If I were out on the streets polling which town Singaporeans think is the most peculiar or mystifying town, I bet my bottom dollar that nine out of 10 of them would tell you it's Yishun. Yishun has gained its notorious rep from the slew of bizarre incidents that have caught Singaporeans' attention. Its notoriety even sparked Netflix to use it in their promotion of its hit TV series, Stranger Things.

Mister Knifeman

In early 2023, a man held a 60-year-old woman hostage at knifepoint upon realising that the police were looking for him. He had just consumed methamphetamine shortly before this episode and has been in and out of jail due to other drug offences.

Cat Serial Killer

Singaporeans, especially cat lovers were angered in 2015, as over the short span of just three months, 17 reported cases of animal abuse led to 16 deaths. The cases continued until 2018 with more reports of abuse and deaths. Most of the culprits are still at large leaving cat vigilantes on the prowl for such abusers.

What a Stunner

On 10 January 2017, the Singapore Police Force was alerted to a case on the ground about some house disturbances. Upon arriving they found two suspects behaving suspiciously in the car park and looking like they were attempting to steal from a car. When the police approached the pair, one of them pulled out a stun gun in an attempt to fend off the police. Both men were in possession of stun guns and were arrested on the spot.

Not One but Three

There were a few murders that happened in Yishun, but who could forget the triple murder that gripped the nation in 2008. Wang Zhijian was convicted of killing his girlfriend, her daughter, and another tenant committed at Block 349 Yishun Street 11. The brutal murder allegedly sparked because of altercations between Wang and his girlfriend, and the other victims were murdered to kill off the witnesses.

A report came out earlier on the safest towns in Singapore and it's not surprising that Yishun North came up at the bottom of the list in 2016 with 284 crimes reported - the most of any other town.

Even though Yishun might look kinda rough, it might not be as dire as you think. Yishun is the seventh largest town in Singapore in terms of population with a total of 228,910 residents as of 2023. Being a mature estate, it comes brimming with amenities from shopping to dining, nature parks, a hospital, and even a golf course.

A little record-breaking fun fact that you might not know about Yishun is that they were the first town in Singapore and the WHOLE OF ASIA to have a 10-cinema multiplex. And Northpoint City was also Singapore's first privately run shopping centre when it opened in 1992, rivalling malls in Orchard Road.

So you think this wild town would probably be a town with average to low-priced houses, I'm sorry but you are wrong. Yishun has seen nine HDB flats exchange hands for over a million dollars.

In fact, if we were to take a look at Yishun HDB resale prices (blue trend line) over the last 10 years, we see that Yishun flats have grown more than 33%. Whereas Singapore's overall HDB resale prices (red trend line), only grew 30.02%. Isn't it quite surprising that Yishun HDB prices actually beat the national level?

And even on the private housing front, Yishun resale private residential segment (blue trend line), condominium prices in Yishun grew more than 54% while the entire private residential segment (condominiums) grew by 39.39%. Another compelling statistic I bet you never knew.

Let's take a look at this particular development in Yishun, D'Banyan, a boutique 999-year property. This project has seen 100% profits with the highest being a whopping $862,000 with just holding it for more than 5 years.

Apparently the weird happenings in Yishun did not deter homeowners from making Yishun their home. To be fair, Yishun is a relatively vibrant town with a close to immaculate blend of nature and urbanisation. Speak to a professional to find out more about the different property types in Yishun. Would you consider making Yishun your home?

Views expressed in this article belong to the writer(s) and do not reflect PropNex's position.