Housing loan growth to slow further
Housing loan growth in Singapore fell to 9.5 percent in 2013 from 15.9 percent in 2012, indicating weaker property sales as well as a higher base factor, said Maybank Kim Eng.However, Maybank noted that the pace of deceleration, particularly over the last quarter of 2013, was sharper than...
Continue Reading • 5 Feb 2014
Candy & Candy aims for global dominance
Luxury developer Nick Candy (pictured) plans to licence the brand name Candy & Candy as part of efforts to expand globally, media reports said.Famously known for the "uber prime" One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, Candy revealed that he was taking his cue from Donald Trump "who...
Continue Reading • 5 Feb 2014
5 facts you probably didn't know about Singapore property
Singapore population densityMany people regard Hong Kong as one of the countries with the highest population density in the world. To a large extent, that is absolutely true. Based on their population of 7,182,724 (July 2013 estimate) and their land size of 1,054 square kilometres (sq. km), the...
Continue Reading • 4 Feb 2014
Braddell View flat owners poised for windfall?
The last remaining HUDC estate bound for privatisation signals the end of the HUDC era, media reports said.Last week, the management committee of Braddell View announced that they were close to achieving the required authorisation from 75 percent of the residents."Symbolically, the...
Continue Reading • 4 Feb 2014
Demand for CCR homes to pick up in second half of year
Demand for homes in the Core Central Region (CCR) is expected to pick up in the second half of 2014 as prices continue to ease, said market watchers who were quoted in the media. Notably, home prices in the CCR dropped 1.9 percent last year.For this year, some analysts expect prices within the...
Continue Reading • 4 Feb 2014
ECA unveils new accommodation tool
Human resources consultancy ECA International has launched a new interactive accommodation tool to provide HR managers with a fast and easy way to set the right accommodation allowances for international assignees. The flexible, online interface draws on ECA’s extensive expatriate...
Continue Reading • 3 Feb 2014
S'pore developers ramp up overseas ventures
Singapore’s cooling measures have caused property firms to ramp up their overseas diversification efforts, with Australia, the UK and the US emerging as favoured destinations, revealed media reports.Chia Siew Chuin, Director for Research and Advisory at Colliers International, said:...
Continue Reading • 3 Feb 2014
Showflats stayed open during CNY
Some showflats remained open over the Chinese New Year break, although consultants did not expect sales to be as good as in previous years, media reports said. “Last two Chinese New Years, developers did relatively well as there were significant sales clocked,” noted Ku Swee Yong,...
Continue Reading • 3 Feb 2014
Ban UK overseas buyers: report
A report published today suggests that the U.K. should ban overseas property purchases by non-European Union residents.In its Finding Shelter report, the influential right wing organisation Civitas, the Institute for the Study of Civil Society, urges the U.K. government to introduce a scheme,...
Continue Reading • 3 Feb 2014
Private home sales to fall further: Barclays
Sales of private homes in Singapore could fall to as low as 12,000 units – down from the 14,980 seen in 2013 – according to research from Barclays.In its investment statement the research arm of the financial institution said: “"Barring any rollback in policies, we now...
Continue Reading • 1 Feb 2014
A very challenging Year of the Horse
Master Lynn Yap, Singapore’s Feng Shui Queen, believes the forthcoming Year of the Horse will be “very challenging” for the local property market. She discusses why in PropertyGuru’s Market Outlook 2014 eBook.In the Market Outlook 2014 eBook, which is free to download,...
Continue Reading • 1 Feb 2014
Nominations open for Philippines Awards
With less than two weeks until the official launch of the Philippines Property Awards 2014, nominations are streaming in for the second annual event/ The gala dinner and presentation ceremony will take place in July.President of TAJARA Leisure & Hospitality Group Cyndy Tan Jarabata, will...
Continue Reading • 1 Feb 2014
Home is a Scottish castle for more
More international property buyers are looking for country houses and castles in Scotland, according to Jamie Macnab, Head of the Country House team at Savills’ Edinburgh office.Macnab said he has more than 500 people currently looking for baronial properties in Scotland, and that its...
Continue Reading • 1 Feb 2014
Most now paying less property tax
Most owner-occupiers of Singapore property are now paying lower property tax bills after the Progressive Property Tax Rates, announced in Budget 2013, came into effect at the start of the year.The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) said that all owner-occupied HDB flats and three...
Continue Reading • 1 Feb 2014
Property curbs likely to stay
Despite witnessing a decline in sales volumes and property prices for six months, cooling measures, particularly loan curbs, are expected to stay for a while, said experts.They noted that there is not much hope the measures will be relaxed in next month's Budget considering prices in some...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2014
Singles snap up 2-room flats, as families shun them
More singles have been allowed to buy two-room flats, despite exceeding their 30 percent quota, as families have not fully taken up their assigned shares, according to media reports.In the Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise held in July 2013, singles purchased 79 units out of the 231 two-room flats...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2014
Complaints at record high but timeshares drop 19%
Consumer complaints in Singapore reached record levels last year with a total of 29,254 complaints received by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), an increase of 13.7 percent from 2012.The only property-related industry to feature in the top ten in both years was the timeshare...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2014
Singapore top for Asian investors
Singapore, along with Mumbai, Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong are in he top five cities that Asian property investors have highlighted as their main focus in 2014, and the majority of are also prepared to take on more risk.Most respondents believe Asia’s property markets will improve,...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2014
Expert predicts 10% price decline
One industry expert is predicting a 10 percent across-the-board decline for residential property prices in Singapore this year.Carmen Lee, Head of Research at OCBC Investment Research, said the mass market segment will likely be hardest hit, with prices dropping by up to 15 percent.She said:...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2014
Boost for property crowd funding site
EXCLUSIVE: Southeast Asia’s first real estate crowd funding and group buying platform has secured investment from Singapore’s Media Development Authority that will enable it to further its regional aspirations. CoAssets.com was launched in Singapore during July and has seen growth...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2014