Chinese now comprise largest buying group of Bungalows
Foreigner's share of bungalow deals hit 11.7% in 2010, up from 9.1%
in 2009
The Chinese picked up 15 bungalows in District 4 last year, nearly double
the eight properties they acquired in the area in 2009.
Mainland Chinese
replaced Malaysians as the biggest foreign buyers (including permanent
residents) of bungalows across Singapore last year, shows a caveats analysis
by CB Richard Ellis.
China nationals
picked up 19 properties in 2010, giving them a 3.3 per cent share of the
total 571 caveats lodged for bungalows last year.
HK
citizens were in second place, with 11 deals or 1.9 per cent share, followed
by Malaysians, who picked up eight bungalows (1.4 per cent share).
In 2009, Malaysians
were the number one buyers, followed by UK citizens and mainland Chinese.
Foreigners'
(including PRs') share of bungalow purchases across Singapore rose from 9.1
per cent in 2009 to 11.7 per cent in 2010, surpassing their 11 per cent
share in 2007.
Companies' share of purchases rose from 10.8 per cent in 2009
to 12.3 per cent last year. Singaporeans remained
the predominant buyers of bungalows, accounting for 434 deals (76 per cent
of all bungalow purchases) last year.
However, this is
lower than their 80.1 per cent share in 2009.
Throughout Singapore,
a total 571 caveats were lodged for bungalow purchases last year, up 6.3 per
cent from 2009 but still 29.7 per cent lower than the high of 812 deals in
2007.
The Chinese were
most active in District 4 (which includes Sentosa Cove) where they picked up
15 bungalows last year, nearly double the eight properties they acquired in
the area in 2009.
They were the
biggest foreign buyers in the district for both years.
Singaporeans,
however, bought even more bungalows in the district - 15 in 2009 and 23 in
2010.
After the Chinese, Indonesians were
the next biggest foreign buyers of bungalows in District 4 with six deals,
followed by Malaysians (three deals) last year.
District 10 - a high-end bungalow location on mainland Singapore - last
year saw three purchases each by Australians and Malaysians, and two
purchases each by Chinese and UK citizens. --2011
SINGAPORE BUSINESS TIMES
 
Landed homes : Lure of scarcity
When private home prices made their
sterling recovery in the second half of 2009, landed homes didn't miss out
on the action. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) price indices for
detached, semi-detached and terrace houses recovered by 22-26 per cent in
2H 2009, after falling some 18-21 per cent from the market peak in the
second quarter of 2008 to Q2 2009.
This upward trend is likely to continue
because of the scarcity of landed homes in Singapore. Out of a total
housing stock of 1.14 million units, only 69,500 or 6.1 per cent are
landed homes.
While new landed projects are limited,
home buyers are always willing to buy older properties in the resale
market. On average, 380 new landed homes and 2,800 resale landed homes
changed hands annually between 2004 and 2009.
Moreover, there is also a certain
degree of speculative activity in the landed market. An analysis of the
caveats lodged for subsales of new landed properties in the past year
shows a gain of 5.5 to 34 per cent from their original prices two to three
years ago.
Landed properties offer a certain
prestige to homeowners in the middle to high-income groups. Nowadays,
well-heeled homebuyers in their mid-30s are especially attracted to entry
level bungalows with a land area of 4,000-5,000 sq ft and costing $4-$5
million. Some of these can be found in Lynwood Grove and Cotswold Close.
Equally popular are strata bungalows
like Goodman Crest and Bellaville which have the same built-up area as the
average bungalow but cost less - around $2.5-$3.5 million - because of the
shared ownership of land and communal facilities like swimming pool and
landscaped garden.
Similarly, cluster terrace houses are
seen as value for money as opposed to condominiums because of their
generous built-up areas of over 3,000 sq ft. These also come with communal
facilities which appeal to families with young children.
However, the downside of cluster
terrace developments is the rather crowded conditions within the compound
and the higher volume of vehicular traffic they generate in the
neighbourhood.
At the top of the Singapore housing
pyramid are the good class bungalows (GCBs) which are the most prestigious
and expensive type of housing. In just the first two months of 2010, some
14 GCBs were transacted, compared with just three in the first quarter of
2009.
Among the 14, the most expensive GCB
was a Swettenham Road house, which sold for $31.5 million in January. It
has a land area of 29,569 sq ft.
In 2009, the highest priced GCB was
sold in October at $38.67 million. It is located in Victoria Park Road and
has a land area of 32,077 sq ft.
Over at Sentosa Cove, Kasara villas,
which range from 9,000 sq ft to over 14,000 sq ft, were sold at $14-$22
million in November 2009. These villas come with designer finishes and top
quality fittings.
The reason why leasehold landed homes
in Sentosa Cove can fetch prices equivalent to, if not higher than, their
freehold counterparts on the mainland is because of the resort island
status, foreigners' eligibility to buy and above all, limited supply of
around 400 units. Foreigners are not allowed to buy landed properties on
the mainland and even permanent residents need special approval from the
authorities to buy one.
In 2009, a landed project in Seletar
Hills estate called Luxus Hills was launched. The first phase of 78
terrace houses was sold within a few weeks. In the second phase, another
30 units sold quickly at a similar price range. The terrace houses fetched
$1.7-$2 million while the semi-detached houses fetched $2-$2.2 million.
Estrivillas, a cluster housing project
in Jalan Lim Tai See comprising 38 semi-detached and one detached house,
was launched in November 2009. By January this year, 24 of the 39 units
had been sold at $3.5-$3.8 million.
In the resale market, transactions in
January and February this year show that the median price of semi-detached
and terrace houses was $2.5 million and $1.5 million respectively. A year
ago, the corresponding median prices were $1.76 million and $1.16 million.
Developers marketing landed properties
should emphasise the limited land resources and hence, the value of landed
properties in the long-term. Secondly, owners do not have to pay
maintenance fees for houses, unlike condominiums. Unless a house is very
old, the upkeep is generally inexpensive. Spending money on one's own
property beats contributing $3,000 to $4,000 a year to a condo management
or sinking fund.
Landed homes are also attractive as
investments as they can fetch good rentals. Proximity to premier schools,
international schools and embassies is definitely an advantage.
At the top, GCBs in Bukit Timah can be
leased out at $18,000 to $25,000 a month while standard detached houses
can fetch $12,000 to $18,000, depending on their size and condition.
Semi-detached houses can command a monthly rent of $8,000 to $12,000 while
terrace houses can achieve $3,000 to $7,000.
Limited supply results in the
relatively inelastic prices of landed homes, and increasingly, those who
hold such properties will find them a boon as more often than not these
are assets that appreciate in value over time.
--2010 March 25 BUSINESS
TIMES
Bungalow prices to hold steady
Landed property enjoyed a fantastic
year in 2010. Good Class Bungalows in the prime districts of 9, 10 and 11
did particularly well in terms of sales. But good performance was seen for
all types of bungalows in the prime districts, and the eastern districts
of 15 and 16. Total sales value of bungalows in these three categories
alone amounted to $3.3 billion last year, 46 per cent higher than the
sales done in 2009.
A total of 88 Good Class Bungalows
(GCBs) in districts 9, 10 and 11 changed hands in 2010, compared to 84 in
2009, an increase of about 5 per cent. These bungalows, located in
designated GCB Areas, are sought after by ultra-high-net-worth individuals
(UHNIs). Median prices for GCBs also saw the highest percentage growth
among all bungalow segments last year. The median price for GCBs in 2010
was $1,129 per square foot, up 31 per cent from $865 psf in 2009.
 
