RENTAL values are rising faster than underlying house prices in many of the world’s leading cities such as Paris and Hong Kong. An average rental growth of 2.3 per cent from June to December last year, as compared with just 1 per cent growth in capital values. Paris overtook London as the most expensive rental market, […]
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Resale market takes a dive after cooling measures
SALES of new homes might be defying gravity and shattering records, but the story is vastly different for home resales. Experts say both the resale of finished homes, and the quick resale – or subsale – of homes bought but not built yet, to earn easy profits, have taken a dive. They feel last December’s property cooling measures played […]
Tampines EC plot is choicest of the lot
An executive condo plot next to the Tampines Trilliant project has been tipped by property consultants as the choicest among four residential plots released under the Government Land Sales Programme yesterday. The four plots, including a reserve list site that will be made available for application later this month, can potentially generate an estimated 2,415 […]
Developers’ bids signal likely dip in home prices
DEVELOPERS here are becoming more cautious with how much money they are willing to pay for private home sites. They seem to be getting more worried that private home prices could fall, perhaps by up to 8 per cent this year, according to a new research report. So they have to factor the potentially lower […]
Landbanks ‘healthy’ despite strong sales
THE bumper supply ramp-up of new land sites has allowed developers to keep their landbanks stocked up in the face of roaring home sales. Most big-gun builders have thousands of units in their landbanks. A landbank comprises unsold units – including executive condominiums – from projects with planning approval and estimated units from sites that […]
Construction firm KTC launches maiden project
CONSTRUCTION company KTC Group has made a foray into the property development business with its first project, Summer Scent, located at the junction of Hougang Avenue 2 and Upper Serangoon Road. The freehold project, developed by KDC (Kovan) Development, comprises 16 units, of which six have been sold. KDC Development’s director, Chua Lai Seng, is […]
Latest Updates on Twin Waterfalls!
As 07 Mar 12, 460 units of 728 units are sold! Find out why 182 units of Twin Waterfalls set aside by developer Frasers Centrepoint for second-timers were snapped up in two hours! Click here. To know more about Twin Waterfalls / Site Plan of Twin Waterfalls, click here! Pls note that I am only […]
Top bid for Hillview Ave site beats expectations
An ‘overly optimistic’ top bid, a whopping 18.6 per cent higher than the next, was put forth by Kingsford Development for a 99-year residential site located along Hillview Avenue yesterday. Its bid of $243.2 million or $638 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr) for the 136,147 sq ft plot with a plot ratio […]
Second-time buyers get a better shot at EC units
Last Friday news that second-time buyers of public housing units would be given more chances to purchase executive condominium (EC) units; the previous 5 per cent limit increased to 30 per cent of units in ECs will now be set aside for this class of house hunters. ECs are sold by private developers with condominium-like […]
Help for HDB ‘second-timers’ to buy flats
AFTER easing the demand crunch among first-time Housing Board (HDB) flat applicants, the Government will now help ‘second-timers’ – a group that includes a large proportion of HDB upgraders. It will change the rules to significantly boost their chances of successfully balloting for a new Build-to-Order (BTO) flat or executive condominium (EC) unit. Announcing this […]
More incentives to live with or near parents
STRESSING the importance of family ties as the bedrock of a strong society, the Government yesterday rolled out two new initiatives to encourage married children to live with their parents or near them in housing estates. The first is to strengthen the Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) to give higher ballot chances to married children […]
CDL has faith in luxury property sector
(Another interesting headline. The reporter used the word “faith”, as if implying that CDL is not basing their optimism on facts.) Straits Times – 01 Mar 12 Summary: The subdued sentiment has forced CDL to halt marketing its premium project The Residences at W Singapore Sentosa Cove. (Forced? Developers are never forced to stop marketing […]
Development charges dip for non-landed residential use
Straits Times – 01 Mar 12 Summary: Charges that developers pay to enhance the use of a plot of land have finally been reduced or left flat for some sectors, as the slowing property market takes its toll (I think it’s more for the luxury prime areas, rather than the rest of Singapore.) The new […]
Condominium Review: Centro Residences
About this development: Tenure: 99 yr leasehold Developer: Far East Site Area: approximately 69,000sqft Location: Ang Mo Kio Ave 8 – just beside Ang Mo Kio Hub No. of levels: 34 storeys, with 2 towers No. of Units: 329 Pros: Excellent location – just next to Ang Mo Kio Hub (NTUC and many restaurants are […]
Launching Soon @ Bishan Central
One of the most exciting developments in the suburban areas is launching soon! Here are my personal opinions on why investors should consider this development: 1. Excellent connectivity in terms of public transportation. 2. Drivers would love this location due to its accessibility to all expressways e.g. CTE/PIE/KPE/SLE/TPE 3. Excellent Schools located within walking distance: […]
Latitude Condominium Just TOP!!!
