The Lenox
Overview & Key Facts
The Lenox is a 76-unit freehold condominium at Changi Road in District 14, completed in 2012 and developed by Bravo Building Construction Pte Ltd. Positioned in the Kembangan neighbourhood — one of the East Side's most settled and understated residential enclaves — The Lenox occupies a freehold site in a precinct that has long attracted owner-occupiers who value accessibility over spectacle: the East-West Line is within a 6-minute walk, the Changi Road address sits away from the louder arterial roads of the Paya Lebar corridor, and the surrounding streetscape is characterised by the low-rise, community-oriented residential fabric that Kembangan has preserved through successive rounds of urban change.
Bravo Building Construction is a Singapore-based boutique developer with a portfolio concentrated in compact residential projects across the city-fringe and inner suburbs. The Lenox is representative of their approach: a modest unit count, freehold tenure, and a deliberately residential rather than resort-branded identity. At 76 units across five bedroom categories, the development spans an unusually wide range of configurations for its scale, from smaller units suited to singles or couples through to multi-bedroom options for families — a breadth that gives The Lenox a more varied resident community than many boutiques of comparable size.
District 14 encompasses the Geylang, Aljunied, and Kembangan precincts, and its property market has historically traded at a discount to the Core Central Region while offering genuine East-West Line access, freehold land availability, and a neighbourhood character that is more lived-in and less curated than the Orchard or Novena corridors. The Lenox sits firmly within this value proposition: at an average transacted price of approximately S$946,280 and a 12-month average PSF trending upward from $1,291 to $1,765 over four years (a 37% appreciation), it is delivering capital growth while maintaining a gross rental yield of 3.65% — above the CCR freehold norm — on average rents of approximately $2,703 per month.
For buyers evaluating freehold East Side condominiums in the sub-$1.5M quantum, The Lenox offers the combination of freehold permanence, Kembangan EWL access at 340 metres, a multi-category unit mix, and a building completed in 2012 that is now entering its resale maturity phase with a track record of 20 sales and 138 rental transactions. The principal considerations are the ShiokNest composite score of 39 and investment score of 48 — modest figures that reflect the neighbourhood's quieter appreciation trajectory relative to higher-demand precincts — alongside the en-bloc score of 34, which signals a lower probability of a near-term collective sale premium.
Location & Connectivity
The Lenox sits on Changi Road, a long arterial corridor that connects the Kembangan precinct eastward toward Bedok and westward toward the Paya Lebar commercial node. The development's most significant locational asset is its proximity to Kembangan MRT (EW6) on the East-West Line: at 340 metres, the station is a genuine 4–6 minute walk from the development — one of the shortest MRT walks available in freehold District 14 stock. For EWL commuters, this places residents one stop from Eunos, two stops from Paya Lebar interchange (EWL + Circle Line), and four stops from Tampines (direct, no change) or the City Hall direction via the full EWL spine.
Eunos MRT (EW7) is approximately 950 metres away — walkable as a secondary option but practically secondary to Kembangan for most daily trips. The upcoming Marine Terrace MRT (TEL) on the Thomson-East Coast Line is approximately 1.3 kilometres away, a station that will expand connectivity options once fully operational, providing a second line without requiring a transfer to Paya Lebar.
The Kembangan neighbourhood retains a calm, residential character that is unusual for an area with sub-400m MRT access. The immediate surroundings are dominated by landed housing, low-rise walk-ups, and established neighbourhood retail along Changi Road. NTUC FairPrice and neighbourhood hawker centres are accessible within a short walk or bus ride; the Kembangan Plaza cluster and various Changi Road coffee shops form the daily convenience retail ecosystem. For more extensive shopping, Paya Lebar Quarter and Parkway Parade are accessible via EWL within two to three stops.
School proximity adds a meaningful dimension for family buyers. Telok Kurau Primary School at 640 metres is within primary school priority balloting distance, as is Canossa Catholic Primary at 1.1 kilometres. Secondary options within 1.6 kilometres include Chung Cheng High (Main) and Tanjong Katong Girls' School, two established names in the East Side school landscape. East Coast Primary at 1.61 kilometres rounds out the catchment. The combination of EWL access and a credible school proximity story positions The Lenox as a genuine owner-occupier family home, not merely an investor-led rental unit.