In fact, most owners who bought their
GCBs five years ago would have enjoyed close to a 300 per cent
appreciation in property values. These bungalows in the exclusive enclaves
of Nassim, Tanglin, Dalvey and Cluny Park are in high demand as elite
homeowners in these areas tend to hold on to such prized assets, making
supply scarce.
Besides GCBs, other bungalows in the
prime districts have also experienced phenomenal growth both in terms of
transaction volumes and price. A total of 95 bungalows changed hands in
2010 compared to 75 in 2009.
The median price per square foot has
also gone up from $1,018 psf in 2009 to $1,207 psf in 2010. It is getting
more pricey to own a bungalow in the prime districts these days as most of
them could easily command prices above $7 million. Demand for bungalows in
Bukit Timah is naturally high due to their proximity to some of
Singapore's prestigious schools, such as Nanyang Primary School,
Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) and Raffles Girls' Primary School.
Another popular bungalow market is in
the eastern part of Singapore - in district 15 (which includes Katong and
East Coast) and 16 (including Upper East Coast and Bedok). A total of 93
bungalows were sold in these two districts last year, 24 per cent more
than the 75 transactions in 2009. The median price has also risen 28 per
cent from $732 psf in 2009 to $937 psf in 2010.
As prime district bungalows get
pricier, some buyers have switched their search to the east where prices
could be 10-30 per cent lower.
Bungalows in Katong are in greater
demand. Easy access to food amenities, the short drive via East Coast
Parkway to the Central Business District and the presence of top schools
in the vicinity are key reasons for the high demand for bungalows here.
The Singapore bungalow market was
poised for a superb bull run this year, with prices expected to soar by
another 10-20 per cent until the government came out with its Jan 13
cooling measures.
Impact of new measures
However, the new rules should have a
limited impact on the bungalow segment due to the short supply and strong
holding power of the owners.
The lower loan-to-value limit on new
private home purchases for those already servicing a housing loan should
not pose a major problem to most bungalow buyers. In fact, most of these
well-heeled buyers do not make use of the maximum financing.
As well, owners of these bungalows,
especially GCB owners, tend to hold on to their properties for many years.
It is also the norm for them to own a few such properties to keep for the
next generation.
Despite the cooling measures, there are
still many buyers searching for their dream bungalows. The only negative
impact of the measures we have seen so far is a standoff between sellers
and buyers. Sellers are unwilling to lower their prices while buyers are
expecting price declines. This situation has created a price gap, which
means fewer bungalow transactions are likely in the months ahead.
There are still many offers coming in
from buyers but these are generally lower than what sellers expect. In
fact, we are seeing some sellers withdrawing their properties from the
market, with a view to relaunching them six to 12 months later. Some have
opted to lease out their bungalows instead of selling them, for the time
being.
Trend in 2011
Going forward, we expect the sales
volume of bungalows to drop by about 20 per cent for the year. First
quarter sales are likely to fall more steeply, by 30 per cent or more,
before picking up again from the second quarter. The Chinese New Year
festivities in February, coupled with the introduction of the cooling
measures in January, are the main reasons for the big drop expected in Q1
sales.
Short-term investors or speculators who
usually look for a 10-20 per cent profit margin within one to two years
are effectively driven out of the market by the punitive seller's stamp
duty in the Jan 13 cooling package. Bungalows with redevelopment potential
may also lose some of their appeal. Before the measures, developers or
investors would pay a high premium to own such bungalows.
However, they now have to be prudent as
their margins will shrink due to the higher stamp duty they will have to
pay when selling the redeveloped properties. On the other hand, bungalows
with existing tenancies seem to be the star attraction for investors.
Despite a slowdown in bungalow
transactions this year, prices on the whole are likely to remain stable,
with a gradual increase of 5 per cent from 2010.
With the economy doing well, bungalow
sales should be relatively healthy even if they may not match the vibrancy
of 2010. Overall household wealth has risen over the years and owning a
bungalow is a growing status symbol.
The upside potential for bungalows
remains promising given that the price of a brand-new bungalow in a prime
district would generally be below $2,000 per sq ft of built-up area. This
compares well with a new condominium in the same vicinity which would be
priced above $3,000 psf of strata area.
Furthermore, we are seeing a steady
increase in the number of ultra-rich Singapore permanent residents taking
up citizenship here. This means they no longer face restrictions on the
number of bungalows they can own in Singapore.
All in all, demand for bungalows will
remain strong, as long as interest rates do not rise dramatically, and
there are no further cooling measures.
Bungalow hunt
For those still searching for a
bungalow, here are a few tips on what to look for:
- Location: As with any property
investment, location is the most important criterion in selecting a
bungalow. When the market picks up, bungalows in prime locations will
appreciate faster than those elsewhere.
For example, many bungalows in the
prime districts have tripled in value over the past five years. Those
in the eastern districts have doubled over the same period. It is also
easier to resell a bungalow in a prime district as there is a bigger
pool of buyers.
- Shape and gradient of land: The best
choice is a regular-shaped plot with a broad frontage as it allows the
house to have an imposing entrance. And the land should be flat rather
than undulating. Better still would be a plot on elevated ground,
especially if it comes with a panoramic view, which is hard to come
by.
- Zoning: There are various kinds of
zoning for bungalow land - such as Good Class Bungalow Area (GCBA),
bungalow and mixed landed.
Only GCBs, which are governed by
stringent planning requirements, are allowed to be built in a GCBA.
For a plot zoned for mixed landed use, terrace and semi-detached homes
as well as bungalows are allowed.
Hence, zoning has a bearing on the
prestige of the neighbourhood. Bungalows built on sites zoned
specifically for bungalows tend to fetch higher values as there will
only be bungalows in that area instead of a mixture of terrace,
semi-detached houses and bungalows.
- Redevelopment potential: Due to
their plot ratio and site specifications (such as road frontage and
depth of plot), some bungalows have huge redevelopment potential, and
these properties are much sought after by developers.
-- 2011 March 3 BUSINESS
TIMES The
writer is managing director, RealStar Premier Property Pte Ltd
- - -
Developers' sales of private homes
surged 82 per cent month on month to 1,544 units in July from the low of
847 units in June, according to latest official figures. This reflects a
resumption in home buying, which had taken a breather during the school
holidays and World Cup.
However, sales are expected to slip to
around 800-1,000 units again in August, on the back of slower launches
during the Hungry Ghost Month, say some property agents. After this ends
on September 7, both launches and sales will pick up again, they reckon.
In the first seven months of this year,
developers have sold 9,957 private homes (excluding executive condos),
after last year's strong sales of 14,688 units.
CB Richard Ellis expects the full-year
figure will be about 14,000 units. Jones Lang LaSalle's estimate is
13,000-14,000 while DTZ's SE Asia research head Chua Chor Hoon puts the
number at 13,000-15,000 units.
'The outlook still remains positive
against the backdrop of Singapore's economic growth and the low interest
rate environment but buyers will be more selective given that so many
Government Land Sale sites are being sold; this will translate to greater
choice of new projects.
'Prices have also been on the rise, so
potential buyers will be more discerning in picking properties that have
better potential for rental income or capital appreciation,' Ms Chua
added. DTZ's data shows that secondary market prices of completed private
homes appreciated about 6-8 per cent in the first half of this year; her
full-year forecast is an 8-13 per cent increase.
CB Richard Ellis executive director
(residential) Joseph Tan reckons that developers are unlikely to test new
price benchmarks when they resume launches next month. But prices are
unlikely to fall below current levels either, as land prices remain high,
he adds.
On the other hand, signs of buyer price
resistance continue to prevail. Colliers International's analysis of
official developer monthly sales data released by Urban Redevelopment
Authority shows that the proportion of private homes sold by developers
priced at $1,500 psf and below was at its highest level in 10 months in
July, at 88 per cent.
The Outside Central Region, where
mass-market properties are typically located, accounted for 42.8 per cent
of the total 1,544 units sold by developers in July, while the Core
Central Region, where the most expensive homes in Singapore are found, had
a 17.9 per cent share.
Nonetheless, a handful of buyers picked
up properties at top-line prices in July, notes CB Richard Ellis executive
director Li Hiaw Ho. The most expensive apartment/condominium unit (in
terms of $ per square foot) sold by a developer in July was a unit at
Boulevard Vue which fetched $4,600 per square foot. BT understands that
Far East Organization sold the high-floor unit of 4,456 sq ft for $20.5
million.
URA's data shows that other high-end
deals last month included a unit at The Orchard Residences which sold at
$4,099 psf and another at Skyline @ Orchard Boulevard at $3,719 psf.
The least expensive non-landed home was
a unit at The Minton in Hougang which was transacted at $612 psf.
July's surge in primary market sales
came on the back of three major launches - 368 Thomson, Terrene at Bukit
Timah and The Scala at Serangoon Avenue 3. Together, they made up 46.6 per
cent of the total 1,544 units developers sold in July.
The top-selling project was The Scala,
with 400 units transacted at a median price of $1,173 psf.
Also helping to boost last month's
sales were sell-out launches for three projects that comprised mostly one-bedders
- the 51-unit Centra Studios at Lorong 25 Geylang, 99-unit Haig 162 and
Leicester Suites (46 of its 47 units were sold last month). 'Their success
could be attributed to the affordably-priced small-format units they
offered,' says CBRE's Mr Li.
Developers launched 1,335 private homes
in July, up from 1,010 units in June.
Projects expected to be released after
Ghosts Month include NV Residences in Pasir Ris, Twin Peaks on the
Grangeford site, Cityscape in Mergui Road and Killiney 118.
Two executive condo projects - the
573-unit Esparina Residences at Compassvale Bow in Sengkang and Chinese
developer MCC Land's 406-unit The Canopy in Yishun - are slated for
release in October, say market watchers.
--2010 August 17 BUSINESS
TIMES
Landed homes' capital values rise faster
than apartments, condos
Average cap value of prime resale freehold landed homes up 5.1% in Q4
Average cap values of landed homes in
Singapore have risen at a faster clip than those of private
apartments/condos in the fourth quarter as well as the whole of 2010
 
DTZ's analysis referred only to resale landed and non-landed homes,
that is, properties that had already obtained Certificate of Statutory
Completion.
'The limited stock of landed homes has made them prized assets,
especially those in the prime districts. Landed homes currently account
for about 26 per cent of Singapore's total private housing stock
(including executive condos), with very limited supply in the pipeline. In
contrast, the supply of non-landed private homes is injected at a faster
pace via the Government Land Sales programme and collective sales,' says
DTZ's Southeast Asia research head Chua Chor Hoon.
The average capital value of prime resale freehold landed homes stood
at $1,693 per square foot (psf) on land area in Q4 2010, up 5.1 per cent
from the previous quarter, taking the full-year increase to 17 per cent.
For suburban freehold landed houses, the average capital value increased
4.3 per cent quarter on quarter to $993 psf in Q4, resulting in a
full-year appreciation of 15.5 per cent.
In the non-landed segment, the average cap value for 99-year suburban condos
remained unchanged at $660 psf on strata area in Q4 2010, taking the
appreciation for the whole of 2010 to 8 per cent. The average price of prime
freehold condos increased 0.4 per cent quarter on quarter to $1,520 psf in
Q4, also reflecting an 8 per cent full-year price
DTZ said prices in these two segments are hitting resistance, having risen by about 18 per cent and 36 per cent since their respective Q1
2009 troughs following the global financial crisis. The latest cap values are also above the respective Q4 2007 peak levels, it noted.
'Greater prudence is also being exercised on buyers' part following
the latest property cooling measures introduced on Aug 30. Buyers are
more selective and prefer projects with good location attributes such as
proximity to MRT stations, schools or the central business district,'
DTZ said.
On the other hand, the Q4 2010 average cap value of freehold luxury
condos (above 2,500 sq ft) in the prime districts was $2,630 psf, about
6 per cent shy of the Q4 2007 peak of $2,800 psf. The latest Q4 figure
was unchanged from the preceding three months while the full-year 2010
increase was 9.6 per cent.
'With a limited pool of buyers being able to afford these luxurious
units which require a large quantum sum, this segment has seen more
subdued purchasing activity,' DTZ said.
The firm's executive director (residential) Margaret Thean said:
'Although there's less activity in the high-end segment, we're still
seeing strong interest from Chinese and Indian nationals, and
increasingly from institutional investors such as funds. They have
confidence in future price growth due to Singapore's strong economic
fundamentals. As for individual foreigners buying for owner occupation,
completed developments near renowned schools particularly interest
them.'
Ms Chua predicts that resale prices of 99-year suburban condos are
likely to remain flattish next year while those of prime freehold condos
could rise by up to 5 per cent if there is more buying from foreigners
due to the clampdown on property purchases in their home countries.
She expects prices of landed homes to continue to outperform those of
apartments and condos due to their relative scarcity appeal.
- 2010 December 23 SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIME


