The Old House
Overview & Key Facts
The Old House is one of Singapore’s most intimate freehold residential apartments — a modest four-storey boutique development of just six units at 1011 Upper Serangoon Road, District 19. Completed in 2003 and occupying a land area of approximately 4,110 sqft, it sits quietly along the upper stretch of Upper Serangoon Road in the Kovan neighbourhood, a corridor that has steadily transformed from a sleepy heartland fringe into one of the north-east’s most sought-after addresses for freehold property seekers.
With a developer pedigree rooted in private individual ownership rather than a listed developer house, The Old House reflects the generation of small-scale freehold walk-up and low-rise apartments that were popular before Singapore’s condominium boom. Unit sizes are generous by contemporary standards — ranging from approximately 1,130 sqft for two-bedroom configurations up to 1,851 sqft for larger layouts — giving residents a floor area that most new-launch equivalents cannot match at double the price. The name itself nods to the site’s heritage character: the development retains the unhurried, grounded feel of a landed-adjacent address.
Freehold tenure is the defining headline. In a market where comparable freehold stock in District 19 is diminishing rapidly and nearby leasehold new launches price at S$2,500+ psf, The Old House represents a genuinely rare value proposition for buyers who prioritise permanence of title and the quiet life over resort-style amenities. With transaction prices recorded at S$1.66–1.80 million for units of this calibre and tenure, the implied PSF sits well below the district’s leasehold new-launch benchmark — an anomaly that reflects both the building age and the near-absence of amenity infrastructure.
Location & Connectivity
The location is The Old House’s strongest card. Kovan MRT station (NE13, North-East Line) is approximately 390 metres away — a genuine four-to-five minute walk, unassisted by shelter for the final stretch but short enough that most residents walk rather than drive or bus. This puts The Old House firmly in the walkable-to-MRT category that commands a consistent rental and resale premium in Singapore, and the North-East Line provides direct access to Dhoby Ghaut interchange without a transfer.
The Kovan neighbourhood itself has a character that newer HDB-adjacent condos rarely replicate. Upper Serangoon Road at this stretch is lined with a mix of heritage shophouses, independent cafes, popular local kopitiams, and the well-regarded Heartland Mall Kovan, which houses a Cold Storage supermarket, food court, and everyday retail. The Kovan Food Centre is within easy walking distance for hawker meals. NEX Mall at Serangoon — one of the more complete suburban malls in Singapore — is reachable in two MRT stops.
For families with school-age children, the location is exceptional. Holy Innocents’ Primary School is approximately 150 metres away, and St. Gabriel’s Primary School sits at 190 metres — among the tightest school-proximity scores achievable in Singapore private residential. Hougang Primary School, Xinmin Primary School, and the co-ed Holy Innocents’ High School round out a cluster of educational options that would make any Primary 1 registration strategy considerably less stressful.
Drivers benefit from easy access to the Tampines Expressway (TPE) and Central Expressway (CTE) via Upper Serangoon Road, with Orchard Road reachable in approximately 20 minutes in off-peak conditions and the CBD in around 25 minutes. The Kovan–Hougang precinct is well-served by bus routes along Upper Serangoon Road, providing additional connectivity without reliance on the MRT.
Schools & Education
5 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Holy Innocents' Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| St. Gabriel's Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Holy Innocents' High School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Hougang Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Hougang Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Xinmin Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Montfort Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Xinmin Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
Facilities
The Old House does not position itself as a facilities play, and buyers considering it should calibrate expectations accordingly. With only six units on a 4,110 sqft land parcel, the development offers a small swimming pool, resident parking, and the greenery and quiet that come naturally to a low-density site on the Kovan stretch of Upper Serangoon Road. There is no gym, no clubhouse, no function room, no tennis court — and given the development’s scale and price point, none should be expected. What residents gain instead is something increasingly rare in Singapore’s private residential market: genuine tranquillity and the sense of space that comes from living in a development where you will likely know every neighbour by name.
“For buyers who are done with large-scale condo living and its associated noise, queueing, and facility-booking battles, a boutique development like The Old House is a deliberate lifestyle choice rather than a compromise. The appeal is privacy, freehold title, and a Kovan address at a fraction of what nearby leasehold launches command.”
— SRX Property analysis, Upper Serangoon Road precinct
The surrounding streetscape compensates for what the development itself does not provide. Heartland Mall Kovan, the Kovan Food Centre, and the cluster of independent F&B along Upper Serangoon Road function as the development’s de facto amenity layer — a pattern common to boutique developments deliberately located on active retail corridors. Residents of The Old House effectively outsource their lifestyle infrastructure to the neighbourhood, which in the Kovan context is a reasonable trade.
Unit Sizes & Layout
The six units at The Old House are spread across four floors in a single block, with configurations spanning two-bedroom and larger layouts. Unit sizes range from approximately 1,130 sqft up to 1,851 sqft, reflecting the pre-2010 norm of building to a generous floor plate rather than maximising unit count. A 1,130 sqft two-bedroom unit at The Old House offers more usable space than a typical 1,300 sqft three-bedroom in a contemporary development, simply because the internal layout does not sacrifice living area to corridor widths, multiple wet areas, or planter boxes.
Transaction records show that the development has traded at S$1.66–1.80 million per unit in recent years, translating to implied PSF of roughly S$984–1,469 depending on the unit size and storey. At the upper end of this range, buyers are acquiring freehold District 19 real estate at a meaningful discount to nearby leasehold alternatives such as The Florence Residences (S$1,745 psf, 99-year) or Affinity at Serangoon (S$1,698 psf, 99-year), both of which carry lease clocks that The Old House simply does not. The rental market has validated this: recent rentals in the S$3,500–4,000 per month range imply a gross yield of approximately 2.5%, consistent with the broader freehold apartment sub-market.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 BR | 1 | $1,469 | $1,660,000 |
| 4 BR | 1 | $984 | $1,800,000 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 2 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $1,660,000 to $1,800,000, averaging $1,730,000.
