The Dew
Overview & Key Facts
The Dew is a 248-unit Executive Condominium (EC) at Bukit Batok Street 21 in District 23, developed by Sim Lian (Bukit Batok EC) Pte Ltd on a 99-year leasehold commencing December 2000. With approximately 73 years remaining on the lease (expiring 2099), The Dew achieved its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) in 2003 and passed its five-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) in 2009 — making it a fully privatised condominium for more than fifteen years. There are no HDB-related ownership restrictions remaining: the development may now be purchased and sold by Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, and foreigners on identical terms to any private condominium.
Sim Lian launched The Dew in May 2001 to overwhelming market response — all 248 units sold within a single month, a strong sell-out that reflected both the quality of the Bukit Batok location and the competitive pricing of the EC scheme at the time. The development comprises three 16-storey residential blocks set within a landscaped garden-resort environment on an 11,406 sqm site, a design philosophy that Sim Lian carried forward across its subsequent EC and condominium developments throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
At an average transacted PSF of $1,006 and an average monthly rent of $3,872, The Dew sits at the accessible end of the District 23 private residential market — a reflection of its 73-year remaining lease, its fully privatised EC status, and the position of Bukit Batok as a mature HDB satellite town rather than a premium private enclave. The implied gross yield of approximately 4.6% is among the more attractive in the western Singapore residential corridor, a meaningful contrast to the sub-2% yields typical of prime CCR developments.
The lease profile warrants careful assessment. At 73 years remaining, The Dew sits just below the 75-year CPF usage threshold — a regulatory boundary that introduces restrictions on CPF Ordinary Account funds for property purchase. Buyers will need to top up more in their CPF Retirement Account to use CPF for this purchase, and bank financing tenure may be curtailed under MAS loan-to-value rules as the lease shortens further. These are structural headwinds that informed buyers must price into their acquisition analysis, and that the pricing at $1,006 PSF partially reflects.
Location & Connectivity
The Dew occupies Bukit Batok Street 21, a quiet residential connector road within the mature Bukit Batok estate in District 23, approximately 18 kilometres west of the Singapore CBD. Bukit Batok is one of Singapore’s most established HDB satellite towns, developed across the 1980s and 1990s under the HDB New Town programme and characterised by dense greenery, a moderate-density residential fabric, and strong neighbourhood-level amenity infrastructure — the hallmarks of a well-planned HDB estate that has matured into a self-sufficient community over four decades.
MRT connectivity is anchored by Bukit Batok MRT (NS2) on the North-South Line, located approximately 800 metres from the development — a comfortable ten-minute walk or a short bus ride. Bukit Batok station provides direct access to Jurong East (1 stop, major employment and retail hub), Clementi (3 stops), and Outram Park (9 stops, EWL/NEL interchange). The North-South Line also provides a connection northward to Choa Chu Kang and the LRT network. For commuters targeting Orchard Road or Raffles Place, the transit time is in the 25–35-minute range via direct NSL service — manageable rather than optimal for daily CBD commuters, and squarely in line with the expectations of a mature HDB-belt private residential address.
The day-to-day amenity footprint around The Dew is one of the development’s most underrated strengths. Giant Supermarket is approximately 130 metres from the development — effectively across the road. Bukit Batok Neighbourhood Centre and Market (wet market, hawker centre, coffee shops) is within 500 metres. West Mall at Bukit Batok Central provides a mid-scale retail and F&B anchor approximately 900 metres away, with NTUC FairPrice, cinema, dining floors, and services. Bukit Batok Swimming Complex and the Bukit Batok Public Library round out a neighbourhood amenity set that is comprehensive for day-to-day living without requiring a car or long transit journey.
