Recent blog posts - Property Launches & Investments

Singapore Housing Purchases Drop as Rates Poised to Rise

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Friday, 15 August 2014 in Property News

James Hee, a property agent who lives with his family of four in a government-built flat he owns in Singapore, was eyeing a condo for about S$1.5 million ($1.2 million) earlier this year. Then Hee discovered that he wouldn’t qualify for a mortgage after the government restricted lending.

“Being self-employed, only 70 percent of what I earn is considered for the loan calculation, and with my car loan I can’t get the amount I would need to upgrade,” Hee, 32, said.

Singapore Risks Business Credibility With Foreign Labor Restrictions

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Wednesday, 13 August 2014 in Property News

Singapore risks tarnishing its business-friendly reputation by implementing new labor laws that require companies to prioritize hiring locals over foreigners for middle income jobs, analysts say.

From Friday, large and medium-sized companies looking to hire workers with a monthly salary below S$12,000 ($9,700) must advertise the positions on a government-run online job database that only Singapore citizens and permanent residents can apply through.

Singapore Home Prices Set to Extend Declines, Keppel Land Says

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Wednesday, 13 August 2014 in Property News

Home prices in Singapore will probably extend declines as the government sticks with curbs, according to Keppel Land, signaling further losses for Asia’s second-most expensive housing market.

“Home prices are expected to continue to moderate,” chief executive Ang Wee Gee said at a results briefing on Wednesday. “Singapore is unlikely to relax property-cooling measures in the short term.”

Majority of unsold units located in central areas

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 12 August 2014 in Property News

The possibility of a surplus of private homes as well as a poor rental market are keeping home seekers from purchasing completed homes, particularly in the city centre, reported the media.

Notably, majority of the unsold units at completed developments in Singapore are located in upmarket districts 9, 10 and 11, showed data last week.

Private home resale prices fall to 21-month low

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 12 August 2014 in Property News

Resale prices of non-landed private homes fell 1.3 per cent from the previous month, while resale volume was flat, according to flash estimates from the Singapore Real Estate Exchange.

SINGAPORE: The resale prices for non-landed private homes continued its downward trend in July, falling 1.3 per cent month-on-month, according to flash estimates from the Singapore Real Estate Exchange (SRX) on Monday (Aug 11).

SRX said the decline represented a 21-month low since October 2012 and the fall in prices was felt in all three regions. Prices for the Core Central Region fell the most with 4 per cent, while Rest of Central Region and Outside Central Region dropped 1.1 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively.

Can Singapore safely deflate its property market?

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 12 August 2014 in Property News

Singapore's famously efficient government faces a challenge that has stymied many a country before: safely guiding its toppish property market to a soft landing as interest rates rise.

Property prices in the city-state have surged over 60 percent since 2009, propelled by rock-bottom global interest rates and quantitative easing in developed economies, even as Singapore's government has enacted a series of cooling measures to prevent a bubble from forming.

Singapore home sales plunge 73% in June

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 12 August 2014 in Property News

June's headline 73 percent plunge in Singapore's new home sales may look worrying, but some analysts are pointing the blame at the World Cup.

"We didn't see many launches by developers, mainly because of the June school holidays and also there has been an impact from the World Cup on the property market," said Donald Han, managing director at property consultant Chestertons. "Even in the stock market, there was a softer period in terms of trading activity."

Slump in Singapore prime property worst globally

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 12 August 2014 in Property News

Prime residential property prices in Singapore saw the sharpest decline over the past year out of the 32 cities profiled in Knight Frank's latest Prime global Cities Index.

Prices fell 7.7 percent in the 12 months to June 14, the index showed, with much of the declines taking place recently as Singapore prices fell 6.4 percent in the three months to June 14.

Private home resale prices, rents hit new lows

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 12 August 2014 in Property News

RESALE prices and rents for private homes both tumbled to fresh lows last month as the property market slowdown deepened.

The declines underscore a downward trend that has been evident in the residential market since tougher cooling measures and home loan restrictions were rolled out last year, and consultants believe the gloom is unlikely to lift any time soon.

Singapore Central Bank Says Too Early to Ease Property Curbs

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Thursday, 07 August 2014 in Property News

Singapore's central bank said it’s too early to ease property restrictions after prices in Asia's second-most expensive housing market fell for three straight quarters.

Real estate prices “remain at elevated levels,” Ravi Menon, managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, said at the release of its annual report today. “It’s very important that we secure the gains that we’ve made in stabilizing the market and restoring financial prudence.”

Singapore’s property stocks fell for the first time in eight days as the central bank signaled its determination to extend a campaign that began in 2009 and included tighter mortgage rules and extra taxes. Residential values in the island-state dropped for a third quarter in the three months through June, the longest losing streak in five years.

Taming Singapore's property market

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Thursday, 07 August 2014 in Property News

INITIAL reports of the property market's demise appear to have been slightly exaggerated.

After policymakers imposed strict curbs on consumer loans last June under total debt servicing ratio (TDSR) rules, analysts predicted that private home prices would plunge by up to 10 per cent this year.

Some warned that home sales could grind to a near halt, quipping that TDSR actually stood for "total destruction of Singapore real estate".

So far, however, the slowdown in prices has been far milder than expected.

Are there any positive impacts from the City Gate development as it makes its debut in the Beach Road area?

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Sunday, 03 August 2014 in Property News

With the shortage of newer private residential launches, coupled with the ongoing government plans to introduce more vibrancy around the Beach Road area, there has been growing interest among investors who are starting to notice the various development potential offered in the area. In this article, we will be analysing the impact of upcoming new developments such as CityGate (slated to TOP in 2018) and the future outlook of the property market in general along the Beach Road area.

What makes City Gate appealing?