Presenting A Quietly Luxurious and Generously Spacious Development in District 10 A Prestigious Development Exuding A Sense of Calmness and Serenity With Just The Right Touch of Elegance For more information about price, floor plans, and how you can own a unit here, click here OR Call Jarene Chuang @ (+65) 9431 4139
S’pore, US among top destinations for rich Chinese migrants – The Straits Times 4 Nov 11
About 60 percent of the rich Chinese people, each of whom has a net asset of at least 60 million yuan (S$12.12 million), said they intended to migrate from China, a report has found. About 14 per cent of them have either already migrated from China or have applied for migration. The three most favoured […]
Green Lodge put up for collective sale, EOI at Oxley – Business Times 3 Nov 11
Green Lodge, a freehold development located on Toh Tuck Road, has been put up for collective sale. Separately, an Expression of Interest (EOI) exercise was launched yesterday for 71 and 73 Oxley Rise, a freehold site zoned for ‘commercial and residential’ use. The Green Lodge site has an asking price that is above $195 million, […]
Punggol residential site draws top bid from Chinese firm – TODAY 4 Nov 11
A 99-YEAR-LEASEHOLD residential site at Punggol Central/Edgedale Plains drew a top bid of $215.87 million yesterday, or $330 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr). Chinese firm Qingjian Realty (South Pacific) Group trumped four other developers to put in the top bid for the site, which measures 218,034.6 sq ft and has a maximum […]
Home Sales Unlikely to beat last year’s high – The Straits Times, 1 Nov 11
Summary Strong economy first 9 months but global economic uncertainty to take toll Sales of new private homes may come close to last year’s record high, but they are unlikely to surpass the figure with global economic uncertainty affecting demand, experts say. Homes sales for the first 9 months of this year came in at […]
Laguna Park, Henry Park Apartments up for collective sale – Channel News Asia 31 Oct 11
Laguna Park at Marine Parade Road is up for collective sale with a reserve price of S$1.25 billion. Together with Henry Park Apartments, which is also up for collective sale at between S$170 million and S$180 million, the total value of properties that have come up for sale in October has hit close to S$5 […]
Buffet of New Homes – The Straits Times, 31 Oct 11
Summary A large supply of mass-market homes is set to enter the market by the end of this year. These 99-year leasehold projects are mostly from the flood of suburban state land released by the government over the last year as it attempted to cool robust home-buying demand from first-timers and upgraders. At least 5 […]
Summary of URA’s New Regulations on Singapore Property Market
The recent measures on 14 Jan 2011 imposed by the Singapore government had taken to ensure that the property market is sustainable has been pretty drastic. Check out the new regulations here. A Summary of URA’s regulations: 1. Holding Period for Seller’s Stamp Duties from 3 years to 4 years 2. Seller’s Stamp Duties imposed […]
Just one bid for Tampines condo site
Straits Times Aug 13, 2008 THE property slowdown was clear for all to see yesterday when the tender for a condo site overlooking Bedok Reservoir closed with just one bid – and at a price well below expectations. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will likely refuse to award the 3.2ha site, given the poor offer, […]
Challenges for property sector
New engines drive Singapore’s property market but pitfalls remain THE Singapore property market has weathered the storm from the US sub-prime crisis, soaring oil prices and overall inflation, pretty well. Runaway increases in property values in the high-end residential and prime office sectors seen in the past couple of years, for instance, have started to […]
Home, retail, office rental growth to ease
Business Times – 25 Mar 2008 Housing rentals to rise 5-15% year-on-year in 2008: Knight Frank PRIVATE housing rents are expected to grow at a slower pace this year than last year, Knight Frank said in a report yesterday. The property consultancy firm expects a year-on-year rise of 5-15 per cent in 2008 – after […]
PROPERTY: Muted market gives buyers more bargaining power
The Straits Times March 23, 2008 Prices aren’t tumbling but it’s a good time to get a unit at a reasonable price, say experts IT IS no secret that the residential property market is in a lacklustre mood. With many buyers and sellers having scurried to the sidelines as the United States sub-prime woes brought […]
