S'pore-based designer launches first furniture range
Furniture and interior designer Aisha Ashraf has launched her Accentuate Home furniture collection, specialising in luxury pieces at affordable prices. The Singapore-based designer’s inaugural collection includes a 100-piece range that features diverse classic yet contemporary furniture,...
Continue Reading • 4 Oct 2011
CommercialGuru records 500% traffic growth in one year
Fuelled by robust local and international demand for commercial property in Singapore, CommercialGuru.com.sg, Singapore's only commercial property website has witnessed a remarkable 500 percent increase in traffic over the last 12 months.Launched in August 2010, the website is used by over...
Continue Reading • 3 Oct 2011
Singapore owners open their homes for short-term rentals
Several homeowners in Singapore are now opening their homes for short-term rentals.While the idea is popular in the US and Europe, the trend of short-term home rentals has just caught on in Asia with some major short-term room rental websites set up in Singapore.“Though I don’t see...
Continue Reading • 3 Oct 2011
MGPA to launch Asian real estate fund for German investors
MGPA plans to launch a core plus special fund under German investment law for investments in Asia. Its main focus is to establish markets in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.Intended for German-speaking investors, the special fund’s goal is to raise €500...
Continue Reading • 3 Oct 2011
Wealthy Indonesians buying S'pore homes for their children
Singapore’s stable economic and political environment, coupled with relaxed regulation of the property market, has continued to attract wealthy Indonesian home buyers, according to the Jakarta Post.Thomas Tan, Marketing Director of Raffles Quay Asset Management (RQAM), said that wealthy...
Continue Reading • 3 Oct 2011
UK home loans tumble to record low
Lenders are granting the most affordable mortgages yet, as shown by official figures released last week.The rock-bottom rates translate to an annual savings of approximately £500 on the usual £145,000 loan, with monthly repayments falling from £772 to £730.The numbers...
Continue Reading • 3 Oct 2011
Thanachart sponsors Thailand Property Awards
Thanachart Bank has confirmed its title sponsorship at the sixth Thailand Property Awards this year, underlining the event’s status as a recognition of excellence in Thailand’s real estate market. “Partnering with the Thailand Property Awards is one way we can offer customers...
Continue Reading • 3 Oct 2011
2 new property launches this month
Two new property developments, Rezi 26 and Regent Residences, are set to be soft launched this month.Jointly developed by Heeton, KSH and Tee Realty, Rezi 26 is a freehold apartment project comprising 106 one-, two- and three-bedroom units, as well as penthouses housed in two-, seven- and...
Continue Reading • 3 Oct 2011
S'pore private home prices up 1.3% in Q3
Price increases for private homes continue to moderate, with Q3’s price growth being the smallest in over two years.According to flash estimates released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Singapore’s private home prices climbed 1.3 percent in Q3, down from 2.0 percent in the...
Continue Reading • 3 Oct 2011
S'pore property auction market remains weak
The volatility of Singapore’s property auction market was again highlighted when only one of 15 properties was sold during a Knight Frank property auction this month.The property sold was a 1,206 sq ft factory unit at Woodlands Industrial Park, for about S$460,000. This was S$160,000 above...
Continue Reading • 30 Sept 2011
The new Muse of Bangkok
MGallery, Accor’s label of upscale hotels, has announced the grand opening of Hotel Muse Bangkok Langsuan, its latest addition to the MGallery Collection of exclusive hotels.Inspired by the era of fin de siècle Europe and King Rama V of Thailand, the hotel is a seamless blend of...
Continue Reading • 30 Sept 2011
US mortgage rates hit record low
Following the Federal Reserve’s announcement to further reduce borrowing costs, mortgage rates in the US have fallen to a record low.According to data from Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 4.01 percent from 4.09 percent in the week ended yesterday, the...
Continue Reading • 30 Sept 2011
Mass market home prices may hit record high
While the ongoing economic concerns in the US and Europe have impacted luxury property sentiment, prices of mass-market homes have almost reached the psychological barrier of S$1,000 psf.This contrasts with declining sales volumes, wherein the Outside Central Region (OCR) bucked the trend with...
Continue Reading • 30 Sept 2011
Jones Lang snags top analyst from DTZ
Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) has confirmed the appointment of David Green-Morgan as its new Global Capital Markets Research Director.“David brings to the role significant capital markets research knowledge and experience, strong research product development skills and excellent client...
Continue Reading • 30 Sept 2011
Riviera 38 preview set for next week
Singapore property developer Allgreen Properties is set to preview its 102-unit Riviera 38 project at Mar Thoma Road next week.Located near the Toa Payoh / Bendemeer area, the 999-year leasehold development will comprise a 27-storey tower, with apartments from the sixth floor upwards. Apartment...
Continue Reading • 30 Sept 2011
Shoebox unit prices to stabilise in face of affordability issues
After falling 0.5 percent in July, prices of shoebox apartments posted a 3.1 percent rise in August, according to latest figures by the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Singapore Residential Price Index (SRPI).The price increases are more significant when compared to the overall...
Continue Reading • 30 Sept 2011
SMART buyers and investors heading to Suntec
Singapore’s property investors and buyers will witness a large display of regional and global property investment options at the upcoming SMART Investment and International Property Expo.The Expo, which is in its 23rd edition of the longest-running series of overseas property exhibitions in...
Continue Reading • 29 Sept 2011
Luxury property values on the up
After releasing its recent global billionaire property index, real estate services provider Savills said that multi-million pound houses, listed for sale in the top 10 most expensive cities worldwide have climbed 10 percent in value, while prices of ordinary homes in the same cities rose by six...
Continue Reading • 29 Sept 2011
Singapore developers actively luring Chinese buyers
Despite tougher immigration laws and rising property prices, mainland Chinese buyers’ interest in Singapore properties remains relatively strong, according to developers and agents.Mainland Chinese have become the leading foreign property buyers in Singapore, which is perceived as a good...
Continue Reading • 29 Sept 2011
SOR rates more volatile, says expert
Singapore’s three-month SOR (Swap Offer Rate) had climbed significantly to 0.367 percent since 23 September but has again fallen to around 0.149 percent, as of yesterday.“This shows SOR is more volatile,” said John Lee, Head of LoanGuru.com.sg, a free online home financing...
Continue Reading • 29 Sept 2011