Interest rates to remain low this year
Homeowners can rest easy, as interest rates will remain low for at least another year, according to economists.But that also means bad news for savers, who will have to keep looking for higher returns.The possibility that interest rates may increase was raised after the Monetary Authority of...
Continue Reading • 28 Jun 2011
KSH Holdings clinches Eight Courtyards contract
Mainboard-listed construction and property group KSH Holdings Ltd has clinched a S$138.4 million contract to build the Eight Courtyards condominium.Under the contract awarded by Yishun Gold Ltd, a joint venture (JV) company between Far East Organization (FEO) and Frasers Centrepoint, KSH will be...
Continue Reading • 28 Jun 2011
Singapore, Malaysia seal historic land deal
The historic land deal between Singapore and Malaysia may have a large impact on the real estate sector and even the global financial market, as suggested by the details released in a joint statement by Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and Malaysia’s Khazanah Nasional.The six parcels of...
Continue Reading • 28 Jun 2011
Keppel Land making more green efforts
Property firm Keppel Land has included its overseas developments in the company’s third year of bringing out sustainability efforts.The company’s eight investment hotels and buildings in Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia have jointly consumed approximately 52 million kilowatt hour (kWh)...
Continue Reading • 27 Jun 2011
Tin Pei Ling shares thoughts on DBSS controversy
Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade Tin Pei Ling has shared her views on Facebook about the controversial Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) project in Tampines.Last week, the 708-unit Centrale 8 caused public outrage after an S$880,000 price tag for its largest unit was revealed, as...
Continue Reading • 27 Jun 2011
MND to closely watch shoe-box units
The Ministry of National Development (MND) is closely monitoring the development of “shoe-box,” or small-sized, apartments in Singapore.In a blog entry entitled “Buying Shoe Boxes,” National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan advised potential buyers to carefully weigh the...
Continue Reading • 27 Jun 2011
Cheap UK mortgages boost home sales
UK real estate agents have registered an 11 percent increase in buyers in June, due to an increasing number of low mortgage deals and more reasonable asking prices from home sellers, according to a report from property analysts Hometrack.It added that sales will continue to increase this summer,...
Continue Reading • 27 Jun 2011
Aussie Senate upholds home loans measures
Australia’s upper house Senate has supported the government’s decision to ban home loan exit fees, despite opposition from some quarters, according to a Reuters report.The opposition filed by the conservatives, including independent senator Nick Xenophon, was rejected on 22 June.One...
Continue Reading • 24 Jun 2011
Khaw's blog causes jitters among developers
National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan’s frequent blog entries about the Singapore property market are making some developers jittery, according to a Straits Times report.Some property players believe Mr. Khaw's online blog postings have blurred the line between official policy and...
Continue Reading • 24 Jun 2011
Property IPO market in Asia may slow this year
The property IPO market in Asia may moderate towards the end of 2011, as governments attempt to cool property prices and equity markets become sluggish, according to a senior executive at HSBC.“I don’t expect a lot of straight equity to be raised by developers for the remainder of...
Continue Reading • 24 Jun 2011
Singapore inflation reaches 4.5% in May
Singapore’s inflation rate hit 4.5 percent in May, fuelled mostly by increasing housing costs.According to the Department of Statistics, the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) climbed 4.5 percent in May on the back of higher housing, food and transport costs. It increased 0.6 percent...
Continue Reading • 24 Jun 2011
CapitaLand appoints new CFO
Southeast Asia’s biggest property developer CapitaLand has appointed Arthur Lang as its new Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO), starting mid-September.Lang, who is currently Co-Head of Investment Banking in Southeast Asia at Morgan Stanley, will replace Oliver Lim, who has served as...
Continue Reading • 24 Jun 2011
S'pore top destination for expat relocation in Asia
Singapore has been ranked the third most popular destination for expat relocation worldwide, behind the US and UK, according to Cartus Corporation’s Rankings of Top 25 Relocation Destinations for 2010.“Singapore is one of the top expat destinations and this comes as no surprise, as...
Continue Reading • 23 Jun 2011
PropertyGuru wins another award, increases dominance
PropertyGuru (www.PropertyGuru.com.sg) has officially been acknowledged as the number one property website in Singapore from July 2010 to December 2010 by Experian Hitwise.The website overtook the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) InfoWEB, which landed in second place. Meanwhile, the...
Continue Reading • 23 Jun 2011
MAS proposes standard bank fact sheet for home loans
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has suggested that banks and other financial institutions provide a standardised fact sheet when marketing loans for residential properties to consumers.The central bank published a consultation paper seeking feedback on its proposal. The deadline for the...
Continue Reading • 23 Jun 2011
More help given to fight US foreclosures
The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department in the US has launched the Emergency Homeowners Loan Program in 27 states to aid unemployed home owners who are at risk of foreclosure.The programme aims to help about 30,000 troubled homeowners who meet the requirements set by the...
Continue Reading • 22 Jun 2011
CapitaLand to increase presence in China
Southeast Asia’s largest property developer, CapitaLand Ltd, is planning to double its portfolio in China in the next five years, as it expects the Chinese economy to expand over the next decade.CapitaLand, which has S$10.4 billion worth of assets in China, said it expects new investments...
Continue Reading • 22 Jun 2011
Asian REITs grow with acquisitions
Asian real estate investment trusts (REITs) are poised to grow via acquisitions, according to several industry players who attended the annual Real Estate Investment World Asia conference in Singapore.They noted that the expected growth will be fuelled by ample liquidity and lower capital cost in...
Continue Reading • 22 Jun 2011
Castle Trust eyeing UK mortgage market
New UK firm Castle Trust is seeking regulatory approval to offer mortgage products and other investments, as the government aims to widen mortgage availability for consumers to improve the weakened real estate market.According to a Reuters report, private equity investor JC Flowers helped fund...
Continue Reading • 21 Jun 2011
Minor International properties win three awards
The luxury residential properties of Minor International, one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in Thailand, clinched three prestigious awards at the Asia Pacific Property Awards.The Residences at The St. Regis Bangkok, which is destined to become one of the city’s defining...
Continue Reading • 21 Jun 2011