The natural environment is a genuine asset of this address. Bukit Batok Nature Park is within walking distance, offering secondary forest trails and the distinctive Bukit Batok Town Park with its memorial lake — a remnant of the quarry history of the hill. Little Guilin, the picturesque granite outcrop and lake at the edge of the Bukit Batok estate, is one of the most scenic public green spaces in western Singapore, providing a visual and recreational amenity that no amount of condominium landscaping can replicate. For residents who value green space and natural surrounds as part of daily living, The Dew’s proximity to this natural corridor is a meaningful quality-of-life differentiator.
The school catchment is strong for families with young children. Keming Primary School is approximately 110 metres away — effectively on the doorstep — and is consistently well-regarded within the Bukit Batok community. Bukit View Primary and Secondary Schools are within 320–440 metres. Swiss Cottage Secondary and St. Anthony’s Primary broaden the catchment. For families prioritising primary school proximity within a mature estate, The Dew’s location is among the most convenient in District 23.
Schools & Education
1 primary school within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bukit View Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Huamin Primary School | primary | ~1.1 km |
| Princess Elizabeth Primary School | primary | ~1.4 km |
| Dazhong Primary School | primary | ~1.6 km |
| Fuhua Primary School | primary | ~1.9 km |
Facilities
The Dew’s facilities programme reflects the EC category of its era: competent, well-maintained, and designed for functional family living rather than the aspirational lifestyle amenity decks of more recent private condominium launches. The development delivered a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, gymnasium, tennis court, BBQ pits, clubhouse, children’s playground, and landscaped gardens across its 11,406 sqm site — a standard mid-scale EC facilities set for a year-2001 launch that remains serviceable for residents in 2026.
The swimming pool and Jacuzzi are the focal point of the central landscaped amenity area, surrounded by tropical planting that delivers on the “garden resort” concept Sim Lian promoted at launch. Resident feedback consistently notes that the pool and surrounding garden areas are well-maintained for a development of this age, and that the relatively small number of units (248 across three blocks) means facilities are rarely congested even during weekends and public holidays — a contrast to large-scale condominiums with 800–1,200 units sharing the same pool deck.
The gymnasium is a compact but functional fitness facility appropriate for the development’s scale and age. Buyers accustomed to the multi-station, cardio-heavy gym fit-outs of recent launches (2015-onwards) will notice the more modest specification — though the proximity of Bukit Batok Swimming Complex (914 metres, public swimming and gym facilities) provides a viable supplement for residents with more intensive fitness requirements.
The tennis court is a genuine amenity differentiator at this price point: private tennis access is uncommon in sub-$1,100 PSF resale condominiums in the western corridor, and for tennis-playing households or families, The Dew’s court represents meaningful lifestyle value. The BBQ pits and clubhouse provide the social infrastructure for the family demographic that has historically been the development’s core resident profile.
The overall facilities assessment is honest: The Dew delivers functional, well-maintained amenities appropriate to its EC origins and 248-unit scale. It does not compete with the multi-level, resort-grade facilities decks of newer D23 developments like The Hillier or Parc Oasis. The correct framing is that The Dew’s facilities are right-sized for its scale and resident demographic, and that the $1,006 PSF price point reflects this.
Unit Sizes & Layout
The Dew is configured as a 3-bedroom-only development across its 248 units — an unusual homogeneity that reflects both the EC scheme’s family-housing mandate at the time of launch and Sim Lian’s deliberate targeting of the HDB upgrader demographic seeking larger, family-appropriate living space. Nine different floor plan configurations are available across the three blocks, ranging from 1,206 sqft to 2,142 sqft, with the majority of the 248 units in the 1,206–1,432 sqft range and select larger units (including 3-bedroom + Study configurations at approximately 1,389 sqft) in the upper tiers.
At 1,206–1,432 sqft for a 3-bedroom unit, The Dew delivers living areas that are substantially larger than contemporary new-launch private condominiums at equivalent or higher price points. The average new-launch 3-bedroom unit in Singapore in 2025 is in the 900–1,100 sqft range for mass-market products — meaning buyers at The Dew obtain 200–500 sqft of additional living space for a lower absolute price. For families with children, or for buyers who simply value genuine bedroom sizes, dining areas that accommodate a full-size table, and living rooms where furniture can be arranged without compromise, the generational size advantage of EC-era units is a tangible quality-of-life benefit.
