US fixed mortgage rates remain low
Fixed mortgage rates in the United States remained unchanged this week, reflecting the lowest rate on record for the fifth consecutive week, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey.The mortgage lender said that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRM) stood at four percent for...
Continue Reading • 5 Dec 2011
Two HK banks raise mortgage rates
Two local lenders in Hong Kong have lifted their mortgage rates for the sixth time this year, raising rates by as much as 0.7 percentage points, according to The Standard.BOC Hong Kong said the new rates, which will be offered at between 2.5 and three percent, will be imposed starting today. The...
Continue Reading • 2 Dec 2011
MOF is looking for public feedback
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has launched the Budget 2012 website with a feedback exercise encouraging suggestions on issues regarding taxes and public spending for next year’s budget. The MOF exercise, in partnership with Reach, welcomes comments through new media platforms such as...
Continue Reading • 2 Dec 2011
Conflicts of interest in S-Reits market
The call for reform in Singapore’s real estate investment trusts (Reits) market has taken on fresh urgency, as concerns resurface regarding the potential conflict of interest when Reits purchase assets from their sponsors.According to The Business Times, this comes after the Monetary...
Continue Reading • 2 Dec 2011
Sengkang Hospital to be completed in 2018
To meet growing public healthcare needs, Sengkang Hospital will be completed in 2018, two years ahead of schedule, according to the Health Minister. This is in line with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) efforts to speed up the building of new hospitals and add hospital beds to bring...
Continue Reading • 2 Dec 2011
London luxury prices set to rise
Prices of ultra-prime London property will rise as much as 10 percent next year according to billionaire property developer Nick Candy, with increasing demand coming from wealthy Asian buyers.Nick, together with his brother Christian, are the brains behind One Hyde Park, a £1 billion luxury...
Continue Reading • 2 Dec 2011
URA launches white site at Thomson Road/Irrawaddy Road
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has announced detailed sales conditions for a white site at Thomson Road/Irrawaddy Road.The 6,676.8 sq m subject land parcel was made available for application under the reserve list of the 2H 2011 Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme. Located in an...
Continue Reading • 1 Dec 2011
DTZ's Chua Chor Hoon promoted to new role
DTZ has appointed Chua Chor Hoon as its new Head of Asia Pacific Research. Prior to her appointment, Chua served as DTZ’s Head of Southeast Asia Research and has been at DTZ for almost four years, bringing more than 20 years of real estate experience to her new post.“Chor Hoon...
Continue Reading • 1 Dec 2011
St. Regis unveils resort in South China
St. Regis Hotels and Resorts has debuted its first St. Regis resort in South China, with the opening of The St. Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort. A premiere destination in Yalong bay, the resort will set a new standard of contemporary sophistication, luxury and unique services for guests to Hainan....
Continue Reading • 1 Dec 2011
URA working on new rules for advertisements
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is working on new rules to give home buyers more confidence when acquiring units, while ensuring that developers are more transparent, according to a report in The Straits Times.The regulations cover several different aspects of home buying, from showflat...
Continue Reading • 1 Dec 2011
S'pore developers win big at 2011 South East Asia Property Awards
Singapore-based property developers and projects clinched a record eight awards at last night’s 2011 South East Asia Property Awards.Far East Organization (FEO) secured two major awards for Best Developer in Singapore and also in Southeast Asia.Nassim Park Residences, a condo development by...
Continue Reading • 1 Dec 2011
PropertyGuru to showcase Malaysian homes in Singapore
With many Singaporeans making Malaysia their top choice for overseas property investments, Asia’s leading property portal group, PropertyGuru, decided to bring in a number of top Malaysian developers to showcase their most sought-after property developments in Malaysia.To be held this...
Continue Reading • 1 Dec 2011
Aussie buyers urged to act fast after home prices drop
Home buyers in Australia should secure mortgages as soon as possible, as property prices across the country have dropped significantly.According to new statistics published by RP Data and Rismark, home values in Brisbane have fallen sharply, declining by as much as eight percent in the 12 months...
Continue Reading • 1 Dec 2011
Archipelago preview tomorrow
Archipelago @ Bedok Reservoir, a 577-unit development featuring a combination of condo units and strata houses, is set to preview tomorrow.To be launched in phases, the first phase will comprise between 180 and 200 units and will fetch an average price of between S$1,000 psf and S$1,100...
Continue Reading • 1 Dec 2011
URA, HDB launch 3 residential sites for sale
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Housing Development Board (HDB) launched three residential sites for sale via public tender yesterday.Situated along Mount Vernon Road, Jalan Lempeng and Kovan Road/Simon Road, the land parcels were released for sale under the confirmed list of the 2H...
Continue Reading • 30 Nov 2011
US underwater mortgages down in Q3
The number of US home owners suffering underwater mortgages dropped slightly in the third quarter, although the levels remained high, said CoreLogic.According to the data analysis firm, the number of negative equity (the amount owed on the mortgage which exceeds the properties’ current...
Continue Reading • 30 Nov 2011
Wee Hur, Lian Beng clinch multi-million dollar HDB contracts
Wee Hur Holdings and Lian Beng Group Ltd have been awarded separate Housing Development Board (HDB) contracts worth a total of S$172.5 million.The Wee Hur contract, worth S$159.3 million, will see the construction of eight residential blocks and a basement parking lot, as well as communal...
Continue Reading • 30 Nov 2011
Singapore is world's 8th safest city
Singapore has been ranked the world’s eighth safest city according to the Mercer 2011 Quality of Living Survey, also making it onto the list of the top 25 cities with the highest quality of living.Luxembourg was ranked the world’s safest city, while Vienna ranked first for quality of...
Continue Reading • 30 Nov 2011
Private resale home prices flat in October
Resale prices of private homes in Singapore rose slightly last month but the overall trend suggests a period of flat values.Flash figures from the Singapore Residential Price Index (SRPI) showed that prices of resale homes climbed 0.9 percent in October, recovering from a 0.1 percent drop in...
Continue Reading • 30 Nov 2011
CapitaLand plans mixed use project in China
CapitaLand has unveiled plans to build a 21.1 billion yuan (S$4.1 billion) mixed-use development in Chongqing, despite growing concerns over the possibility of a sharp slowdown in the Chinese property market.Yesterday, CapitaLand and CapitaMalls Asia (CMA) announced they were part of a consortium...
Continue Reading • 30 Nov 2011