Residences 88

Overview & Key Facts

Residences 88 is a pocket-sized freehold development tucked along Lorong Marican, a quiet cul-de-sac off Changi Road in District 14. Completed in 2013 by KT Development Pte Ltd, the project packs just 28 units across a low-rise, five-storey envelope — the sort of compact, boutique scale that has all but disappeared from Singapore’s new-launch pipeline. For buyers hunting for freehold tenure under S$800,000 in a mature inner-east postcode, Residences 88 is one of the handful of practical options still trading.

The design brief was unambitious but coherent: a modern, flat-roofed block with clean lines and a palette of white render, glass balustrades, and dark-metal accents. Eight unit typologies — including 1-bedroom lofts, 2-bedroom lofts, and 2-bedroom penthouses — give the small stack a surprising amount of layout variety, with built-ups spanning roughly 431 to 1,022 sqft. The ground-floor facilities deck is inevitably modest, but the low unit count means residents rarely queue for the pool or the single BBQ pavilion.

EdgeProp transaction records show the development trading at an average of roughly S$1,575 psf over the last 12 months, with a median unit price around S$733,800 across a thin book of 10 recorded sales. Rental economics are the more interesting story here: with median rents around S$3,000 and a gross yield near 4.9%, Residences 88 prints one of the healthier yield profiles in District 14 — driven by small, affordable unit sizes and a tenant pool that values Kembangan/Eunos proximity without paying Parc Esta or Penrose prices.

Location & Connectivity

Lorong Marican sits in the Kembangan/Eunos border zone, a pocket of District 14 that has historically punched below its weight on buyer radar screens. The nearest MRT is Kembangan on the East-West Line at roughly 830 metres, with Eunos at about 900 metres and Kaki Bukit on the Downtown Line at ~960 metres. None of these is a doorstep commute — the 10–12 minute walk to Kembangan crosses Changi Road traffic — but the three-station catchment gives residents unusually flexible routing to both Paya Lebar interchange and the CBD. Commuters reach Raffles Place in about 20 minutes and Marina Bay in around 22 minutes from Kembangan.

For drivers, the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) and East Coast Parkway (ECP) are both within five minutes, and Changi Airport is a straight 12-minute run down the PIE — a genuine daily-use advantage for aviation-sector households. The neighbourhood itself is a patchwork of low-rise landed streets, older walk-up apartments, and the food-dense stretch of Changi Road/Joo Chiat Road, with Parkway Parade, Katong V, and i12 Katong all within a 10-minute drive.

On the amenity front, Stacked’s neighbourhood notes flag the usual Kembangan/Eunos strengths: Haig Road Market & Food Centre, Eunos Hawker Centre, and the Malay Village/Joo Chiat heritage belt are all within cycling range, with a NTUC FairPrice and Cold Storage inside Parkway Parade for weekly groceries. For families, Canossa Catholic Primary School (1.22 km) and Telok Kurau Primary School (1.63 km) are the closest feeders, with Eunos Primary just over the road at 0.43 km for younger children.

Schools & Education

Facilities

Facilities at Residences 88 are honest about the project’s 28-unit scale. The ground-floor deck includes a lap pool, a children’s wading pool, a compact gym, a BBQ pavilion, and a sheltered play area — the standard boutique-condo kit, delivered competently but without any resort ambitions. Compared to facility-heavy peers further down Changi Road (Parc Esta’s 50-plus facilities, Sims Urban Oasis’ sprawling deck), Residences 88’s offering is objectively thin.

“The pool and gym are small but honestly you never have to queue for anything. With only 28 units, you recognise every neighbour in the lift. It feels more like a walk-up apartment with better security than a typical condo.”

— Resident review via SingaporeExpats, 2024

The counter-argument is that the low density delivers a quieter, less institutional living experience. Booking sheets for the BBQ pit rarely fill up, the pool is effectively private on weekday mornings, and maintenance fees stay modest — a meaningful consideration for landlords optimising net yield and for owner-occupiers who view facilities as occasional rather than daily utilities. Security is a single manned guardhouse at the Lorong Marican entry, with card-access lifts to residential floors.

Unit Sizes & Layout

Residences 88’s eight unit typologies are the project’s most distinctive feature. The mix spans 1-bedroom flats from around 431 sqft, 1-bedroom lofts with mezzanine sleeping areas, standard 2-bedroom units in the 650–750 sqft band, 2-bedroom lofts with double-volume living rooms, and a small number of 2-bedroom penthouses stretching to 1,022 sqft. For a 28-unit development, that variety is unusual — most boutique projects commit to one or two layouts. 99.co listings consistently highlight the loft units as the project’s design signature, with floor-to-ceiling windows and clean architectural volumes that feel more like a small-scale apartment block than a mass-market condo.

Stack orientation is mixed. Units facing Lorong Marican are quiet given the cul-de-sac setting, while rear-facing stacks look over low-rise landed housing — a view profile unlikely to be blocked given the surrounding landed zoning. Lower-floor units catch some ambient noise from Changi Road traffic on still nights, but the development’s set-back position and the five-storey envelope mean exposure is modest compared to condos fronting arterial roads directly.

