UK investments do not end with London
By Andrew Batt:Opportunities to invest in United Kingdom property do not start and end with London - that’s the message that one Scotland-based property investment and management company will be telling Singapore-based expats and Singaporean property investors at an event later this...
Continue Reading • 22 Jan 2013
Construction on Q Bay Residences to begin in April
By Romesh Navaratnarajah: KSH Holdings Limited has secured a S$142.3 million contract to construct the Q Bay Residences condominium project (pictured) in Tampines.The contract was awarded by Quarry Bay, a consortium comprising Frasers Centrepoint, Far East Organization and Sekisui House.Scheduled...
Continue Reading • 22 Jan 2013
New Year surge for London home prices
By Romesh Navaratnarajah: London recorded its biggest New Year increase in home prices since 2008 at 3.6 percent, buoyed by a surge of home sellers into the market this month, said Rightmove Plc. The property website said asking prices in the city are now averaging £480,890 (S$936,233), a...
Continue Reading • 22 Jan 2013
Spain reigns as most-searched country
By Andrew Batt:Spain has been hailed as the most popular overseas property destination of 2012.Some 18.3 percent of potential property buyers were looking at the Iberian nation on TheMoveChannel.com and a network of other Europe-based overseas property portals last year. The United States was...
Continue Reading • 22 Jan 2013
Mixed views on govt's marriage & parenthood policy
By Shabnam Muzammil and Romesh Navaratnarajah: The government has launched a new marriage and parenthood policy that some experts feel is well-thought of and will promote a conducive environment for couples to get married in Singapore. Housing is an important part of the Parenthood Priority...
Continue Reading • 21 Jan 2013
Ex-agent slapped with jail time
By Romesh Navaratnarajah: A former property agent who pleaded guilty to stamp duty fraud will face a jail term of two weeks, ruled a district court. According to reports, Koh Siew Buay collected a sum of S$1,028 in stamp duty from the tenants of the three premises she was handling. But she listed...
Continue Reading • 21 Jan 2013
GCBs still hot despite cooling measures
By Romesh Navaratnarajah: A good class bungalow (GCB) at 8 Chee Hoon Avenue will be auctioned next month and is expected to fetch S$23 million, said marketing agent Savills.With a land area of 15,184 sq ft, the elevated site offers a 37m frontage. It is within close proximity to various amenities...
Continue Reading • 21 Jan 2013
Over 210 units sold at Q Bay Residences preview
By Romesh Navaratnarajah: More than a third or over 210 units at the 630-unit Q Bay Residences in Tampines were snapped up as of 6pm today at its preview, an indication of strong demand from home buyers despite the recent slew of property cooling measures.The condominium project is being jointly...
Continue Reading • 21 Jan 2013
Downpour blamed for fall in condo sales
By Romesh Navaratnarajah: A notable drop in sales of condominium units at Q Bay Residences was seen at its launch over the weekend. Some 105 units were sold over two days compared to more than 210 at Friday’s preview. This brought total sales at the 99-year leasehold 630-unit development in...
Continue Reading • 21 Jan 2013
Boom in overseas property sales
By Andrew Batt:Singaporean property investors are already looking overseas in ever larger numbers after the introduction of the most recent attempts to cool the local market earlier this month.Developers and agents reported raised levels of interest and strong sales at the 14 overseas property...
Continue Reading • 21 Jan 2013
Triple digit Singapore sales for Battersea Power Station
By Andrew Batt: EXCLUSIVE: More than one hundred units at London development Battersea Power Station (pictured) were snapped up by Singaporean property buyers and investors in just one day, in what the developer and agency said were record levels of interest for a London property development in...
Continue Reading • 21 Jan 2013
200,000 housing units in the pipeline
By Romesh Navaratnarajah:The government is planning to launch a massive stock of some 200,000 new housing units by 2016. This is equivalent to the building of four new Ang Mo Kio towns. National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced this in his latest blog post this afternoon. He noted...
Continue Reading • 18 Jan 2013
Thailand property tempts investors
By Andrew Batt: The first post-new-cooling-measures property from Thailand to exhibit in Singapore attracted strong interest at its soft pre-launch event last weekend, with further sales predicted at its follow-up event this weekend.Singapore agency Trillion reported 10 sales last week for units...
Continue Reading • 18 Jan 2013
Architectural oddity at Joo Chiat
By Romesh Navaratnarajah: A unique conservation terrace house (pictured) in Joo Chiat, Singapore that's being rented by a Danish family is drawing attention for its quirky architecture, and includes a rear garden and single-storey bunker structure at the back. “The main house is designed...
Continue Reading • 18 Jan 2013
Singapore sales start for Battersea Power Station
By Andrew Batt: Singapore sales start this weekend for Battersea Power Station, the much-anticipated and equally hyped mixed-use development on the banks of the River Thames in London.The development has already seen sales of more than 600 of the 800 units that form the Circus West first phase...
Continue Reading • 18 Jan 2013
Singapore cooling: Discounts offered but raises concerns
By Romesh Navaratnarajah: Some property developers are providing “incentives” to home buyers in response to the government’s latest round of cooling measures which is expected to hit the market hard.For instance, Frasers Centrepoint Homes announced that it will be offering...
Continue Reading • 18 Jan 2013
Q Bay Residences launching amid market uncertainty
By Romesh Navaratnarajah: Q Bay Residences (pictured), a new condominium project in Tampines will launch tomorrow (19 January) amid an uncertain market. The first private residential development to be launched just a week after the government implemented strict cooling measures; it is also...
Continue Reading • 18 Jan 2013
MRT expansion to push up housing prices, but some risks
By Shabnam Muzammil: UPDATE: 80 percent of Singapore’s population will live within a 10-minute walk of an MRT station by 2030.Two new MRT lines were unveiled today - the Cross Island Line (CRL) and the Jurong Region Line (JRL) - in addition to the extension of three existing lines that will...
Continue Reading • 17 Jan 2013
Ascott joins forces with China developer
By Cheryl Tay: The Ascott Limited (Ascott) has partnered with Chinese developer Yuexiu Property Company Limited to strengthen its foothold in China. Under the deal, the Guangzhou-based developer will use its strong presence and expertise to build serviced residences in China, while Ascott will...
Continue Reading • 17 Jan 2013
Singapore cooling: En bloc deals to be subdued
By Shabnam Muzammil: The outlook for the en bloc market has become bleak in the aftermath of the latest round of cooling measures, according to experts. “I think these measures caught everyone by surprise. For en bloc developers, the first couple of months will show more subdued dealing of...
Continue Reading • 17 Jan 2013