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District 21: newer 99-year homes had a higher median price per square foot than freehold

In the 12 months to September 2026, 99-year homes with leases from 2015 sold at a median of $2,020 per square foot in District 21, and freehold or 999-year homes at $1,801. Freehold sold for more per square foot against 99-year homes with leases from before 2000, and it costs more in total because the homes are larger.

Published
5 Oct 2026
Last updated
6 Oct 2026
Last fact-checked
6 Oct 2026
Data period
Oct 2025 – Sept 2026
Reading time
7 min

Filed underDistrict 21Condo resalePrices and transactions

In District 21, do freehold homes sell for more per square foot than 99-year ones?

It depends on which 99-year homes. Against newer ones, no: 99-year homes with leases from 2015 had a median of $2,020 per square foot (69 resales) and freehold or 999-year homes $1,801 (267). At 800 to 1,199 sq ft the newer 99-year homes were still 17% higher. Against 99-year homes with leases before 2000, yes: at 1,200 to 1,599 sq ft, freehold homes in developments with no recent developer sales sold for 19% more. By total price freehold is the dearer group, a median of $2.28M against $1.50M, because the homes are larger: 1,249 sq ft against 743.

Key takeaways

  • Headline medians for the 12 months to September 2026: $2,020 per square foot for 99-year homes with leases from 2015 (69 resales), $1,801 for freehold or 999-year homes (267) and $1,433 for 99-year homes with leases before 2000 (47).
  • The groups differ in size: a median of 743 sq ft for the 99-year homes with leases from 2015 and 1,249 sq ft for freehold and 999-year homes. By median price, freehold is higher: $2.28M against $1.50M.
  • Within size bands the result is mixed. At 500 to 799 sq ft the two were about level; at 800 to 1,199 sq ft the 99-year homes with leases from 2015 were 17% higher.
  • Against 99-year homes with leases before 2000, freehold sold for 19% more per square foot at 1,200 to 1,599 sq ft, where the 99-year resales came from nine developments. The rows for other sizes rest mostly on one or two developments.
  • Two freehold or 999-year developments with developer sales in the past five years had medians 3% to 16% above 99-year homes with leases from 2015 in the same size band. That is an indication from few sales, not a measurement.

Data snapshot

CalculatedEvery figure here is worked out on this site from the source below.

Median price per sq ft: 99-year, lease from 2015
$2,020
69 resales in 5 developments; median 743 sq ft
Median price per sq ft: freehold or 999-year
$1,801
267 resales in 40 developments; median 1,249 sq ft
Median price per sq ft: 99-year, lease before 2000
$1,433
47 resales in 10 developments; median 1,292 sq ft
Newer 99-year above freehold, 800 to 1,199 sq ft
17%
$2,144 (19 resales) against $1,835 (91)
Freehold above pre-2000 99-year, 1,200 to 1,599 sq ft
19%
$1,756 (93 resales) against $1,471 (17)
Median price: freehold or 999-year
$2.28M
Against $1.50M for 99-year homes with leases from 2015

Source: URA Data Service: private residential property transactions (Urban Redevelopment Authority), Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Extracted 5 Oct 2026.

District 21 resale prices per square foot by tenure and lease era

Middle half of resale prices per square foot (25th percentile, median, 75th percentile) · $ per sq ft · Oct 2025 – Sep 2026

  • 25th percentile to 75th percentile
  • Median
Freehold / 999-year$1,801 per sq ft

$1,676 to $2,159 per sq ft

99-year, before 2000$1,433 per sq ft

$1,106 to $1,566 per sq ft

99-year, 2000 to 2014$1,482 per sq ft

$1,448 to $1,529 per sq ft

99-year, from 2015$2,020 per sq ft

$1,949 to $2,121 per sq ft

60-year$1,486 per sq ft

$1,456 to $1,507 per sq ft

The scale starts at $1,000 per sq ft, not zero, so the bands show position, not size.

Middle half of resale prices per square foot in District 21 in the 12 months to September 2026, by tenure and lease era. freehold / 999-year: $1,676 to $2,159, median $1,801, from 267 resales; 99-year, before 2000: $1,106 to $1,566, median $1,433, from 47 resales; 99-year, 2000 to 2014: $1,448 to $1,529, median $1,482, from 8 resales; 99-year, from 2015: $1,949 to $2,121, median $2,020, from 69 resales; 60-year: $1,456 to $1,507, median $1,486, from 13 resales.

