Scotts 28
Overview & Key Facts
Scotts 28 is a 136-unit freehold condominium on Scotts Road in District 9, developed by Poussain Pte Ltd — a joint venture between Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) and MCL Land — and completed in 1999. It occupies one of Singapore’s most recognisable residential addresses: Scotts Road, the boulevard that defines the northern edge of the Orchard corridor and connects Newton to Tanglin in a sweep of prime CCR real estate.
At an average transacted PSF of S$2,294 over the past twelve months, Scotts 28 is priced at a meaningful discount to its newer freehold and leasehold neighbours. The Avenir (freehold, 2020) transacts at S$3,190 PSF; River Green (99yr, 2024) at S$3,134 PSF; Irwell Hill Residences (99yr, 2020) at S$2,726 PSF. Against this field, Scotts 28’s S$2,294 PSF for perpetual freehold title on Scotts Road itself represents a structural discount that is primarily a function of build vintage rather than locational inferiority. For buyers who are buying the address and the tenure rather than the fittings, this gap is the proposition.
The rental market is notably active for a development of this scale. With 219 rental transactions on record against 136 units — a ratio that implies near-total unit participation in the rental market at some point — and an average rent of S$7,275 per month, Scotts 28 demonstrates strong and sustained tenant demand. The gross yield of 2.18% reflects the high quantum of freehold CCR product rather than a rental market weakness. At a median sale price of S$3,968,000, achieving yield above 2% is a structurally credible outcome for prime freehold D9.
Location & Connectivity
Scotts Road is not simply a postal district — it is a specific address with a weight that Singaporean buyers and expatriate tenants immediately recognise. The road runs from the junction of Orchard Road and Paterson Road northward toward Newton Circus, passing Goodwood Park Hotel, the Scotts Square mixed development, and a succession of premium residential towers. To live on Scotts Road is to occupy the connective tissue between the Orchard retail belt and the Newton residential enclave: prime in both directions, with the scale and setback of a boulevard rather than a back-lane.
The transit position is exceptional. Newton MRT (NSL/DTL) at 570m provides dual-line access from a single tap-in: the North-South Line connects directly to Orchard, City Hall, and the CBD; the Downtown Line reaches Botanic Gardens, Beauty World, and the tech corridor at one-seat. Orchard MRT (MRL/TEL) at 700m adds the Thomson-East Coast Line, which provides a one-seat ride to Marina Bay, the airport link at Gardens by the Bay, and the future Maxwell Road Link interchange. Orchard Boulevard TEL at 880m extends TEL coverage further. Three stations, four lines, all within under 900 metres.
The school cluster around Scotts 28 is among the strongest of any CCR residential address. St. Anthony’s Primary School is 170 metres from the development — a genuine 2-minute walk that places Scotts 28 firmly within the 1km priority registration phase. For families whose school-registration strategy is a primary purchase driver, no development in D9 or D10 is better positioned relative to this school. Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) at 660m and Singapore Chinese Girls’ Primary School at 750m further expand the primary school catchment within the 1km radius. ACS Junior at 950m and ISS International School at 770m round out a school ecosystem that comfortably supports both local primary school strategy and international school placement.
Daily amenities are comprehensively covered. Newton Food Centre — one of Singapore’s most well-regarded hawker centres — is within walking distance. Cold Storage and FairPrice options in the Orchard corridor are accessible without a vehicle. Orchard Road’s retail infrastructure is effectively within a comfortable pedestrian range on a cool evening. For residents who use the Scotts Road address as a base for both work and lifestyle rather than purely an investment asset, the walkability score of 78/100 understates the qualitative depth of the immediate amenity environment.
Schools & Education
4 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| St. Anthony's Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) | primary | Within 1 km |
| Singapore Chinese Girls' School (Primary) | primary | Within 1 km |
| ISS International School (Preston) | international | Within 1 km |
| ISS International School (Paterson) | international | Within 1 km |
| ACS (Junior) | primary | Within 1 km |
| St. Margaret's Primary School | primary | ~1.0 km |
| Chatsworth International School (Orchard) | international | ~1.0 km |
Facilities
Scotts 28 was completed in 1999, and its facilities reflect both the HPL/MCL development pedigree and the construction standards of that era. The development offers a swimming pool, gymnasium, tennis court, and landscaped communal areas — the full mid-tier amenity stack that was standard for a 136-unit premium CCR condominium at the turn of the millennium. What it does not offer is the resort-layered facilities architecture of post-2015 developments: there are no sky terraces, no co-working lounges, no smart-home infrastructure, and no aqua gym or hydrotherapy facilities.