Foreigners snap up homes as rents start to bite
Business Times – 12 Mar 2008Their purchases could account for half of 2007 transactions on the secondary market (SINGAPORE) A record number of foreigners here have opted to purchase homes instead of renting them at ever-climbing rates. According to an analysis of transactions of private residential properties by DTZ Debenham Tie Leung, foreigners bought 6,536 […]
Guocoland dives on options lapse
Business Times – 12 Mar 2008 Shares hit as Kuwaiti-linked fund pulls out of $815m property purchase SHARES of Guocoland fell victim yesterday to news that a fund company managed by Kuwait Finance House (Malaysia) Berhad (KFHMB) did not exercise options to buy $814.8 million worth of apartments in Guocoland’s upmarket project here. Following analysts’ […]
All eyes on govt land tenders this month
Business Times – 11 Mar 2008 $500m site above Serangoon MRT, 3 suburban housing plots on offer AMID the current quiet market, all eyes will be on four 99-year leasehold suburban Government Land Sale site tenders that close this month. They comprise three private residential sites including one for landed housing, and a ‘white’ site […]
Speculators holding out for higher prices
Subsale activity slows but transacted prices remain resilient (SINGAPORE) Property prices have been bolstered by speculators in the last year. But now that speculation is on the decline, could prices follow suit? An analysis by Savills Singapore of properties subsold last year after being bought from developers in the same year has revealed that while […]
UOL unit unveils luxury serviced suites in Somerset
IT HAS been 28 years since Singapore’s listed UOL Group launched its last serviced apartment property, the Parkroyal Residences at Beach Road. Now, it is entering the luxury extended-stay business with the launch of its new property, Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, at 96 Somerset Road. The new property is similar to serviced apartments but has […]
DC rate hike lower than expected
Average industrial rates up 16.8%, muted increases for most other uses THE government yesterday announced modest, lower-than-expected increases in development charge (DC) rates for most use groups, except industrial. ‘Limited transactions in the past six months, amidst cautionary sentiment set about the US sub-prime debacle, were probably an important factor for the moderate gains this […]
DC rate hike lower than expected
Average industrial rates up 16.8%, muted increases for most other uses THE government yesterday announced modest, lower-than-expected increases in development charge (DC) rates for most use groups, except industrial. ‘Limited transactions in the past six months, amidst cautionary sentiment set about the US sub-prime debacle, were probably an important factor for the moderate gains this […]
CDL able to weather uncertainty for next 3 yrs
It posts full-year profit of $725m; bottom line would be $2.8b if fair value gains included THE top brass at City Developments Ltd (CDL) yesterday said the property group has ‘the financial muscle to weather the current period of uncertainty even for the next three years’, after announcing a record full-year net profit of $725 […]
CDL boss punctures popular wisdom
Mid-market may not shine and high-end is unlikely to collapse, he says (SINGAPORE) City Developments Ltd (CDL) executive chairman Kwek Leng Beng yesterday turned a popular market view of the Singapore residential sector on its head. Many have whispered that the high-end residential segment is in danger of being hardest hit by the sub-prime crisis […]
Mass-market safe, high-end may take a hit
Property players sketch the best and worst-case scenarios for private homes in 2008 (SINGAPORE) Luxury-home prices could fall by up to 20 per cent in 2008, assuming sub-prime woes don’t end this year. But the mass market may hold its own or ease 5-10 per cent at most. This was the worst-case scenario according to […]
CapitaLand, HPL sue eight owners of Gillman Heights
Developers claim contract breach as owners seek ruling over validity of sale A GROUP of home owners in Gillman Heights Condominium are being sued by the estate’s buyers for alleged breach of contract. They face legal action by CapitaLand and Hotel Properties (HPL), which have agreed to buy the sprawling 607-unit estate in Alexandra Road. […]
Modest weekend sales at Waterfront Waves
