UK stamp duty to hit almost every homeowner
Close to all (99 percent) of residential properties in London will be subject to stamp duty by 2018 and there will be a significant rise in owners paying higher taxes, according to the TaxPayers alliance, a British pressure group. Owners of homes valued at over £125,000 (S$249,649)...
Continue Reading • 27 Aug 2013
Blackstone eyes property assets in Asia, Europe
US-based investment giant Blackstone plans to sell its US properties and acquire new assets in Asia and Europe, according to recent media reports. The private equity firm currently has the world's largest real estate portfolio, with US$64 billion (S$81.9 billion) in assets under management. But...
Continue Reading • 27 Aug 2013
Ardmore condo prices still resilient
Despite slower pre-sales activity, prices within the Ardmore Park area in District 10 remain resilient due to its “purely luxury” positioning.R'ST Research Director Ong Kah Seng said: “It's very different from new high-end residential areas like Marina Bay and Sentosa Cove where...
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
City Complex hits 80% sales
More than 80 percent of the City Complex Airport Link freehold commercial project in central Bangkok has been snapped up by eager investors, with less than 50 units currently available for sale.The commercial development (pictured), located in the prime central Bangkok area of Pratunam, has been...
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
CapitaLand sees sales decline in S'pore, China
Property giant CapitaLand recorded slower pre-sales in Singapore and China during the second quarter of this year, resulting from policy headwinds. According to Barclays, home sales for the developer fell to 139 units or S$300 million from 544 units (S$1.3 billion) in Q1 and 202 units...
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
Pasir Ris waterfront gets spruced up
Residents in Pasir Ris will soon enjoy an upgraded waterfront as two of its waterways will receive a S$7 million makeover under PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters Programme. By 2015, close to a kilometre of the town’s Sungei Api Api and Sungei Tampines waterways will be revamped with...
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
One Direction rents LA pad for S$35,000 a week
British boy band One Direction was renting a luxurious mansion (pictured) in Los Angeles at an eye-popping S$35,000 during a week-long tour, media reports said. Located in Santa Monica, the Titanic-style property offers panoramic 360-degree views of the canyon, revealed property website Celebrity...
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
Singapore stronger than other countries: Tharman
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said Singapore is stronger than many other developed countries, as the policies introduced are for a “fair and just society” to benefit future generations.Speaking at a recent lecture, Mr Tharman, who is also the Finance Minister, said the...
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
DC rates to see moderate hike: analysts
Property consultants expect development charge (DC) rates to move up starting September due to higher land prices in previous months, according to media reports.But this is likely to be conservative as the government continues its efforts to ensure market stability.Average DC rates for commercial...
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
Centaline holds its first UK property event
Singapore’s Centaline Property Agency, part of one of the largest real estate agencies in Hong Kong and Greater China, held its first ever UK property exhibition in the city-state last weekend.The exhibition attracted steady interest from local buyers and investors for units at the G-Suite...
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
Small developers seek strength in numbers
Smaller developers are teaming up as consortiums to leverage on each other’s resources when bidding for sites amid stiff market competition, said media reports.According to Donald Han, Managing Director at property consultancy Chestern Singapore, smaller players need to raise more funds...
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
Singapore housing costs still major thorn for US execs
Housing costs are still the biggest concern among US-based businesses in Singapore, followed by office space costs and availability of affordable manpower, revealed the latest 2013 ASEAN Business Outlook survey conducted by the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce....
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
Campaign aims to organise messy homes, offices
In a bid to raise awareness in the local community about the benefits of de-cluttering and getting organised, the Singapore National Organising Week (SNOW) will once again be taking place from 2-7 September 2013.The annual campaign started in 2007 by the Australasian Association of Professional...
Continue Reading • 26 Aug 2013
Buy a house in Europe and get a visa
In a bid to support their battered property markets, southern Europe’s cash-strapped governments are wooing wealthy Chinese buyers by providing visas to those purchasing prime real estate, media reports said.Portugal, Greece and Cyprus offer resident permits to foreign buyers, while Spain...
Continue Reading • 23 Aug 2013
Asian funds eyeing overseas property investment
Asian insurance companies and pension funds, especially in Singapore, Malaysia, China and Korea, are showing increased interest for overseas homes, according to New York-based investment banking and commercial brokerage firm, Brookfield Financial (Brookfield).Brookfield said the residential...
Continue Reading • 23 Aug 2013
Developer refutes 'building has no lift' claim
A building in Spain has made the news after it was reported its design does not include elevators. Located in the coastal city of Benidorm, the Edificio Intempo (pictured) is 200m high and is set to become the tallest housing project in Europe. “We are constructing the highest residential...
Continue Reading • 23 Aug 2013
Keppel bags CSR & sustainability awards
Keppel Land recently won two major awards for its efforts in environmental protection and sustainability, as well as corporate social responsibility (CSR).At the 7th ASEAN Business Awards held this week in Brunei, the developer was named 'Most Admired ASEAN Enterprise' under the CSR category...
Continue Reading • 23 Aug 2013
Bungalow could sell for $2500 psf, setting record
OSIM founder Ron Sim is reportedly selling his good class bungalow (GCB) at Bin Tong Park for S$117 million, which translates to a psf price of around S$2,500. This would set a new record psf price, media reports stated.The property has an area of about 22,000 sq ft and is located on a hillside...
Continue Reading • 23 Aug 2013
Free property seminar at Hillion Residences
PropertyGuru, Asia’s leading property portal, will hold another consumer seminar this Sunday (25 August), starting at 2:30pm at the Hillion Residences showflat off Choa Chu Kang Road. The seminar will be on the potential and concept of mixed-use developments, which cater to the...
Continue Reading • 23 Aug 2013
8000 to benefit from step-up grant
The ‘Step-Up’ housing grant announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will benefit a total of 8,000 homeowners of two-room HDB flats in Singapore, media reports said.Under the financial assistance scheme, low-income families currently living in such units will be provided assistance...
Continue Reading • 23 Aug 2013