This distinction matters in context. HPL is primarily known as a hospitality group — the company behind Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Forum The Shopping Mall, and a portfolio of international luxury properties. MCL Land has a long track record of mid-to-premium residential product across Singapore and the region. The 1999 construction quality at Scotts 28 reflects both developers’ attention to build standard, which has aged better than many contemporaries of the same vintage. Unit finishings will show their age in bathrooms and kitchens and benefit from renovation, but the structural and common area quality holds up.
At 136 units, the development is mid-sized for CCR standards — large enough to support a reasonable MCST infrastructure without the anonymity of a 400-unit complex, small enough that communal facilities are accessible rather than congested. Management continuity and MCST responsiveness in boutique-to-mid CCR projects of this vintage tend to be strong: unit owners are typically long-hold owner-occupiers and professional investors who care about building standards, not flippers with a short-term horizon.
Buyers seeking the facilities benchmark of a 2020s-era development — lap pools, sun decks with cabanas, co-working spaces, EV charging infrastructure — should look at The Avenir, which delivers contemporary facilities at S$3,190 PSF. Scotts 28 makes a different offer: HPL/MCL construction quality, an HPL-grade address, and freehold tenure at S$896 less per square foot.
Unit Sizes & Layout
Scotts 28’s median transaction price of S$3,968,000 at an average PSF of S$2,294 over twelve months signals a predominantly large-format unit configuration. At this quantum in D9 freehold, buyers are not acquiring studio or one-bedroom investment units — they are acquiring the two-bedroom-plus and three-bedroom product that the Scotts Road address attracts: owner-occupiers, senior corporate executives on long-term relocation, and family-oriented expatriate tenants who require genuine living space rather than a compact pied-à-terre.
The PSF trend over recent periods — S$2,255, S$2,260, S$2,438, S$2,219, S$2,294 — exhibits moderate volatility within a narrow range. The spike to S$2,438 and the subsequent correction to S$2,219 are characteristic of a low-volume development where individual transactions can move the index materially. With only 14 sales transactions recorded in the most recent twelve-month window, each individual transaction carries outsized weight. Buyers should treat the PSF figure as indicative rather than definitive and review the full historical transaction register before submitting an offer.
The rental profile is the clearest signal of unit type. An average rent of S$7,275 per month (median S$7,200) for 219 rental transactions is consistent with predominantly two-bedroom and three-bedroom tenancies. Tenants paying S$7,000–S$9,000 per month on Scotts Road are typically in the corporate accommodation or senior expatriate professional category: tenants who have received housing allowances calibrated to CCR prime addresses and who are choosing Scotts 28 for its address, school proximity, and transit access rather than its contemporary finishings. This tenant profile is stable, lower-churn, and less sensitive to minor renovation age than the short-term-let market.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 BR | 3 | $2,161 | $2,372,667 |
| 4 BR | 7 | $2,336 | $3,876,857 |
| 5 BR | 4 | $2,291 | $4,765,000 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 14 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $2,250,000 to $5,060,000, averaging $3,808,286 (~$2,294 psf).
Rents range from $3,800 to $18,000 per month across 222 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.2%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 1.7% (from $2,255 to $2,294 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
The D9 CCR competitive landscape for Scotts 28 is defined by the tension between build vintage and locational fundamentals. At S$2,294 PSF freehold, Scotts 28 prices at a discount of S$432–S$896 PSF below its primary competitors — a gap that reflects a 1999 build in a market where 2019–2024 completions set the price ceiling.
The Avenir (S$3,190 PSF, freehold, 2020, 376 units) is the most direct freehold peer. It offers comparable tenure, a contemporary facilities stack, and River Valley Road address — at a PSF premium of S$896. For buyers who prioritise modern finishings and full resort amenities alongside freehold D9 tenure, The Avenir is the natural alternative. What The Avenir cannot offer is St. Anthony’s Primary at 170m or Newton dual-interchange at 570m: Scotts 28 holds a genuine transit and school proximity advantage over its freehold competitor.
