Thomson Reserve Drew 23,000 Visitors. How Should You Read It?

Twenty-three thousand people is a lot of people to walk through a showflat in a week. It is also not a single sale, and that is the most useful thing to hold on to between now and Oct 31.

As EdgeProp Singapore reported, Thomson Reserve drew more than 23,000 visitors in the first week of its preview. The 1,268-unit project, the largest new private residential launch of 2026, opens for bookings on Oct 31. The week before, EdgeProp reported 11,800 visitors over the preview weekend of Oct 17 and 18. EdgeProp called it the highest turnout this year, and the developers’ spokesperson said it surpassed the 10,000 visitors at ParkTown Residence’s preview last year.

The project is a redevelopment of the former Thomson View, bought en bloc in November 2024 for $810 million by CapitaLand Development (50 per cent), UOL Group (40 per cent) and UOL’s subsidiary Singapore Land Group (10 per cent). The developers say visitors have mostly been Singaporeans and permanent residents, from across the island.

In August, I wrote about this project from the supply side: what 1,268 units in one address does to your exit. Pricing had not been released then. It has now, as indicative starting prices, so this piece is the other half of the picture: who is turning up, what the “resale prices” claim really compares, and what each kind of buyer should check before booking day.

I have spent 17 years helping families, often several generations of one family, make property decisions they will live with for a decade or more. Here is how I would read the week.

What do 23,000 visitors actually tell you?

They tell you interest is broad. The developers say prospective buyers range from young couples and HDB upgraders to investors and larger families. There have also been enquiries from younger buyers who grew up in Upper Thomson and want to set up home in the neighbourhood they know.

They do not tell you how many units will sell, at what price, or how fast. Bookings have not opened. As I write, there are no sales figures for Thomson Reserve, and anyone quoting a take-up rate is guessing.

The comparison people reach for is ParkTown Residence, the same consortium’s 1,193-unit integrated development in Tampines North. It drew 10,000 visitors at its preview, then sold 1,041 units, or 87 per cent, over its launch weekend in February 2025, at an average of $2,360 psf. It is now 98 per cent sold. That is a strong record for this group of developers. It is not a forecast for this project, which is in a different part of the island, at different prices, in a different year.

For a buyer, a busy preview changes one practical thing: how much time you will have to decide on the day. A crowd does not make a unit better value. It only makes it easier to rush.

A crowd at a showflat measures curiosity. Bookings measure commitment, and those only begin on Oct 31.

Is Thomson Reserve really a new launch at resale prices?

That line comes from Marcus Chu, CEO of ERA Singapore, who puts the turnout down to pricing and location. After adjusting for strata area harmonisation, he says, Thomson Reserve’s indicative prices are comparable to resale prices at nearby JadeScape and AMO Residence. “It’s a rare chance to buy into a brand-new launch at resale prices,” he says.

The numbers behind it: based on caveats lodged, JadeScape resales ranged from $2,292 to $2,710 psf in September and October, and AMO Residence resales from $2,401 to $2,662 psf between June and September. Thomson Reserve’s indicative prices start from $2,608 psf. Chu adds that the pricing is also in line with resale prices at newer condominiums near MRT stations across the Rest of Central Region.

It is a fair place to start, if you read it with three things in mind.

First, “from” is a floor, not an average. Divide each starting price by the smallest size in its range and you get the quoted psf: a 592 sq ft two-bedroom from $1.544 million ($2,608 psf), a 947 sq ft three-bedroom from $2.503 million ($2,643 psf), and a 1,238 sq ft four-bedroom from $3.388 million ($2,737 psf). The resale ranges are real deals. The unit you want, on the floor and facing you want, will likely cost more than the starting figure.

Second, the adjustment matters. Newer and older projects do not count strata area the same way, so their raw psf figures are not like for like. Chu says his comparison accounts for that, but the adjusted figures are not set out in the report. On the raw numbers alone, the two- and three-bedroom starting prices sit inside both resale ranges, and the four-bedroom starting price sits above the top of both.

Third, you are not buying the same thing. A resale unit at JadeScape or AMO Residence is already built. You can stand in it, see the view and, as URA’s rental data shows, rent it out today. Thomson Reserve sits on land whose lease the consortium topped up to a fresh 99 years as part of its purchase, but you are buying from a showflat and a floor plan, and waiting for the building.