The larger configurations — 3-bedroom + Study units at 1,389 sqft and the upper-tier units approaching 1,862 sqft — provide genuine study or home-office flexibility that has become increasingly valued in the post-2020 work-from-home transition. Units in the larger size bands also include more generous bathroom and kitchen layouts than the compressed specifications of contemporary new-launch product.
The finish specification is that of a well-maintained 2003-vintage EC: solid but not luxury-grade by current market standards. Buyers purchasing resale units should budget for a kitchen and bathroom renovation to modernise the specification to contemporary tastes, which at current Singaporean renovation costs would typically add $50,000–$80,000 to the all-in acquisition cost. This renovation premium should be factored into any PSF comparison against newer, move-in-ready competitors.
The three-block, 16-storey configuration means that most units are on floors with unobstructed or partially unobstructed views across the Bukit Batok estate greenery, the Nature Park, and the western residential corridor — a view profile that is materially superior to many contemporary mass-market condominiums built on tighter footprints in more constrained urban sites. Upper-floor units facing the nature park direction offer genuinely pleasant vistas of treetop greenery.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 BR | 22 | $1,000 | $1,254,791 |
| 4 BR | 4 | $1,080 | $1,512,000 |
| 5 BR | 1 | $839 | $1,960,000 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 27 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $1,040,000 to $1,960,000, averaging $1,319,015 (~$1,185 psf).
Rents range from $2,400 to $5,100 per month across 76 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 3.9%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2026, the average PSF has appreciated by 40.1% (from $888 to $1,244 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
The most directly comparable development to The Dew within the Bukit Batok–D23 private residential market is Guilin View at Bukit Batok East Avenue 2 — a 315-unit, 99-year leasehold condominium (1996 TOP) that similarly targets the HDB upgrader demographic with generous unit sizes and mature-estate amenities. Guilin View transacts at approximately $900–$1,050 PSF in recent resale, broadly comparable to The Dew, reflecting similar lease profiles and vintage. The comparison illustrates that The Dew’s $1,006 PSF is consistent with the fair market value range for a well-maintained, older-vintage private residential development in this submarket.
Parc Oasis at Jurong East Street 21 (502 units, 99-year from 1996) represents a slightly different competitive set — a larger-scale, older condominium with a more diverse unit mix that transacts at approximately $1,000–$1,200 PSF, reflecting the Jurong East sub-market premium from proximity to Jurong East MRT interchange and the International Business Park employment catchment. Buyers weighing The Dew against Parc Oasis are essentially trading the nature park surrounds and school proximity of Bukit Batok against the stronger MRT connectivity and employment-hub adjacency of Jurong East — a lifestyle and commuting preference trade-off rather than a clear quality differential.
For buyers willing to stretch their budget to the $1,300–$1,600 PSF range, newer D23 developments like The Hillier (at Hillview Avenue, 99-year leasehold from 2012) and Kingsford Hillview Peak provide more remaining lease (85+ years), more contemporary finishes, and upgraded facilities decks at a meaningful PSF premium. The trade-off is smaller unit sizes and a higher absolute price that narrows the space-per-dollar advantage that EC-era developments like The Dew offer.
