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A central area flat is a dream for many, but not all of us have a shot at Prime Location Housing (PLH). At the same time, resale flats in these areas are notoriously expensive; enough to even get a small condo at times. But if you’re dead set on owning one anyway, we looked around for the lowest spotted transactions in the central area – and these are some of the cheapest ones to date. At the very least, it could provide you with a place to start looking:

Cheapest central area 3-room HDB flats (under $450,000)

8, 9, and 10 Selegie Road are all in the HDB development known as Selegie House (we’ve a buyer story on this exact place!). While this is a very old development (it was completed in 1974), it’s one of the only resale flat options near Rochor where transactions can be $380,000 or under. 

These are the flats right next to LaSalle College of the Arts, and close to Sim Lim Square. From here, the Rochor MRT station (DTL) is within walking distance. Amenities are excellent in this location, as besides the nearby eateries, you’re a stone’s throw from the Bugis/Beach Road area, as well as Little India. It’s also a good spot for children who are inclined toward the arts, as SOTA and NAFA are also in the same general area. 

The problem is going to be lease decay, and we’d expect that some of the flats here will require more in the way of renovations. However, a recent boon to the area is the potential future redevelopment of Peace Centre, which will do away with a lot of the KTVs and seedy elements.

28, 29, and 30 Kelantan Road is Kelantan Court, which also appears repeatedly. This is not too far from Selegie House, but more toward the side of Jalan Besar. In fact, the Jalan Besar MRT (DTL) is just a bit down the road from here. 

Jalan Besar is not to everyone’s taste. If you like a certain old-school vibe – lots of small eclectic businesses, like eateries next to motorcycle parts shops – you may like this area. This is pretty much what Tiong Bahru used to look like, pre-gentrification. 

The flats here are also older, dating back to 1977, so you have to be okay with lease decay. 

As an aside, Kelantan Court and Selegie House invite quite a bit of speculation over the prospect of SERS. This is because they’re so close to the Ophir-Rochor corridor, that it’s not impossible the government may want to give this area a facelift. As always though, we recommend against gambling on things like this. 

Cheapest central area 4-room HDB flats (under $600,000)

53 Chin Swee Road appears quite regularly, at $530,000 or below. Although it’s old (1974), we can see this attracting a lot of attention due to its proximity to Chinatown. The Chinatown MRT station (DTL, NEL) is within walking distance, and with that come the amenities of Chinatown Point, People’s Park Complex, and more mala restaurants than you can ever need.

For families who absolutely need to be within the CBD, and are on a budget, this may be your best bet. It will never be the quietest area or have the best views, and the nearby developments like Manhattan House frankly look messy (at least on the ground floor); but this is the tradeoff for an affordable Chinatown area flat. 

Tekka Market (the Buffalo Road flats) is famous for its external elevators; quite a few of us may have gone there just to have fun with the lifts. That said, this location is going to be a love-it or hate-it situation. If you think it’s incredibly interesting and convenient to live above Tekka Market, then you’ll be happy to learn it can be $550,000 or less; and it is right next to Little India station (NEL, DTL) to boot. 

You also have all the amenities of Little India at your doorstep, including the famous 24-hour Mustafa Centre. Bugis is also within easy reach, so there’s no shortage of entertainment and shopping (and some of Singapore’s best Indian cuisine, naturally). 

On the flip side, if you’re the sort who likes greenery and silence, we can’t imagine a worse headache for you than living here, where crowds and traffic are near constant.

Cheapest central area 5-room HDB flats (under $800,000)

There’s only one option here it seems, and it’s surprisingly new (as compared to others in this article at least). This Klang Lane block was completed in 2002, and is in the heart of Little India; just a short distance away from Mustafa Centre, and the Farrer Park MRT (NEL). Jalan Besar MRT is also a walkable distance, if you need the DTL instead.

Note that City Square Mall is also next to Farrer Park, so there’s no shortage of food, shopping, and entertainment in the vicinity (plus there is a $50 million make over underway). Another highlight here is the proximity of St. Margaret’s Primary, as well as Stamford Primary and Farrer Park Primary.

This is one of the noisier locations though, so you’d probably want to aim for a higher floor unit. There’s also a place of worship nearby, and KK Women and Children’s Hospital is within the vicinity. Some homeowners may consider these drawbacks, but frankly, this area is already quite crowded; we don’t think they add substantially to what’s already there.

A bigger issue might be the proximity of Desker Road and Rowell Road. These are red light areas, and whilst they’ve dwindled to almost nothing by this point (maybe an alley or two), some homebuyers still dislike the proximity. 

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