Record
year in the offing for good class bungalow sales


Good times continue to roll for the Good
Class Bungalow (GCB) market, with some high-profile business personalities
involved in the latest transactions. They include palm oil giant Wilmar
International's chairman and CEO, Kuok Khoon Hong, and Prima Group boss
Bernard Cheng.
The latest deals have boosted the volume
of GCB transactions between January and August this year to about 60 deals
with a total value of around $900 million, surpassing the $830 million
transacted in the whole of last year, latest figures from CB Richard Ellis (CBRE)
show. The actual year-to-date numbers could be higher if caveats for some
deals done in August have still not been lodged, suggest property market
watchers.
CBRE's director, luxury homes, Douglas
Wong is now predicting record GCB sales totalling $1.2 billion to $1.4
billion for the whole of this year, encompassing 80-90 transactions - up
from his earlier forecast of around $1.1 billion-$1.2 billion made just
three weeks ago. Up to now, the highest full-year value of GCB transactions
was achieved in 2006 - involving $1.23 billion across 119 deals.
Savills Singapore director of investment
sales & prestige homes Steven Ming said that while the GCB market
remains active, 'buyers continue to approach purchases with measured
optimism and are sensitive to price increases'.
Wilmar's head honcho, Mr Kuok, and his
wife are said to have bought two adjoining GCB properties on Victoria Park
Road last month for a total of about $44.17 million. The couple paid about
$24.5 million for No. 35 Victoria Park, a two-storey bungalow with a
swimming pool; the price works out to $750 per square foot (psf) based on
the land area of 32,688 square feet. The sellers are believed to be members
of the Khoo family linked to Kimly Construction.
Mr Kuok and his wife also picked up the
next-door property at 37 & 39 Victoria Park, an old single-storey
bungalow, for $19.65 million or about $660 psf. The seller is said to be Ng
Cheong Bian, son of the late Ng Bok Eng, dubbed 'king of cloves'.
Both properties - Nos. 35 and 37/39
Victoria Park - have 999-year-leasehold tenure.
Bungalow market watchers say they would
not be surprised if the Kuoks amalgamate the two plots for redevelopment
into a plush new GCB on sprawling grounds of more than 60,000 sq ft.
DTZ is understood to have brokered the
sale of both properties.
Last month, Prima Group boss Bernard
Cheng is believed to have sold his freehold bungalow at Queen Astrid Park
for $24 million or about $877 psf to Zain Fancy. A person bearing the same
name was formerly head of Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing for Asia
Pacific and who late last year joined Och-Ziff Asia Real Estate as executive
managing director and is based in Singapore. The entity is part of New
York-based fund management giant Och-Ziff Capital Management Group.
Ho Tian Yee, managing director of Pacific
Asset Management, is said to have picked up a bungalow at Astrid Hill in
July for $20.5 million or $654 psf on its land area of about 31,360 sq ft.
Meanwhile, 12 Bishopsgate, with a land area of around 16,550 sq ft, changed
hands last month for slightly more than $19 million or about $1,150 psf.
The year began slowly for the GCB market
with just three deals worth about $27.5 million in the first quarter.
However, things soon gained momentum with around $432 million worth of deals
done in Q2 and about $436 million in July and August.
GCBs are the creme de la creme of
Singapore's housing market, with stringent planning requirements. There are
only about 2,400 such bungalows in Singapore's 39 gazetted GCB Areas.
'Liquidity, cheap financing and the general belief that the worst of the
economic crisis is over are fuelling this run,' says Savills' Mr Ming.
'Furthermore, it appears the wealthy are
allocating a greater proportion of their investments to real estate. GCBs,
being limited in nature but highly desired amongst the rich, become highly
sought after.' - 2009 September
4 BUSINESS
TIMES
Q4 private home price slide is worst in
decade
In its
worst showing since Q4 1998, the official private home price index slid 5.7
per cent in Q4 last year over the preceding quarter. For full-year 2008, the
index fell 4.3 per cent, reversing a 31.2 per cent jump in 2007.
Property consultants are predicting a
further decline of 10-20 per cent this year in the benchmark index, with
upmarket homes continuing to be the worst hit, as in 2008. This sector was
the most overheated during the run-up in 2006 and 2007.
'The bid-ask gap is very high; any buyer
that comes in now wants to make sure he's buying at very attractive prices
to cushion against future risk. As a result, most transacted prices are
quite distressed,' said DTZ executive director Ong Choon Fah.
BT understands buyers are looking at
prices at least 20 per cent below Q3 2008 levels before they are willing to
commit.
URA's non-landed private home price index
for Core Central Region (CCR) fell 6.3 per cent quarter-on-quarter in Q4, or
a full-year drop of 5.5 per cent. CCR includes the prime districts,
financial district and Sentosa Cove. In the Rest of Central Region, the
price drop was 5.5 per cent for Q4, and 4 per cent for the full year.
Outside Central Region, a proxy for suburban mass-market locations, suffered
the smallest declines, of 4.7 per cent in Q4 and 1.6 per cent for the whole
year.
The declines in URA's indices were far
smaller than the price drops estimated by property consultants. CB Richard
Ellis said that last year, average prices of new luxury homes under
construction fell 30 to 35 per cent for prime districts 9 and 10, while
those in Marina Bay and Sentosa Cove eased 10-13 per cent.
URA's price indices are weighted
according to the moving average mix of transactions for the preceding 12
quarters, and this tends to make changes in the indices more muted during
sharp market swings.
For this year, JP Morgan analyst Chris
Gee said: 'The critical factor that will affect private home prices in 2009
- probably more importantly than the economy and jobs market - will be
banks' financing of property. Banks seem happy to lend to the right type of
buyers, but they're more conservative on valuations and tighter on
loan-to-value.'
As for developers, smaller players have
already started to chop prices. 'Among bigger developers, some are
restructuring their portfolios and re-evaluating their risk positions,'
DTZ's Mrs Ong noted.
A seasoned developer pointed to a
diversity of strategies among developers, according to their financial
strength, profit margin for each project and their view of when the recovery
will take place. 'Some will cut and sell; some will package things that
effectively give more discounts; some will lease instead of selling; some
will just sit it out and wait for better times.
'Projects will be slowed down or delayed,
stretching out the supply coming into the market, which in itself is a
regulating mechanism,' he said.
In the public housing segment, the
Housing & Development Board's (HDB) resale flat price index still inched
up 1.5 per cent quarter-on-quarter in Q4 to scale a new peak. But this was
slower than the 4.2 per cent rise posted in Q3.
ERA Asia Pacific associate director
Eugene Lim said: 'We've been seeing more transactions with decreasing
cash-over-valuations (COVs). The days of transactions with above $50,000
COVs are over.'
He is predicting a sub-1 per cent rise in
the HDB resale flat price index for each of Q1 and Q2 this year. 'If the
recovery takes longer, we may see the price index flatten in H2 2009 before
decreasing, if the situation worsens.'
Knight Frank director Nicholas Mak
predicted a 5 to 10 per cent correction in HDB resale flat prices this year,
as the weakening economic conditions filter into the HDB market.
ERA's Mr Lim noted that 'in uncertain
times, home buyers go for the 'safer' option of HDB flats to ease their
financial burden'. He estimated 30,000 to 31,000 HDB resale transactions
were done in 2008 - surpassing the 29,436 in 2007.
As for the private housing sector, CBRE
predicted developers may sell 5,000-6,000 units in 2009, as falling prices
boost take-up. It put the figure for last year at 4,300 to 4,400 units -
just 30 per cent of 2007's record volume. Sales also slowed in the secondary
market. CBRE estimated about 7,400 to 7,600 resale deals were done last year
- against nearly 21,000 transactions in 2007. The 1,600 to 1,650 subsale
deals it estimated for 2008 were also a far cry from the 2007's figure of
4,863. - 2009 January
3 BUSINESS
TIMES