The new Bukit Batok West Avenue 8 EC (Altura, launched 2023 by Qingjian & Santarli, approximately 360 units, 99-year from 2023) provides the most relevant forward-looking comparison for EC buyers in this submarket. Altura has transacted at $1,350–$1,450 PSF — a 35–45% PSF premium over The Dew, reflecting the 99-year fresh lease versus The Dew’s 73 remaining years, the new-launch specification premium, and the more direct proximity to the future Tengah Town development and the Jurong Innovation District employment corridor. Buyers who can satisfy EC eligibility requirements and are in the right income and ownership profile for EC purchase should evaluate the lease and specification trade-offs between Altura and The Dew carefully: the PSF gap is significant, but the lease-adjusted long-term value proposition may favour the newer product.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE DEW | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2000 | 2004 | 248 | $1,185 |
| SOL ACRES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2014 | 2018 | 1,327 | $1,383 |
| MIDWOOD | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 564 | $1,731 |
| LUMINA GRAND | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2022 | 2024 | 512 | $1,515 |
| DAIRY FARM RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 460 | $1,659 |
| THE BOTANY AT DAIRY FARM | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2022 | 2023 | 386 | $2,053 |
Lease Decay Analysis
The 99-year lease runs from 2000, meaning approximately 26 years have already been consumed. Roughly 73 years remain — still comfortably within the range where most banks will offer full financing without restrictions.
| Year | Lease remaining | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (now) | ~73 years | Full bank financing available |
| 2030 | ~69 years | CPF usage still unrestricted for most buyers |
| 2039 | ~59 years | Approaching 60-year threshold — CPF limits begin for some |
| 2059 | ~39 years | Significant financing restrictions for next buyer |
| 2099 | Expiry | Lease reverts to state |
For a buyer purchasing today with a 10-year horizon (exit around 2036), the lease situation is essentially a non-issue — you’d be selling a property with ~63 years remaining, which is still very bankable. The risk profile changes for longer holds.
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates THE DEW across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“We have lived here for seven years and it remains one of the best decisions we made. The unit is spacious by Singapore standards, the pool is never crowded, and having Giant supermarket practically at the doorstep is genuinely convenient. Bukit Batok MRT is a 10-minute walk or two-stop bus.”
— Owner-occupier review via PropertyGuru
“Quiet and peaceful neighbourhood. The greenery around Bukit Batok Nature Park is lovely. For a family with young children, having Keming Primary literally across the road is fantastic — no school bus needed. The condo itself is older but very well-kept.”
— Resident comment via 99.co
“Very good value compared to what is available now. We bought our 3-bedroom unit at under $1.1M and you simply cannot find this space anywhere else at this price. The lease is a concern but we plan to hold for 10–15 years and the yield from renting has been good at around 4.5%.”
— Investor comment via SRX
“The fully privatised EC status is often misunderstood. This place can be sold to anyone including foreigners. No MOP restrictions. It is a private condo in every sense. The sub-$1,100 PSF entry point is hard to beat in the western corridor for private housing.”
— Agent perspective via EdgeProp
The resident profile at The Dew is predominantly Singaporean families and HDB upgraders who value the combination of generous unit sizes, strong school proximity, and a quiet, green neighbourhood environment. Investor-buyers are attracted by the 4%+ gross yield — one of the higher yield profiles available in District 23 private residential — and the entry price point that allows positive cash flow management that is not achievable with more expensive newer developments. The development’s main tension, as consistently reflected in resident and market commentary, is the lease: buyers who plan a shorter hold period view the 73-year remaining lease as a manageable constraint; buyers considering a 20-year-plus hold need to model the accelerating lease decay and its CPF and financing implications carefully.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Fully privatised EC — no MOP restriction, no HDB ownership rules, open to foreigners; identical rights to any private condominium
- Generous 3-bedroom unit sizes (1,206–2,142 sqft) delivering space-per-dollar that new-launch developments at equivalent PSF cannot match
- Gross yield ~4.6% (avg rent $3,872/month at $1,006 PSF) — among the strongest yield profiles in the District 23 private residential catchment