Neither is better by default. They are different trades, and the psf figure alone does not tell you which one you are making.

Why is location doing so much of the work?

Chu believes location is the biggest draw. He points to the mix of an established residential enclave, Upper Thomson MRT Station, popular schools such as Ai Tong School, Thomson Plaza and the surrounding greenery, and likens the neighbourhood to Holland Village and Serangoon Gardens.

The site details support the pitch. The 5ha site, about the size of seven football fields, has a 500m frontage along Upper Thomson Road and is a two-minute walk from Upper Thomson MRT Station on the Thomson-East Coast Line. Ai Tong School is within 1km of the development. The six towers cover just 12 per cent of the site, and more than 45 per cent of residential stacks face the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Location is the one part of a purchase you cannot renovate later, so I understand why buyers weigh it heavily. Two cautions. Read “more than 45 per cent” the other way round too: many stacks do not face the nature reserve, so ask which side your shortlisted unit is on. And if a school place is part of your reason for buying, check the distance for the specific address yourself rather than relying on a marketing line. My earlier piece on school-zone homes explains why that detail matters.

What should multi-generational families check before buying two units?

The developers say some families are considering buying more than one unit at Thomson Reserve so that different generations can live close to one another. In the earlier report, the spokesperson listed multi-generational families, right-sizers and younger buyers who want to live near their parents among the interested groups. Five-bedroom apartments, the developers say, appeal to larger families looking for more space and flexible layouts.

There are only 28 five-bedroom suites, each 1,808 sq ft, or 2.2 per cent of the project. They sit in a single stack with unblocked views towards MacRitchie Reservoir and the Orchard Road skyline. In the Luxury Collection, 112 larger four-bedroom premium units and five-bedroom suites have private lift access.

So a family has two broad routes: one large home for everyone, or two smaller homes a lift ride apart. I do not think either is right by default. I do think these questions need answers before booking day, not after:

• Whose name goes on each unit, and how is each one financed? Two units means two loans and two separate stamp duty positions, worked out buyer by buyer.
• What do the two units cost together, on the actual units released, against one large unit? Compare real prices, not starting prices.
• Same tower, or different collections? The Classic Collection has 740 units in four 21-storey towers; the Luxury Collection has 528 units in two 30-storey towers.
• What happens when one household’s plans change? Two units are also two future sales, in a project with many similar homes.

Two homes a lift ride apart is a lovely idea for a family. It is also two loans, two titles and, one day, two separate sales.

What should each kind of buyer do before Oct 31?

HDB upgraders. Mark Yip, CEO of Huttons Asia, sees particularly strong interest in three-bedroom units priced below $3 million, which he sees as a sweet spot for buyers in the current market. Three-bedroom units start from $2.503 million. If that is your target, settle two numbers before you go: what your flat is likely to fetch and when, and the highest total price you will pay. If many buyers share your target, those units will be the most contested, so have a shortlist and a back-up ready.

Investors. Kelvin Fong, CEO of PropNex, expects the two-bedroom units, especially the two-bedroom premium-plus-study layouts, to appeal to owner-occupiers and investors alike, and points to rents nearby. Based on URA rental data for 3Q2026, two-bedroom units at JadeScape rented for $4,000 to $4,600 a month and three-bedrooms for $5,600 to $7,600. At AMO Residence, two-bedrooms fetched $3,200 to $4,600 and three-bedrooms $4,800 to $5,700. Those are today’s rents for finished homes. A new unit earns nothing until it is built, and then competes for tenants with many similar units in the same project.

Young couples. The developers report healthy interest in smaller units with efficient layouts and a more affordable price quantum. Two-bedroom units make up 716 of the 1,268 homes, from 592 to 775 sq ft. With that many in one project, the layout and stack you choose matter more than the headline price.

Everyone. Ask for the price of the specific units you like, not the starting price. Compare them with resale deals for similar sizes at JadeScape and AMO Residence. Have your financing confirmed before booking day. And write your walk-away price down before you arrive.

So my reading of the week is simple. It shows clear interest in a well-located project, priced at a level that invites comparison with nearby resale. It is not yet a sales result, and it does not make the decision for you.

A good turnout is a reason to prepare, not a reason to hurry. If you are weighing a Thomson Reserve unit against a resale home nearby, or thinking about two units for two generations, I am always glad to talk it through before Oct 31.