20% drop in luxury home prices
Savills Singapore is predicting price
drops of more than 20 per cent in the next five quarters for high-end and
super-luxury private homes.
This would follow declines of 14.3 per
cent and 12 per cent respectively for these two segments in the first nine
months of 2008 from the peak in Q4 last year.
The forecast is probably the grimmest
announced by a property consultancy here - although some rival firms BT
spoke to yesterday said that privately, they have similar estimates.
Research analysts at stockbroking
houses/banks have already been making downbeat pronouncements, predicting
declines of about 30 per cent or more for luxury home prices byl end-2009.
In its report yesterday, Savills said
that the high-end and super luxury segments are more vulnerable to the
deteriorating global investment climate. The average capital value for
high-end (non-landed) residential homes fell to $2,065 per square foot in Q3
2008, 4.6 per cent lower than the preceding quarter and 14.3 per cent below
the Q4 2007 peak of $2,410 psf.
In the super luxury league, the average
capital value slipped to $3,240.40 psf in Q3, down 5.2 per cent from the
preceding quarter and 12 per cent lower than the Q4 2007 figure.
Savills expects mass- market home prices
to fall 5 to 8 per cent in the next five quarters - arguing that a price
drop in this segment will be cushioned by continued support from HDB
upgraders and other buyers picking up private homes for their own
occupation.
The fundamentals of the mid-tier and
mass-market segments are stronger today than during the Asian Crisis
downturn, partly due to Singapore's more open immigration policy, Savills
said.
Permanent residents have accounted for
14.3 per cent of private home purchases (excluding ECs) in the first nine
months of this year, up from a 12 per cent share in 2004. PRs are likely to
become a strong demand driver in the residential market in the coming
months, Savills reckons.
Foreigners (including PRs) had 24.8 per
cent share of private home purchases (including ECs) in the first nine
months of 2008, down from a 25.9 per cent share for the whole of last year
but still ahead of sub-20 per cent shares between 2000 and 2004.
In Q3 2008, a total of 4,287 caveats were
lodged for private homes (including ECs), covering both primary and
secondary markets - 9 per cent higher than the 3,934 caveats lodged in the
preceding quarter.
However, the total value of private homes
transacted edged up only slightly to $5.68 billion in Q3 from $5.62 billion
in Q2.
'The average value of each unit
transacted decreased, as evidenced by the very successful sales at mass
market projects such as Livia and Clover by the Park. The proportion of
transactions in the luxury and super luxury sectors dropped compared with
mass market, as rich investors were more cautious about big-ticket
purchases,' said Savills' director of marketing and business development Ku
Swee Yong.
The average monthly rental value for
high-end non-landed homes tracked by Savills contracted for the second
consecutive quarter, slipping 3.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter to $5.62 psf
in Q3.
This followed a 1.2 per cent drop in Q2.
'For full- year 2008, we expect prime rents to ease 4 to 6 per cent and fall
a further 7 to 13 per cent in 2009,' Mr Ku said.
Tenants may now seek more competitive
rentals, softening the market.
'So far, the impact on the local rental
market has been limited, despite rents beginning to come off their peaks.
The quarters ahead, however, should see a more entrenched rental decline as
demand weakens in the face of a global economic slowdown,' Mr Ku said.
Savills also said that 10,923 leasing
deals were recorded for private homes (excluding ECs) in the July to
September quarter this year, the highest Q3 figure since 2000.
The leasing volume for Q3 2008 was up
about 20 per cent from the preceding quarter and 25 per cent above the
figure in the same period a year ago.
The strong leasing volume may have been
contributed by a seasonally active Q3 that coincides with the opening
semester of some international schools, as well as displaced tenants from
collective sales completed last year, downgrading from high rental units to
more affordable ones, and completion of new projects with attractive
facilities and competitive rents.
However, Savills expects rental demand
drivers to weaken in coming quarters. Savills' residential leasing head
Patrick Lai says: 'The inflow of expats is expected to slow down, although
we're still seeing an influx of foreign talent into Singapore, particularly
in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, R&D and logistics industries.'
- 2008 November 21 BUSINESS
TIMES
Prime
property districts' prices show 1st fall in 4 years: DTZ
Downward pressure may increase as speculators dispose of units, it says
Property prices in the prime districts of
District 9, 10 and 11 have registered their first fall in four years and DTZ
Debenham Tie Leung believes that this downturn in sentiment could spill over
to the non-prime districts.
In an analysis of resale prices based on
its own basket of properties, DTZ found that prices of private residential
properties in Q2 this year reflected the first correction in the past four
years, led by non-landed residential units in the prime districts.
DTZ's basket of properties for prime
freehold non-landed resale residential homes include Cairnhill Crest, The
Pier at Robertson and Botanic on Lloyd and capital values averaged $1,410
per square foot (psf) in Q2 2008, reflecting a 4.7 per cent
quarter-on-quarter (qoq) decline. Capital values had remained at $1,480 psf
for the two previous quarters.
While it should be pointed out that
luxury home prices have reached new heights in recent years, DTZ said that
it also tracks a separate basket of luxury properties which includes premier
developments like Ardmore Park.
Outside the prime districts, capital
values of freehold and leasehold non-landed resale residential units
remained unchanged, averaging $750 psf and $610 psf respectively, holding
steady at this level for three consecutive quarters after both sectors
registered 7 per cent increases in Q4 last year.
And the outlook for rest of the year is likely to be challenging.
DTZ said that with high inflation
compounding the expected economic slowdown globally, prices of private
residential properties are set for further corrections.
'Besides smaller developers, some of the
bigger developers are also likely to reduce selling prices to move sales
especially for developments that have been on the market for some time.'
'In addition, the sub-sale market is
expected to be active with speculators disposing their units, especially
those who have purchased multiple units on Deferred Payment Schemes and are
most likely to dispose some or all units to avoid stretching their financial
limits,' it added.
While some speculators may feel that
renting remains an option for them, DTZ said that as rentals come under
pressure in 2009-2011 due to the surge in new home completions, it is
unlikely that speculators will want to hold on to their units for rental
income.
DTZ does believe that there was
significant wealth creation in the run-up to the recent 'economic boom' of
2006 and last year, and there is 'pent-up demand' from many who have been
waiting for an opportune time to buy. 'Take-up will eventually pick up when
the market senses that prices have bottomed,' it added.
On the pick-up in sales towards the end
of Q2 2008 for 'attractively located and reasonably-priced projects', DTZ's
executive director (Residential) Margaret Thean said: 'At the end of the
second quarter, we began to witness the return of market confidence and an
improved buying sentiment. Some residential projects are enjoying sell-out
status while others are being are well-received. This is clearly indicated
by the sell-out status of projects such as Suites 123 while Nassim Park,
Parc Sophia, Dakota Residences and Clover by the Park received encouraging
response. - 2008
July 2 THE
BUSINESS TIMES
Private
homes losing speculative froth Subsale
activity slowed in Q4; rising rents defined 2007
 
The
level of speculative activity in the private property market, as measured by
the extent of subsales, slowed considerably in Q4 last year, especially in
the Core Central Region (CCR), according to the latest official data.
Islandwide, subsales as a percentage of
total private housing sales fell from 14.4 per cent in Q3 last year to 10.7
per cent in Q4, while in the CCR, the hotbed of speculation, the subsale
percentage fell from 24.8 per cent to 18.6 per cent over the same period.
Property consultants attributed the drop to uncertainty about the financial
markets as well as the withdrawal of the deferred payment scheme in October
2007.
Reflecting the current housing shortage,
the stock of completed private homes increased by just 1,448 units last year
- the smallest rise in at least 12 years. The stock had increased by 4,008
units in 2006, 7,453 units in 2005, and 10,969 units in 2004.
Rents of condos and apartments rose
significantly last year - by 42.3 per cent in CCR (comprising the prime
districts 9, 10, 11, Downtown Core and Sentosa), an even higher 47 per cent
in the Rest of Central Region (RCR), and 41.9 per cent in Outside Central
Region (OCR).
'Looking back at 2003/2004, developers
were cautious and there were not many housing starts. So three or four years
down the road, we're seeing a fall in terms of new home completions,' DTZ
executive director Ong Choon Fah explains. 'Of course there have also been a
lot of en-bloc sales in the past two years and some of these properties have
been demolished,' she adds.
'The situation is even more severe in the
prime areas, and we've been seeing a lot of expats fanning out from the
prime districts to RCR, to rent private homes, which probably explains why
the increase in non-landed rents was steeper in RCR compared to the CCR,'
Mrs Ong explains.
With many private residential projects
likely to be completed only in late 2008 and 2009, property consultants
including Knight Frank managing director Tan Tiong Cheng expect rentals for
non-landed properties to increase further this year. The rise could be less
steep - perhaps 20 per cent, or around half the rate of increase for last
year.
Yesterday's data on the private property
market by Urban Redevelopment Authority showed that the overall price index
for private homes rose 6.8 per cent in Q4 over the preceding quarter, slower
than the 8.3 per cent hike in Q3. For the full year, the index was up 31.2
per cent, three times the 10.2 per cent rise in 2006.
In terms of regions, the price index for
non-landed private homes in CCR rose 7.5 per cent in Q4, more measured than
the 8.3 per cent gain in Q3. Price indices for RCR and OCR advanced 7.7 per
cent and 7 per cent respectively in Q4, slightly more modestly than in Q3.
For the whole of last year, the
non-landed home price index for CCR rose 32.7 per cent, while RCR and OCR
indices were up 30.4 per cent and 26.4 per cent respectively.
Developers sold a record 14,811 private
homes last year, surpassing the previous high in 2006 by 32.9 per cent. They
launched a total of 14,016 units in 2007, 26.6 per cent above the 2006
figure and also a new high.
Knight Frank director (research and
consultancy) Nicholas Mak predicts that URA's overall private residential
property price index will rise at a more sluggish pace - around 10-15 per
cent - this year, as buyers become more prudent.
Colliers International director (research
and consultancy) Tay Huey Ying reckons that subsales as a percentage of
total private homes sales islandwide will continue trending down in the
coming months, to average about 8 per cent for the whole year, as the market
moves to a 'healthier and more sustainable set of fundamentals'.
Less speculation could also slow the hike
in home prices, she says. 'As a result, developers are less likely to bid
aggressively for development sites and this will affect the success rates of
collective sales,' she adds.
Some seasoned market players are
predicting that home prices in CCR could take a hit of up to 10 per cent
this year; those in RCR will be flat, perhaps rising slightly; while OCR
will post the biggest gains of about 10-15 per cent.
'There's significant supply of projects
for launch in CCR, and that will weigh down on prices. Foreign buying will
thin because of the financial market turmoil which is hitting high-net-worth
bankers and others,' a veteran industry observer suggests.
BT learnt yesterday that the release of
the high-profile Marina Bay Suites, which was initially slated for the end
of this month, has been delayed till after the Chinese New Year festivities
- by which time the Budget should also be announced and hopefully lift
sentiment. - 2008 January
26 SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES
Singapore's
private home prices rose 6.6% in Q4 08 Singapore
private home prices rose at a slower quarterly pace of 6.6 per cent in the
last three months of 2007, according to government figures released on
Wednesday.
The Urban
Redevelopment Authority's price index for private residential property
rose 6.6 per cent in the final three months of 2007, slowing from the 8.3
per cent rise in July-September.
In the whole of 2007, private home prices
rose 31 per cent.
The Singapore government said in October
that developers could no longer sell uncompleted property on a deferred
payment scheme in a bid to reduce speculation in the real estate market.
Other recent measures taken by
authorities include raising development charges to make it more expensive
for companies such as CapitaLand and City Developments to buy out existing
condominiums for redevelopment into larger apartment blocks with more units.
A separate index compiled by the Housing
Development Board showed resale prices of government-built HDB apartments
rose 5.6 per cent in the fourth quarter, slower than the 6.6 per cent
quarterly gain in July-September. --
2008 January 2 REUTERS
Home prices feel pull of gravity
after 31% rise Private
home prices rose 31.0 per cent in 2007 - the biggest year-on-year jump since
1999 - despite a slowdown in the fourth quarter caused by the withdrawal of
the Deferred Payment Scheme (DPS) and sub-prime woes, flash estimates show.

