The Princeton
Overview & Key Facts
The Princeton occupies a quiet residential address on Ewe Boon Road in District 10 — a tree-lined street in the Balmoral enclave that sits between Newton and Stevens, two of the most desirable micro-neighbourhoods in the Core Central Region. Developed by Teck Chiang Realty and completed in 1999, the development is a study in boutique restraint: just 37 freehold units arranged across two blocks, with no resort pretensions but a considered intimacy that larger developments cannot replicate.
At 37 units, The Princeton occupies a distinctive sweet spot for the CCR market. It is large enough to maintain a functional management corporation and shared maintenance pool, yet small enough that residents genuinely know their neighbours. For buyers who have grown weary of the anonymity of large-scale developments, this scale is a genuine draw. Ewe Boon Road itself has an almost entirely private residential character — no through traffic, no commercial noise — which reinforces the sense of seclusion despite the development’s central location.
The building design is clean and low-key: a post-modern aesthetic typical of late-1990s Singapore private housing, without the architectural ambition of contemporaries like The Ladyhill or The Marbella but also without their maintenance complexity. The freehold tenure, position in one of Singapore’s most land-scarce districts, and proximity to two elite primary schools have sustained steady buyer interest across multiple property cycles.
Location & Connectivity
The Princeton’s location is one of its defining strengths. Newton MRT interchange (North-South Line and Downtown Line) sits approximately 680m away — a 9-minute walk, or 5 minutes if you cut through the back lanes of Balmoral Road. Stevens MRT (Thomson-East Coast Line and Downtown Line) is 830m distant. Critically, both are interchange stations, giving residents access to three MRT lines without a transfer. For a D10 freehold property in the sub-$2,200 psf range, this dual-interchange proximity is an unusual value proposition.
The Balmoral neighbourhood is remarkably self-contained for daily life. Cold Storage at Balmoral Plaza is under 10 minutes on foot, as is the hawker centre at Pek Kio Market & Food Centre (via Bukit Timah Road, approximately 780m). The Newton Food Centre — one of Singapore’s most iconic hawker destinations — is a 12-minute walk through a quiet residential road. For weekend grocery runs, the Orchard Road corridor is a single MRT stop away from Newton. United Square shopping mall (children’s education and family retail) is accessible by bus along Bukit Timah Road.
Drivers benefit considerably from the location. The CTE is accessible within minutes via Dunearn Road or Bukit Timah Road. Orchard is a 7-minute drive. The CBD and Marina Bay are under 20 minutes in off-peak conditions. For families with children at Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) — just 320m from the development — the morning school run can be completed on foot, eliminating the car-line chaos that plagues many school-adjacent properties.
Schools & Education
3 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| St. Anthony's Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| St. Joseph's Institution | secondary | Within 1 km |
| ISS International School (Paterson) | international | Within 1 km |
| St. Margaret's Primary School | primary | ~1.3 km |
| Chatsworth International School (Orchard) | international | ~1.4 km |
Facilities
As a 37-unit boutique development, The Princeton makes no claim to resort-scale amenities, and prospective buyers should calibrate expectations accordingly. The facility offering is functional and appropriate to the development scale: a swimming pool, gym, and landscaped grounds. What residents consistently highlight is not the breadth of facilities but the quality of access — the pool is rarely crowded, the gym is always available, and the common areas feel genuinely private rather than shared with hundreds of strangers.
“Small development means the pool is yours most evenings. Haven’t had to queue for the gym once in three years. You’d never get that at a 300-unit condo.”
— Resident review, PropertyGuru
The maintenance fees at The Princeton reflect the boutique scale — fewer units share the fixed costs of upkeep, which typically results in higher per-unit contributions than comparable larger developments. Buyers should budget accordingly and verify current MCST rates before purchase. The trade-off is a development that tends to be well-maintained without the management complexity that sometimes afflicts large-scale MCSTEs.
Unit Sizes & Layout
The Princeton offers predominantly two- and three-bedroom configurations. Based on transaction records, two-bedroom units run approximately 861 sqft and three-bedroom units approximately 1,087 sqft — solid sizes for a 1999-vintage freehold development in District 10. Compared to contemporary new launches in the CCR (where 2-bedroom units commonly start at 700 sqft and 3-bedrooms at 900 sqft), The Princeton’s floor plates offer meaningfully more space per dollar. At current pricing near S$2,053–2,125 psf, a 861 sqft 2-bedroom transacts at roughly S$1.8M — comparable to many shoebox units at newer developments that offer a third less floor area.
The development has a limited number of stacks, and floor levels run to approximately 20 storeys. Higher-floor units on the 16th to 20th floors command a premium over mid-floor units — recent transactions show a roughly S$90–100 psf differential between the lowest and highest floors — but given the modest height differential and leafy Ewe Boon Road streetscape, even lower-floor units avoid the visual compression common in denser corridors. There is no meaningful orientation trade-off between stacks in terms of view quality: the surrounding landed housing provides consistent greenery across most aspects.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 BR | 5 | $2,009 | $1,729,600 |
| 3 BR | 7 | $1,897 | $2,062,143 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 12 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $1,568,000 to $2,200,000, averaging $1,923,583 (~$2,125 psf).
