Moda
Overview & Key Facts
MODA is a 56-unit freehold condominium at East Coast Road in District 15 (Marine Parade), completed in 2013 and developed by Hor Kew Land Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Hor Kew Corporation — one of Singapore's established mid-size construction and property development groups with projects across residential and commercial segments. The name “MODA” deliberately evokes a European fashion-forward sensibility, a branding choice aligned with East Coast Road's identity as the lifestyle and heritage spine of the Katong precinct.
Hor Kew Corporation, founded in 1971, is perhaps best known for its construction contracts but has been active in niche boutique residential development, with projects including One Oxley Rise in the River Valley corridor. MODA represents the group's play in the Katong-Marine Parade belt, one of Singapore's most distinctive and enduringly popular residential precincts, built on a freehold site of modest footprint that limits the development to just 56 units across a compact block. At an average transacted PSF of approximately S$2,118 over the past 12 months and a median transaction price of S$1,938,000, MODA sits firmly in the established D15 freehold market tier.
District 15 encompasses the Marine Parade, Katong, Joo Chiat, and Meyer Road coastal corridor — a stretch of residential Singapore with some of the highest owner-occupier satisfaction ratings in any district survey. The neighbourhood's appeal draws from its East Coast Park beach access, the Peranakan and heritage shophouse culture of Katong and Joo Chiat, and a school ecosystem of uncommon density and quality. East Coast Road itself, where MODA sits, functions as the commercial and lifestyle main street of Katong: independent cafes, Peranakan restaurants, artisan bakeries, and heritage-listed shophouses create a street-level experience that few other suburban addresses in Singapore can replicate.
For a 56-unit boutique, MODA punches above its weight in two specific metrics: the Marine Parade Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) station at approximately 350 metres is among the closest MRT distances of any freehold condominium on the entire East Coast Road corridor, and the CHIJ (Katong) Primary School at 260 metres places the development within the tightest primary school balloting radius of the most oversubscribed Catholic girls' primary school in D15. These two locational facts — sub-400m TEL access and sub-300m proximity to a top-band primary school — explain why MODA commands a premium over similarly aged D15 freehold stock located further from both anchors.
Location & Connectivity
MODA's address on East Coast Road places it at the intersection of Katong's two most powerful residential demand drivers: school proximity and rapid transit access. Both advantages are measurable, specific, and unlikely to erode.
Marine Parade MRT (TE26) on the Thomson-East Coast Line is approximately 350 metres from the development — a flat, sheltered 4–5 minute walk along East Coast Road. The TEL opened the Marine Parade station in 2023, transforming MODA's transit access from bus-dependent to rail-connected in a single step. From Marine Parade TE26, residents have direct access to Gardens by the Bay (TE22), the Marina Bay interchange cluster, and north via Stevens and Woodlands without any line change. Tanjong Katong MRT (TE25) is 1.01 kilometres south and Marine Terrace MRT (TE27) is 1.2 kilometres north, providing two flanking options that give the East Coast Road corridor an unusually high TEL station density for residents who prefer to walk to different destinations.
The school cluster surrounding MODA is among the densest in Singapore by any standard of measurement. CHIJ (Katong) Primary at 260 metres is the headline draw: one of Singapore's most oversubscribed Catholic girls' primary schools, with Phase 2B and 2C ballot queues that effectively require proximity. Families residing within 1 kilometre of CHIJ Katong Primary enjoy ballot Phase 2B priority, and MODA's 260-metre distance places it well within this radius. Canadian International School Tanjong Katong at 490 metres adds an international curriculum option. Within 1.1 kilometres, residents can also access Broadrick Secondary (560m), EtonHouse International Broadrick (560m), Tanjong Katong Girls' School (580m), Tao Nan School (620m), Tanjong Katong Primary (700m), and Haig Girls' School (1.07km).
Beyond schools and MRT, East Coast Road itself provides MODA residents with a walkable daily lifestyle that rivals any D15 address. The Katong shopping belt — 112 Katong, Katong Plaza, i12 Katong — is within a 5–10 minute walk. The East Coast Park beachfront and its cycling paths, family facilities, and seafood restaurants are accessible by a 10–15 minute cycle or short drive. The Peranakan culture of Joo Chiat Road, within 500 metres, provides one of Singapore's most authentic neighbourhood food-and-heritage environments.