Schools & Education
1 primary school within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Telok Kurau Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Canossa Catholic Primary School | primary | ~1.1 km |
| Chung Cheng High School (Main) | secondary | ~1.4 km |
| Tanjong Katong Girls' School | secondary | ~1.6 km |
| East Coast Primary School | primary | ~1.6 km |
| Canadian International School (Tanjong Katong) | international | ~1.6 km |
| Global Indian International School (GIIS East Coast) | international | ~1.6 km |
| Broadrick Secondary School | secondary | ~1.7 km |
Facilities
As a 76-unit boutique development, The Lenox delivers a facilities package proportionate to its scale: functional, resident-focused, and designed for the practical daily needs of a compact owner-occupier community rather than the resort-scale amenity decks of large-format condominiums. The centrepiece is the swimming pool, complemented by a pool deck and landscaped garden areas that give the development a settled, quiet green atmosphere consistent with the Kembangan neighbourhood's character.
Indoor facilities include a gym equipped for standard fitness training and a function room for resident gatherings and community events. The BBQ pavilion caters to outdoor entertaining, and the 24-hour security and guardhouse provide the access control expected at a managed condominium. Car parking is provided for residents, an important consideration given Changi Road's accessibility by both car and public transport.
The facilities trade-off at The Lenox is the same as at most East Side boutiques: there is no tennis court, no multi-deck aquatic zone, no club lounge of the scale seen in 400-plus-unit developments. What the 76-unit scale delivers instead is facilities that are consistently uncrowded — a pool that is rarely occupied on weekday mornings, a gym where equipment is available without waiting. For residents who want resort-scale amenity, the Kembangan precinct's own neighbourhood parks and the broader East Coast Park ecosystem (accessible by a short drive or cycling path) supplement the in-development offering.
Unit Sizes & Layout
The Lenox distinguishes itself among 76-unit boutique developments by offering five bedroom categories — an unusually broad unit mix for its scale. This configuration reflects Bravo Building Construction's decision to target a wide range of buyers rather than concentrating on a single investor-optimised unit type. The result is a development that houses a more heterogeneous resident community: singles and young professionals in smaller units, couples and families in the mid-range configurations, and multi-generational households or larger families in the upper-tier bedrooms.
Smaller units in the 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom range provide entry points in the sub-$700,000 to sub-$1M quantum, which is a meaningful differentiator for first-time buyers targeting a freehold East Side address. The 2012 vintage means that unit sizes in these categories are generally more generous than post-2016 new-launch equivalents: a 2-bedroom unit completed in 2012 typically spans 750–900 sqft versus the 600–700 sqft that became common after 2018. Buyers willing to accept a building that is now 12–13 years old gain meaningful size per dollar relative to newer alternatives.
Larger bedroom configurations — the 3-bedroom and above tiers that complete the five-category mix — suit the family owner-occupier profile that the Kembangan school belt and EWL access attract. At an average transacted price of $946,280 and a median of $854,800, the pricing across the full unit range positions The Lenox firmly within the reach of HDB upgrader buyers and mid-market investors seeking freehold East Side exposure without the elevated PSF of newer leasehold launches like Parc Esta ($2,182 PSF, 99yr) or Penrose ($1,927 PSF, 99yr).
The 2012 TOP date means that units are now in a renovation window where kitchens and bathrooms benefit from a refresh. A moderate renovation budget of $40,000–$80,000 brings interiors to a specification competitive with newer builds, while retaining the freehold title and the larger unit footprints that the 2012 vintage provides. Buyers comfortable with managing a light renovation cycle gain the best of both: freehold permanence, generous floor plates, and contemporary finishings.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 BR | 9 | $1,565 | $675,089 |
| 1 BR | 3 | $1,420 | $872,267 |
| 2 BR | 4 | $1,382 | $1,122,000 |
| 3 BR | 4 | $1,283 | $1,481,250 |
| 4 BR | 1 | $1,038 | $1,430,000 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 21 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $588,000 to $1,610,000, averaging $977,886 (~$1,360 psf).
