Three transactions in twelve months does not sound like news — until you notice how tightly they cluster. The caveats at 21 SHELFORD printed at S$2,022 to S$2,107 psf, an unusually narrow band that averages S$2,065 (as of 2026-05). In a boutique building, that kind of pricing consistency is worth more than a headline gain: it means buyer and seller expectations have converged, and a purchaser today knows roughly what the market believes a unit here is worth.
The setting explains the confidence. This 43-unit development on Shelford Road sits in the Bukit Timah fringe of District 11, about 0.62km from Tan Kah Kee station and 0.64km from the Botanic Gardens interchange, ringed by National Junior College, the German European School and Chatsworth International — all within 0.7km. Recorded prices run S$1.8 million to S$2.2 million for the two- and three-bedders in the caveat record, with rents from S$3,950 to S$6,200 monthly averaging S$4,850.
What a buyer must weigh is the other side of boutique life: nine lifetime rental contracts in our database, a 2.98% computed gross yield, and a resale market that — even in its busiest recent year — cleared three units. Small, steady and slow is the whole character of this address.
Shelford Road belongs to the leafy western edge of District 11's Newton–Bukit Timah belt, Core Central Region territory priced by schools and greenery rather than skyline. The comparables run substantially richer: freehold PULLMAN RESIDENCES NEWTON averages S$3,074 psf, WATTEN HOUSE S$3,236 psf with a S$5.74 million average price, and PEAK RESIDENCE S$2,489 psf, while older AMARYLLIS VILLE trades at S$1,909 psf (as of 2026-05). At S$2,065 psf, 21 SHELFORD slots into the affordable half of that spectrum — 72.9th percentile on our district pricing model — with a ShiokNest composite of 51 built on steady fundamentals rather than any single standout metric.
Overview & Key Facts
21 SHELFORD is a condominium at SHELFORD ROAD in District 11 (CCR), developed by , comprising 43 units.
Location & Connectivity
21 SHELFORD is approximately 620m from Tan Kah Kee MRT station, with 4 stations within 1.5 km.
| Station | Line | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Tan Kah Kee | Downtown Line | 620m |
| Botanic Gardens | Circle Line | 640m |
| Botanic Gardens | Downtown Line | 640m |
| Farrer Road | Circle Line | 1.2 km |
Schools & Education
10 schools within 2 km (4 within 1 km priority zone).
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| National Junior College | Secondary | 640m |
| National Junior College | Jc | 640m |
| German European School Singapore | International | 650m |
| Chatsworth International School (Bukit Timah) | International | 700m |
| SJI International School | International | 1.1 km |
| Raffles Girls' Primary School | Primary | 1.1 km |
| Hollandse School | International | 1.1 km |
| Lycee Francais de Singapour | International | 1.4 km |
Unit Mix & Pricing
| Type | Sales | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 BR | 2 | $2,043 psf | $1,825,000 |
| 3 BR | 1 | $2,107 psf | $2,200,000 |
Market Position
21 SHELFORD has recorded 3 sales at an average price of $1,950,000.
Ranks in the top 27% of condos in District 11 by average PSF.
Price Appreciation
| Year | Sales | Avg PSF | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | $2,065 psf | — |
| 2026 | 2 | $2,065 psf | ↑ 0.0% |
Loading chart data...
Neighbourhood Comparison
| Condo | Tenure | Avg PSF | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| PULLMAN RESIDENCES NEWTON | Freehold | $3,074 psf | 288 |
| WATTEN HOUSE | Freehold | $3,236 psf | 180 |
| SOLEIL @ SINARAN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2006 | $1,975 psf | 95 |
| PEAK RESIDENCE | Freehold | $2,489 psf | 90 |
| AMARYLLIS VILLE | 99 yrs lease commencing from 1997 | $1,909 psf | 74 |
What Could Work Against You
- With just 3 sales in the trailing year, pricing signals are indicative rather than definitive; expect wider bid-ask spreads when you negotiate.
- The 43-unit size cuts both ways: exclusivity, but thinner resale liquidity and higher per-unit maintenance contributions than larger estates.
Best suited for
Who This Actually Suits
Buyers most likely to be happy here: international school families, long-term hold (10+ yr), freehold / generational hold and boutique low-density (<100 units). Reasonable access to one or more international school clusters via car or school bus.
For car-owning households and foreign / absd-aware buyers, it can work — but weigh the trade-offs before committing.
yield-focused investors should probably look elsewhere. CCR (Core Central Region) location with rental demand profile worth running through our Rental Yield Calculator.
One caution flagged here: avoid if mrt-dependent — MRT access is meaningfully constrained — transit-dependent buyers should consider better-connected alternatives.
Pricing clarity is the first strength, and it is rarer than it sounds. The three caveats in the twelve months to 2026-05 — one in 2025 at S$2,064 psf, two in 2026 averaging S$2,065 psf — sit within an S$85 psf band. Boutique buildings usually trade so infrequently that each sale is a negotiation into the void; here, a buyer arrives with a current, consistent benchmark. The recorded mix is practical too: two-bedders averaging S$1.83 million and a three-bedder at S$2.2 million, quantum levels well below what the surrounding freehold launches demand.