Source: URA Data Service: private residential property transactions (Urban Redevelopment Authority), Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Extracted 5 Oct 2026.

Price divided by strata floor area. Single-unit resales. Calculated from URA's caveat records.

Show the data as a table
District 21 resale prices per square foot by tenure and lease era: data table
Tenure and lease era25th percentileMedian75th percentile
Freehold / 999-year$1,676 per sq ft$1,801 per sq ft$2,159 per sq ft
99-year, before 2000$1,106 per sq ft$1,433 per sq ft$1,566 per sq ft
99-year, 2000 to 2014$1,448 per sq ft$1,482 per sq ft$1,529 per sq ft
99-year, from 2015$1,949 per sq ft$2,020 per sq ft$2,121 per sq ft
60-year$1,456 per sq ft$1,486 per sq ft$1,507 per sq ft

Evidence

What the data shows

This analysis sits beside the District 21 property market page, which has the full tables for the district.

The headline: 99-year above freehold

In the 12 months to September 2026, URA recorded 404 resales of private apartments and condominiums in District 21. Two thirds of them, 267, were freehold or 999-year homes, and their median price per square foot was $1,801. The 69 resales in 99-year developments with leases from 2015 had a median of $2,020. Those 69 came from five developments with leases from 2017 to 2019, and 49 of them from two, Daintree Residence and Verdale.

District 21 resales: the headline comparison
GroupResalesMedian price per sq ftMedian sizeMedian price
99-year, lease from 201569 (5)$2,020743 sq ft$1.50M
Freehold or 999-year267 (40)$1,8011,249 sq ft$2.28M
99-year, lease before 200047 (10)$1,4331,292 sq ft$1.85M

Source: URA Data Service: private residential property transactions (Urban Redevelopment Authority), Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Extracted 5 Oct 2026.

Number of developments in brackets. Calculated from URA's caveat records.

On these figures the median for 99-year homes with leases from 2015 was $219 per square foot higher than the median for freehold and 999-year homes. The table also shows how different the two groups are. The 99-year homes have a median size of 743 sq ft and the freehold homes 1,249 sq ft. By total price the freehold homes are the dearer group, a median of $2.28M against $1.50M.

Within the same size band

Freehold against newer 99-year homes in the same size band
Size (sq ft)Freehold or 999-year99-year, lease from 201599-year compared with freehold
500 to 799$2,042 (29)$1,997 (46)2% lower
800 to 1,199$1,835 (91)$2,144 (19)17% higher
1,200 to 1,599$1,756 (93)Low sample (3)–

Source: URA Data Service: private residential property transactions (Urban Redevelopment Authority), Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Extracted 5 Oct 2026.

Median resale price per square foot, number of resales in brackets. The freehold resales came from nine, 26 and 27 developments in the three rows, and the 99-year resales from five, four and two. Calculated.

Within size bands the result is mixed. At 500 to 799 sq ft the two groups were about level, with the 99-year homes 2% lower. At 800 to 1,199 sq ft the 99-year homes with leases from 2015 were 17% higher, $2,144 against $1,835. Above that size there were too few resales of the newer 99-year homes to compare.

Both rows lean on one development. Twelve of the 29 freehold resales at 500 to 799 sq ft were in Forett@Bukit Timah; without it the freehold median was $1,904, from 17 resales, and the 99-year homes were 5% higher. Eight of the 19 newer 99-year resales at 800 to 1,199 sq ft were in Mayfair Modern.

Against 99-year homes with leases before 2000

The picture is different against 99-year developments with leases before 2000. The ten with a resale in the 12 months have leases that began between 1976 and 1999. The records give no age for a freehold development, so the freehold side here is limited to developments in which the developer made no sale from September 2021. Thirty-nine of them had a resale in the 12 months.

Freehold against 99-year homes with leases before 2000, same size band
Size (sq ft)Freehold or 999-year99-year, lease before 2000Freehold higher by
800 to 1,199$1,800 (84)$1,501 (19)20%
1,200 to 1,599$1,756 (93)$1,471 (17)19%
1,600 and over$1,676 (49)$1,080 (11)55%

Source: URA Data Service: private residential property transactions (Urban Redevelopment Authority), Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Extracted 5 Oct 2026.