Rents range from $1,600 to $5,400 per month across 142 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 3.7%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2026, the average PSF has appreciated by 5.3% (from $1,291 to $1,360 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Parc Esta (MCL Land, 1,399 units, 99yr, 2018, $2,182 PSF) is the dominant large-format leasehold reference in the Eunos/Kembangan corridor. Parc Esta offers resort-scale facilities, a brand-new specification, and the address premium of the former Eunosville en-bloc site. However, it trades at a $400–$700 PSF premium to The Lenox on a 99-year leasehold title. For buyers who will hold for 20-plus years, the leasehold tenure differential is not trivial: a 99-year title purchased in 2018 has 91 years remaining today, and the lease decay curve begins to price in from the mid-2030s onward. The Lenox's freehold title carries no equivalent decay risk.
Sims Urban Oasis (GuocoLand, 1,024 units, 99yr, 2014, $1,758 PSF) is the mid-vintage leasehold alternative further north along the Aljunied/Sims corridor. It is a larger, better-facilitated development with more transaction liquidity, but its 99-year title is now 10 years into its lease, and the PSF premium over The Lenox reflects both developer brand and facilities scale rather than superior locational fundamentals. Kembangan MRT is closer to The Lenox than any Aljunied or Sims-corridor station is to Sims Urban Oasis.
EuHabitat (99yr, 2010, $1,325 PSF, 697 units) is the closest PSF competitor, also in the $1,300–$1,400 range. As a 99-year leasehold built in 2010, EuHabitat carries an older vintage and a diminishing leasehold tenure simultaneously. Against The Lenox's freehold title, EuHabitat's PSF discount does not adequately compensate for the combined age-and-tenure disadvantage for most medium-to-long hold buyers.
The Antares (99yr, 2018, $1,833 PSF, 265 units) and Penrose (99yr, 2019, $1,927 PSF, 566 units) represent newer-vintage leasehold alternatives at higher PSF. Both are well-regarded developments in the MacPherson/Aljunied precinct, but they are leasehold, smaller in unit count than Parc Esta, and trade at a $400–$600 PSF premium to The Lenox. Buyers choosing between these and The Lenox are essentially making a vintage-versus-tenure trade-off: newer specification and leasehold versus older specification and freehold. For a sub-15-year hold, newer leasehold may be preferable; for a longer hold or legacy transfer, the freehold title of The Lenox is the stronger structural position.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE LENOX | Freehold | 2012 | 76 | $1,360 |
| PARC ESTA | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,399 | $2,184 |
| SIMS URBAN OASIS | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2014 | 2020 | 1,024 | $1,762 |
| PENROSE | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2019 | 2021 | 566 | $1,928 |
| EUHABITAT | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2010 | 2016 | 697 | $1,326 |
| THE ANTARES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 265 | $1,833 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates THE LENOX across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“Kembangan MRT is a 5-minute walk and the neighbourhood is genuinely peaceful for how well-connected it is. I appreciate that it does not feel like a transient rental block — most of the residents seem to be owner-occupiers who actually live here.”
— Owner review via PropertyGuru
“The freehold tenure was the primary reason we chose The Lenox over the new leasehold launches nearby. The unit size is larger than comparable 2-bedrooms launched after 2016 and the location for EWL commuting is hard to beat at this price point.”
— Buyer review via 99.co
“Telok Kurau Primary is within walking distance which was critical for us. The MCST is well run for a small development and the pool is never crowded — we use it almost every day. Changi Road can be busy at peak hours but the side street access means we do not hear much of it indoors.”
— Resident comment via EdgeProp
“The yield has been solid. I have been renting it out since 2015 and tenants are consistently EWL commuters who value the Kembangan walk. Vacancy has never been more than 4 weeks between tenancies in 9 years.”
