After a 12-year tenure as executive director of capital markets at JLL, Tan Hong Boon has launched AlpsEdge Real Estate, a boutique real estate advisory firm co-founded with former colleague, JLL senior director Carin Puah.

Established on Sept 1, the firm specialises in investment sales of buildings, land and collective sales, as well as advisory services on the technical aspects of development and redevelopment.

Before joining JLL, Tan was the deputy managing director of Credo Real Estate, a firm renowned for its collective sales and capital market transactions. Credo was acquired by JLL in 2012.

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Track record of landmark deals

Tan has brokered some of Singapore’s most high-profile transactions, including the record $1.3388 billion sale of the former Farrer Court (now d’Leedon) in 2007, as well as the $906.7 million sale of the former Amber Park and the $629 million sale of Florence Regency (now The Florence Residences) in 2017.

More recent en bloc deals handled by Tan include the $550.8 million Watten Estate Condominium (the upcoming Watten House) in October 2021 and the $650 million acquisition of Peace Centre and Peace Mansion (now the upcoming One Sophia and The Collective at One Sophia) in December 2021, as well as the $538 million sale of the former Shenton House in 2023.

Across a career spanning over two decades — from Credo to JLL — he has brokered over $10 billion in deals.

Launching AlpsEdge gives Tan greater flexibility in structuring deals. “It will be less compartmentalised,” he says. “We’ll be able to serve clients more holistically — advising on asset repositioning, leasing, or property management if required — while building deeper relationships.”

Puah, who has two decades of experience in investment sales at JLL and Credo, has transacted nearly $4 billion worth of deals. Her portfolio includes the en bloc sale of Watten Estate for $550.8 million in 2021, as well as the sale of Shenton House for $538 million and the Good Class Bungalow at 81 Dalvey Road for $93.9 million in 2018.

Striking an alliance

AlpsEdge has also entered into a strategic alliance with Brilliance Capital, founded in 2020 by Sammi Lim, formerly of CBRE’s capital markets team. Over her 20-year career, Lim has handled transactions exceeding $10 billion.

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From a solo entrepreneur, she has grown Brilliance Capital into a team of 23 agents and four support staff. The firm’s landmark deals include the $220 million sale of Yew Tee Point in 2021, as well as sales of carparks at Parklane Shopping Centre ($16.18 million), People’s Park Complex ($39.33 million), and Bukit Timah Plaza ($32.58 million).

In 2024, it brokered the en bloc sale of the last kampong house in Geylang for $6.5 million.

Beyond commercial assets, Brilliance Capital is active in bespoke sales, ranging from luxury bungalows and apartments to conservation shophouses and strata-titled portfolios.

“Our agents come from diverse backgrounds, allowing us to advise on a wide range of asset classes,” Lim notes.

Collaboration in deals

On the partnership, she says: “AlpsEdge brings a sharp institutional lens and capital markets acumen that complements our strength in private client advisory.”

AlpsEdge and Brilliance Capital will continue to pursue their own mandates but will collaborate on select projects. Their first joint assignment is the portfolio sale of 22 strata-titled units at Hexacube (see “Portfolio of 22 freehold strata shops and offices at Hexacube for sale at $38 mil”), with more in the pipeline.

Tan believes the alliance will enable both firms to combine expertise across institutional and private markets, spanning cross-border investments and complex deal structures. “Together, we can deliver solutions across a broader spectrum of asset classes and client needs,” he says.

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