Median resale price per square foot, number of resales in brackets. The freehold column is limited to freehold or 999-year developments in which the developer made no sale from September 2021; 39 of them had a resale in the 12 months. The 99-year resales came from five, nine and three developments in the three rows. Calculated.

At 1,200 to 1,599 sq ft, freehold and 999-year homes sold for 19% more per square foot than the 99-year homes, and this is the sturdiest row: the 17 resales on the 99-year side came from nine developments.

The other two rows should be read with care. At 800 to 1,199 sq ft, 16 of the 19 resales on the 99-year side were in two developments, Gardenvista and High Oak Condominium, whose own medians were $1,954 and $1,437. One of them sold above the freehold median and one well below, so the 20% depends on how many sales each happened to have. At 1,600 sq ft and over, eight of the eleven were in one development, Pine Grove.

Freehold with recent developer sales against newer 99-year

Three freehold or 999-year developments in the district had sales by their developers in the past five years. Two of them had enough sales by owners in the 12 months to compare; the third had three.

Two freehold or 999-year developments with recent developer sales against 99-year homes with leases from 2015
Forett@Bukit Timah (freehold), resales, 500 to 799$2,318 (12)$1,997 (46)16% higher
Forett@Bukit Timah (freehold), resales, 800 to 1,199$2,369 (7)$2,144 (19)10% higher
Ki Residences at Brookvale (999-year), sub sales, 500 to 799$2,047 (13)$1,997 (46)3% higher
Ki Residences at Brookvale (999-year), sub sales, 800 to 1,199$2,265 (16)$2,144 (19)6% higher

Source: URA Data Service: private residential property transactions (Urban Redevelopment Authority), Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Extracted 5 Oct 2026.

Number of sales in brackets. The last developer sale on record for Forett@Bukit Timah was in September 2023. Ki Residences at Brookvale's sales by owners in the 12 months are recorded by URA as sub sales. Calculated.

In all four rows the freehold or 999-year development had a higher median than 99-year homes with leases from 2015 in the same size band, by 3% to 16%. This is two developments and between 7 and 16 sales a row. It is an indication, not a measurement.

What the records support

In District 21 over these 12 months, the three main groups ranked in this order by price per square foot: 99-year homes with leases from 2015 highest, freehold and 999-year homes next, and 99-year homes with leases before 2000 lowest. Tenure alone did not decide the order.

In the two later tables the freehold or 999-year side had the higher median in all seven rows. The evidence for that is one sturdy row and several thin ones. Neither table controls for the age of the freehold developments, and none of this adjusts for floor, facing, condition or exact location.

Disclosure

James Wong is marketing a home in Pinetree Hill, a 99-year development in this district that is still being sold by its developer, and has sold homes in Highgate (freehold) and The Blossomvale (999-year). They are listed on the District 21 page.

Analysis · opinion

James's interpretation

I read this as a district where the price per square foot lines up with the lease era of the development more closely than with its tenure. A buyer who assumes freehold always costs more per square foot will find the median for the newer 99-year developments above it here.

I would not conclude from this that tenure does not matter. Against 99-year leases from before 2000, and in the two developments with recent developer sales, the freehold side had the higher median. But those comparisons are thin, and I would not put a single percentage on the difference.

What I take from it is practical. Compare a home with others of its own tenure, lease era and size, and look at the total price as well as the price per square foot. The headline comparison between freehold and 99-year in this district mixes all three.

What it may mean for buyers

  • Do not judge a freehold home in this district against the price per square foot of a newer 99-year development, or the other way round. The two groups differ in size and in the era of the development.
  • If the total price matters more to you than the price per square foot, note that 99-year homes with leases from 2015 had the lowest median price of the three main groups, $1.50M, because they are smaller.
  • If you are weighing an older 99-year home against a freehold one in the same size band, the sturdiest comparison in the records is at 1,200 to 1,599 sq ft, where freehold sold for 19% more per square foot.

What it may mean for sellers and owners

  • If you own a freehold home, buyers may quote the price per square foot of newer 99-year developments. Bring the comparison back to total price, size and tenure.
  • If you own a 99-year home with a lease before 2000, the nearest freehold sale is not your comparison. Look at 99-year homes of similar lease era and size, which may be in only a few developments.
  • If you own a 99-year home with a lease from 2015, your group has the highest resale price per square foot in the district, and buyers may compare it with developers' sales of new homes as well.

