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MacPherson Spring is a HDB BTO project launched in February 2015, and located in the mature estate Geylang. While officially in Geylang, the BTO project is actually on Circuit Road in the MacPherson area to the northeast of Geylang proper, and next door to Ubi.
Having received its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) in 2019, the first batch of MacPherson Spring owners fulfilled their five-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) in 2024,with some choosing to sell their flats on the resale market.
Want to live on the city fringe? Then MacPherson Spring might on your radar. Let’s see if a resale flat at this MacPherson BTO project is worth considering.
| MacPherson Spring | Details |
|---|---|
| MOP Date | June 2024 |
| Location | 82A Circuit Road Singapore 371082 |
| Category | Mature estate |
| Launch Price | Studio Apartment – from $114,000, 3-room – from $275,000, 4-room – from $403,000 |
| Current Price | 3-room – $728,000, 4-room – to $930,000 to $1,100,000 |
| Total units | 750 |
| Freehold/ Lease | 99-year leasehold |
| Amenities | Children’s playground, fitness station, multi-storey carpark |
| MRT | MacPherson MRT Station |
| Bus service | 40, 61, 63, 65, 135, 154, 155, 158 |
*Information from 99.co, PropertyGuru, and other property listing websites is accurate as of time of writing.
Artist’s impression of MacPherson Spring
MacPherson Spring Price
At the February 2015 launch, the MacPherson Spring price list was as follows: from $114,000 for Studio Apartments targeted at elderly buyers, from $275,000 for 3-room flats and from $403,000 for 4-room flats. These were considered fairly high BTO prices at the time, since Geylang is a mature estate on the city fringe.
Today, MacPherson Spring for-sale 4-room flats are being advertised for $930,000 to $1,100,000 on PropertyGuru, while the going rate for 3-room flats is currently $728,000. As you can see, resale prices are more than double the original BTO launch prices. In fact, in June 2024, a MacPherson Spring transaction set a new record as the first million dollar 4-room resale flat in Geylang when it was sold for $1,006,888.
This is unsurprising, given the city fringe location and mature estate status of Geylang. What’s more, MacPherson HDB flats tend to be older, so MacPherson Spring stands out as a new project in an area dominated by much older flats.
At MacPherson Residency, another HDB project on Circuit Road, 4-room flats are currently being listed on PropertyGuru for $868,000 to $1,025,000, which is slightly below but comparable to what MacPherson Spring owners are asking for. This project received its TOP in 2015, and is thus four years older than MacPherson Spring. It is a six-minute walk from MacPherson MRT station.
City fringe properties tend to be a safe bet for investors, and MacPherson Spring’s proximity to the nearest MRT station has the potential to boost demand for its units. Furthermore, its five-year MOP might also be a selling point in future, since other flats in the area are likely to come with 10-year MOPs under the HDB’s new classification system.
MacPherson Spring Site Plan
MacPherson Spring Site Plan
You can find the MacPherson Spring site plan here. On the site plan, you can see how the residential blocks are laid out in the neighbourhood, as well as the shared amenities, which include a children’s playground, fitness stations and multi-storey carpark.
MacPherson Spring Location
MacPherson Spring Location
MacPherson Spring is located on Circuit Road, a six-minute walk from MacPherson MRT station, which is an interchange for the Downtown and Circle Lines. It is also a 13-minute walk from Mattar MRT station on the Downtown Line and a 15-minute walk from Paya Lebar MRT station on the East West and Circle Lines. Residents can get to the CBD via an MRT ride of about 15 minutes.
Another of the great things about mature estates is now amenity-rich they are. The BTO project is located within walking distance of a high number of useful amenities, including shopping malls Paya Lebar Square, PLQ Mall, which houses a cinema, and SingPost Centre, as well as Circuit Road Hawker Centre, Circuit Road Market and Food Centre, Geylang East Swimming Complex and Geylang East Public Library.
There are also numerous schools located nearby, including MacPherson Secondary School, Canossa Catholic Primary School, MacPherson Primary School and Geylang Methodist Primary and Secondary Schools, all of which are located within 1 km.
On the ground floor of MacPherson Spring.
Overall, I would say that, while MacPherson doesn’t sound like the hippest neighbourhood, it offers very quick transport connections to the city centre, as well as a great selection of eateries, malls, recreational amenities and schools within walking distance. This will definitely titillate those who work in the city centre or just like the convenience of being located centrally.
It should be noted, however, that nearby Merpati Road is being realigned to make way for new residential developments. It is slated to be completed by December 2026, but that will also mean construction in the near-term, as well as development and construction of new homes in the coming years. It remains to be seen whether this future supply of flats will end up negatively affecting investors’ capital gains.
According to fengshui masters, MacPherson Spring’s location is good for those who wish to enjoy high status and reputation or take on leadership positions. Installing water features can boost the luck that the location brings.
MacPherson Spring Floor Plan
MacPherson Spring Floor Plan
You can find the MacPherson Spring floor plan here. MacPherson Spring is composed of Studio Apartments mainly for the elderly, 3-room flats and 4-room flats.
HDB Studio Apartment Floor Plan
The Studio Apartments measure 38 sqm or 47 sqm. Both have fairly efficient layouts with little wasted space, as well as a compact bedroom area that can be separated from the living/dining area with a sliding door.
3-Room Floor Plan
The 3-room flats measure 68 sqm, inclusive of air con ledge. As is typical with 3-room flats, the two bedrooms are positioned side by side, followed by the living/dining area. My beef with this layout is that, due to the position of the household shelter in the middle of the flat, the living/dining area is quite cramped and small. It is also not possible to have an open plan kitchen.
4-Room Floor Plan
The 4-room flats measure 93 sqm, inclusive of air con ledge. I can’t really find much that differentiates this layout from the typical 4-room flat layout that most of us know. You have your three bedrooms lined up in a row, and an L-shaped living/dining area. Owners can opt to remove the partition wall separating the kitchen from the living/dining area to open up the space visually.
MacPherson Spring Rent Price
There are currently no MacPherson Spring units up for rent on portals like PropertyGuru or 99.co.
But elsewhere on Circuit Road, 3-room flats are being advertised for rent on 99.co for $2,800 to $3,330 a month. These flats are all older units located a four- to seven-minute walk from Mattar MRT station.
This looks like a decent rental yield when mapped against MacPherson Spring’s current resale prices, but is not that great considering that 3-room flats generally command higher rental yields than 4-room flats.
Overall, it looks like rent activity in the are isn’t strong. This could be because MacPherson is an area that is mainly populated by older people. I would thus avoid buying a MacPherson Spring flat if your main goal is to make money from renting it out.
View from atop of MacPherson Spring.
MacPherson Spring Review
Although MacPherson isn’t the most glamorous neighbourhood, the fact remains that it is in a convenient city fringe location. MacPherson Spring is within walking distance of a good range of amenities, including hawker centres, shopping malls, the swimming pool and the local library. It also enables residents to get from their doorstep to the CBD in about 20 minutes.
If you want the convenience of living on the city fringe, this is a decent choice, although you obviously need the budget for a central location.
As an investment, MacPherson Spring has the advantage of being on the city fringe, which tends to fuel strong demand, and also comes with a five-year MOP when future flats will get slapped with 10-year MOPs. But the area is being redeveloped to accommodate a supply of new homes, which might affect future demand. There also doesn’t seem to be so much rent activity in the area, so I personally wouldn’t buy a MacPherson Spring flat with the main goal of renting it out.