- Keming Primary School approximately 110 metres away — exceptional primary school proximity for families with young children
- Giant Supermarket approximately 130 metres — genuine doorstep daily convenience without car dependency
- Bukit Batok Nature Park and Little Guilin scenic lake within walking distance — rare natural amenity for a private residential address in western Singapore
- Small development (248 units) — pool, tennis court, and gym rarely congested; low maintenance fee base per unit
- Pan Island Expressway (PIE) access for car-owning households connecting to CBD, Jurong, and Changi in reasonable drive times
- Sub-$1.4M absolute entry for a family-sized 3-bedroom unit — one of the most accessible price points in D23 private residential
- 73-year remaining lease — sub-75yr CPF restriction: buyers must set aside more in CPF Retirement Account, reducing effective CPF-funded affordability
- Bukit Batok MRT (NS2) approximately 800m away — at the upper end of comfortable walking distance; daily CBD commuters add 10–15 minutes via feeder bus
- 2003 vintage finish specification — kitchens and bathrooms typically require renovation ($50,000–$80,000 budget); factor into total acquisition cost
- Accelerating lease decay beyond 15-year hold horizon — at 60 years remaining (approximately 2039), CPF restrictions become severe and bank loan constraints tighten significantly
- Facilities deck is functional but dated by 2025 standards — single tennis court, compact gym, no lap pool; does not match newer-launch amenity decks in the corridor
- No MRT within 500m — car ownership or bus reliance required for efficient daily commuting; less suited to car-free households targeting short CBD transit times
- 3-bedroom-only unit mix — no 1- or 2-bedroom options for smaller households, investors seeking studio/compact yield products, or buyers with tighter budgets
Verdict
The Dew is a genuinely compelling proposition for a specific buyer profile: families and HDB upgraders who want generous 3-bedroom space in a green, well-amenitied Bukit Batok neighbourhood, at a sub-$1.4M absolute price point, and who are either planning a medium-term (5–15 year) hold or are purchasing for owner-occupation with a clear-eyed understanding of the lease constraints. For this buyer, The Dew offers something that has become rare in Singapore’s residential market: a family-sized private home in a self-sufficient town with a school on the doorstep, a supermarket across the street, a nature park within walking distance, and a gross yield of approximately 4.6% for the investor portion of the buyer pool.
The lease is the central underwriting question. At 73 years remaining, The Dew sits just below the 75-year CPF usage threshold. Buyers who need to maximise CPF Ordinary Account usage for the down payment or mortgage servicing will face restrictions and must set aside more in their CPF Retirement Account — a structural constraint that reduces the effective CPF-funded affordability of the asset relative to a comparable development with 80+ years remaining. Bank loan tenure will also be curtailed under MAS lease-decay rules as the lease shortens further over the hold period. These are not reasons to avoid the property outright; they are reasons to model the financing structure carefully and to ensure the all-in cost (including the CPF restriction impact and potential renovation spend) is priced against the $1,006 PSF entry.
The Dew is the right answer for space-valuing families, HDB upgraders, and yield-oriented investors who want established Bukit Batok living at a price point that remains the most accessible in District 23 private residential — provided they have planned for the CPF restriction arising from the sub-75-year lease, and are targeting a hold horizon of under 15 years.
The fully privatised EC status is an asset that is sometimes under-appreciated in market listings. The Dew imposes no MOP restriction, no HDB-linked ownership rules, and no nationality-based purchase barriers: it is a private condominium in every regulatory sense. This means the rental market is fully open, including to expatriate tenants (a key driver of the 4.6% yield), and resale is unrestricted. The privatisation premium that some buyers associate with “EC” branding as a stigma is absent here: The Dew’s privatised status simply means more flexibility, not less.
For long-hold buyers (20+ years) or buyers seeking an asset to pass to the next generation, the lease trajectory is a genuine concern. A property currently at 73 years will hit the 60-year threshold — where CPF restrictions become severe and bank financing increasingly constrained — in approximately 13 years. Buyers whose investment thesis requires a 20-year hold or a second-generation asset should weight the lease decay risk carefully against the entry price, and should consider whether a fresh-lease alternative (Altura EC, or a newer freehold or long-leasehold private condominium elsewhere in the corridor) better serves that duration.