”

— Owner-occupier commentary via EdgeProp

Buyers drawn to extensive facilities will find Dalla Vale underwhelming; buyers who prioritise privacy, quiet, and a garden-like setting will find the scale just right. The lack of a dedicated function room is an occasional gripe for families who host larger gatherings, but the BBQ pavilion handles most weekend use cases. Landscaping has matured well since TOP in 2009, which partly compensates for the absence of newer amenity types.

Pricing & Market Position

Based on 14 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $2,660,000 to $3,340,000, averaging $3,048,571 (~$982 psf).

Rents range from $4,100 to $7,700 per month across 99 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.5%.

Price Appreciation

From 2022 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 16.1% (from $846 to $982 psf).

Neighbourhood Comparison

Within the immediate Springleaf-Lentor belt, Dalla Vale’s closest comparables are the new 99-year leasehold launches at Springleaf Residence, Lentor Modern, and Lentor Hills Residences, all trading around S$2,100–2,300 psf. Those developments offer fresh lease, modern facilities, and integrated retail at Lentor Modern, but at more than double Dalla Vale’s PSF and with significantly smaller unit sizes. The trade-off is stark: buyers choose between scale and newness on one side, and freehold tenure, larger footprints, and quiet on the other.

Against the larger Lentor Mansion and Lentor Central Residences, the calculus is similar — newer leasehold product with stronger rental demand from Thomson Line commuters, versus Dalla Vale’s enduring freehold advantage and lower entry quantum per unit. For investors, the Lentor cluster is the more efficient route; for own-stay freehold buyers who value the Springleaf setting, Dalla Vale remains the distinctive option despite its thinner resale market and older specification.

ShiokNest Scores

Our proprietary scoring system evaluates DALLA VALE across multiple dimensions.

What Residents Say

“Loved the freehold tenure and the quiet setting. Springleaf MRT opening was a welcome bonus we didn’t have when we bought. The condo is small but that’s the charm — no lift queues, no overcrowded pool.”

— Owner review via EdgeProp

“Interior is dated — be prepared to renovate. But the layouts are practical and the unit sizes are far more generous than anything new in Lentor. You’re paying for land, tenure, and location, not finishings.”

— Prospective buyer commentary via PropertyGuru

“Facilities are basic — one pool, one gym, a BBQ pit. If you’re coming from a big condo you’ll notice. If you’re coming from landed or HDB, it’s more than enough.”

— Resident commentary via 99.co

The consensus across review platforms is that Dalla Vale is a quiet, low-density freehold enclave rather than a facility-driven lifestyle condo. Residents consistently mention the peaceful setting, the freehold tenure, and the improved access from Springleaf MRT as positives; the recurring negatives are dated interiors, limited retail within walking distance, and an MCST that can feel small-scale given the unit count.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Verdict

Dalla Vale is a niche proposition that should be evaluated on its own terms rather than against the Lentor new-launch wave. The freehold tenure, boutique scale, and mature setting on the edge of the Central Catchment are genuine scarcity features — you cannot buy them new at any price in this sub-market. For own-stay families who have decided they value privacy, greenery, and a freehold title over a polished clubhouse and a fresh 99-year lease, the value case is defensible.

The harder question is resale liquidity. With 60 units total and roughly 14 transactions over the last 12 months, the order book is thin: sellers should expect longer marketing periods, and buyers should be mindful that price discovery can swing on a single transaction. The ShiokNest score of 31/100 and walkability of 15/100 reflect these structural realities — this is not a data-driven yield play, and investors chasing capital appreciation will likely find the Lentor leasehold cluster more efficient.

For the right profile — a car-owning family that wants freehold, quiet, and nature at the doorstep, and is willing to hold through cycles — Dalla Vale delivers a lifestyle that the surrounding new launches cannot. For everyone else, the trade-offs skew unfavourable. The gross yield of around 2.53% is modest, and the investment case leans almost entirely on freehold land banking rather than rental economics.