1,143 of 1,268 units moved over the weekend at an average S$2,900 psf, the strongest take-up of any 2026 launch. Here's what actually drove the demand — and what it means for projects coming in 2027.
Thomson Reserve sold 1,143 of its 1,268 units (about 90%) at an average of S$2,900 psf over its launch weekend — the strongest take-up of any project launched in 2026, surpassing the 853 units moved at Tengah Garden Residences in April. Developers UOL Group and CapitaLand Development say the majority of buyers were Singaporeans purchasing for their own stay and investment.
After a string of softer launches through the second half of 2026, Thomson Reserve's weekend numbers stood out. The project didn't just sell well — it sold at a pace that reversed a trend analysts had been tracking for months. Here's what actually happened, and why it matters beyond this one project.
Thomson Reserve moved 1,143 of its 1,268 units — roughly 90% — at an average selling price of S$2,900 psf over its launch weekend. That surpassed the 853 units sold at the launch of Tengah Garden Residences in April, making it, according to PropNex CEO Kelvin Fong, the highest number of units sold over a launch weekend among projects launched this year.
Pricing started at S$1.5 million for two-bedroom units and S$2.5 million for three-bedroom units. Notably, the three-bedroom and four-bedroom units were fully sold out at launch, while most of the five-bedroom units were also taken up — a sign of healthy demand for larger homes, not just entry-level units.
| Project | Launch month | Units sold on launch weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Thomson Reserve | November 2026 | 1,143 (of 1,268) |
| Tengah Garden Residences | April 2026 | 853 |
| Amberwood at Holland (Phase 1) | September 2026 | 23 (of 70) |
UOL Group and CapitaLand Development said the majority of buyers were Singaporeans purchasing for their own stay and investment. Huttons Asia CEO Mark Yip observed that the four-bedroom premium units with private lifts, along with the three-bedroom units, were among the first to sell out — a sign, he said, of healthy buyer appetite for larger homes, particularly those offering attractive pricing and well-designed layouts.
A notable feature of the weekend's sales: 215 units were sold under multiple purchases, with some buyers — including extended families — picking up more than one unit to stay in what Yip described as a "coveted location." The developers also pointed to the project's layout as a draw, noting that 88% of the five-hectare site is dedicated to landscaping and facilities, with what they called "panoramic views towards the surrounding nature reserves."
Nicholas Mak, chief research officer at real estate platform Mogul.sg, said Thomson Reserve's strong showing "reversed the trend" of declining take-up rates at residential launches. The contrast is stark: in September, Amberwood at Holland moved only 23 units, or 32.9%, of the 70 units put up in the first phase of its own launch weekend.
Mak's read on why demand is uneven. "Underlying housing demand remains healthy," Mak said, "but homebuyers are selective." He pointed to proximity to an MRT station and a retail mall as key determinants of demand for residential projects — "even for housing projects in the core central region and rest of central region" — that also offer a variety of unit types at manageable prices. Thomson Reserve, near reputable schools, nature parks and the Upper Thomson dining stretch, checked each of those boxes.
That framing matters for how to read this result. It's not that buyer demand broadly recovered in November — it's that well-located, well-priced, well-planned projects are still finding buyers, while projects missing one of those ingredients are struggling. The 32,000 visitors Thomson Reserve drew over two weekends of public preview is itself a signal that interest was building well before launch weekend.
What the comparison suggests, not a forecast (my own observation from the published figures). Thomson Reserve's 90% take-up against Amberwood's 32.9% is roughly a three-fold difference in launch-weekend momentum. If that gap holds as a pattern into 2027, it suggests buyers are no longer rewarding a launch simply for happening — they're rewarding specific combinations of location, pricing and unit mix. Developers and analysts both seem to expect 2027 launches that replicate Thomson Reserve's formula to perform well; projects that don't may see Amberwood-style outcomes instead.
Work out the full cost difference — stamp duties, progressive payments and timing — between a new launch purchase and a resale unit before you commit.
Open the new launch (BUC) cost calculator →For a wider view of what's coming next, see my H2 2026 new launch pipeline and my earlier look at Lucerne Grand's launch weekend for how take-up rates have moved across this year's launches.
If you're considering an upcoming new launch, use Mak's framework rather than the headline sell-through rate alone: check MRT proximity, retail access, unit mix variety and whether pricing is genuinely competitive against nearby resale options — the combination that made Thomson Reserve work.
If you missed Thomson Reserve, the fact that it's effectively sold out means remaining units, if any, are likely to be the less preferred stacks or layouts — worth checking actual unit availability rather than assuming anything is still open at launch pricing.
If you're deciding between new launch and resale, a launch selling 90% in a weekend tells you developers can still command premium pricing for the right project — which may mean resale comparables in well-located areas have room to firm up too.
I don't read Thomson Reserve's numbers as "the market is back." I read them as proof that buyers are still there, but they've gotten pickier about exactly what they'll pay S$2,900 psf for. That's actually a healthier market than one where everything sells regardless of fundamentals — it rewards developers who get the location, pricing and layout mix right, and it punishes those who don't.
If you're eyeing a 2027 launch, I'd apply the same checklist Mak laid out before you commit — MRT access, retail proximity, and genuine variety in unit types at sensible pricing. Let's go through the upcoming pipeline together and see which projects actually fit that bar.
If you're a seller in a comparable location to Thomson Reserve, this kind of result can support your own pricing — strong new launch demand nearby tends to anchor resale expectations higher too.
Thinking about a new launch, or wondering how it stacks up against resale in the same area? Let's go through it together.
WhatsApp Bryan → More guides →Source: The Business Times, 2 November 2026, "Thomson Reserve sells 90% of units at average of S$2,900 psf over launch weekend" by Sharanya Pillai, citing statements from developers UOL Group and CapitaLand Development. Commentary from PropNex CEO Kelvin Fong, Huttons Asia CEO Mark Yip, and Mogul.sg chief research officer Nicholas Mak. See also our H2 2026 new launch pipeline and Lucerne Grand launch weekend review. The comparison of take-up rates across recent launches is my own observation based on the published figures, for illustration only, and is not a prediction of how any future launch will perform. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
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