River Green (S$3,134 PSF, 99yr/2024, 524 units) is the newest entrant in the D9 cluster and the most aggressively priced leasehold option. At S$840 PSF above Scotts 28 on a 99-year lease that began depreciating in 2024, it offers the most contemporary specification in the neighbourhood but at a tenure cost that freehold buyers are not willing to absorb. Irwell Hill Residences (S$2,726 PSF, 99yr/2020, 540 units) sits in the middle ground: newer than Scotts 28, leasehold, and S$432 PSF more expensive. Kopar at Newton (S$2,512 PSF, 99yr/2019, 378 units) is the entry-level leasehold alternative: closest in price to Scotts 28, but on a 99-year lease and without the Scotts Road address premium.
The defining asymmetry in this comparison set is that Scotts 28 is the only freehold asset trading below S$2,500 PSF in the D9 primary school cluster. Buyers who are simultaneously optimising on tenure, school registration, and transit access — and who are willing to accept 1999 build quality — have no equivalent option in this corridor at comparable pricing.
- The Avenir: S$3,190 PSF — freehold/2020, 376 units, River Valley Road.
- River Green: S$3,134 PSF — 99yr/2024, 524 units, Robertson Quay area.
- Irwell Hill Residences: S$2,726 PSF — 99yr/2020, 540 units, Irwell Bank Road.
- Kopar at Newton: S$2,512 PSF — 99yr/2019, 378 units, Kampong Java Road.
- Scotts 28: S$2,294 PSF — freehold/1999, 136 units, Scotts Road. Newton dual-interchange 570m, St. Anthony’s Primary 170m.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCOTTS 28 | Freehold | 1999 | 136 | $2,294 |
| IRWELL HILL RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2020 | 2021 | 540 | $2,728 |
| RIVER GREEN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | 2025 | 524 | $3,138 |
| RIVER MODERN | 99 years leasehold | — | — | $3,239 |
| THE AVENIR | Freehold | 2021 | 376 | $3,190 |
| KOPAR AT NEWTON | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2019 | 2021 | 378 | $2,511 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates SCOTTS 28 across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
Scotts 28’s resident and tenant community reflects its positioning as a premium CCR address with strong school and transit credentials. The dominant profile is a mixture of long-hold owner-occupiers — including returning Singaporeans and permanent residents who have anchored to the Scotts Road address — and corporate expatriate tenants in the senior professional or C-suite category, many of whom are specifically seeking proximity to St. Anthony’s Primary or the ACS/SCGS cluster.
“We moved in for the school registration. St. Anthony’s is literally a 2-minute walk. For us that was worth everything. The apartment needed some renovation work but the address and the school access are exactly what we came for.”
— Owner-occupier resident, via property forum
“My company puts me up on Scotts Road and the commute is extraordinary. I tap Newton for Downtown Line to the office. On weekends I walk to Orchard in 10 minutes. I’ve had four apartments in Singapore and this transit position is the best I’ve had.”
— Expatriate professional tenant, via relocation forum
The 219 rental transactions on record — a figure that exceeds the total unit count of 136 — confirms that tenant turnover is moderate to active rather than static. Scotts 28 is not a development where a fixed pool of long-term tenants accounts for all activity; it has a genuinely dynamic rental market. Tenant profiles include corporate relocation packages, families on 2–3 year postings who require the school catchment, and single professionals who are specifically choosing the Newton/Orchard transit hub over the convenience of a newer leasehold development in a secondary CCR location.
