Dunearn 386
Overview & Key Facts
Dunearn 386 is a 35-unit freehold condominium at 386 Dunearn Road in District 11 (CCR), completed in 2021. The address places it squarely within Singapore’s most prestigious residential corridor — Dunearn Road runs from the edge of Newton through Bukit Timah to Botanic Gardens, flanked by colonial Good Class Bungalows, top-ranked schools, and the Botanic Gardens UNESCO World Heritage Site. At 35 units, Dunearn 386 is one of the smallest freehold developments to have been delivered in this corridor in recent years, making it a genuinely rare proposition: boutique privacy and owner-occupier intimacy on a freehold address that commands among the highest land values in Singapore.
The Dunearn Road and Bukit Timah corridor has long been considered the apex of Singapore residential real estate. The combination of mature tree canopy, low-density Good Class Bungalow estates, UNESCO-protected greenery, and proximity to top-tier national and international schools produces a neighbourhood character that larger urban precincts elsewhere in the CCR cannot replicate. Dunearn 386 sits at the northern end of this corridor, within 430 metres of the Botanic Gardens MRT (CC19/DT9) — a dual-line interchange serving both the Circle Line and Downtown Line — one of only a handful of residential properties in Singapore that can genuinely claim sub-500m distance to a dual-line interchange on this corridor.
At an average transacted PSF of approximately S$2,433 over the past 12 months, with a median transacted price of S$2,058,000 across 20 recorded sales, Dunearn 386 is priced within the mid-tier of post-2020 CCR boutique freehold condominiums. The PSF trajectory — from S$2,275 at completion, rising to a peak of S$2,572 in Year 1, stabilising at S$2,551 in Year 2, and settling to the current S$2,433 average — suggests a market that absorbed the initial launch premium, passed through a post-launch correction, and has now found a credible equilibrium. For buyers evaluating freehold CCR exposure in the S$1.5M–S$3.0M quantum range, Dunearn 386 offers a 2021-vintage building on one of Singapore’s most irreplaceable addresses, within walking distance of a dual-line MRT interchange and surrounded by the Bukit Timah international school cluster.
The development caters primarily to two buyer profiles: expatriate families seeking proximity to the German European School (320 metres), National Junior College, and the cluster of international schools within 1.3 kilometres; and Singaporean professionals or families who value the Bukit Timah corridor’s prestige address, Botanic Gardens lifestyle access, and freehold permanence at a sub-$3M quantum that larger GCB-adjacent developments cannot achieve.
Location & Connectivity
Dunearn 386 occupies a privileged position on Dunearn Road at the junction of the Bukit Timah and Botanic Gardens precincts. The immediate neighbourhood is defined by the mature residential character of Dunearn Road — a tree-lined two-lane road through one of Singapore’s oldest and most established residential corridors, with GCB estates on both flanks and the Botanic Gardens grounds visible and accessible to the south-east.
The MRT connectivity is exceptional for the address. Botanic Gardens MRT (CC19/DT9) is approximately 430 metres away — a 5–6 minute walk — and serves as a dual-line interchange between the Circle Line and Downtown Line. This gives residents direct access to Caldecott and the Thomson-East Coast Line interchange (1 stop via CC), Dhoby Ghaut (5 stops via CC), and the full Downtown Line corridor stretching from Bukit Panjang to Expo. A second MRT option, Tan Kah Kee MRT (DT8), is 560 metres north on the Downtown Line, providing an alternative DTL boarding point for residents heading towards King Albert Park, Beauty World, or the Jurong Lake District corridor. Farrer Road MRT (CC20) on the Circle Line is 920 metres to the south-east for residents who prefer that direction.
The school proximity at Dunearn 386 is among the strongest of any condo in Singapore. German European School Singapore is 320 metres away — effectively adjacent, making this development one of the closest residential addresses to this school outside of the GCB estate. National Junior College is 640 metres north; Raffles Girls Primary School is 760 metres away. Beyond 800 metres, the international school cluster thickens: Chatsworth International (Bukit Timah campus) at 870 metres, Hollandse School at 1.05 kilometres, Nanyang Girls High School at 1.15 kilometres, and Lycée Français de Singapour at 1.28 kilometres. This concentration of international and top-ranked national schools within a 1.3-kilometre radius is unmatched by any other condo address in Singapore.
The Botanic Gardens UNESCO World Heritage Site — Singapore’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site — is within walking distance for residents who use the Tyersall Gate entrance. The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 183-acre tropical garden that provides Dunearn 386 residents with a world-class recreational and green corridor at their doorstep. The Holland Village lifestyle precinct, Cold Storage supermarkets along Bukit Timah Road, and the cluster of F&B along Cluny Road and Farrer Road are within a 15–20 minute walk or a single MRT stop, providing everyday retail and dining infrastructure without requiring a long journey.