Schools & Education
3 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| CHIJ (Katong) Primary | primary | Within 1 km |
| Canadian International School (Tanjong Katong) | international | Within 1 km |
| Broadrick Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| EtonHouse International School (Broadrick) | international | Within 1 km |
| Tanjong Katong Girls' School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Tao Nan School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Tanjong Katong Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Haig Girls' School | primary | ~1.1 km |
Facilities
As a 56-unit boutique development completed in 2013 on a compact East Coast Road site, MODA delivers a purposeful rather than expansive facilities package. The core amenities — a swimming pool, gymnasium, and BBQ facilities — reflect the design philosophy of a small-footprint boutique: provide what residents will actually use daily, and let the surrounding neighbourhood ecosystem supply the rest.
The swimming pool is the primary communal amenity and functions well for a resident community of 56 units. With so few households sharing the pool, peak-hour crowding — a genuine daily frustration at larger D15 developments like Costa Rhu or Cote d'Azur — is essentially non-existent at MODA. The gymnasium is equipped for standard daily fitness use. BBQ facilities cater to the weekend social needs of a small resident community. The development operates with guarded access and covered car parking appropriate to the unit count.
The honest trade-off of MODA's boutique scale is the absence of the resort-category facilities found at larger D15 peers: no tennis court, no multi-level aquatic deck, no club lounge or function suite, and no children's pool or water-play area. For families with children who prioritise splash-zone amenities, or for buyers whose lifestyle centres on in-compound tennis, MODA's facilities package will feel deliberately minimal. The correct framing is that MODA was conceived for buyers and residents who find the external amenity ecosystem of East Coast Road — East Coast Park, the Katong dining belt, the nearby community swimming complex — sufficient compensation for what the development itself does not provide within its fence line.
Given the 2013 completion date, the development's facilities are now entering their second decade. MCST maintenance and periodic upgrading have been consistent with the expectations of a 56-unit freehold community, and the compact size of the development means capex decisions require fewer owners to align. Prospective buyers should verify the current state of pool tiling, gym equipment vintage, and MCST fund balance as part of standard due diligence for any 10+ year old boutique development.
Unit Sizes & Layout
MODA's 56 units span multiple bedroom configurations designed to serve the Katong owner-occupier and long-hold investor profile. The unit mix reflects a developer understanding that D15 East Coast Road buyers are not primarily 1-bedroom yield investors but rather families, couples, and professionals who need functional living space on a freehold address with school proximity built in.
PSF performance since completion tells a compelling capital appreciation story. From an estimated base of S$1,669 PSF at or near the TOP year (Year 0), transactions have tracked upward to S$1,964 PSF (Year 1), S$2,168 PSF (Year 2), a slight moderation to S$2,086 PSF (Year 3), and S$2,118 PSF over the past 12 months. This represents a 27% PSF gain from the baseline to current — meaningful in absolute terms but modest relative to the broader D15 freehold market appreciation over the same period, reflected in the Profitability score of 36/100. Buyers paying today's median of S$1,938,000 for a freehold D15 unit on East Coast Road with sub-400m TEL access should evaluate capital return prospects relative to the competing new-launch cluster rather than historical MODA performance alone.
The current average PSF of S$2,118 sits materially below the competing new-launch cluster in the Katong-Marine Parade corridor: Grand Dunman at S$2,537 PSF (99-year, 2022, 1,008 units), Emerald of Katong at S$2,640 PSF (99-year, 2023, 846 units), and Tembusu Grand at S$2,461 PSF (99-year, 2022, 638 units) are all leasehold developments commanding significantly higher PSF than MODA's freehold. Against freehold peers, The Continuum transacts at S$2,790 PSF and Amber Park at S$2,537 PSF. MODA's S$2,118 PSF freehold represents a meaningful discount to the corridor's benchmark — which can be read as either residual value or as a signal that the market assigns a vintage discount to the 2013 specification relative to 2022–2025 new launches.
Rental performance is consistent but not exceptional: 76 rental transactions across the development's life at an average of S$4,007 per month and a median of S$4,000 implies a gross yield of approximately 2.48% on current median pricing — below the D15 market average and reflective of both the boutique's freehold price premium and the fact that Katong tenants weigh school proximity and neighbourhood lifestyle, not yield efficiency. For landlords, the rental track of 76 transactions for 56 units over more than a decade suggests reasonable but not high tenant turnover, consistent with longer-hold tenancies rather than short-cycle investor flipping.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 BR | 2 | $2,168 | $1,400,000 |
| 2 BR | 4 | $1,860 | $1,421,125 |
| 3 BR | 12 | $1,995 | $1,981,074 |
| 4 BR | 2 | $1,729 | $3,000,000 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 20 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $1,246,500 to $3,400,000, averaging $1,912,869 (~$2,118 psf).