Interior specifications reflect a 2013 TOP with mid-tier developer finishes — laminate flooring in bedrooms, composite stone kitchen counters, and standard-issue sanitary ware. Thirteen years in, many resale units have been refreshed by second-cycle owners, so pricing is now bifurcating between renovated and original-condition stock. Budget around S$30–50k for a light refresh on a 1-bedroom, or S$60–80k for a full 2-bedroom overhaul.

Pricing & Market Position

Based on 10 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $565,000 to $1,100,000, averaging $742,180 (~$1,575 psf).

Rents range from $1,750 to $3,800 per month across 31 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 4.9%.

Price Appreciation

From 2021 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 20% (from $1,312 to $1,575 psf).

Neighbourhood Comparison

Within District 14, Residences 88’s ~S$1,575 psf sits materially below its newer 99-year leasehold peers: Parc Esta trades at ~S$2,182 psf, Sims Urban Oasis at ~S$1,760 psf, Penrose at ~S$1,928 psf, and The Antares at ~S$1,833 psf. EuHabitat is the only notable cheaper peer at ~S$1,326 psf but carries a 99-year lease from 2010. The freehold-versus-leasehold gap at Residences 88 is narrower in dollar terms than it appears — the smaller unit sizes mean total quantum stays accessible even with the freehold premium built in.

The honest framing: Residences 88 is not competing head-on with the mass-market leasehold developments. It is competing for a different buyer — one who values freehold tenure, small-quantum entry, and a boutique community scale over doorstep MRT access and resort-style facilities. For yield-focused investors, the 4.9% gross yield comfortably outperforms the 3–3.5% typical of newer D14 peers, and the freehold status removes the lease-decay overhang that will weigh on 99-year Kembangan/Eunos condos from the mid-2030s onwards. For own-stay buyers seeking a one-or-two-bedroom freehold nest egg under S$800k within 25 minutes of the CBD, the competitive set effectively narrows to a handful of older walk-ups — and Residences 88’s 2013 vintage and actual condo status make it the more functional pick.

ShiokNest Scores

Our proprietary scoring system evaluates RESIDENCES 88 across multiple dimensions.

What Residents Say

“Very good location, walking distance to MRT, bus stop, supermarket and short distance drive to CBD and Orchard Road. The cul-de-sac means evenings are quiet — you don’t feel like you’re on Changi Road even though the amenities are right there.”

— Resident review via SingaporeExpats, 2024

“With only 28 units, it feels more like a private apartment than a condo. Downside is the facilities are very basic — if pool lanes and five tennis courts are what you want, this isn’t it. But for the freehold price point, it’s hard to find better.”

— Resident review via 99.co, 2023

“Renting here has been painless. Close enough to Kembangan and Eunos to appeal to working tenants, but the rent is meaningfully lower than Parc Esta or Sims. Tenants tend to renew — I’ve had the same one for three cycles now.”

— Landlord review via EdgeProp, 2025

Across the modest review footprint — Residences 88’s small unit count means the public review corpus is thin — the sentiment pattern is consistent: residents rate location, freehold tenure, and the quiet cul-de-sac setting well; they rate facilities depth and MRT walking distance as acceptable compromises rather than strengths. Landlord experience reads as notably positive, with multiple references to low vacancy and multi-cycle tenant renewals.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Verdict

Residences 88 is a narrow but clear proposition: freehold tenure, small quantum, and inner-east connectivity at a psf meaningfully below District 14’s 99-year leasehold peers. For yield-focused landlords, the 4.9% gross yield is the standout number — Parc Esta, Sims Urban Oasis, and Penrose print yields closer to 3–3.5% on their larger, pricier stock, and the freehold premium at Residences 88 costs buyers less than the compounding advantage of not watching the lease clock. For own-stay buyers in the 1-bedroom or small 2-bedroom bracket, the freehold-under-S$800k entry is genuinely rare at this distance from the CBD.

The case weakens for facility-driven buyers, for families needing full-size 3-bedroom layouts (not offered here), and for anyone who treats “condo lifestyle” as a daily-use benefit rather than an occasional one. The ~830m walk to Kembangan MRT is the other honest caveat: it is workable, but not the doorstep commute that headline-rate mass-market condos offer. Transaction liquidity is also thin — 10 sales over the last 12 months means exit timing matters, and patient pricing is rewarded.

The comparable decision set is straightforward: Residences 88 versus Parc Esta (~S$2,182 psf, 99-year, 1,399 units, doorstep Eunos MRT) and Sims Urban Oasis (~S$1,760 psf, 99-year, 1,024 units). The newer leasehold peers offer facilities depth, liquidity, and shorter commutes; Residences 88 offers freehold tenure, lower quantum, and a boutique community scale. For buyers whose mental model is “small freehold nest egg within striking distance of Paya Lebar and Changi,” the maths here still works — as long as they price the MRT walk and the thin secondary market honestly.