UK mortgage approvals hit 2-year high in December
The number of mortgage approvals in the UK jumped to a two-year high in December 2011, said the Bank of England (BoE), but experts stressed that lending remains historically low.According to a report, the number of home loans given out hit 52,939 in December last year, from 52,628 in the previous...
Continue Reading • 1 Feb 2012
Analysts say nothing's wrong with Far East promo
Reimbursement of stamp duty is not wrong, according to property consultants assessing Far East Organization’s latest promotion.To counter the effects of the additional stamp duty that took effect in early December, the developer has introduced some marketing promotion strategies. They...
Continue Reading • 1 Feb 2012
Legoland Malaysia eyeing visitors from Singapore
With Lego-built attractions like a Merlion spouting water, a spinning Singapore Flyer and the Fullerton Hotel, Asia's first Legoland theme park is undeniably targeting Singaporean visitors when it opens later this year.The theme park, which is valued at RM720 million (S$296 million), is...
Continue Reading • 1 Feb 2012
Watertown continues to draw crowds
The newly launched Watertown, an integrated waterfront development located near Punggol Waterway continues to draw strong interest from property hunters. As of yesterday evening, the project, which was launched on 20 January, has already sold approximately 580 of the 828 units released, priced...
Continue Reading • 1 Feb 2012
Price rise on the back of strong sales
Encouraging sales during last weekend’s VIP preview at Parc Rosewood, where 181 of the 236 available units were sold, will result in developer Kensington Land Pte Ltd increasing its prices when the project is officially launched this weekend.The company, a joint venture between...
Continue Reading • 1 Feb 2012
Rents at Baltimore Wharf to rise 5%
The Baltimore Wharf team predicts a five percent rise in rents as it opens a new, top-specification, private gym that is expected to pull up sales interest in the fast-selling waterside development, said Knight Frank.Located in the Canary Wharf business district, the area is expected to evolve...
Continue Reading • 31 Jan 2012
Small apartments record 11.8% price jump
Small apartments in Singapore saw prices grow more than twice as fast as those of larger apartments in the Central Region last year. Prices of larger apartments outside of the Central Region also showed the same trend which, although similar to 2010 figures, was more noticeable last year.The...
Continue Reading • 31 Jan 2012
China's property loan growth slows in 2011
The balance of financial institutions’ yuan-denominated loans increased 15.8 percent year-on-year to 54.79 trillion yuan (S$10.89 trillion) last year, of which new loans accounted for 7.47 trillion yuan (S$1.48 trillion), according to the Peoples’ Bank of China.Total loans granted to...
Continue Reading • 31 Jan 2012
CEA to further improve industry standards
The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) will continue to take steps to enhance industry standards as well as protect consumers, wrote Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan in his latest blog post.“We set up the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) to raise the professionalism of the...
Continue Reading • 31 Jan 2012
2 collective sale sites off Balestier Rd up for tender
Two prime freehold residential redevelopment sites off Balestier Road have been launched for en-bloc sale, with a total price tag of approximately S$149 million.Sole marketing agent Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) said the sites are located along 2 to 16 (even only) Kim Keat Lane, 1 to 19, 21 and 23 Kim...
Continue Reading • 31 Jan 2012
S'poreans are top buyers in Oxford
Prime property in the English city of Oxford has been attracting increasing interest from international buyers to the extent where now four in ten buyers are from outside the United Kingdom – and Singaporean buyers are leading the way.Property consultancy Knight Frank's Oxford office has...
Continue Reading • 31 Jan 2012
Large crowd at Tampines EC launch
Sim Lian Group’s latest executive condominium (EC) project, The Tampines Trilliant, has attracted large numbers of potential buyers since its launch last week. The 670-unit 99-year leasehold development comprises 12 blocks of mostly three-room units and is located near Tampines MRT station,...
Continue Reading • 31 Jan 2012
Fewer real estate agents in Singapore
Singapore’s Council for Estate Agents (CEA) has revealed data which shows an above-10 percent drop in the number of registered real estate agents and salespersons in the country.As at 1 January 2012, the CEA had licensed 1,487 estate agents and registered 30,577 salespersons. Out of the...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2012
New housing supply to ease prices further
As per new housing data, a record number of unfinished private homes are now in the works on the back of the government’s numerous land roll-outs in recent years. Analysts believe the move is attaining its goal of cooling property prices.They say that private home prices may flatten or even...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2012
Home prices to slide this year: PropNex
Prices of private homes may stabilise this year, as more opportunity has been given to the 'sandwich' class to own private property, according to PropNex Realty.With increased supply anticipated, PropNex CEO Mohamed Ismail expects prices to soften further, “resulting in an overall price...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2012
URA gives green light to new projects
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) conferred provisional permission to a number of commercial, industrial and residential projects in Q4 2011, according to The Business Times.Among the projects is a 670-room hotel on Orchard Road by Yat Yuen Hong, a unit of Hong Fok Corporation, which also...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2012
Property measures may turn investors to stocks
Several investment experts noted that Singapore’s property cooling measures could deter investors from residential property, turning them instead to stocks, according to The Straits Times.DBS Group Research said that the latest property measure, which imposes an additional 10 percent stamp...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2012
Record 45000 leases inked in 2011
In an analysis of Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) data, property consultancy Savills Singapore has revealed that a total of 45,062 housing leases were inked last year, marking a healthy year across the residential rental market.The market saw an 8.4 percent jump from the 41,573 leases that...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2012
Buyers snap up 165 units at Parc Rosewood
Singapore property buyers snapped up more than 165 of the 236 units offered for sale at last weekend’s launch of the Parc Rosewood condominium development.Prices at the development were adjusted downwards by between 8 and 10 percent, from an initial price of between S$1,030 psf and S$1,100...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2012
Aussie home loan customers call for planning changes
Aussie home loan customers believe that independent experts should have the final decision on new housing developments in New South Wales (NSW), rather than council members, according to research conducted by Auspoll.Carried out on behalf of the Property Council of Australia, the research...
Continue Reading • 30 Jan 2012