Palms @ Sixth Avenue
Overview & Key Facts
PALMS @ SIXTH AVENUE is a 32-unit freehold boutique condominium tucked along Sixth Avenue in District 10 — one of Singapore’s most established and quietly prestigious residential corridors. Developed by MCL Land, a developer better known for large-scale projects such as Hallmark Residences and Ripple Bay, the Palms represents an atypical venture into the boutique luxury segment. The project obtained its Temporary Occupation Permit in 2015, sitting comfortably in a stretch of Bukit Timah that transitions between the Sixth Avenue landed enclave to the north and the Holland Road school belt to the south.
With just 32 apartments spread across what is effectively a low-rise residential compound, PALMS @ SIXTH AVENUE is built around a different premise from the mega-developments that dominate Singapore’s condo landscape. Privacy, exclusivity, and proximity to some of Singapore’s most sought-after educational institutions are the primary selling propositions — rather than resort-scale amenities or integrated retail. For a certain buyer profile, this is precisely the point.
The development sits in a part of D10 that remains less commercially driven than the Nassim or Orchard segments of the district, retaining a neighbourhood feel uncommon in CCR. The Sixth Avenue and Bukit Timah Road junction was long considered a secondary CCR location, but the opening of the Downtown Line’s Sixth Avenue MRT station in 2015 has gradually elevated its connectivity profile. Transaction volumes remain thin given the 32-unit count, but those that have occurred show steady, if unspectacular, PSF appreciation from $1,098 at launch to approximately $1,153 in recent quarters.
Location & Connectivity
The most immediate location asset of PALMS @ SIXTH AVENUE is its extraordinary school proximity. Hwa Chong Institution (both the Secondary and Junior College campuses) is approximately 230 metres away — close enough that students could walk without breaking a sweat. Hwa Chong International School is just 300 metres away, making the address one of the most coveted in Singapore for families with children targeting the institution at any level. This is not a soft advantage — for the right buyer, proximity to Hwa Chong is worth a meaningful price premium, and the development is well-positioned to hold that premium over time.
MRT connectivity is honest but not exceptional. Sixth Avenue MRT station on the Downtown Line is approximately 930 metres away — a 10 to 12-minute walk that most residents will do only in fair weather. Bus services along Sixth Avenue and Bukit Timah Road are reliable, with routes connecting to Botanic Gardens, Holland Village, and Orchard. For MRT-dependent daily commuters, a short bus ride or personal mobility device trip to the station is the practical reality. Holland Village MRT (East-West Line) adds a second line option but at 1.42 km, it is firmly a driving or bus destination.
Drivers find the location more naturally comfortable. Bukit Timah Road feeds directly north toward the Pan-Island Expressway, and south toward Orchard Road in under 10 minutes against light traffic. The CBD is 15 to 20 minutes by car. The one-north and Buona Vista business districts are accessible in 10 to 12 minutes — a meaningful consideration for professionals working in the sciences, media, or education sectors. Nearby retail centres include Coronation Shopping Plaza (600m), The Star Vista (2km), and Holland Village market strip (1.4km).
Schools & Education
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hwa Chong Institution | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Hwa Chong Institution (JC) | jc | Within 1 km |
| Hwa Chong International School | international | Within 1 km |
| Lycee Francais de Singapour | international | Within 1 km |
| Australian International School | international | ~1.0 km |
| Hollandse School | international | ~1.1 km |
| National Junior College | secondary | ~1.6 km |
| National Junior College | jc | ~1.6 km |
Facilities
At 32 units, PALMS @ SIXTH AVENUE does not attempt to compete on facilities breadth. The development provides the essentials — a swimming pool, gymnasium, and landscaped communal areas — but residents seeking a badminton court, tennis court, multiple pool configurations, or a clubhouse will need to calibrate expectations accordingly. This is a characteristic shared by virtually all boutique condominiums in the CCR: the trade-off for fewer neighbours and greater privacy is a more limited amenity set, with a correspondingly lower maintenance fee quantum. For some buyers, particularly those who use private clubs, work flexible hours, or simply do not rely on condo facilities for daily recreation, this is entirely acceptable.
What the Palms does offer is a low-population-density experience that larger developments cannot replicate. Shared spaces feel genuinely private — a pool shared between 32 units behaves very differently to one shared between 500. Landscaping in boutique CCR developments of this vintage tends to be more carefully maintained owing to smaller MCST budgets being channelled into fewer spaces. Residents have noted the quiet compound atmosphere and well-kept grounds as consistent positives in feedback across platforms.
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 8 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $4,800,000 to $5,500,000, averaging $5,185,861 (~$1,153 psf).
Rents range from $8,000 to $15,500 per month across 29 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.7%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 5% (from $1,098 to $1,153 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
The clearest comparison is Fourth Avenue Residences ($2,465 psf, 99-year leasehold from 2018, 476 units), which shares the Sixth Avenue MRT catchment and the same elite school belt. Fourth Avenue Residences offers superior MRT walkability at roughly 110 metres to the station, a much larger and more comprehensive facility set, and a modern integrated retail podium — but at a PSF more than double the Palms, on a lease that runs out roughly 70 years before freehold. For buyers who hold freehold as a non-negotiable and are not MRT-step-out dependent, PALMS @ SIXTH AVENUE presents a compelling structural argument, especially for families who value the compact, low-density compound over a 476-unit development.