IN A bellwether post-Budget property launch, Frasers Centrepoint and Far East Organization sold 20 units at the weekend at their Waterfront Waves condo fronting Bedok Reservoir. The project was officially launched at the weekend with the start of an advertising campaign. The sales brought the total sold so far at the 99-year leasehold project to […]
PROPERTY: Where to find homes at or below $600,000
They include executive condos as well as older private apartments in suburban locations THE property market has quietened considerably this year, but prices have yet to fall. Nevertheless, if you have a modest budget of about $600,000 for a home, your choices are not just confined to HDB flats. Some fairly new executive condominiums as […]
Demand for mass market projects shifts into higher gear
Story Print Friendly Page Developers not keen to release high-end projects in shaky market, say analysts DEVELOPERS’ housing sales figures for January reflect a change in strategy to focus more on mass market projects. Despite the still lacklustre figures for overall developer launches and sales last month, an analysis by Knight Frank shows the number […]
Revision of DC rates expected to be ‘moderate’
Consultants project smaller DC rate rise for residential and commercial use THE coming March 1 revision of development charge (DC) rates – payable to enhance the use of sites or build bigger projects on them – is generally expected to be more moderate than the past couple of revisions, which imposed steep rises. That’s because […]
Some small property launches but most still hold back
Developers selling projects abroad first before launching them in Singapore PROPERTY developers are starting to gingerly test the volatile market with a few launches now that the festive season is behind them. Those dipping their toes into the choppy waters, however, are mostly offering smaller projects away from the prime areas, said property agents. Home […]
Developer stocks may rise above flat property prices
Goldman says that physical market correction already priced in (SINGAPORE) Goldman Sachs predicts that private home prices will remain flat this year, but is sticking to its view that Singapore’s strong structural story is driving a sustainable multi-year residential upswing. The US bank does not expect a repeat of the mid-1996 (anti-speculation) regulatory measures that […]
Rising cost of going en bloc adds to cooler market
New rules bump up lawyers’ fees, draw out collective sale process by months GOING en bloc is now a more costly and time-consuming business for home owners because of a new set of stricter rules implemented last October. The rules – aimed at making the process more regulated and transparent – have bumped up the […]
Prime properties in for 5% fall in ’08: UBS
Bank expects modest 0-5% growth in mass and mid-tier segments ANALYSTS from Swiss bank UBS believe Singapore’s property market will ‘remain intact’, but they are nonetheless projecting a drop of 5 per cent in prime property prices for the year. In the more affordable mass and mid-tier segments, where prices increased at a slower pace, […]
Subsales may spike again as projects near completion
NEWS ANALYSIS Prices could soften if ‘specuvestors’ are forced to offload properties (SINGAPORE) Speculative activity took a breather in Q4 last year as the number of subsales as well as their share of total private home deals were down sharply from the preceding two quarters of 2007. However, many in the industry are wondering whether […]
Private homes losing speculative froth
Subsale activity slowed in Q4; rising rents defined 2007 (SINGAPORE) The level of speculative activity in the private property market, as measured by the extent of subsales, slowed considerably in Q4 last year, especially in the Core Central Region (CCR), according to the latest official data. Islandwide, subsales as a percentage of total private housing sales […]
Home prices on city fringe, suburbs still rising strongly
PRICE increases for high-end homes in the central areas may be easing, but not so for homes on the city fringe and suburban apartments – where prices are still rising strongly. Urban Redeveloment Authority figures showed growth in the prices of uncompleted apartments in the central areas slid from 7.8 per cent to 7.6 per […]
Growth in rents of private homes beginning to ease up
Jan 26, 2008 EXPATRIATES and other tenants in private apartments can finally start to breathe easier. Data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority released yesterday showed a subsiding of the sharp rise in rentals for condos in key areas. Rentals for non-landed property in the coveted core central region, which covers Tanglin and Bukit Timah, for […]