HDB resale prices also climbed some 17.4
per cent last year - the fastest growth seen since 1996 - as private home
price gains filtered down. But HDB resale prices also saw a slowdown in
growth in the fourth quarter.
At a doorstop yesterday, Minister for
National Development Mah Bow Tan said that over the last few months, the
government had taken several steps to try and cool down speculative activity
in the property market. However, the market is also being affected by
external factors beyond the authorities' control, he said.
'For Singapore, we are optimistic that we
will continue to do well but there are many things beyond our control,' Mr
Mah said. 'It is up to us to keep a close eye on the market and be able to
tweak those policy levers that we can in order to keep property prices
stable.'
Private home prices rose 6.6 per cent in
the fourth quarter - down from the 8.3 per cent growth seen in the third
quarter.
Similarly, HDB resale prices grew 5.6 per
cent in the fourth quarter of 2007 - down from the 6.6 per cent rise for the
previous quarter.
Experts said that the slowdown was
brought on by both poor global market conditions as well as the removal of
the DPS scheme.
Knight Frank managing director Tan Tiong
Cheng said that the fourth-quarter slowdown was not surprising considering
the sub-prime crisis in the United States.
'People are still waiting for signs as to
how bad the sub-prime situation will turn out,' Mr Tan said. 'It affects the
whole outlook; people are uncertain.'
Demand could also be muted as lending by
banks in the US, UK and Europe has been tremendously curtailed since the
crisis, he said.
On the other hand, OCBC Investment
Research analyst Winston Liew believes that the bigger culprit is the
withdrawal of the DPS. 'After the DPS was withdrawn, the whole market went
down - the resale market, new launches and the stock market,' he said. He
has a 'neutral' rating on the Singapore property sector.
For the HDB resale market, the slowdown
could also be attributed to buyers holding back in the face of rapidly
increasing asking prices, said ERA assistant vice-president Eugene Lim.
'The slowdown in price increase was
largely expected as the market hit resistance level in the light of
unrealistic sellers demanding for high cash-over-valuation (COV)
transactions - particularly for the five-room and executive flat-types,'
said Mr Lim.
The slowdown in price growth, experts
said, will continue in the first quarter of this year.
'It is unlikely that there will be much
activity in January or February,' said Knight Frank's Mr Tan. Agreed OCBC's
Mr Liew: 'I would expect the rate of growth to slow down.'
CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), for example,
expects the take-up of new homes to be between 9,000 and 11,000 units for
2008. By comparison, the property firm estimated that a record 15,000 new
homes were sold in 2007, 34.5 per cent more than the 11,147 new homes sold
in 2006.
This year, the property market will be
driven by mid-end and mass-market homes, experts said. Prices and take-up of
luxury homes are expected to moderate.
In the fourth quarter of 2007, the price
increase was led by non-landed homes in outside central region (OCR) where
the index showed an increase of 7.5 per cent.
The strong showing, CBRE said, could be
attributed to new project launches during the quarter, such as Park Natura
and Hillvista. Prices in the core central region and rest of central region
rose by 7.0 per cent and 7.3 per cent respectively.
For 2008, 'we expect a moderate rise in
overall prices as luxury prices are likely to firm up at current levels
while mid-tier and mass-market prices have the potential to rise by about
10-15 per cent', said Li Hiaw Ho, executive director for research at CBRE.
Others were more bullish about the mass
market. Ku Swee Yong, director of marketing and business development at
Savills Singapore, predicts that mass-market prices will climb by 30-50 per
cent this year.
In response to a question about the
rapidly climbing prices in the mass market, Mr Mah told reporters that the
government is watching the segment closely and will take action if
necessary.
'People who can't afford the central
region to buy or to rent are starting to look outside, which I think is the
sensible thing to do,' he said. 'We will continue to keep an eye. We're
watching it every day. If necessary, we'll do something, if not necessary
we'll just let it be.'
The overall price index for private homes
could climb by anywhere between 10 per cent and 25 per cent this year,
depending on how quickly the market recovers, experts said.
And for the HDB resale market, prices
could climb by between 10 and 15 per cent, they said.
'With the buoyant economy and expected
positive market sentiment in 2008, the HDB property market in Singapore is
likely to enjoy a double-digit growth in the 10-11 per cent range,' said
Mohamed Ismail, chief executive of property agency PropNex.
- 2008 January 3 SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES
Good
class bungalow prices surge 40% Huge
wealth creation, high networth PRs cited for hike; smaller gains likely next
year   The
demand for gracious bungalow living is chugging along quite nicely.
In fact, average prices of Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) are expected to
appreciate by about 10 to 15 per cent next year. This appears even more
impressive if you consider that this year, they have already climbed by
nearly 40 per cent to $710 per square foot of land area.
The expected appreciation could propel the total value of GCB
transactions to increase slightly in 2008, although the number of
transactions may be slightly lower, Savills Singapore director (Prestige
Homes) Steven Ming predicts.
 
The first 11 months of this year saw a total of 96 GCB transactions
adding up to $1.28 billion. The value is an all-time record and has
surpassed slightly the $1.24 billion achieved for the whole of last year.
However, the number of GCB transactions from January to November this year
is still shy of the 118 for the whole of 2006, according to an analysis by
Savills Singapore based on caveats data from Urban Redevelopment Authority's
Realis system.
'I don't expect the number of GCB transactions to increase next year,
because prices have gone up quite rapidly in the past 12 to 15 months. The
GCB market is generally restricted to Singaporeans and Permanents Residents
with special approval to buy landed homes.
'Some of these potential buyers may have bought GCBs at much lower prices
in the past and may take time to adjust to higher prevailing prices now. But
having said that, there's been a lot of wealth creation over the past few
years as seen in the reasonable number of record prices being set,' Mr Ming
said.
Credo Real Estate managing director Karamjit Singh, too, predicts
moderate price upside for GCBs for next year, despite forecasting overall
flat property prices. 'GCB values will benefit from the enormous wealth
created from the economic boom, and the influx of high networth individuals
who become permanent residents (PRs), while supply remains scarce,' he adds.
While demand-supply fundamentals remain sound next year for Singapore's
real estate sector as a whole, including GCBs, the crucial factor is how the
currently-shaky sentiment pans out, Mr Singh said.
Record prices were set for two adjacent bungalows at Nassim Road in the
past few months - 32G Nassim Road, which was sold for just under $20 million
or $1,504 psf of land in September, followed by 32H Nassim Road in October
at an even higher $1,899 psf.
Raffles Education founder and chairman Chew Hua Seng is believed to have
picked up 32H Nassim Road, for which he paid $25.5 million. Mr Chew is said
to own a few other bungalows nearby.
The prices achieved for 32G and 32H Nassim Road surpassed the previous
record for GCBs, of $1,308 psf set only in August this year, when Hong Kong
group Wharf (Holdings) sold Glencaird, a conservation bungalow at 15 White
House Park, for $28.8 million.
However, market watchers highlight that for the 32G and 32H Nassim Road
transactions, each property's land area is just slightly over 1,200 sq
metres - lower than the minimum 1,400 sq metres (or 15,070 sq ft) plot size
stipulated under Urban Redevelopment Authority guidelines for GCBs. Savills'
Mr Ming argues nonetheless that these two properties will be bound by GCB
regulations if they were to be redeveloped. This means that they cannot be
more than two storeys high, their built-up area is limited to 35 per cent of
the total land area, and the plots cannot be subdivided further.
The year has also seen quite a few GCBs being flipped. 21 Cluny Hill was
bought for $15 million in January and changed hands again for $20.2 million
in June. 46 Mount Echo Park was sold for $10 million in January and again
for $12.8 million in March.
'Some savvy bungalow investors with deep pockets, saw value in investing
in freehold GCBs earlier this year, when their prices were lagging quite a
bit behind those of 99-year bungalows on Sentosa Cove. The gap has since
narrowed and these investors have been able to offload their GCB investment
for a handsome profit,' Mr Ming said.
Over at Sentosa Cove, seafronting bungalow sites have fetched as much as
$1,696 psf this year. These are vacant sites sold by the precinct's master
developer, Sentosa Cove Pte Ltd, to buyers to build their dream homes on
them.
The supply of completed bungalows for sale in the upscale waterfront
housing locale is still limited, but Savills' director of business
development and marketing Ku Swee Yong says that owners are asking for
$1,800 psf to $2,400 psf depending on the direction they face. 'The main
reason for higher bungalow values on Sentosa Cove than in mainland Singapore
is because of expedited approval for foreign buyers of landed property on
Sentosa Cove. This has been a great draw for those who want to be PRs in
Singapore and park a fraction of their wealth here,' Mr Ku said.
- 2007 December 19 SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES
The
ascent of landed housing Solid
gains await with double-digit price growth and Singapore's scarcity of land The
private residential market has been hogging the headlines in the past 18
months. Overall prices recovered in 2004 and 2005 by 0.9 per cent and 3.9
per cent respectively, and home prices shot up by 10.2 per cent in 2006 and
another 13.5 per cent in the first half of 2007, led mostly by the
condominium segment of the market.
It has been pretty obvious that
non-landed homes have been leading the way in the strengthening residential
market, with prices growing from a marginal 1.1 per cent in 2004 to 4.5 per
cent in 2005, 11.1 per cent in 2006 and 14.2 per cent in the first six
months of 2007 alone, according to numbers from the Urban Redevelopment
Authority (URA).
What of landed properties then? Will
landed properties match their high-rise counterparts in the price spiral?
 
Prices of landed homes have risen in line
with the rest of the market. (See Table above) From a marginal 0.6 per cent
rise in 2004, prices of landed homes grew by 2.4 per cent in 2005, 6.7 per
cent in 2006 and 10.1 per cent in the first half of 2007.
A breakdown in price of the different
landed property types shows that detached houses have made the most headway
over the past year. According to URA numbers, prices of detached houses rose
by 12.3 per cent in H1 07, after increasing by 8.1 per cent in 2006.
As for semi-detached and terrace houses,
their indices rose by 7.6 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively in the
first half of 2007, from 5.3 per cent and 5.2 per cent respectively in 2006.
As detached houses comprise Good Class Bungalows (GCB), the price increases
have been more pronounced given the demand for high-end homes.
Based on caveats for GCBs, the average
price has risen by an estimated 30 per cent in 2006 and a further 25 per
cent in the first half of 2007. Not only are prices registering double-digit
growth, it has also been observed that certain GCBs have been sold and
resold within 12 to 18 months.
An example of this trend is a GCB at
Queen Astrid Park that was sold for $12.5 million in April 2006, only to be
resold at $16 million in May and then again in December 2006 for $18
million. This is an increase of 44 per cent in seven months. Another GCB at
Nassim Road was first sold for $9.8 million in February 2005 only to be sold
another three times for $15 million in August 2006, $18.4 million in
December 2006 and $24.2 million in June 2007, an increase of 147 per cent
over some 28 months.
Overall, it appears that there are
several solid reasons for optimism in the landed housing market, especially
in the next 12 months.
As prices of landed property in Singapore
have not risen as steeply as their non-landed counterparts, there would
generally be some better bargains in the landed market compared with luxury
condominiums that have already attained very high benchmarks.
Aside from the GCB market, the
comparatively slower rise in prices for landed properties could be viewed
more favourably vis-a-vis upper and middle-upper income local home buyers
who might have been priced out of the luxury condominium market, especially
in the very prime locations.
Secondly, landed housing will always be
considered a scarce commodity in the Singaporean landscape. With limited
land, landed housing at present comprises 29 per cent of all housing stock
throughout the island as at June 2007, or 68,360 units out of 233,143
private homes. Due to its inherent scarcity, landed housing would always be
the ultimate goal of Singaporeans, especially since foreigners are not
ordinarily allowed to purchase these properties.
With regard to scarcity, landed housing
can be an attractive investment property in the near future as a source of
regular income. As Singapore welcomes more foreign professionals to its
shores, houses for rent could prove to be valuable assets for rental income,
especially so for foreign professionals who might be used to living in
landed properties back home and are not allowed to purchase similar types of
accommodation while working in Singapore.
 