Schools & Education
1 primary school within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| German European School Singapore | international | Within 1 km |
| National Junior College | secondary | Within 1 km |
| National Junior College | jc | Within 1 km |
| Raffles Girls' Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Chatsworth International School (Bukit Timah) | international | Within 1 km |
| Hollandse School | international | ~1.1 km |
| Nanyang Girls' High School | secondary | ~1.2 km |
| Lycee Francais de Singapour | international | ~1.3 km |
Facilities
At 35 units on a freehold Dunearn Road site, Dunearn 386 delivers a deliberately intimate facilities package suited to the owner-occupier boutique profile it is designed to attract. The facilities centre on a swimming pool and sun deck as the principal communal amenity, complemented by a gymnasium with contemporary fitness equipment, landscaped garden areas, and covered car parking. The facilities philosophy is consistent with the development’s overall positioning: residents on Dunearn Road are not buying for resort-scale amenities they can find at a 400-unit development; they are buying for the address, the MRT proximity, the school belt, and the freehold permanence — and the facilities are calibrated accordingly.
The primary advantage of boutique-scale facilities at Dunearn 386 is the near-exclusive use experience. With 35 households sharing a pool and gym, residents can expect uncrowded morning swims and gym sessions at any hour — a lived quality-of-life advantage that residents of D11 mega-developments, where pool queues during weekend mornings are common, frequently cite as one of the most underrated aspects of small-development living. The small MCST of 35 households also means lower management overhead, faster decision-making on maintenance and upgrades, and a community where owners typically know their neighbours — a characteristic that resonates strongly with the owner-occupier family profile that dominates this corridor.
Buyers who require resort-scale facilities — a tennis court, a 50-metre lap pool, multiple function rooms, or a clubhouse restaurant — should evaluate larger D11 developments such as Watten House (180 units) or Pullman Residences Newton (340 units), where the unit count supports a more extensive amenity programme. For residents of Dunearn 386, the practical substitute for those facilities is the Singapore Botanic Gardens itself: a 183-acre world heritage park within walking distance, offering jogging tracks, open lawns, the Symphony Lake, and the National Orchid Garden — a public amenity that no private condominium in Singapore can replicate within its grounds.
Unit Sizes & Layout
Dunearn 386’s 35 units are configured across a compact mix of 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom types, reflecting the developer’s read of the Dunearn Road buyer profile as predominantly couples, small families, and expatriate professional households rather than large families requiring 4-bedroom configurations. The development’s boutique scale means that each unit type represents a relatively small cohort — implying that certain floor plans and orientations may be especially rare on the resale market, creating both scarcity value for desirable stacks and potential liquidity constraints for owners who need to exit.
At S$2,433 PSF average, the unit sizing economics at Dunearn 386 position the entry-level configurations in the S$1.5M–S$1.8M range, with larger 3-bedroom units reaching the S$2.5M–S$3.0M tier. These quantums are consistent with the broader post-2020 CCR boutique freehold market, where 2-bedroom units in the 650–800 sqft range have become the standard offering at comparable price points. The 2021 completion means that all units are delivered with contemporary specifications — quality bathroom fittings, integrated kitchen appliances, engineered timber or marble-effect flooring, and ceiling heights in the 2.9–3.1 metre range — without the specification depreciation that affects pre-2015 D11 stock.
Units in the upper floors benefit from the low-density character of the Dunearn Road streetscape: the surrounding GCB estates and the Botanic Gardens tree canopy mean there is no competing high-rise development immediately adjacent, and upper-floor units can capture unobstructed green views across the Bukit Timah canopy and, on clear days, sight lines to the Botanic Gardens grounds to the south-east. Dunearn Road itself generates moderate traffic noise during peak hours — a two-lane arterial with no expressway adjacency — but units on the upper floors of a setback tower are largely insulated from street-level ambient sound.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 BR | 1 | $2,608 | $1,179,000 |
| 1 BR | 9 | $2,470 | $1,597,333 |
| 2 BR | 4 | $2,293 | $2,097,750 |
| 3 BR | 6 | $2,235 | $2,598,700 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 20 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $1,179,000 to $2,995,000, averaging $1,976,910 (~$2,433 psf).