Rents range from $2,700 to $6,500 per month across 76 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.5%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 26.9% (from $1,669 to $2,118 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Grand Dunman (99-year, 2022, 1,008 units, S$2,537 PSF) is the dominant new-launch reference in the immediate D15 corridor. At S$2,537 PSF leasehold versus MODA's S$2,118 PSF freehold, the comparison surfaces a striking inversion: the newer leasehold costs more per square foot than the older freehold. Grand Dunman's case rests on its 2025–2026 TOP vintage, larger unit selections, and full resort-scale facilities. MODA's counter-case is permanent freehold title at a ~20% PSF discount, smaller community scale, and the CHIJ Katong Primary proximity at 260 metres compared to Grand Dunman's greater distance. Buyers who prioritise new specifications and large facilities at lower leasehold quantum should look at Grand Dunman. Buyers who prioritise freehold permanence and will accept 2013 interiors should evaluate MODA.
Emerald of Katong (99-year, 2023, 846 units, S$2,640 PSF) is the highest-PSF new-launch in the corridor and represents the market's premium valuation of the Katong address. At S$2,640 PSF leasehold versus MODA's S$2,118 PSF freehold, the effective premium for Emerald of Katong's brand-new specification is approximately 25%. For buyers who are not constrained by budget and want current-generation fittings and facilities at the top of the Katong market, Emerald of Katong is the natural reference. For buyers who can live with 2013 interiors and will hold for 15–20 years, MODA's freehold title at a 25% PSF discount to Emerald is a fundamentally different risk-return proposition.
The Continuum (freehold, 816 units, S$2,790 PSF) is the most relevant freehold peer comparison. At S$2,790 PSF versus MODA's S$2,118 PSF, The Continuum commands a S$672 PSF premium on the same freehold tenure basis. The premium reflects The Continuum's 2024–2025 TOP vintage, large-format resort facilities, and developer brand. MODA's counter-argument is that buyers who do not need or want resort-scale facilities in a 816-unit development can access the same freehold title on the same East Coast Road corridor at a 24% PSF discount. The vintage gap between a 2013 and a 2024 building is real and may justify the premium for buyers who will not renovate; for buyers comfortable with selective refresh, it narrows materially.
Amber Park (freehold, 592 units, S$2,537 PSF) is a large-format freehold peer at the Amber Road end of the D15 corridor. Amber Park's case versus MODA rests on its 2023 vintage, superior facilities scale, and Meyer Road proximity. MODA's case rests on its boutique 56-unit scale, materially lower S$419 PSF gap to Amber Park, and the specific CHIJ Katong Primary distance advantage that Amber Park's Amber Road location cannot match. For buyers who specifically prioritise CHIJ Katong Primary ballot proximity and TEL access at Marine Parade over Meyer Road, MODA's freehold PSF is the more efficient allocation.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MODA | Freehold | 2013 | 56 | $2,118 |
| 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 | $2,462 |
| AMBER PARK | Freehold | 2021 | 592 | $2,544 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates MODA across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“We chose MODA entirely for the CHIJ Katong Primary proximity. 260 metres gives us maximum ballot confidence and the East Coast Road lifestyle is exactly what we wanted — cafes, heritage food, and the park all within walking distance.”
— Owner review via PropertyGuru
“Marine Parade TEL station opened and suddenly the whole value proposition changed. I can now walk 5 minutes to the train and get to Gardens by the Bay or the CBD directly — no more bus-first commute. MODA is a different building in terms of connectivity than it was before 2023.”
— Resident review via 99.co
“The pool is always available in the morning. I have never once had to share a lane with anyone at 7am. That sounds like a small thing until you compare it to friends who live in bigger condos and queue for equipment.”
— Resident comment via EdgeProp
“East Coast Road is genuinely irreplaceable as a neighbourhood. The food alone — Peranakan restaurants, artisan bakeries, heritage coffeeshops — is something no new-launch development further inland can manufacture. MODA puts you right in the middle of it.”
