Former La Ville Condominium was sold to Developer ZACD Group Limited through a collective sale on 1 December 2021.
Developed by ZACD Group Limited, a Singapore-based Developer – Arina East Residences will be having its public preview soon. A development located in the highly sought after District 15 of Singapore. Is this development worth buying? Let’s analyze and review this together!
To start off, Arina East Residences is a Freehold Development, so there is no lease start date. In the long run, as other big boys like Grand Dunman, Tembusu Grand go through their lease decay, Arina East Residences will stand tall as something that is timeless. Yes, that’s a plus point, but what’s its Price Point?
Be it for Home-stay or what most Singaporeans like to call, “investment”, the entry point to a project is extremely important. You would want to make sure that you are not purchasing the biggest asset in your life at a ridiculous price compared to your surrounding neighbors in the area. That being said, Freehold usually has a 10-20% premium as compared to its leasehold counterparts.
For this post, I will be splitting this analysis into a few categories and review it after each round using:
- Size and Facilities
- Distance to nearest MRT, is it within 15 minutes?
- Distance to nearest Hawker Center, is it within 15 minutes?
- Distance to nearest Shopping Centre, is it within 15 minutes?
- Any Primary/ Secondary schools within 1KM of development?
- Price Per Squarefoot – Premium over its Freehold Neighbors
Category 1 – Size and Facilities of Arina East Residences
To begin, Arina East Residences will consist of 107 residential units, offering unit mix of 1 to 4 Bedroom types. It will be a fully facilitated development which ladies and gentlemen, includes a Tennis Court! As well as the other typical Condominium Facilities such as luxury pools, pavilions, gym etc. to suit your leisure and fitness needs.
Honestly, I was surprise to learn that Arina East Residences, a well located Freehold Development has full facilities. Normally, Freehold Developments are either not situated in a very convenient spot that’s further from the MRT, or a smaller development with lack of facilities, let alone having a Tennis Court in it. It’s a win win for me this round!
Verdict for Category 1: Pass.
Category 2 – Distance to the nearest MRT
The nearest MRT to Arina East Residences is Katong Park MRT Station. According to Google Maps, its a 500m distance which is about 7 minutes walk from the development to Katong Park MRT Station. Personally for Private Properties, the walk to nearest MRT Station should always be below 15 minutes for me to consider it as being decently located.
Verdict for Category 2: Pass.
Category 3 – Distance to the nearest Hawker Center
The nearest Hawker centre from Arina East Residences will be Jalan Batu Market & Food Centre. It’s a good 1KM away from the development and is estimated to be a 14 minutes walk according to Google Maps.
Verdict for Category 3: This was a close one, but within 15 minutes it is. Pass!
Category 4 – Distance to the nearest Shopping Centre
I’ve seen several sites stating that the nearest Shopping Centre – Leisure Park Kallang is 0.93KM, approximately a 12 minutes walk from Arina East Residences. However (and this is always the case), Google Maps stated that the walking distance is in fact 1.8KM, approximately a 24 minutes walk.
This could often be the case because Google Maps may recommend a longer route that avoids certain roads or areas, possibly due to pedestrian access restrictions or safety concerns, therefore the suggested routes might incorporate pedestrian paths that are not the most direct but are considered safer or more accessible. Google Maps may also adjust routes based on real-time data, such as traffic conditions or construction, leading to longer suggested paths.
I will take Google Map’s distance to generate the result for this category.
Verdict for Category 4: Fail.
Category 5 – Schools within 1KM of Development
For this category, I will be using Elite.com.sg as always.
According to Elite.com.sg, it seems there’s no schools within 1KM of Arina East Residences. However upon further research and confirmation using Google Maps, Dunman High School is a mere 400m, just 6 minutes walk from the development.
For additional information, here are some other schools that are located within 2KM of Arina East Residences:
Chung Cheng High School – 1.6KM, approximately 22 minutes walk
Broadrick Secondary School – 1.7KM. approximately 23 minutes walk
which would bring about more convenience if you are travelling by car, unless you enjoy some morning exercises.
Verdict for Category 5: Pass!
Category 6 – Price per Squarefoot
For this category, we will be looking at Arina East Residence’s PSF in comparison to the recent New Launches, as well as its Freehold Resale neighbors in the area.
According to EdgeProp, ZACD Group is set to preview Arina East Residences at prices starting from 3,000 PSF (Source: https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/zacd-group-preview-freehold-arina-east-residences-prices-3000-psf) That will amount to around $1.485 mil starting from a 1 Bedroom – 495 Sqft. A similar price range to Meyer Blue when it previewed last year.
As all may know, the starting from prices are usually for units with lower floors or facings that are not the best. To be safe in selecting a better unit, let’s take $3,250 PSF for this comparison!
I will take Meyer Blue for this comparison. Meyer Blue is a fully facilitated, freehold Development housing 226 units. This development was launched last year October and is similarly located in District 15.
The average PSF taken from Meyer Blue’s transactions over the last 6 months is $3,162. If we take Arina East Residence’s estimated PSF of $3,250, that will amount to a 2.78% premium over Meyer Blue.
What are your thoughts on these? Taking into account both developments are Freehold luxury properties, we definitely have to look into more details of these projects for a better comparison! Let’s leave this to next week’s episode: “Property Showdown on Little Big Red Dot: Meyer Blue Vs. Arina East Residences“. Stay tuned! (:
Next, let’s have a look at Arina East Residence’s Resale comparison.
Let’s use The Line @ Tanjong Rhu for this comparison. The Line @ Tanjong Rhu is a freehold, fully facilitated development housing 130 residential units. It was completed in 2016 and just a 300m away from Arina East Residences. However, despite being fully facilitated with similar amount of units as Arina East Residences, this development does not have a Tennis Court.
There wasn’t much transactions at The Line @ Tanjong Rhu over the past year. Based on most recent past 6 months, these was only one transaction during December 2024 with the PSF of $2,295.
For a fair and reasonable comparison, let’s use $50 PSF for every year that’s older than Arina East Residences. That will be $50 x 9, amounting to $450 and totaling up to $2,745 PSF. This would calculate to Arina East Residences having a premium of 18.39% over The Line @ Tanjung Rhu.
Instead of a verdict for this category. Maybe we can have a thought on this to end today’s topic – Arina East Residences will be entering the market with a modern offering and full suite of condo facilities, but its estimated 18% price premium over The Line @ Tanjong Rhu – a relatively new freehold development just 300 metres away raises valid questions.
While Arina East appeals with brand-new fittings, potential for better common facilities, and proximity to the upcoming Katong Park MRT, buyers must also weigh the smaller unit sizes and whether the premium reflects real long-term value or simply developer pricing strategies in today’s market.
Ultimately, it’s not just about what you’re paying—but what you’re getting in return. For some of you, the freshness and launch momentum may be worth it. While for others, resale options like The Line @ Tanjong Rhu could represent better value without sacrificing location or tenure.
So in conclusion, what matters more to you? – Newness and perceived potential, or space and value in a still-modern development? (:
Love,
Lin Xuan
Disclaimer: I am in the Real Estate Field under the company ERA. The above are my sincere and friendly analysis. If you are looking to move into the next phase of life and is looking to upgrade or downsize your home to cash out – but is in a dilemma on what is the best option, I’m always available on WhatsApp at +65 8222 2556 to have a good chat! You may reach out to me for all Official Project Details such as Floor Plans, e-Brochures & Factsheets as well.
Wishing you a great week!