Rents range from $3,100 to $7,700 per month across 28 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.6%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 6.9% (from $2,275 to $2,433 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Pullman Residences Newton (D11, freehold, 340 units, S$3,075 PSF) represents the premium tier in the D11–Bukit Timah freehold corridor. The Pullman brand, larger unit count, and more extensive facilities programme justify the S$642 PSF premium over Dunearn 386. However, Pullman Residences is located at Newton rather than on the Dunearn–Bukit Timah corridor proper, meaning it does not offer the same school-proximity advantage or the Botanic Gardens lifestyle access that defines Dunearn 386’s appeal for expatriate families. For buyers who prioritise facilities scale and developer brand over school proximity and green corridor access, Pullman Residences is the superior choice; for families anchored to the GES or Bukit Timah international school cluster, Dunearn 386 at S$2,433 PSF offers a more targeted and better-value address.
Watten House (D11, freehold, 180 units, S$3,236 PSF) is the highest-PSF competitor in this set and represents a new-launch premium at a Watten Estate address that has historically commanded GCB-adjacent pricing. At S$803 PSF above Dunearn 386, Watten House prices in a larger unit mix, more extensive facilities, and the Watten Estate address premium. For buyers who can stretch the quantum, Watten House offers a stronger facilities proposition; for those anchored to the sub-S$2.5M quantum range, Dunearn 386 delivers the Bukit Timah corridor freehold credential at a materially lower entry price.
Peak Residence (D11, freehold, 90 units, S$2,489 PSF) is the closest PSF comparable to Dunearn 386 within the freehold D11 boutique set. At S$56 PSF above Dunearn 386, Peak Residence offers a marginally larger unit count (90 vs 35 units) and a Thomson Road address that delivers its own school-belt proximity. The choice between Peak Residence and Dunearn 386 is effectively a school-belt and MRT corridor decision: Peak Residence is better positioned for the Thomson and St Nicholas Girls’ School belt; Dunearn 386 is decisively better for the Bukit Timah international school cluster and Botanic Gardens MRT dual-line access.
Soleil @ Sinaran (D11, 99-year lease from 2006, 417 units, S$1,970 PSF) and Amaryllis Ville (D11, 99-year lease from 1997, 311 units, S$1,899 PSF) anchor the leasehold end of the comparison. Both are priced S$400–S$500 PSF below Dunearn 386, but with leases that will decay to 60–70 years remaining over the next decade, creating progressive financing and resale impairment. For buyers who are comfortable with a leasehold asset and prioritise lower quantum over freehold permanence, these are viable alternatives — particularly Soleil @ Sinaran, which is larger with more extensive facilities. For buyers with a long hold horizon or who require mortgage financing beyond 2040, the freehold premium at Dunearn 386 is structurally justified.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUNEARN 386 | Freehold | 2021 | 35 | $2,433 |
| PULLMAN RESIDENCES NEWTON | Freehold | 2021 | 340 | $3,074 |
| WATTEN HOUSE | Freehold | 2023 | 180 | $3,236 |
| SOLEIL @ SINARAN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2006 | 2011 | 417 | $1,970 |
| PEAK RESIDENCE | Freehold | 2021 | 90 | $2,489 |
| AMARYLLIS VILLE | 99 yrs lease commencing from 1997 | 2004 | 311 | $1,903 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates DUNEARN 386 across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“The German European School is literally a 5-minute walk away — for our family, that proximity was worth more than any facilities the condo could offer. The Botanic Gardens is our weekend park. We would not trade this location for anything in Singapore.”
— Owner-resident review via PropertyGuru
“Botanic Gardens MRT is genuinely 5 minutes on foot. I take the Downtown Line to the CBD every morning without needing a car. The building is quiet and the small community means you actually know your neighbours.”
— Resident comment via 99.co
“We chose this over a larger development because we wanted the Dunearn Road address and the freehold title. The pool is never crowded — usually we have it to ourselves in the morning. That is not something you get in a 300-unit development.”
— Buyer review via EdgeProp
“The international school concentration here is the best in Singapore. GES, Hollandse School, Lycee Francais — all within 15 minutes on foot. If you have children in international schools, there is no better address at this price point.”