In the first six months of 2007, URA's
rental indices for all the landed property types improved significantly.
(See Table 2) During this period, rents of detached houses increased by 13
per cent followed by a 11.4 per cent rise for semi-detached houses and a
extraordinary 17.3 per cent jump in rents for terrace houses. Compared with
capital values of landed residences, rents have increased much faster.
Examples of recent rental transactions
where the increases were evident include a detached house at Woodgrove
Estate which was renewed at $15,000 a month, a 25 per cent increase from the
previous rent of $12,000 a month. A detached house at Chancery Lane was
rented at $16,500 a month, while a semi-detached house at Lim Tai See Walk
was rented at $11,000 a month.
From a supply standpoint in the next five
years, 1,872 landed units are under construction with another 2,579 landed
units planned. Compared with the 28,082 non-landed units under construction
and the 35,077 non-landed units that have not started, new supply of landed
homes only account for 6.6 per cent of all new supply expected from the
second half of 2007 to 2011, making it fairly certain that landed
residential homes are going to remain a scarce product for the foreseeable
future.
An increase in landed prices of some 20
per cent for the whole of 2007 might very well be on the cards, given an
accumulation of the above factors. Demand for landed housing should
increase, and prices would follow suit once the home-buying public realises
that there are investment, as well as rental income opportunities in landed
houses, and that prices have also not risen as much compared with
condominiums in the prime areas.
Ultimately though, it will be the
fundamental reality that landed housing will always be a scarce product in
Singapore's urban landscape that bodes well for this type of housing in the
medium to long term.
- 2007 September 27 SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES
Q3
may see slowdown in private home sales But
new launches may accelerate activity again, say market watchers
Private home sales are expected to slow
this quarter - the result of the twin effects of the US sub-prime woes which
made the headlines in August and the just-ended Hungry Ghost month.
 
But the pace of activity is expected to
pick up again as developers step up launches and confidence recovers, say
property market watchers.
Fresh price benchmarks may still be set
for projects offering compelling propositions, but developers are likely to
tread carefully before upping prices.
CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) estimates that
the total number of new private homes sold by developers in the primary
market during Q3 will be 3,500-4,000 units including sales from ongoing
projects. This is lower than the 5,129 units sold in Q2 and 4,783 units
transacted in Q1 this year.
Activity also decelerated in the
secondary market in Q3. 'Whereas the first and second quarters saw resale
volumes of 4,645 units and 6,514 units respectively, it is likely that Q3
figures will be lower, probably in the region of 4,000 to 4,500 units,' CBRE
executive director Li Hiaw Ho says.
'Anecdotal evidence suggests that subsale
activities have been muted as investors become more cautious,' Mr Li added.
Subsales as a percentage of total private housing sales are likely to fall
below the 7.4 per cent and 9.7 per cent in Q1 and Q2, he predicts.
Subsales, often used as a gauge of
speculative activity, involve projects that have yet to receive a
Certificate of Statutory Completion, while resales, which are also
secondary-market transactions, cover completed developments.
But the current slowdown in activity is
not such a bad thing, says DTZ Debenham Tie Leung executive director Ong
Choon Fah.
'The market has been going up quite
dramatically. It's good that people step back and evaluate their positions
before moving on. This window also creates an opportunity for people to
enter the market. When the market is so hot, everytime you put in an offer
at the seller's asking price, he raises his price,' she says.
Ong Chong Hua, executive director of Ho
Bee Investment, also describes the current slowdown as 'a healthy
consolidation after a robust period of growth in sales volumes as well as
prices'.
'Activity will start picking up slowly
and I think confidence will come back, as developers start launching more
projects. Buyers will be cautious but underlying demand is still strong. The
share market seems to have consolidated and strong economic fundamentals are
still in place for Singapore and the Asian region,' he said.
Among the projects expected to be
released soon are MCL Land's Hillcrest Villas cluster terrace homes along
Dunearn Road, Ho Bee's Turquoise condo at Sentosa Cove, Bukit Sembawang's
Paterson Suites and SC Global's Hilltops in so said to have Cairnhill.
CapitaLand is albegun selling Latitude at Jalan Mutiara at around $2,800 per
square foot on average.
Projects that are slated for launch in Q4
include Lippo's condo on Sentosa Cove, Ritz-Carlton Residences at Cairnhill,
and the second phase of Marina Bay Financial Centre.
Says DTZ's Mrs Ong: 'Sales activity may
be slow for the next couple of months, but this will depend on the type of
projects launched and their price points. If developers release projects
that are targeted at home owners, demand is still very much there. But if
they're targeting investors or want to set benchmark prices, buyers will
take a longer time to consider.'
Ho Bee's Mr Ong said: 'Developers will
definitely be more cautious in moving up prices and trying to set benchmarks
all the time. They will test the waters.
'But I don't think anybody will cut
prices because fundamentals are still strong. There's still a shortage of
homes, with a lot of those who sold their homes in en bloc sales looking for
replacement properties.'
CBRE's executive director (residential)
Joseph Tan reckons that the market could still see benchmark prices if the
right kind of products are offered, such as branded residences.
Looking to the final quarter of 2007, the
residential market will remain active as the government's projected economic
growth rate of 7 to 8 per cent for 2007 remains on track. 'If developers
sell around 3,000 to 4,000 units in Q4, then the total number of new homes
sold in 2007 will be a new record of 17,000 to 18,000 units,' CBRE's Mr Li
said.
This will be significantly higher than
the 11,147 units sold in the primary market last year.
- 2007 September 12 SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES by Kalpana Rashiwala
The
demand for single family residences seems to be on the increase by
foreigners as multinationals expand their presence in the city.
Foreigner home buys hit record in Q1 07
Companies and foreigners upped their share of
caveats lodged for private home purchases in the first quarter of this year,
according to an analysis of caveats by estate agents DTZ Debenham Tie Leung.
Companies accounted for 8 per cent, or 538 of the
total 7,042 caveats lodged for private homes in the first quarter of the
year, up from a 6 per cent share in the preceding quarter.
The 538 homes that companies bought in Q1 this
year is an increase of 15.2 per cent from the preceding quarter and the
highest quarterly figure ever captured by the Urban Redevelopment
Authority's Realis caveats data, which go back to Q1 1995.
During the height of the last major bull run in Q2
1996, companies bought 462 private homes while the figure for Q3 1999, a
year that saw a short-lived property rally, was 413.
Companies include both entities incorporated in
Singapore and overseas and these buyers would include property funds as well
as high-net-worth individuals who set up offshore companies to purchase
properties for tax or confidentiality reasons, suggests DTZ executive
director Ong Choon Fah.
Some of the caveats for private homes lodged by
companies are for collective sale deals.
Among the caveats lodged by companies in the first
quarter were 35 caveats for Amaryllis Ville, 24 for The Fernhill, 12 for
Water Place and 11 for Marina Bay Residences.
Mrs Ong expects corporate buyers like funds to
continue growing in importance as private residential property buyers.
'Traditionally, overseas property funds buy offices in Singapore, but with
opportunities becoming more limited, they will increasingly turn to the
residential sector,' she added.
DTZ's analysis of caveats lodged for private homes
captured by the Realis system also shows that foreigners (including
permanent residents) snapped up 1,938 private homes in the first three
months of this year.
While this is up just marginally from the 1,934
caveats lodged by foreigners in the preceding quarter, it is nonetheless the
highest level of foreign purchases in a quarter ever captured by Realis.
Foreigners also upped their share of private home
purchases to 27 per cent in Q1 this year, a figure that has been previously
surpassed on just one other occasion. That was in Q4 1995, when foreigners
accounted for 32 per cent or 1,534 of the total 4,781 caveats lodged for
private homes.
DTZ also observed that while the number of private
apartments and condos that foreigners bought from developers in the primary
market declined 21 per cent quarter-on-quarter to 540 in Q1 2007, the number
of apartments/condos foreigners picked up in the secondary or resale market
rose 13 per cent to 1,315 over the same period. 'This was the largest number
of resale apartments that foreigners purchased in a quarter. Foreigners
accounted for a 32 per cent share in overall resale condos/apartments
transacted. This trailed only Q4 1995, when the share was 48 per cent,' DTZ
said.
'Unlike new projects, private homes in the
secondary market are usually ready for lease. This therefore attracts
foreign investors who wish to have a share in the current buoyant leasing
market. Similarly, resale properties are valued by foreigners who are new in
Singapore and require immediate accommodation. There are also some who have
received permanent residence and are keen to own residential properties,
partly as rents have been rising,' DTZ observed.
Projects that saw a high percentage of caveats
lodged by foreign buyers in the secondary market in Q1 included Costa del
Sol, Caribbean at Keppel Bay, The Nexus, Cuscaden Residences, Pebble Bay and
Leonie Gardens. Districts 10, 9 and 15 were the three most popular locations
for foreigners who bought condos and private apartments in the secondary
market in Q1.
As for foreigners who purchased condos/apartments
directly from developers in the primary market, the three most sought-after
districts in Q1 were 9, 10 and 11, followed by 15 and 1.
Tribeca, Residences
@ Evelyn, RiverGate, St Regis Residences, Waterfall Gardens and
Marina Bay Residences were among the projects that saw a high proportion of
foreign buying in the primary market in Q1.
The 540 condos/apartments that foreign buyers
purchased from developers in Q1 accounted for 28 per cent of developer sales
of non-landed homes during the period.
Indonesians and Malaysians continued to be the
largest groups of foreign buyers of overall private homes in Q1 this year,
accounting for 21 per cent and 19 per cent respectively of caveats, followed
by buyers from India, with a 14 per cent share. Indian nationals picked up
275 private homes in Q1 this year, an increase of 13 per cent from Q4 last
year.
Buyers from the United Kingdom were the
fourth-largest home buying market in Q1 (9 per cent share) followed by
mainland China (5 per cent). Australians lodged caveats for 100 private
homes in Q1, up 15 per cent from the preceding quarter. Koreans also
continued to increase their investments in private residential properties in
Singapore, picking up 96 homes in Q1, reflecting a 30 per cent
quarter-on-quarter increase and a 380 per cent year-on-year jump.
- SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES 2007 June 5

