Gay property portal gets bought
By Romesh Navaratnarajah:US-based real estate brokerage Hammerberg & Associates, the parent company of GayRealEstate.com, has acquired its California-based competitor GayRealEstateAgents.com for an undisclosed price.This acquisition expands Hammerberg & Associates’ portfolio of gay...
Continue Reading • 4 Jun 2013
Stevens Suites almost sold out
By Nikki De Guzman:Stevens Suites (pictured), a resort-style boutique residence in District 10, is nearly sold out as 27 of its 32 units have been taken up.Around 60 percent of the buyers are Singaporeans and the rest foreigners. Slated for completion in December 2014, units at the freehold...
Continue Reading • 4 Jun 2013
S'pore firm acquires land in India
By Shabnam Muzammil:L&W Construction, a fully-owned subsidiary of Singapore's Lee Kim Tah Woh Hup, has purchased a 10.1ha prime land site in Devanahalli, Bangalore for INR1 billion (S$22.09 million), in a sale advised by Jones Lang LaSalle’s India office.“This is an extremely...
Continue Reading • 4 Jun 2013
Govt creating soft landing for housing market
By Shabnam Muzammil:The government is “engineering a soft-landing” for the housing market, according to National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan.In his latest blog post, Mr Khaw said this would require a bit of luck with factors beyond the government’s control, such as the...
Continue Reading • 4 Jun 2013
Asian buyers ahead of the curve
By Andrew Batt: Property buyers and investors from Asia are benefitting from new-build residential investment in London, according to new research published today.The paper, produced by Cluttons - a leading UK property consultancy and chartered surveyors, notes the trend looks set to gain further...
Continue Reading • 4 Jun 2013
Strong sales at Jewel @ Buangkok preview
By Nikki De Guzman:The 616-unit Jewel @ Buangkok saw buyers for 203 of the 280 units released at its preview over the weekend.Developed by City Developments Limited (CDL), the condominium project comprises of one- to five-bedroom apartments, dual-key units and penthouses within 15- to 17-storey...
Continue Reading • 4 Jun 2013
Eye on Iskandar - One investor's story
By Romesh Navaratnarajah:After years of investing in Singapore property, Germaine Ng set her sights on Iskandar Malaysia because of a client who introduced her to the possibilities offered in the region, reported The Straits Times.“He pointed out to me that Singapore homes are expensive and...
Continue Reading • 4 Jun 2013
Govt H2 land sales sees mixed views
By Shabnam Muzammil:Real estate consultants polled by The Business Times gave different views on the Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme for the second half of 2013.Some expect the Ministry of National Development (MND) to maintain the same quantum of land for private housing projects,...
Continue Reading • 3 Jun 2013
More buyers find dream home in Iskandar
By Romesh Navaratnarajah:One couple has given up on finding a bigger house in Singapore and invested in a villa at Iskandar Malaysia instead, reported The Straits Times.Five years ago, Jonathan Ward and wife Tina visited their friends in Iskandar and were encouraged to buy a villa in Ledang...
Continue Reading • 3 Jun 2013
Foreigners to pay higher tax for Johor property
By Romesh Navaratnarajah:Approximately 130,000 foreigners who own properties in Johor will have to pay a new tax rate which varies from that for locals, reported Bernama.It is believed that more than 90 percent of these owners are from Singapore.The move aims to boost the earnings of local...
Continue Reading • 3 Jun 2013
Anchorvale EC site awarded to Qingjian
By Shabnam Muzammil:The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has awarded an executive condominium (EC) site at Anchorvale Crescent (pictured) to Qingjian Realty (South Pacific) Group after the developer submitted the highest bid of S$245.6 million.Launched for tender on April 15, the 247,570 sq ft...
Continue Reading • 3 Jun 2013
Anchorvale EC site draws $245m top bid
By Romesh Navaratnarajah:An executive condominium (EC) site at Anchorvale Crescent (pictured) attracted healthy interest with six bidders when the tender closed yesterday, said the Housing and Development Board.Launched for sale on April 15, the land parcel has an area of 247,570 sq ft and a...
Continue Reading • 3 Jun 2013
Overseas buyers look further afield
By Andrew Batt:Singapore will see property exhibitions featuring more unusual and off-the-radar projects in the coming weeks and months.Property developments from France, Switzerland and Hong Kong will be showcased to local buyers and investors here during the next five weeks. Developers from...
Continue Reading • 3 Jun 2013
Attractive agents sell more homes
By Andrew Batt:A new study has revealed that attractive real estate agents sell more properties and achieve at higher prices.The authors of the report asked 402 people to score real estate agents in the United States on a scale of 1 to 10, from very unattractive to very attractive. Property...
Continue Reading • 3 Jun 2013
Property agents to donate part of sales commission
By Shabnam Muzammil:Real estate agents at PropNex have pledged to donate a portion of their commission to Community Chest to raise a total of S$100,000 for three schools dedicated to children with multiple disabilities, reported Asia One.The three beneficiaries are MINDS Towner Gardens School,...
Continue Reading • 31 May 2013
SingHaiyi boosts profit to S$4.29m for FY 2013
By Shabnam Muzammil:SingHaiyi Group has achieved a significant boost in its net profit attributable to shareholders to S$4.29 million for FY 2013 ended 31 March, mainly due to fair value gain on investment properties and revenue from Charlton Residences (pictured) which was sold out in March...
Continue Reading • 31 May 2013
2 condo units at Corals sold for over $10m each
By Romesh Navaratnarajah:Corals at Keppel Bay (pictured) saw two condominium units sold for over S$10 million each to family members of Koh Lim Wen Gin, an independent director of Keppel Land and former chief planner at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), reported The Straits Times....
Continue Reading • 31 May 2013
Another agent runs foul of CEA rules
By Shabnam Muzammil:The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) has charged property agent Mustafa Kamal Bin Seri for receiving payment from a licensed moneylender for the loans made by his clients and handling transaction monies for his clients.52-year old Mustafa was a registered salesperson when he...
Continue Reading • 30 May 2013
Iskandar devt offers foreigners unique investment opportunity
By Romesh Navaratnarajah:Strong demand is expected for d’Pristine (pictured) – the newest integrated development in Medini Iskandar Malaysia, as it is the only property in Johor which foreigners can purchase for under RM500,000 (S$205,767).Developed by MCT Land, the project includes...
Continue Reading • 30 May 2013
Private home sales to fall in 2013, says report
By Romesh Navaratnarajah:Primary private home sales this year will moderate to between 15,000 and 18,000 units from last year’s 22,197, according to DTZ Research.But total developer sales could still be higher than the 15,000 to 16,000 units sold in 2010 and 2011, as developers try to...
Continue Reading • 30 May 2013