The school geography is the second. National Junior College sits about 0.64km away, the German European School 0.65km, Chatsworth International's Bukit Timah campus 0.7km, SJI International 1.06km and Raffles Girls' Primary School 1.1km — a concentration of elite local and international options that defines this stretch of Bukit Timah. For expatriate families in particular, the combination of a S$4,850 average rent (as of 2026-05) and three international schools within a kilometre is exactly the brief.
Connectivity and daily life hold up better than the persona flags suggest. Tan Kah Kee (DT8) at 0.62km and the Botanic Gardens Circle–Downtown interchange at 0.64km give two-line access; a hawker centre measured at 416m and a clinic at 131m in our walkability data cover the basics, though the score of 55 reflects the absence of malls and supermarkets nearby. Compare realistic door-to-door times on our commute time comparison map, and benchmark the S$2,065 psf entry against the wider district on the island-wide price heat map — the gap to Watten House's S$3,236 psf is the visual that matters.
The yield is the honest weak point. Our investment scorecard computes rental yield at around 2.5% on its own measure, with the building-level gross yield at 2.98% (as of 2026-05) — either way, income barely covers the cost of capital in most rate environments, and the persona data flags yield-focused investors red. Nine lifetime rental contracts is also a shallow evidence base: the S$4,850 average is plausible for the location, but a landlord here is pricing against scarce data in both directions.
Tenure is unverified. The dataset's tenure field is empty, the en-bloc scorecard lists lease remaining as unknown, and yet the persona data attaches a freehold generational-hold profile. That contradiction is resolvable only at the title search — and it changes the valuation materially, so resolve it before making any offer, not after. The moderate en-bloc score of 44 similarly offers no redevelopment thesis to fall back on.
Then there is boutique liquidity. Three caveats in a year is this building's ceiling, not its floor — our scorecard's longer-run measure reads one transaction annually. Combined with the 0.62km walk to the MRT that our screening flags as marginal for strictly transit-dependent households, the realistic buyer pool narrows to families and professionals who drive or tolerate the stroll. Foreign and PR purchasers at the S$2.0 million average quantum should compute additional buyer's stamp duty through our stamp duty calculator before viewing; at these price points ABSD reshapes the deal.
- ✅ International school families
- ✅ Long-term hold (10+ yr)
- ✅ Freehold / generational hold
- ✅ Boutique low-density (<100 units)
- ⚠️ Car-owning households
- ❌ Yield-focused investors
21 SHELFORD is the measured choice on its street: neither the cheapest door into Bukit Timah nor the prestige buy, but a 43-unit address with current, tightly clustered pricing at S$2,065 psf (as of 2026-05) and an enviable school ring. For an owner-occupier family — local or expatriate — who will actually use National Junior College, the German European School or Chatsworth, the location earns the quantum, and the S$1.8–2.2 million recorded range keeps the entry manageable by District 11 standards.
Hold it the way its data suggests: ten years or more, as a home first, with the tenure question resolved at the title search before signing anything. Investors should apply the red flag literally — sub-3% yield on nine leases is not a portfolio asset. The sharpest due-diligence move is comparative: put it beside PEAK RESIDENCE and AMARYLLIS VILLE in our side-by-side comparison tool and decide whether the Shelford pricing band or a freehold badge matters more to your ten-year plan.
The sensible closing move is a financing stress-test. At an average of about $2,065 psf (as of 2026-05), entry pricing sits at a level where a small rate move changes the monthly picture materially; the mortgage calculator shows what the repayment looks like across rate scenarios before you negotiate. A 2.98% gross yield (as of 2026-05) will not cover aggressive leverage, so treat this as a residence-first, yield-second holding. Three caveats in the trailing year is actually respectable for a 43-unit boutique block, but it still means valuations lean on a handful of data points — commission a formal valuation rather than anchoring to the last headline transaction. For District 11 buyers who prize the Shelford enclave's low-rise character over transactional convenience, that trade has always been the deal on offer here.
FAQ
What is the average PSF for 21 SHELFORD?
Is 21 SHELFORD freehold?
What is the rental yield for 21 SHELFORD?
Which MRT is nearest to 21 SHELFORD?
Sources & Next Steps
- 21 SHELFORD Dashboard — Live charts and analytics
- URA REALIS — Official transaction data
- District 11 (Watten Estate, Novena, Thomson) — District 11 neighbourhood guide
Methodology & Sources
This analysis covers All available years and refreshes as new data becomes available.
Transaction data sourced from URA REALIS.
- Sales data: 3 transactions
- Rental data: 9 leases
- Source: URA REALIS
Median values used to minimise outlier impact. PSF = price per square foot.
Latest recorded data point: May 2026 · 3 records analysed · Source: URA private-sale caveats
Price Index Check
The ShiokNest Price Index for District 11 reads 121.2 as of June 2026 — up 1.7% year-on-year. The index tracks repeat-sales price movement, so it is less distorted by shifts in what happens to be transacting than a raw average PSF.
Loading chart data...
Rental Yield by Bedroom Type
Blended yield hides the spread between unit sizes — smaller units at 21 SHELFORD typically rent harder per dollar of purchase price:
| Type | Avg Rent | Avg Price | Gross Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 BR | $4,063/mo | $1,825,000 | 2.67% |
| 3 BR | $5,480/mo | $2,200,000 | 2.99% |
Loading chart data...
HDB Alternatives Nearby
Weighing 21 SHELFORD against staying public? These HDB towns sit within walking or short-drive distance:
- Bukit Timah — 4-room average $846,049 (510m away), an upgrader gap of about $1,100,000