Further afield, D’Leedon ($1,855 psf, 99-year leasehold, 1,703 units) is the other D10 development in a comparable PSF tier, but it is a very different product — a Zaha Hadid–designed landmark with resort-scale facilities and a large tenant base, located closer to Holland Village and Farrer Road. D’Leedon offers more liquidity, better rental depth, and the cachet of iconic architecture; it sacrifices privacy and boutique scale entirely. Buyers choosing between the two are essentially choosing between architectural statement and quiet exclusivity, and the Palms wins clearly on the latter.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PALMS @ SIXTH AVENUE | Freehold | 2015 | 32 | $1,153 |
| SKYE AT HOLLAND | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | 2025 | 666 | $2,945 |
| LEEDON GREEN | Freehold | 2021 | 638 | $2,784 |
| D'LEEDON | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2010 | 2014 | 1,703 | $1,855 |
| HYLL ON HOLLAND | Freehold | 2021 | 319 | $2,648 |
| FOURTH AVENUE RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 476 | $2,465 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates PALMS @ SIXTH AVENUE across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“Very quiet and private — 32 units means you rarely see your neighbours at the pool. The walk to Sixth Avenue MRT is manageable in the evenings but I take the bus in the morning. The school proximity is the main reason we are here; our daughter walks to Hwa Chong every day.”
— Resident review via PropertyGuru
“Nice boutique development, finishes are decent for the vintage, well-maintained compound. Facilities are basic — pool and gym only — but honestly that’s fine for us. The main drawback is the MRT is not exactly walking distance; you really need a car or bus. But Bukit Timah Road is close so driving anywhere is easy.”
— Resident review via EdgeProp
“We chose this over Fourth Avenue Residences because of the freehold status and the size of the units. The PSF difference is significant and we are holding long-term, so the tenure matters a lot to us. The area is peaceful — no MRT noise, no expressway nearby. It does not feel like CCR in the busy sense.”
— Resident review via 99.co
The pattern across resident feedback is consistent with the development’s profile: strong marks for privacy, quiet, and school proximity; honest acknowledgement that the MRT requires a bus or car; acceptance of the limited facilities as a fair trade for the boutique scale. There are no recurring complaints about management quality or maintenance, which is typical for small developments where the MCST can maintain close oversight over a compact site.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — permanent land title with no lease decay concern
- Extraordinary school proximity — 230m to Hwa Chong Institution, 300m to Hwa Chong International
- Boutique scale of 32 units — genuinely private pool, compound, and common areas
- Significant PSF discount to D10 peers — 56% below Skye at Holland, 37% below Fourth Avenue Residences
- Quiet, low-density Sixth Avenue corridor — no expressway or MRT rail noise
- Generous implied unit sizes (~4,500 sqft average) vs modern CCR compact formats
- Stable PSF trend with steady appreciation since TOP (S$1,098 to S$1,153)
- Strong expatriate tenant niche anchored by Hwa Chong International and Lycee Francais families
- Low-maintenance MCST dynamic typical of boutique developments
- MRT not walkable — Sixth Avenue MRT at 930m, Holland Village MRT at 1.42km; bus or car required
- Minimal facilities — pool and gym only; no courts, clubhouse, or multi-pool configuration
- Very thin transaction liquidity — 8 sales on record, complicating price discovery and bank valuation
- Low gross yield of 2.66% — below CCR investor threshold; not a yield play
- Rental niche is narrow — tenant demand concentrated in Hwa Chong / Lycee Francais families
- Higher quantum ($5.19M average) limits buyer pool and can extend time-on-market
- No integrated retail or F&B within compound; nearest hawker centre requires a drive or bus ride
Verdict
PALMS @ SIXTH AVENUE occupies an interesting and genuinely underappreciated position in the D10 market. At approximately S$1,153 psf, it trades at a 56 to 61% discount to the nearest new-launch CCR benchmarks — Skye at Holland ($2,945 psf), Hyll on Holland ($2,648 psf) — and at a 37% discount to Fourth Avenue Residences ($2,465 psf), which shares the same Sixth Avenue MRT catchment. Some of that discount reflects the older vintage and boutique scale, but the freehold tenure is a structural advantage that none of the leasehold competitors can match. For a buyer who anchors on tenure and school proximity over MRT-step-out convenience, the Palms is arguably the better long-run hold.
The development is least suited to buyers who need strong rental income to service a mortgage. At S$11,645 average monthly rent on a S$5.19 million average price, the gross yield of 2.66% is below the typical 3.0 to 3.5% threshold most investor buyers target in CCR. The tenant market here will skew toward long-stay expatriate families — particularly Hwa Chong International School families and Lycee Francais families — who value the school walk-commute and are prepared to pay for it. This is a durable but narrow niche, and voids between long-stay tenants can stretch several months.
For own-stay buyers — particularly Singapore citizens and PRs with a child targeting Hwa Chong Institution at Secondary 1, or who already have a child enrolled — the location calculus is unusually clear. You are buying a freehold home in a quiet, low-density CCR compound, 230 metres from one of Singapore’s most competitive secondary schools, at a PSF that will look conservative by any measure against the D10 new-launch pipeline. The thin transaction history and muted investment metrics should not obscure what this development is actually good at.