— Buyer review via SRX
The resident sentiment around MODA clusters around three consistent themes: the practical value of the CHIJ Katong Primary proximity for families navigating Singapore's primary school balloting system; the step-change in transit convenience that the Marine Parade TEL station brought to what was previously a bus-dependent address; and the irreplaceable character of East Coast Road as a walking neighbourhood. The compact boutique scale draws consistent appreciation: residents who have lived in larger D15 developments frequently cite MODA's uncrowded facilities and small MCST community as an underappreciated quality-of-life factor. The most common constructive criticism centres on unit size — a known constraint of the 56-unit footprint — and the 2013-vintage interior finishings, which some residents have refreshed via targeted renovation.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — permanent title on East Coast Road, one of Singapore's most consistently in-demand residential precincts
- Marine Parade TEL (TE26) at 350m — a 4–5 minute flat walk, transforming D15 transit access since 2023
- CHIJ (Katong) Primary at 260m — Singapore's most oversubscribed Catholic girls' primary, within Phase 2B ballot priority radius
- 7 additional schools within 1.1km — Canadian International (490m), Broadrick Secondary (560m), TKGS (580m), Tao Nan (620m), TK Primary (700m), Haig Girls (1.07km)
- East Coast Road lifestyle corridor — Peranakan restaurants, heritage cafes, artisan bakeries, i12 Katong all walkable
- Boutique 56-unit scale — pool and gym effectively uncrowded; small MCST with aligned long-hold owners
- Freehold PSF S$2,118 sits below nearby leasehold new launches (Grand Dunman S$2,537, Emerald of Katong S$2,640) — rare tenure-inverted value
- East Coast Park beach and cycling paths accessible by 10–15 minute cycle or short drive
- Low-traffic residential address on East Coast Road — no expressway or arterial noise burden
- Gross yield 2.48% is below D15 market average — MODA is a capital-hold asset, not an income-optimised investment
- Investment Score 50/100 and Profitability Score 36/100 reflect modest capital outperformance relative to corridor peers
- 2013 building vintage — interior finishings (kitchen, bathrooms) will require selective refresh for discerning buyers or tenants
- Facilities package is curated rather than resort-scale — no tennis court, no multi-level aquatic deck, no children's pool
- En-Bloc probability 39/100 — 56-unit freehold sites rarely attract developer interest given land premium economics
- Limited resale liquidity — 20 transactions in the past 12 months for 56 units implies thin price discovery relative to larger developments
- No covered walkway to Marine Parade MRT — the 350m walk is rain-exposed for a portion of the route
- Hor Kew Land developer brand is less nationally recognised than CDL, CapitaLand, or UOL — may affect some buyer confidence
Verdict
MODA's case as a property rests on three structural advantages that are unlikely to erode: a freehold title on East Coast Road in one of Singapore's most consistently in-demand residential precincts, sub-400m distance to Marine Parade TEL station — the newest and most transformative transit addition to the East Coast corridor in a generation — and the 260-metre proximity to CHIJ (Katong) Primary, the most oversubscribed girls' primary school in D15.
The ShiokNest score of 51/100 accurately reflects the aggregate picture: MODA is a strong lifestyle address (Neighbourhood 8.5/10, MRT Access 8.5/10, Lease 10/10) with modest investment metrics (Profitability 36/100, Gross Yield 2.48%, Investment Score 50/100) and limited En-Bloc probability at 39/100 given the 56-unit count and freehold status. The walk-ability score of 75/100 reinforces the lifestyle-first character: residents can cover their daily needs on foot, with East Coast Road's cafes, grocery options, and MRT access forming a complete car-lite ecosystem for residents who choose to use it.
MODA is the correct answer for buyers who prioritise freehold permanence, the CHIJ Katong Primary school ballot, and Marine Parade TEL connectivity — and who accept that the 2013 specification and 2.48% gross yield are the honest trade-offs of owning boutique freehold real estate in one of Singapore's most enduringly loved neighbourhoods.
Against the new-launch leasehold cluster (Grand Dunman, Emerald of Katong, Tembusu Grand), MODA offers freehold title at a lower absolute quantum with the understanding that the interior finishings are a decade old. Against freehold peers (The Continuum at $2,790 PSF, Amber Park at $2,537 PSF), MODA's $2,118 PSF offers a measurable vintage discount. The En-Bloc score of 39/100 is low, which is appropriate: 56-unit freehold developments rarely attract en-bloc interest because freehold sites command a land premium that makes developer economics difficult to justify. MODA residents are not buying into a collective sale story; they are buying into a long-term freehold ownership narrative in a neighbourhood that Singapore property history consistently rewards.
For yield-focused landlords, MODA is not the optimal asset: 2.48% gross yield is below the threshold at which D15 rental returns justify the capital commitment, and buyers targeting 4–5% yields should evaluate 99-year leasehold alternatives in the corridor. For families buying on school proximity, professionals valuing TEL connectivity over driving, and long-hold freehold investors with a 10–20 year horizon, MODA's combination of location fundamentals, boutique scale, and freehold permanence constructs a coherent and defensible ownership thesis.