Rents range from $2,450 to $4,500 per month across 39 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.2%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 22.2% (from $1,697 to $2,074 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Within District 10, The Princeton’s nearest comparables are Hyll on Holland (319 units, freehold, $2,760 psf), Leedon Green (638 units, freehold, $2,968 psf), and Fourth Avenue Residences (476 units, 99-year lease from 2018, $2,465 psf). Against all three, The Princeton offers a meaningful PSF discount — 25–44% cheaper — backed by freehold tenure. The trade-off is scale: Hyll on Holland and Leedon Green offer resort-quality facilities, more unit variety, and significantly higher transaction liquidity. For investors requiring ease of exit, the larger developments are more sensible choices; for own-stay buyers who value quiet over amenity breadth, The Princeton’s character is genuinely different.
Against Skye at Holland (666 units, 99-year lease from 2024, $2,945 psf), the comparison crystallises the lease versus price trade-off. Skye at Holland offers a 99-year lease from 2024 and a large facility package, but at a 43% psf premium. A buyer choosing The Princeton over Skye is effectively paying ~$700 psf less for freehold tenure, superior school catchment, and a quieter address — while accepting a 26-year-old building and basic facilities. For long-term holding, freehold in D10 at $2,053 psf has historically been a sound thesis; for shorter holds, a fresher 99-year lease often re-sells more easily.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE PRINCETON | Freehold | 1999 | 37 | $2,125 |
| SKYE AT HOLLAND | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | 2025 | 666 | $2,946 |
| LEEDON GREEN | Freehold | 2021 | 638 | $2,785 |
| D'LEEDON | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2010 | 2014 | 1,703 | $1,858 |
| HYLL ON HOLLAND | Freehold | 2021 | 319 | $2,648 |
| FOURTH AVENUE RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 476 | $2,465 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates THE PRINCETON across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“Ewe Boon Road is one of the quietest streets you can find this close to Newton. The Princeton feels hidden even though you’re minutes from the MRT. That combination is hard to find in D10.”
— Resident review via PropertyGuru
“Kids walk to ACS Primary every morning. We haven’t used the car for school in two years. That alone justifies the premium over condos further from the school.”
— Resident review via 99.co
“Good location but facilities are basic. Pool is small and there’s not much else. If you want a resort-style condo this isn’t it — if you want a quiet freehold address in D10 without paying Ardmore prices, it works.”
— Resident review via EdgeProp
The pattern across review platforms is consistent: residents prize the location, the school proximity, and the quiet street character of Ewe Boon Road, while acknowledging that the development’s age and boutique scale mean facility expectations must be calibrated downward. The absence of family-scale complaints — no recurring noise issues, no significant management disputes in recent reviews — suggests a well-run MCST and a resident community that broadly shares similar lifestyle priorities.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — permanent land ownership in CCR District 10
- Dual-interchange MRT access: Newton (680m, NSL/DTL) and Stevens (830m, TEL/DTL)
- ACS Primary at 320m and SCGS Primary at 400m — rare dual-elite school catchment
- 100% profitability win rate across all recorded exits
- 22% PSF appreciation 2021–2025 ($1,697 → $2,074 psf)
- Quiet, private street character — Ewe Boon Road has no through traffic
- Boutique scale (37 units) means pool and gym are rarely crowded
- 25–44% PSF discount to Hyll on Holland, Leedon Green, and Skye at Holland
- Generous floor plates: 2BR ~861 sqft, 3BR ~1,087 sqft vs smaller new-build equivalents
- Established freehold address with stable en-bloc optionality (score 57/100)
- Basic facility package — pool and gym only, no resort amenities
- Building age: 26 years old (TOP 1999), renovation budget likely needed
- Very low liquidity: 2–3 transactions per year, harder to exit quickly
- Gross yield 2.22% — below average for investment returns
- Supermarket access requires 1.8km walk — car or transport needed for grocery runs
- Mall access is 1.26km (no walkable retail beyond convenience level)
- Boutique MCST means higher per-unit maintenance fees than larger developments
- Limited unit variety — primarily 2BR and 3BR configurations only
Verdict
The Princeton is a well-positioned freehold boutique in one of Singapore’s most enduringly desirable postal codes, available at a meaningful discount to the D10 midpoint. At approximately S$2,050–2,125 psf, it sits roughly 30% below Hyll on Holland and Leedon Green, and 40% below Skye at Holland — developments in the same district with different scale, age, and lease structure. For a buyer who places high value on freehold tenure, school catchment, and dual-interchange MRT proximity without the entry cost of D10’s marquee addresses, The Princeton makes a coherent case.
The development’s transaction track record reinforces this positioning. A 100% profitability win rate across all recorded exits, with median capital appreciation of 5.14% and a median hold period of just 2.8 years, suggests that buyers have consistently been able to exit at a gain. PSF growth from S$1,697 in 2021 to S$2,074 in 2025 — a 22% uplift over five years — has outpaced inflation and most fixed-income alternatives. Gross yield at 2.22% is typical for CCR freehold stock and should be viewed as an incidental income stream rather than a primary investment thesis.
The principal risk for long-term holders is the development’s age and relative illiquidity. At 37 units, the resale pool is limited, and transaction frequency averages only 2–3 deals per year. This is not a development where you can expect to sell quickly in a buyer’s market. Its en-bloc score of 57/100 reflects realistic but not compelling collective sale prospects: the site is large enough and well-located enough to attract developer interest, but the per-unit expectations in D10 make price agreement difficult to achieve. For own-stay buyers with a 7–10 year horizon, the illiquidity risk is manageable; for shorter-hold investors, it warrants careful consideration.