Limitations

URA's records cover only sales with a caveat lodged, and recent months are incomplete. September 2026 in particular is likely to gain sales as more caveats are lodged.

URA records some sales without a development name. Those cannot be placed in a district from the feed used here and are not counted.

The records give a home's size, floor range, tenure and price. They do not give its condition, facing, layout or renovation, and a development's median depends on which of its homes happened to sell.

Freehold developments carry no lease start year in the records, and the start year of a 999-year lease says nothing about when the homes were built, so the age of these developments is not known from this data. A 99-year development's lease start year is not its completion year.

The stock table counts developments that had at least one sale in the past five years. A development where nothing was sold is missing from it.

Future Government Land Sales sites, en-bloc redevelopments and launches that have not yet recorded a sale are not covered.

Comparing within a size band and a lease-era group does not adjust for floor, facing, condition or exact location, any of which can differ between the developments compared.

Several comparison rows rest on few developments, as stated in the text or in the note under each table. The comparison of newer developments uses two developments, one of them through sub sales.

Records that are identical in every field are counted as separate sales, because the feed carries no unit number to tell two like sales from one sale entered twice. One such pair is among the 404 resales.

Methodology

The figures are calculated from URA's records of caveated sales in postal district 21, read through URA's Data Service on 5 October 2026. The feed holds the past five years, so the earliest sale is from September 2021. The headline period is the 12 months to September 2026; the year-by-year table begins in January 2022.

Included: single-unit sales of apartments and condominiums with a strata floor area. Left out: 55 sales of landed and strata-landed houses and 0 caveats covering more than one unit.

Each development is grouped by tenure and, for 99-year developments, by the year its lease began. Where a record of a 99-year sale gives no start year, the year is taken from the development's other records. Leases of more than 900 years are grouped with freehold.

Floor area is converted at 10.7639 square feet to the square metre, and price per square foot is the price divided by that area. The size bands are under 500, 500 to 799, 800 to 1,199, 1,200 to 1,599, and 1,600 sq ft and over. Medians and quartiles are taken across the sales in each group, with quartiles by linear interpolation. A group with fewer than five sales is marked low sample. Prices of $1M and over are rounded to the nearest $10,000, lower prices to the nearest $1,000, and percentages to the nearest whole number.

Figures are given by group. No single figure is used to describe the whole district, because the groups differ in lease era, size and tenure; where a district-wide figure is quoted, it is to show that it describes none of them.

For the comparison with 99-year leases from before 2000, the freehold and 999-year side is limited to developments in which the developer made no sale from September 2021, the start of URA's feed. Comparisons are of median resale price per square foot within the same size band.

New sale, sub sale and resale
URA's types of sale. A new sale is a sale by the developer, and a sub sale a sale by a purchaser, before the Certificate of Statutory Completion and the strata titles have been issued for all units in the development. A resale is a sale after they have been issued.
Caveat
A notice lodged with the Singapore Land Authority, usually by the buyer's lawyer, after an option is exercised or an agreement signed. URA's records are of caveats lodged, so a sale with no caveat is not in them.
Postal district
One of 28 areas defined by the first two digits of the postal code. District boundaries are not the same as HDB towns or URA planning areas.
Tenure and lease era
Freehold developments and those on leases of more than 900 years, most of them 999-year, are grouped together. A 99-year development is grouped by the year its lease began, which is not the year the homes were completed. Newer and older on this page refer to the year the lease began.
Middle half (25th to 75th percentile)
The range that the middle half of sales fall in. A quarter of sales were below the 25th percentile and a quarter were above the 75th.
Price per square foot
The price divided by the strata floor area in URA's record.
Low sample
Fewer than five sales in a group. No median is shown, because one or two sales can move it a long way.

How all research on this site is built

Sources

  1. 1.
    URA Data Service: private residential property transactions

    Urban Redevelopment Authority · Period: Sep 2021 – Sep 2026 · Extracted 5 Oct 2026

    Caveated sales of apartments and condominiums in the district.

  2. 2.
    REALIS data dictionary

    Urban Redevelopment Authority · Period: Oct 2026 · Extracted 5 Oct 2026

    Definitions of new sale, sub-sale and resale.

General information only, not financial, legal or tax advice. Figures reflect the data period shown and may since have changed; your own circumstances will differ. Full disclaimer.

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A 3-bedroom condominium of 1,572 sq ft with a private lift at The Blossomvale, a 999-year leasehold development, has been sold.

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