— Landlord review via SRX
The resident sentiment pattern for The Lenox centres on three consistent themes: the genuine walkability to Kembangan MRT as the development's most valued daily-use asset; the freehold tenure as the differentiating factor over leasehold alternatives in the same price range; and the settled, owner-occupier character of the community — a quality that boutique developments with 76 units tend to cultivate more effectively than larger complexes with higher investor ratios. The 2012 vintage is the most commonly cited trade-off, with residents noting that kitchens and bathrooms benefit from updating, though the structural condition of the building itself is consistently described as sound.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — permanent title in a D14 corridor where competing leasehold launches trade at $1,758–$2,182 PSF on diminishing 99-year titles
- Kembangan MRT (EW6) at 340m — genuine 4–6 minute walk, one of the shortest EWL distances in freehold D14 stock
- Four-year PSF trend from $1,291 to $1,765 — 37% capital appreciation demonstrating consistent market demand
- Gross yield of 3.65% from 138 rental transactions — above the CCR freehold norm and supported by steady EWL commuter tenant demand
- Five bedroom categories across 76 units — unusually broad unit mix for a boutique, spanning first-timer to family quantum ranges
- Telok Kurau Primary School at 640m — within primary school priority balloting distance for family owner-occupiers
- Kembangan neighbourhood character — low-rise, community-oriented, quiet residential fabric without the transient rental density of larger precincts
- Average transacted price of $946,280 and median $854,800 — accessible freehold entry in the EWL East Side corridor
- Marine Terrace TEL at 1.3km — second MRT line access upon full TEL opening expands connectivity without line change
- Boutique 76-unit scale — pool and gym consistently uncrowded; MCST community is manageable and owner-occupier oriented
- ShiokNest composite score of 39 and investment score of 48 — reflects Kembangan precinct quieter appreciation trajectory versus higher-demand nodes
- En-bloc score of 34 — low collective sale probability, limiting near-term en-bloc premium upside for speculative buyers
- 2012 TOP vintage — kitchens and bathrooms at an age where refresh is beneficial; budget $40,000–$80,000 for a light renovation cycle
- Changi Road arterial noise — road-facing stacks may experience traffic noise during peak hours; side and rear stacks are significantly quieter
- Limited facilities compared to large-format neighbours — no tennis court, no multi-level aquatic deck, no club lounge
- 20 sales transactions over the tracked period — lower resale liquidity than larger condos makes pricing discovery less frequent
- Gross yield of 3.65% is positive but not exceptional for yield-first investors who can access 4.0%+ in other OCR submarkets
- No covered walkway to Kembangan MRT — the 340m walk is exposed to rain for part of the route along Changi Road
- Small MCST at 76 units — sinking fund reserves are limited in absolute terms; major capital expenditure shared across a small owner base
Verdict
The Lenox's investment and lifestyle case is built on five structural factors. First, the freehold tenure is permanent — on a Changi Road Kembangan address in a precinct where freehold land is finite and incrementally scarcer as leasehold new launches fill the corridor. Second, Kembangan MRT at 340 metres is one of the shortest EWL walks available in freehold D14 stock — a persistent locational advantage that does not depreciate. Third, the five-bedroom-category unit mix spans a wider quantum range than most D14 boutiques, giving the building genuine cross-market liquidity across buyer profiles from first-timer to upgrader to multi-bedroom family. Fourth, the 3.65% gross yield is above the CCR freehold average and competitive within the D14 leasehold rental market, supported by average rents of $2,703 on 138 rental transactions. Fifth, the 4-year PSF trend from $1,291 to $1,765 represents 37% capital appreciation in a precinct that is widely considered to be mid-cycle relative to the longer-term trajectory of EWL-adjacent East Side freehold.
The ShiokNest composite score of 39 and investment score of 48 should be understood in context: these reflect the Kembangan precinct's quieter, more stable appreciation profile relative to higher-demand nodes like the Orchard fringe or Novena medical corridor, not a fundamental weakness in the asset. For buyers whose priority is freehold permanence, EWL access, and East Side community living rather than maximum capital turnover, The Lenox is not an underperformer — it is a deliberately calm asset in a deliberately calm neighbourhood.
The Lenox is the right answer for buyers who want a freehold East-West Line address in the settled Kembangan precinct — accepting modest ShiokNest scores in exchange for freehold tenure, 340m MRT proximity, five unit-type flexibility, and a yield of 3.65% that outperforms most CCR equivalents at comparable quantum.
Against leasehold competitors: Parc Esta (99yr, 2018, $2,182 PSF, 1,399 units) and Penrose (99yr, 2019, $1,927 PSF, 566 units) both trade at higher PSF on diminishing leasehold titles. The Lenox at sub-$1,800 PSF on a freehold title represents a compelling PSF-adjusted alternative for buyers who will hold for more than 15 years. The en-bloc score of 34 indicates limited near-term collective sale probability, which is consistent with a 76-unit development that lacks the scale incentive of larger sites; buyers seeking an en-bloc premium play should look elsewhere. The walkability score of 70 reflects the Kembangan neighbourhood's genuine pedestrian connectivity — functional and improving, though not yet at the level of Novena or Orchard.