Tampines Central 5-room HDB resale flat sets new estate record at nearly S$1.07M

SINGAPORE: A five-room Housing and Development Board (HDB) resale flat in Tampines has been sold for almost S$1.07 million in September 2025, setting a new record for the estate. According to HDB’s resale transaction records, the flat is part of the Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) project Centrale 8, located at Block 519D Tampines Central 8. The unit, spanning 1,162 square feet, is situated between the 13th and 15th storeys. It surpassed the previous estate record of S$1.05 million, also set in September 2025, for another five-room flat in the same block located between the seventh and ninth storeys. Both units were launched in 2014, leaving each with a remaining lease of about 87 years and nine months.

Strong demand and premium appeal

Property portal 99.co noted that the transaction signals “strong and sustained local demand for larger units in the East regional centre.” Buyers are increasingly paying premiums for space, connectivity, and town-centre living. Centrale 8 flats benefit from Tampines’ established amenities. The block is about a seven-minute walk to Tampines MRT station, which serves both the East-West Line and the Downtown Line, as well as the Tampines bus interchange. Residents also enjoy proximity to malls such as Tampines Mall, Tampines 1, and Century Square. Several primary schools are within 1km, including Angsana Primary, Junyuan Primary, and St Hilda’s Primary. In Tampines, larger flats are often executive maisonettes or multi-generational (multi-gen) units. Executive maisonettes are duplex-style units with internal staircases, while multi-gen flats are designed to house extended families with flexible layouts. Standard five-room flats like those in Centrale 8 are comparatively smaller, yet their DBSS design and prime location have allowed them to break the million-dollar mark. Analysts suggest this milestone underscores the continued appeal of DBSS flats, which offer private-style layouts within public housing.

Other million-dollar transactions

The record transactions highlight a trend of rising demand for resale flats in mature estates, particularly those that offer modern designs and central accessibility. In early September, a five-room HDB resale flat in the Kallang/Whampoa estate set a new record with a transaction of S$1.54 million. According to EdgeProp, another five-room flat at 1G Cantonment Road was sold for S$1.6 million in August 2025, setting a record for the Central Area. In July 2025, a four-room flat at Clementi Avenue 3 sold for S$1.28 million, a record in that estate. June 2025 also saw a five-room resale flat at Dawson Road in Queenstown fetch nearly S$1.659 million. Despite these figures, the most expensive resale flat on record remains a S$1.73 million unit at SkyOasis @ Dawson, sold in June 2024.

2024 saw record HDB resale activity and price growth

According to HDB data released on 24 January 2025, resale flat prices rose by 9.7 per cent in 2024, following gains of 4.9 per cent in 2023 and 10.4 per cent in 2022. However, transaction volume fell by 21.1 per cent in the last quarter of 2024, though the full-year total reached 28,986 units. A record 1,035 resale flats crossed the million-dollar mark in 2024. At the 5 March 2025 budget debate, then-Minister for National Development Desmond Lee warned that such headline-grabbing prices could distort market expectations. Lee stressed that these premium-priced flats accounted for just 0.5 per cent of transactions for four-room or smaller units over the past two years. He noted they were typically located in central areas, on high floors, and close to amenities.