Agent petition gathers support
By Andrew Batt:Almost 200 Singapore real estate agents have now signed an online petition to make the payment of GST mandatory on their deals.The petition to Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) President Greg Seow was launched on Friday by Jason Lim of Vestor Realty. Lim and other agents have...
Continue Reading • 17 Jun 2013
CEA petition gets strong support
By Andrew Batt:More than 115 Singapore real estate agents have signed a petition to the Council for Estate Agencies in just 24 hours, calling for the mandatory payment of GST on their transactions.On Friday PropertyGuru exclusively reported how Jason Lim of Vestor Realty had launched the online...
Continue Reading • 15 Jun 2013
Aussie property prices stabilise
By Andrew Batt: Median price rises in Australia’s capitals are largely stable – apart from more affordable areas of the capital Canberra, new figures show.During the first three months of the year the Australian weighted average median house price for the eight capital cities fell 0.2...
Continue Reading • 15 Jun 2013
Overseas buyer ban will damage UK
By Andrew Batt: Singapore real estate agents selling London property investments have reacted strongly to yesterday’s call by a UK MP to ban overseas buyers in the UK capital.Hundreds of London properties have been sold to Singapore buyers this year alone, and in 2012 locals here were the...
Continue Reading • 15 Jun 2013
Stop overseas London buyers: MP
By Andrew Batt:A UK member of parliament has called for the introduction of a law to stop foreigners buying London new-build properties.Simon Hughes (pictured), the Liberal Democrat MP for Bermondsey & Old Southwark, yesterday told reporters: “Too many of the homes which are being built...
Continue Reading • 14 Jun 2013
Frustrated agent starts petition
By Andrew Batt:EXCLUSIVE: One Singapore real estate agent has launched an online petition in a bid to force consumers to pay the GST on their rental fees.Jason Lim of Vestor Realty is one of a growing number of Singapore real estate agents who are increasingly frustrated at having to absorb the...
Continue Reading • 14 Jun 2013
Housing dialogue focuses on elderly
By Nikki De Guzman:Participants at the final session of Our Singapore Conversation on Wednesday believe that the government can do more to help the elderly monetise their flats.According to media reports, some of the 45 participants called for the revision of the current HDB policies to cover...
Continue Reading • 14 Jun 2013
MSF unveils new bidding system for pre-schools
By Shabnam Muzammil:In a bid to keep pre-school education within HDB estates more affordable, the Ministry for Social and Family (MSF) Development has announced a new bidding evaluation process for commercial child care centre operators.Under the revised bidding exercise, bids for HDB sites to be...
Continue Reading • 14 Jun 2013
MAS to warn banks on SIBOR rigging
By Nikki De Guzman:Following an 11-month review on how benchmark interest rates are set, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) plans to issue a warning to banks as early as today, according to sources.On the same day, the Singapore Foreign Exchange Market Committee (SFEMC), which includes...
Continue Reading • 14 Jun 2013
Tan's plans for Raimon Land
By Andrew Batt:A one-on-one interview over morning coffee at the Fullerton Hotel is certainly a nice way to get to know Johnson Tan, the new Singaporean Chief Executive Officer of one of Thailand’s high-end developers.Interest in Thai properties has been on the rise, but the deal which saw...
Continue Reading • 14 Jun 2013
World city leaders meet in Spain
By Nikki De Guzman:More than 250 city leaders and representatives from urban planning companies from around the world participated in this year’s World Cities Summit (WCS) Mayors Forum held in Bilbao, Spain.Co-organised by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities and Urban Redevelopment...
Continue Reading • 14 Jun 2013
Fernvale Close site attracts 9 bids
By Shabnam Muzammil:A residential site (pictured) at Fernvale Close received nine bids from developers when its tender closed yesterday, according to the HDB.Launched for public tender on 15 April, the 14,930.5 sq m site offers a maximum gross floor area (GFA) of 44,791.5 sq m and a gross plot...
Continue Reading • 14 Jun 2013
Gold award for ION Orchard
By Andrew Batt: Developer Sun Hung Kai Properties collected a prestigious gold Prix d'Excellence award for ION Orchard at the recent FIABCI (Federation Internationale des Administrateurs de Bien-Conselis Immobiliers) competition.ION Orchard was the only shopping centre to win at this year’s...
Continue Reading • 14 Jun 2013
Edited images land agent in trouble
By Andrew Batt:A Manhattan real estate agent is in trouble after editing photographs of a US$7 million property he was marketing to make it look more attractive.Luis Ortiz was shown altering the images on an episode of the top television programme Million Dollar Listing New York. The 26-year-old...
Continue Reading • 14 Jun 2013
CapitaLand sets goals for Singapore, China
By Shabnam Muzammil:Property developer CapitaLand has revealed its growth strategies for its business in Singapore and China during a presentation at the Nomura Investment Forum Asia.According to reports, the developer’s residential arm in Singapore will participate in more land tenders, as...
Continue Reading • 13 Jun 2013
Housing boom in Silicon Valley
By Nikki De Guzman:A slew of new condominiums and apartments are rising in Silicon Valley in the US, with around 1,700 units underway in San Mateo County and 8,000 units in Santa Clara County.Most of these developments are expected to draw the Generation Y/Millenials due to modern lifestyle...
Continue Reading • 13 Jun 2013
London to get 75-storey tower
By Nikki De Guzman:The plan to build a 784ft skyscraper (pictured) on Canary Wharf is set to be approved by the Tower Hamlets council today. Touted as a “town in a tower”, the 75-storey building will have 822 residential units in an effort to address London’s chronic housing...
Continue Reading • 13 Jun 2013
Singapore buyers say bonjour to France
By Andrew Batt:French developer Pierre & Vacances declared itself happy with the response to its French property exhibition which took place in Singapore last weekend.In what was the first French property exhibition to exhibit in Singapore for more than two years, buyers and investors signed...
Continue Reading • 13 Jun 2013
UK house for sale - for free
By Andrew Batt:A house in South Wales could be become the cheapest home to be sold in the United Kingdom when it comes under the hammer next week with a guide price of £0.The freehold mid-terrace property in the former mining village of Nantymoel will be sold in Cardiff on June 20, however...
Continue Reading • 13 Jun 2013
London demand to outstrip supply
By Andrew Batt:Supply of new housing in Central London will fall as much as 40 percent short of demand over the course of the next ten years, according to a new research report.Analysis by Knight Frank published in its London Calling report this week predicts that if the annual uplift in...
Continue Reading • 13 Jun 2013