Sharpest rise in private home
prices in 7 years
Housing prices have made their
steepest climb in seven years - and there is no let-up in sight.
According to flash estimates for the
first three months of this year from the Urban
Redevelopment Authority (URA), private home prices rose from 130.2
points in the fourth quarter of 2006 to 136.2 points in the first quarter of
this year, an increase of 4.6 per cent.
This represents the highest
quarter-on-quarter increase since the 5.3 per cent seen in the final quarter
of 1999.
In line with URA's decision to release
more detailed data on the residential market, it also published estimates
for price indices for non-landed private residential property in the Core
Central Region (CCR), Rest of Central Region (RCR) and Outside Central
Region (OCR).
Its estimates show that the price index
in the CCR increased by 5.6 per cent compared to 4.9 per cent in Q4 2006.
The index rose 2.9 per cent for the RCR and 2.6 per cent for the OCR,
compared with 2.2 per cent and 1.5 per cent in the previous quarter.
CBRE Research executive director Li Hiaw
Ho attributed the 'unprecedented high levels' of prices largely to sales of
more luxury projects in the first quarter of the year.
Based on CBRE Research's data, sales at
new launches will likely exceed 3,500 units in the first quarter. Of these,
Mr Li says that between 30-40 per cent could be in the CCR.
Mr Li also highlights several hot spots
outside the luxury market that are doing well including Farrer/Holland Road,
Meyer/Amber Road and Buona Vista, where he believes new projects are being
priced at 50 per cent more than what they would have fetched a year ago.
Colliers International director for
research and consultancy Tay Huey Ying reckons that the government's
announcement of a potential population increase to 6.5 million has 'boosted
market confidence in the RCR and OCR segments'. She concludes that: 'Such a
sizeable population target would immediately put the brakes on any concerns
over the current excess supply in the market.'
The RCR and OCR segments are still likely
to be driven largely by owner-occupiers rather than investors. 'The
prospects of the leasing market in the CCR will continue to be brighter than
those in the OCR for reasons of proximity to the CBD, shopping and
entertainment facilities in Orchard Road and the upcoming integrated
resorts,' she said.
As such, the continued high level of
collective sales will be an important factor in balancing supply and demand,
and property prices.
Savills Singapore director for marketing
and business development Ku Swee Yong says that, by his calculations, there
will be a net negative supply of some 500 homes this year, based on the
3,500 homes he believes will be lost to collective sales. The figure for net
negative supply for 2008 is expected to be higher, he said.
Although foreigners and investors are
credited for supporting the luxury market, those 'displaced' by en bloc
sales in the CCR could be stimulating other property segments. 'There are
people who are panic buying because they have sold their existing homes
through en bloc deals,' Mr Ku said, adding: 'If they are willing to
downgrade, they should be OK.'

The Housing and Development Board (HDB)
resale price index has also increased by 1.2 per cent since the previous
quarter from 103.6 to 104.8 points.
Noting that it is the highest increase
since the last peak in Q1 2005, PropNex CEO Mohamed Ismail said that choice
flats are now being transacted at $5,000-$10,000 above valuation, unheard of
just a year ago.
PropNex's data show that demand was for
bigger flats - five-room and executive flats. Mr Mohamed says the number of
these larger units available is dwindling, and he expects the overall
increase in the resale price index to hit 5 per cent for 2007.
ERA Singapore assistant vice-president
Eugene Lim also agrees that the 'momentum' in the HDB resale market is
driven by larger flats, especially those in mature estates.
In 2006, although overall volume of
resale flats fell below 30,000 for the first time in a decade, ERA's data
shows that executive flat resale volume of 2,229 units was 9.5 per cent
higher than 2005. For five-room flats, the 6,421 units sold was 9.3 per cent
higher than 2005.
Mr Lim says that the relaxing of
restrictions on subletting HDB flats has not yet had much impact on the
public housing market, although he believes the current market is already
'tight'. 'Foreigners living here on a lower budget are finding it difficult
to find HDB flats to rent,' he said.
- by Arthur Sim SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES 2007 April 3
 
Foreigners
buy record 4,980 private homes in '06
The number of private homes bought by
foreigners, including permanent residents, went up by 39 per cent last year
to an all-time high of 4,980, according to the latest caveats analysis by
DTZ Debenham Tie Leung.
This increased foreigners' share of total
caveats lodged for private homes last year to 23 per cent, up slightly from
22 per cent in 2005 - though still shy of the peak figure of 24 per cent in
1995. These private homes include apartments/condos plus landed properties.
Indonesians accounted for the lion's
share or 22 per cent of foreign buyers last year, followed by Malaysians (20
per cent share), Indians (11 per cent) and UK citizens (9 per cent).
The biggest jump in the number of caveats
lodged for private homes last year came from Koreans (up 174 per cent),
followed by US citizens (an increase of 85 per cent) and Australians (up 53
per cent ), according to DTZ.
Singaporeans' share of private homes
bought slipped to 76 per cent in 2006, the second lowest level since 1995,
according to DTZ's analysis, which is based on caveats captured by Urban
Redevelopment Authority's Realis system. The URA's data on caveats go back
to 1995.
The surge in foreign buying of private
homes last year was achieved on the back of a 78 per cent jump in the number
of condos/apartments they bought in the secondary market to an all-time high
of 3,056 units. As a result, foreigners accounted for 28 per cent of all
condo/apartment caveats in the secondary market last year, up from a 25 per
cent share in 2005.
The secondary or resale market involves
the purchase of properties which are not bought directly from developers.
This includes subsale transactions (involving projects that have yet to
receive a Certificate of Statutory Completion), although the vast majority
of secondary market deals are for resales in completed projects that have
already received certificates.
'Developments which were recently
completed and those which offer attractive rental yields drew strong foreign
interest in 2006. These include Ardmore Park, Amaryllis Ville and Grange
Residences.
'Besides the prime districts, there were
also some areas that were popular with selected foreign communities, such as
Indians in the case of District 15 (for example, Pebble Bay and Water
Place),' DTZ said in its report. 'Hopes for further price and rental gains
drove foreigners' continued interest for resale properties,' it added.
However, in the primary market, the
number of apartments/condos that foreigners bought directly from developers
dipped 2 per cent to 1,683 units in 2006.
Projects that saw a high proportion of
foreign buying from developers in the primary market last year included The
Tate Residences at Claymore Road (foreigners accounted for 37 caveats, or 64
per cent of the total 58 caveats lodged for the condo last year) and
RiverGate at Martin Road (foreigners accounted for 63 per cent of caveats),
The Cosmopolitan (54 per cent), One Jervois (50 per cent), St Regis
Residences (46 per cent) and Ritz Residences (44 per cent).
- by Kalpana Rashiwala SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES 21 March 2007
Bungalow sales could exceed $1b in
2006 Savills Singapore predicts
that there could be more than a record $1 billion worth of Good Class
Bungalow (GCB) transactions this year, up 18 per cent from the $845 million
for the whole of 2005.
The property consultancy says that in the
next two years the average GCB land price could rise from the present
$500-$600 per square foot (psf) to about $800 psf.
Savills director (prestige homes) sees
the average GCB land price in prime locations like Nassim, Cluny and
Chatsworth rising from about $700 psf to about $1,000 psf over the same time
frame. This is in line with Savills' prediction last month that super-luxury
condo prices could pass $4,000 psf by 2010.
'Healthy demand, coupled with limited
supply and the exclusive lifestyle offered by the GCB market, is likely to
encourage prices to move up further,' Savills said in a report yesterday.
Between January and October this year, a
total of 94 GCB deals (including GCB land sales) were registered.
While this is still fewer than the 104
deals recorded for the whole of last year, the total transaction value of
$985 million in the 10 months has already surpassed the $845 million
achieved for the whole of last year, Savills noted.
The average transacted value of a GCB has
risen from around $8 million in 2005 to about $10 million in 2006, and Mr
Ming predicts the figure will cross the $11 million level next year.
Savills attributes this year's strong
price gain to rapid wealth creation, the Singapore growth story and improved
market confidence as well as new buyers.
'A GCB has largely been the trophy home
of Singaporeans because of prevailing restrictions preventing foreigners
from buying them.
'Increasingly, we are hearing that more
permanent residents are receiving approvals to buy GCBs, although this group
of buyers forms only a small fraction of all GCB transactions.'
- SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES December 8, 2006
Districts 1, 4, 9, 10 and 11 expected
to make up 52% of total private homes that could be launched next year
Slightly more than half of about 14,700 private
homes that could be launched next year will be in the traditional prime
districts of 9, 10, 11 and the increasingly popular areas of Marina Bay
(District 1) and Sentosa Cove/Harbourfront (District 4), says CB Richard
Ellis (CBRE).
This is higher than the estimated 40 per cent
share commanded by these five districts out of the estimated total of 10,100
to 10,300 private homes launched this year.
Districts 1, 4, 9, 10 and 11 have recorded some of
the most spectacular gains in residential property prices this year.
But some market watchers say the pace of price
appreciation in these areas could be dampened by their higher share of
launches next year.
At Marina Bay and Sentosa Cove, prices have surged
about 40 per cent over the past year, fuelled partly by the 'IR effect'.
In the traditional prime districts, the increase
has been lower at 20-30 per cent.
Knight Frank managing director Tan Tiong Cheng
says the high proportion of launches in the traditional prime districts of
9, 10 and 11 next year is due to the slew of collective sales in these areas
in the past two years.
'So when these sites are redeveloped, these
locations will account for a sizeable chunk of new launches,' he said.
Market watchers highlighted one factor that could
help offset the dampening effect that new launches could have on prices in
districts 1, 4, 9, 10 and 11 - existing stock will shrink over the next
12-18 months as collective sale properties are pulled down for
redevelopment.
The price equation also depends on other factors -
such as whether en bloc sellers in these districts seek replacement units in
the same area or move elsewhere, and also whether the strong wave of foreign
buying will continue. But whatever the case, Knight Frank's Mr Tan reckons
it may be difficult to escape the fact that more launches in these locations
could dampen the rate of price appreciation.
Agreeing, DTZ Debenham Tie Leung's executive
director Ong Choon Fah said: 'People will have more alternatives, and they
can exercise their choice. However, they may still be willing to pay for a
unique development. So prices which new developments will be able to command
will increasingly be product-driven, not just location-driven.'
It should also be noted that not all the 14,700
private homes that may be launched next year will in fact be released next
year. CBRE reckons the actual figure could be closer to 10,000-12,000 units.
In terms of take-up, CBRE predicts that developers
could sell about 8,000-10,000 private homes next year - up from its estimate
of 9,200-9,500 for this year.
It also estimates that luxury home prices could
rise a further 10-15 per cent next year, after increasing by the same
quantum this year.
Islandwide, as measured by the Urban Redevelopment
Authority's private home price index, CBRE sees next year's increase at
about 5-8 per cent, after this year's 8-9 per cent gain.
CBRE's director (residential project marketing)
Joseph Tan says prices will rise next year because land prices have risen by
10-50 per cent and construction costs have gone up substantially.
Key launches in districts 1, 4, 9, 10 and 11 next
year will be Keppel Group's Keppel Bay (phase 2), Lippo's condominium at
Sentosa Cove, CapitaLand's and Sun Hung Kai's apartment development on the
landmark Orchard Turn site and Singapore Press Holdings' freehold condo at
Thomson Road.
CBRE's analysis shows that 32 per cent, or around
4,700, of the estimated 14,700 homes that could be launched next year are
freehold projects in districts 9, 10 and 11.
Of this figure, the highest concentration will be
in the Grange/Paterson area with about 800 units (17 per cent), followed by
650 units (14 per cent) in Devonshire/Leonie Hill.
Then come Kim Seng Rd/River Valley with 640 homes,
and Cairnhill/Peck Hay with 630 homes. - SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES December 13, 2006
Luxury Single Family Residential Districts
9,10, 11
2007: A
freehold development on Thomson Road in highly sought-after District
11 has been put up for collective sale by tender - with a price tag of
between $62.2 million and $68.2 million. Property firm Credo Real Estate,
which is marketing the 47-unit The Albany, said the price includes an
estimated development charge of about $170,000.
The site has a land area of 41,700 sq ft and a plot ratio
of 2.8 - giving any potential residential project a gross floor area of
116,700 sq ft. This means that the asking price works out to $533-$584 per
sq ft per plot ratio (psf ppr).
However, any buyer could also pick up another
12,000-13,000 sq ft of adjoining state land for which the Singapore Land
Authority has given its in-principle approval, said Credo. The cost of the
state land is estimated at $5.8 million, and the site similarly has a 2.8
plot ratio. Inclusive of the state land, the asking price for the
residential site will be effectively lowered to $436-$475 psf ppr.
'This translates into a break-even cost of about $730-$775
psf of potential saleable floor area for the developers,' said Yong Choon
Fah, Credo's director.
The maximum building height for both plots of land is 36
storeys. The successful developer could build some 135 units of an average
size of about 1,100 sq ft each, Ms Yong said.
Current owners would each walk away with $1.2 million-$1.4
million per unit if the asking price is met - an en-bloc premium of about
60-70 per cent, she said.
The Albany is the first residential site to be put up for
collective sale this year.
The site is diagonally opposite Thomson Medical Centre,
and is a short distance from Revenue House, the Novena MRT Station, and the
Novena Square and United Square shopping malls.
The tender for the site will close at 2.30pm on Feb 1.
- SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES January 4, 2007
 