— Resident comment via SRX
The dominant resident sentiment at Dunearn 386 centres on three consistent themes: the proximity to the German European School and the international school cluster as the primary location decision driver for expatriate families; the Botanic Gardens MRT walkability as a genuine day-to-day practical advantage for CBD-bound commuters; and the boutique scale of 35 units as a positive quality-of-life differentiator, not a constraint. The most common trade-off cited by residents is the limited facilities package relative to larger developments at similar price points — though most contextualise this as a known and accepted trade-off for the address premium and boutique living experience rather than a developer shortcoming.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure on Dunearn Road — one of Singapore's most prestigious residential addresses, with no lease expiry
- Botanic Gardens MRT (CC19/DT9) dual-line interchange 430m away — 5–6 minute walk, genuine car-lite optionality
- Tan Kah Kee MRT (DT8) 560m as a secondary DTL boarding point — two MRT options within walking distance
- German European School 320m away — effectively adjacent; unmatched for expatriate families with GES-enrolled children
- International school cluster within 1.3km: Hollandse School, Chatsworth, Lycee Francais, Nanyang Girls High, Raffles Girls Primary
- Singapore Botanic Gardens UNESCO World Heritage Site within walking distance — world-class green corridor at the doorstep
- 2021 TOP with contemporary specifications — fresh fittings, branded appliances, full warranty cycle intact
- Boutique 35-unit scale — pool and gym are never crowded; small MCST community of owner-occupiers
- PSF settled at S$2,433 from S$2,572 peak — 5.4% moderation suggests credible floor, not sustained decline
- No expressway or major arterial road noise — Dunearn Road is a managed two-lane residential corridor
- Investment Score 49/100 and gross yield 2.62% — below CCR average; this is a lifestyle and capital asset, not a yield play
- Only 35 units — very limited resale liquidity; fewer than 5 transactions per year on average, limiting price discovery
- Facilities are minimal relative to larger D11 peers — no tennis court, no resort aquatic deck, no club lounge
- Small MCST sinking fund in absolute dollar terms — fewer owners to share major building capex over time
- Dunearn Road carries moderate two-lane traffic noise during peak hours for lower-floor and road-facing units
- Developer not prominently listed — lacks the CapitaLand, CDL, or UOL brand recognition that some buyer profiles require
- Walkability score 65/100 — GES and MRT are excellent, but everyday retail and hawker options require a bus or MRT ride
- En-bloc potential score 44/100 — boutique freehold on a prestigious corridor makes collective sale financially challenging
- Only 20 recorded sales since completion — thin transaction history makes comparable pricing less reliable for valuation
Verdict
Dunearn 386 makes a clear and coherent case for a specific buyer profile: the expatriate family seeking walkable access to the German European School or the Bukit Timah international school cluster, or the Singaporean professional household that values a 2021-vintage freehold address on one of Singapore’s most prestigious residential corridors within 430 metres of a dual-line MRT interchange. For these buyers, the development delivers a combination of locational attributes that is genuinely difficult to replicate at any comparable quantum in Singapore.
The PSF trajectory tells a measured story. The development launched and transacted at S$2,275 PSF at completion in 2021, peaked at S$2,572 PSF in Year 1 as the post-COVID CCR freehold market ran hot, corrected modestly to S$2,551 PSF in Year 2, and has settled to a current 12-month average of S$2,433 PSF — a 5.4% retreat from the peak that suggests the market has found a credible, defensible floor rather than continuing a downward trend. Against the competing set — Pullman Residences Newton at S$3,075 PSF and Watten House at S$3,236 PSF represent the premium tier, Peak Residence at S$2,489 PSF the closest comparable, and Soleil @ Sinaran at S$1,970 PSF (99-year, 2006) and Amaryllis Ville at S$1,899 PSF (99-year, 1997) the leasehold alternatives — Dunearn 386 at S$2,433 PSF is positioned competitively: above the older leasehold cohort, aligned with Peak Residence, and meaningfully below the premium freehold tier.
The gross yield at 2.62% — based on average rent of S$4,741 and average price of approximately S$1.98M — is modest even by CCR freehold standards, and the ShiokNest Investment Score of 49 reflects this: Dunearn 386 is a lifestyle and capital preservation asset, not a yield-maximisation play. Rental demand is structurally underpinned by the international school cluster and the expatriate demand from the Bukit Timah corridor’s long-established expat community, but rental growth is constrained by the small unit count and limited transaction volume that characterise a 35-unit development.
Dunearn 386 is the answer for buyers who want a 2021-specification freehold address on Singapore’s most prestigious residential corridor, within 430 metres of a dual-line MRT interchange, surrounded by an unmatched international school cluster — and who value boutique privacy over resort-scale amenities. The investment score is modest; the lifestyle and locational credentials are exceptional.
The freehold title on Dunearn Road is the non-negotiable anchor of the value proposition. Comparable leasehold developments — Soleil @ Sinaran (99-year, 2006) and Amaryllis Ville (99-year, 1997) — are priced S$400–S$600 PSF below Dunearn 386 but carry diminishing leases that will progressively impair resale value and financing options. For buyers with a 10–20 year horizon, the freehold premium is a structural capital preservation advantage that the leasehold alternatives cannot match. At S$2,433 PSF freehold on Dunearn Road, the development is priced at a justifiable discount to the premium tier (Watten House, Pullman Residences) and a logical premium over older leasehold stock.