Myanmar buyers look to London
London-based property advisor LondonDom is opening an affiliate office in Yangon, Myanmar, to service increasing demand for U.K. property from local buyers.Managing Director George Shishkovsky will be heading to Myanmar this month to meet with potential clients. His company already has a track...
Continue Reading • 5 Jul 2013
Singaporeans among fastest to get rich
More than half (51 percent) of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) in Singapore became rich in less than 10 years, making them the world's fastest group to accumulate wealth, according to a report from Barclays. Singapore also had the highest percentage of respondents (at 14 percent) who...
Continue Reading • 5 Jul 2013
MAS ruling spooks some overseas investors
Last Friday’s announcement by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to cap the amount of income that Singaporeans can use to finance a property purchase is already having an impact in property markets far beyond the shores of the city-state.Marc von Grundherr, Director of the...
Continue Reading • 5 Jul 2013
Asian boost for apartment sales down under
Riding on the fall of the Australian dollar, Asian buyers are expected to boost apartment sales in Australia, where a bumper supply of new projects were launched recently. “The weakening of the Australian dollar creates stronger buying power for foreign investors,” said...
Continue Reading • 4 Jul 2013
Govt measures cool landed homes market
Sales of landed properties in Singapore have fallen in the last few years as a result of the government’s cooling measures, according to analysts. Landed homes comprise approximately five percent of all residential properties in Singapore. As such, these units are highly-sought-after...
Continue Reading • 4 Jul 2013
New rules to seriously affect holders of multiple mortgages
The latest mortgage rules introduced by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will significantly affect multiple property owners and the mid-tier private housing segment in the Rest of Central Region (RCR), according to Knight Frank.“Investors who have existing property loans and have...
Continue Reading • 4 Jul 2013
Mustafa Centre owner calls 10-storey apartment home
Despite soaring property prices, Mustaq Ahmad (pictured), the owner of Mustafa Centre believes that building his own 10-storey apartment complex for S$11 million was a practical decision.“A home is the most important necessity for any person...Big or small, owning your own home is better...
Continue Reading • 4 Jul 2013
Tasting wine like a pro
PropertyGuru, Asia’s leading property portal, together with developer Tuan Sing Holdings, is holding an exclusive Wine Appreciation Talk at the Sennett Residence Sales Gallery next to Potong Pasir MRT station at 2:30pm this Saturday (6 June). Popular wine expert Charles Stephan, Managing...
Continue Reading • 4 Jul 2013
Sim Lian unveils serviced residence in KL
Singapore-based Sim Lian Group through its subsidiary Perumahan SLG Central will tomorrow launch KL Trillion (pictured), a new luxury serviced residence right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The first phase will comprise 184 of the total 368 serviced residence units that will form part of a...
Continue Reading • 4 Jul 2013
Wait and see approach pushes down auction market
Singapore's property auction market softened in Q2 2013 with only four properties sold at a total of S$5.045 million. However, interest levels grew as the number of properties that went on auction rose four percent from the previous quarter, according to a Jones Lang LaSalle...
Continue Reading • 4 Jul 2013
Dubai property prices up
Housing prices in Dubai have soared 16.1 percent year-on-year, following a 2.01 percent increase in May from the previous month, according to the REIDIN sales price index. Reports noted that this growth indicates a rebound in the residential property market from the crash of 2008.Last month,...
Continue Reading • 3 Jul 2013
Property craze propels S'pore debt level
As a result of Singapore’s love affair with property, debt levels have soared to 75 percent of its GDP from just 38 percent in 2000. This level is high compared to other countries in the region, according to a Standard Chartered report.The study which covered 12 Asian countries revealed...
Continue Reading • 3 Jul 2013
Sales of yet-to-be-built US homes surge
Of the 45,000 new US homes sold in May, 16,000 have yet to start construction, according to data from the Commerce Department. This comprises 36 percent of all new US homes sold for that month, up from 26 percent in 2012, 14 percent in September 2008 and the highest percentage in nearly...
Continue Reading • 3 Jul 2013
Historic bungalow put on the market
A 150,000 sq ft colonial bungalow in the Holland Road area has been launched for tender with a guide rental of S$50,400 per month, according to media reports.The 106-year-old property was once occupied by the French Ambassador and is now a state building managed by the Singapore Land Authority...
Continue Reading • 3 Jul 2013
Further policy tightening expected: Nomura
The Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) threshold of 60 percent is only the beginning as further policy-tightening is expected soon, said research agency Nomura.According to the firm, while the latest measures are expected to have little effect, the slew of...
Continue Reading • 3 Jul 2013
Analysts say now is the right time to sell homes
With private home prices hitting an all-time high, analysts are telling investors that they must sell their properties now instead of waiting for prices to increase further.“At this point in time, URA's price index shows that prices are at an all-time high, so it is an opportunity for...
Continue Reading • 3 Jul 2013
London mega mansion on sale for S$317.8 m
A 45-room mansion in Mayfair, London is set to go on sale for £250 million (S$317.8 million), making it one of the most expensive private homes being sold in the UK.Built between 1756 to 1761, Cambridge House (pictured) was once the home of the Duke of Cambridge and Victorian Prime Minister...
Continue Reading • 3 Jul 2013
Where to find affordable, well-located condos
Home buyers looking for cheaper yet well-located condominium units are drawn to districts 13 and 14, which offer a central location and relatively lower prices. In District 13, one of the most popular projects is the 868-unit Bartley Ridge (pictured). Launched in March, the 99-year...
Continue Reading • 3 Jul 2013
Temasek to invest in India property fund
Investment company Temasek Holdings, owned by the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), has committed to invest in a US$500 million (S$635.6 million) property fund run by India's HDFC Property Fund.According to media reports, Temasek, together with Oman's State General Reserve...
Continue Reading • 3 Jul 2013
Japan land prices decline at slower pace
Average land prices in Japan dipped 1.8 percent in January compared to the same period a year ago, according to a survey by the country's National Tax Agency.However, the rate of decline was the lowest in five years, following a drop of 2.8 percent in 2011 and 3.1 percent in 2010 — a sign...
Continue Reading • 2 Jul 2013