The lure of prime properties
Hunting for an address in district 9,
10 or 11? With prices falling, there are now more choices in terms of
location, size, aesthetics and budget
old postal codes have long been discarded but
Singaporeans still think of the prime residential areas as districts 9, 10
and 11. And while the recent property sales have mostly focused on
lower-priced apartments outside the prime belt, those hunting for a good
address will still have plenty to choose from.
Now, there is the added attraction of a lower
price tag for a home anywhere in Cairnhill, Draycott, Orchard, Tanglin,
Grange, Paterson, River Valley, Holland, Bukit Timah, Dunearn and Newton
(under the new postal codes, these are sectors 22 to 30).
At the peak of the property market in 1996, even
when prices ranged between $1,000 and $1,800 psf, nearly 2,300 new
apartments in the prime area were sold. This was because several new
projects were launched such as Ardmore Park, Duchess Crest and Scotts 28.
Home prices have moderated since then. We estimate
that current prices of prime apartments are now some 25-30 per cent lower.
While the majority of home buyers used to pay more than $1.5 million for a
prime apartment of 1,200 sq ft, they now pay around $1.2 million. In fact,
those willing to settle for smaller units need only spend between $700,000
and $1 million.
Last year, prices had moderated to between $750
psf and $1,500 psf and 2,000 new prime properties were sold. Again, take-up
was supply-driven as several new projects were launched, namely, Belmond
Green, Glentrees, The Paterson, Robertson 100, The Marbella and The Shelford.
However, in the first five months of this year,
only 198 new homes in the prime area were sold, largely due to the lack of
new project launches. Prices have remained relatively stable since the
fourth quarter of last year.
Unlike residential developments in the suburban
areas, around 40 per cent of those who buy prime properties are
Singaporeans. Foreigners make up another 30 per cent, with the remaining
buyers being permanent residents and companies.
Indonesians are key players among the foreigners,
accounting for nearly 30 per cent of foreign buyers. Encouraged by the
strong interest, a number of local developers even marketed their projects
in Jakarta, Medan and Surabaya.
Some of these projects include Belmond Green,
Novena Suites and The Paterson. Purchases by other nationalities were less
significant and fewer in number.
Expat enclave
These foreign buyers, as well as many local ones,
see prime residential property as good investments. These are the most
rentable properties since the prime districts are an expatriate enclave.
During the 1996/97 peak, top luxury apartments
could command rentals of around $5 per square foot while the average
apartments in the prime area were able to fetch around $3.60 psf. For the
latter category, the average yield achieved was 3.5 per cent.
In the last five years, rents have moderated
downwards due to a gradually shrinking expatriate base and an increase in
the supply of rental homes. At present, prime apartment rents average $2.35
psf, for a yield of around 3.1 per cent. Nevertheless, these areas still
command the highest rents in Singapore. In the current low interest rate
environment, the net returns are higher than leaving money in the bank.
Anyone looking for a home in the prime area right
now will have a wide variety to choose from in terms of location, size,
aesthetics and budget. Some of the projects are in move-in condition while
others are still under construction. Currently, most of the available units
are found in Grange/Paterson/Tom linson, Dunearn/Newton, Bukit Timah and
Holland Road areas.
As for new projects that are likely to be launched
in the coming months, there is a good spread in districts 9, 10 and 11. We
expect more new launches in the Cairnhill/Draycott area, as well as in the
Penang/Somerset area.
Niche concepts
In the current competitive environment, developers
will adopt new and innovative marketing strategies or niche lifestyle
concepts to make their projects more appealing.
Recent examples include Glentrees, which featured
three garden concepts for its loft, apartment and terrace units; and The
Cornwall and Leonie Studio, with studio units targeted at single
professionals.
Most of the units would be priced between $800,000
and $1.25 million, a popular price band that suits the budget of today's
buyers looking for a unit in the prime area. - by Joeseph
Tan SINGAPORE BUSINESS TIMES
10 Jan, 2003
Singapore PRs eyeing luxury homes
It's not just rich Indonesians but also high net-worth
permanent residents who are eyeing high-end homes in Singapore, going by
anecdotal evidence.
The fall in residential prices has made luxury homes here
seem more attractive to such buyers, and among the projects they are
interested in are Ardmore Park, Grange Residences (costing from $3 million
to $4.4 million each), 9 Nassim (above $5 million each) and the townhouses
and semi-detached homes at Casabella in Duchess Avenue ($1.9 million to $2.3
million each).
Even recent prime landed property launches like Trevose 12
and Oak Villas have attracted the attention of non-Asian PRs based in
Singapore, property agents told BT.
This despite the restrictions on non-Singaporeans buying
landed property. PRs can buy landed homes with a maximum plot size of 15,000
sq feet, and only for owner occupation. They also need prior approval from
the government.
CB Richard Ellis director (residential) Joseph Tan
estimates that about 70 per cent of non-Singaporeans looking for properties
here now may be PRs planning to buy a home for owner occupation, while the
remaining 30 per cent would be non-resident foreigners eyeing an investment.
When luxury home developer Marco Polo Developments
recently sold eight Grange Residences condos at an average price of $1,352
per square foot in a test launch, it discovered that six of the 13 joint
buyers for six of these units were Singapore PRs, says the company's CEO and
managing director David Lawrence. The remaining two units were bought by
single purchasers.
The PRs who bought Grange Residences apartments included a
US citizen and two Australians, among others, besides Indonesians.
Singaporeans and non-PR Indonesians made up the rest of the buyers.
One reason behind the buyer profile could be Grange
Residences' location near the diplomatic missions, said Mr Lawrence.
PRs - including those from Britain and Myanmar - also
featured among buyers of the final 13 apartments and one penthouse at
Ardmore Park which Marco Polo sold over the past four months.
'There may be a trend of Singapore becoming more
attractive to international high-net-worth individuals who tend to become
PRs here. These people have the money and this, coupled with the drop in
home prices, makes a top-end home in Singapore even more attractive on an
international basis,' noted Mr Lawrence.
The average $1,500 psf price tag for the final 13
apartments at Ardmore Park and the eight units at Grange Residences sold
recently is just about half that of top-end London homes in locations like
Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Belgravia, he pointed out.
Some property agents marketing high-end homes have also
sensed greater interest among PRs.
'We see the extra one or two non-Asians walking into
showflats for premier properties these days,' said CBRE's Mr Tan. 'Some of
them have have done their sums and may think it's better to buy a home than
to rent one, if they are planning to live here for the long term,' he
suggested.
DTZ Debenham Tie Leung CEO Ho Tian Lam too reported that
'Europeans and Americans working here have lately been dropping by at
showflats for high-end landed projects like Trevose 12 and Oak Villas to see
if they qualify to buy a unit'. 'They may feel the market has dropped a lot
and it's a good time to buy a high-end property,' said Mr Ho. Grange
Residences' average pricing of $1,352 psf would seem an attractive price
today - against the $2,000 psf Marco Polo had indicated in April 1997.
Mr Lawrence said Marco Polo has withdrawn the four
remaining units and plans to do another small release after Chinese New
Year, with an official launch of the condo slated around September next
year, when the 164-unit freehold project receives Temporary Occupation
Permit.
Mr Lawrence acknowledged the high-end property market is
'a little difficult at the moment'. He said government policies here and
elsewhere in Asia are currently leaning towards stopping further deflation
of property - the principal asset of the middle-class. 'It does not mean
prices will zoom up, but the government policy is likely to be one that
stabilises property prices and sees a gentle reflation,' he said.
- by Kalpana Rashiwala Singapore
Business Times October 10,
2002
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