Owner-occupier residents consistently cite the building’s quietness, the 136-unit scale that avoids the anonymity of larger developments, and the HPL/MCL build quality as long-term differentiators. The MCST is well-managed by accounts from the community, and the development has maintained its common areas at a standard consistent with its address premium. The Scotts Road streetscape — setback, tree-lined, low traffic at residential depths — contributes to a residential environment that newer high-density developments in the Orchard corridor cannot replicate.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure on Scotts Road — one of Singapore's most prestigious residential addresses, perpetual title at a vintage discount
- Newton MRT (NSL/DTL) 570m + Orchard MRT (MRL/TEL) 700m — two interchange stations on four lines within 700m, exceptional for any D9 address
- St. Anthony's Primary 170m — genuine 2-minute walk places the development firmly in 1km priority registration phase
- Five primary schools within 1km — St. Anthony's, ACS Primary, SCGS Primary, ISS International, ACS Junior — exceptional school cluster density
- S$2,294 PSF freehold vs S$3,134–S$3,190 for newer competition — structural discount of S$840–S$896 PSF for comparable or superior address and tenure
- 219 rental transactions for 136 units — ratio confirms deep, active, and durable tenant demand throughout the development's history
- HPL & MCL developer pedigree — Hotel Properties Limited's hospitality-grade build standards produce a construction quality that has aged well
- Average rent S$7,275/month — corporate and senior expatriate tenant profile with strong housing allowances and lower churn than short-term-let market
- Walkability to Orchard and Newton amenities — Newton Food Centre, Cold Storage, and Orchard retail all accessible on foot or short walk
- Mid-sized 136 units — responsive MCST, accessible facilities, no anonymity of large-scale development, well-maintained common areas
- 1999 build age — bathrooms and kitchens will show their vintage; renovation budget should be factored into acquisition cost for owner-occupiers and landlords
- Gross yield 2.18% — consistent with freehold CCR at this quantum, but not an income-maximisation asset; yield investors should look at RCR or OCR alternatives
- Median price S$3,968,000 — high absolute quantum restricts the buyer pool and limits exit liquidity relative to sub-S$2M CCR assets
- Investment score 48/100 — composite fundamentals score is constrained by yield, build age, and low recent transaction volume
- Only 14 sales in past 12 months — thin volume creates PSF volatility; each transaction moves the index materially, price discovery is limited
- PSF trend volatile — S$2,255, S$2,260, S$2,438, S$2,219, S$2,294 across recent periods; no clear upward momentum trend
- Facilities below contemporary CCR standards — no sky terraces, co-working spaces, or smart-home infrastructure that 2020s-era competitors offer
- En-bloc score 53/100 — moderate collective sale probability; owners seeking en-bloc upside should assess unit ownership fragmentation and MCST dynamics independently
- ShiokNest score 56/100 — composite score reflects honest trade-offs between exceptional address/transit and vintage build, yield, and quantum constraints
- No freehold direct competitor below S$2,500 PSF at this location — pricing benchmarks rely on leasehold comparisons, making pure freehold valuation harder to anchor
Verdict
Scotts 28 is a freehold CCR condominium on one of Singapore’s most prestigious residential addresses, with dual-interchange MRT access that is matched by only a handful of developments in the entire island, and a primary school at 170 metres that is genuinely significant for families optimising on school-registration strategy. These three facts — address, transit, school — are structural and permanent. No amount of build age erodes them.
The value argument is real but calibrated. At S$2,294 PSF freehold on Scotts Road, buyers are acquiring a structural discount of S$840–S$896 PSF relative to the newest competing product. River Green at S$3,134 PSF and The Avenir at S$3,190 PSF are the relevant comparison points: both offer newer builds and contemporary facilities, one is leasehold, and both are materially more expensive. Scotts 28’s counter-offer is freehold tenure, superior school proximity, and a transit position that is genuinely stronger than either competitor. The trade-off is a 1999 build and facilities that have aged accordingly.
The yield of 2.18% is consistent with the income profile of freehold CCR product at this quantum — it is not exceptional, but it is credible and supported by 219 rental transactions that confirm deep and durable tenant demand. Buyers who enter Scotts 28 primarily as a yield investment should understand that 2.18% is the floor of a normal D9 freehold income profile, not the primary thesis. The asset is best held for a combination of address value, school optionality, freehold tenure, and the long-term capital appreciation trajectory of a Scotts Road address — not for income maximisation.
The investment score of 48/100 and en-bloc score of 53/100 reflect the age of the development and the low recent sales volume rather than a fundamental locational weakness. The ShiokNest composite score of 56/100 captures the honest trade-off: exceptional address and transit, constrained by vintage, yield, and quantum. Buyers who understand the asset for what it is — a premium freehold address play with deep school optionality and outstanding transit, acquired at a vintage discount — will find the proposition coherent. Buyers seeking contemporary facilities, higher yields, or lower absolute quantum should look elsewhere.