Usually for growth, global or US index funds tend to perform better than SG banks.
But I know ppl who rather just invest in SG because they feel it's a more familiar environment and they rather avoid foreign currency risk.
Banks like DBS have been pretty strong in growth over the past few years. This doesn't mean they'll outperform forever.
REITs are usually an income play, meaning you care more about the dividends than the price of the stock. The underlying price usually doesn't appreciate much...