Rents range from $3,350 to $4,000 per month across 3 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.5%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2023, the average PSF has appreciated by 49.3% (from $984 to $1,469 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
The most relevant comparisons in District 19 are Chuan Park (99-year from 2024, S$2,596 psf, 916 units), The Florence Residences (99-year from 2018, S$1,745 psf, 1,410 units), and Serangoon Garden Estate (freehold, S$1,736 psf). Against leasehold peers, The Old House’s freehold title should command a premium, yet its implied transaction PSF remains below the leasehold average — a function of age, minimal facilities, and thin transaction volume. For buyers who assign high value to freehold permanence and are comfortable accepting the facilities trade-off, this inversion is the opportunity. Serangoon Garden Estate is the closest freehold peer by tenure, though it is a landed estate rather than a strata development.
Against the broader boutique freehold apartment sub-market in the Kovan corridor — developments like Kovan Regency, The Tembusu, and Bliss — The Old House’s school proximity is a differentiating asset that none can fully replicate. Kovan Regency (freehold, larger scale) is the most natural upgrade path for residents who outgrow The Old House’s six-unit intimacy but want to remain freehold in the same neighbourhood. The Tembusu offers a larger pool of amenities and more unit diversity. For buyers choosing between these options, the decision hinges on whether the two-primary-school proximity justifies The Old House’s smaller footprint and basic facilities — and for families with P1-age children, the answer is frequently yes.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE OLD HOUSE | Freehold | — | 6 | — |
| CHUAN PARK | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | 2024 | 916 | $2,596 |
| THE FLORENCE RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,410 | $1,745 |
| RIVERFRONT RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,451 | $1,588 |
| AFFINITY AT SERANGOON | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,012 | $1,698 |
| SERANGOON GARDEN ESTATE | Freehold | 2021 | — | $1,736 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates THE OLD HOUSE across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“We chose The Old House specifically for the school proximity — Holy Innocents’ is literally around the corner. The freehold title was the other factor. We’ve lived here for six years and the quiet is something we would genuinely miss if we moved to one of the big condos. Neighbours are long-term owners; nobody treats it as a rental holding.”
— Owner-occupier, two-bedroom unit, via agent feedback
“Kovan MRT is a short walk, the food options along Upper Serangoon are great — the old kopitiams, hawker food, Cold Storage at Heartland Mall. The unit is spacious by today’s standards and the building is well-maintained. The trade-off is there’s no gym, so I have a membership elsewhere. But the maintenance fees are low and the place feels private.”
— Resident review, via EdgeProp
“Finishings are showing their age. The pool is small and basic. If you need a gym, clubhouse, or function room you will be disappointed. But we knew what we were buying — a freehold address near Kovan MRT with space and schools. On those counts it delivers completely.”
— Resident, via PropertyGuru
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — permanent title in an area where leasehold dominates new supply
- Kovan MRT (NE13) approximately 390 m away — genuinely walkable
- Holy Innocents' Primary School at 150 m — top-tier P1 balloting advantage
- St. Gabriel's Primary School at 190 m — second P1 priority school within 200 m
- Generous unit sizes (1,130–1,851 sqft) vs new-launch equivalents
- Implied PSF below nearby leasehold new launches — structural value anomaly
- Boutique 6-unit scale — genuine privacy, known neighbours, low noise
- Heartland Mall Kovan with Cold Storage and F&B directly accessible on foot
- Low maintenance fees relative to large-scale condo peers
- Kovan neighbourhood character — shophouses, hawkers, independent cafes
- Minimal facilities — small pool and parking only; no gym, clubhouse, or function room
- Building age (2003) — finishings will require renovation spend
- Only 6 units — any strata disputes are magnified; thin MCST resilience
- Low transaction liquidity — thin resale volume can extend time-to-sell
- No shelter between MRT and development for final 390 m stretch
- Small land area (4,110 sqft) limits scope for future en-bloc at premium
- En-bloc score 34/100 — low prospects, primarily due to small site area
- Gross yield ~2.47% — below market average for the area
- No concierge, security guard station, or 24-hour gatehouse typical of larger condos
Verdict
The Old House is not a development for everyone, and it is not trying to be. Its six-unit scale, minimal facilities footprint, and 2003 vintage mean it will be invisible to buyers driven by lifestyle amenities, modern finishings, or the social dynamics of a large condo community. But for a specific buyer profile — freehold tenure seekers, families anchoring to Holy Innocents’ or St. Gabriel’s Primary, professionals who work from home and value quiet above poolside socialising — it occupies a near-unique position in the District 19 private residential market.
The Kovan MRT walkability (under 400 metres) removes the transport compromise that undermines many boutique freehold apartments on the Singapore fringe. The school proximity is genuinely exceptional — two primary schools within 200 metres is a clustering that most families would pay significant premium to access. And the freehold title, at current implied PSF levels that sit below nearby 99-year leasehold condos, represents a structural value argument that improves rather than weakens over time as leasehold peers consume more of their lease.
The honest caveats: the development is ageing, finishings will reflect 2003 standards, the pool and facilities are minimal, and the six-unit scale means any strata management tension is amplified by proximity. Prospective buyers should conduct thorough due diligence on MCST health, maintenance reserve funds, and the condition of shared infrastructure before committing. But for buyers who clear those boxes, The Old House offers something Singapore’s property market makes progressively harder to find: freehold permanence in a well-connected, school-rich, neighbourhood-character location at a below-market PSF.