Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore URA - Property Launches & Investments

Changes to housing developers' rules- URA

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Thursday, 17 March 2016 in Property News

More paid-up capital to apply for sale licence; harder now for those with limited track record

Recent rule changes by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will make it harder for aspiring developers with limited track records to build and sell private homes.

The changes also mean that developers must commit more paid-up capital in order to apply for a housing developer's sale licence.

The revised criteria were set out in a URA circular to real-estate professionals at the start of this month, and will take effect from next month.

Are foreigners about to bail?- Singapore Property

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Friday, 16 January 2015 in Property News

Resale prices at luxury projects in neighborhoods popular among foreign buyers took a hit in 2014, raising concerns that foreigners could exit Singapore's real estate market en mass.

Last year saw several high-end apartments in the city-state's exclusive enclave of Sentosa Cove and the highly sought after address of Orchard Road sell at hefty losses.

URA dispatches second land allocate Paya Lebar Central

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Friday, 26 December 2014 in Property News

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) propelled an open delicate for a land package at the intersection of Payar Lebar and Sims Avenue – a blended utilization site comprising of office, retail and private employments. In conjunction with URA's decentralization system, the improvement of business groups outside the focal area will make occupation opportunities closer to homes, accordingly diminishing blockage and transportation time for organizations found outside the Central Business District (CBD).

Volume of transactions for Private home improve as lower prices appear to meet expectations

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Friday, 26 December 2014 in Property News

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has uncovered in its most recent expect that the private lodging business has recuperated imperativeness, mimicking moderate courses of action in August. As per URA, 648 units (notwithstanding Ecs) were sold in September, demonstrating a change from August where 437 units were sold. Mr. Nicholas Mak, Executive Director for SLP International noted to TODAY that the recuperation was not startling, and it doesn't suggest that the business division will keep seeing increments. "The cooling measures, especially the TDSR (Total Debt Servicing Ratio), will keep pressuing the business.

Property Market in 2014 – A Watershed Year?

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 25 November 2014 in Property News

The property market in 2014 started with a series of bad news from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Housing and Development Board (HDB).

How bad are the numbers?

How long will the Singapore private property market malaise last?

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 14 October 2014 in Property News

For those who missed the recent URA private property price index flash estimates, the index has dropped again in 2014Q3 . For many casual observers, the drop in the private property market has stopped becoming news as many have gotten used to the “new normal” – a lacklustre property market.

By now, the question on stakeholders’ minds has changed from “when the property market will peak” to “how long the Singapore property market malaise will last”. That is the million-dollar question that many consultants are still trying to figure out. To give readers some sense on how bad past markets have gotten, here are some data on how the property market had performed in the past few slowdowns.

Eye on Marina Bay: City by the bay

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Thursday, 09 October 2014 in Property News

Besides being the best place to witness fireworks, Marina Bay ignites a magic spark of its own.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the 360 hectare area of Marina Bay was reclaimed in anticipation of the need to grow the city centre in the future, embodying a successful example of Singapores long term planning.

Located at the southern tip of Singapore, Marina Bay seamlessly extends into Singapore's Central Business District (CBD) and supports the countrys business and financial growth. It is planned as a vibrant, mixed-use district, based on sustainable development strategies which optimises access for residents, workers and visitors to public transport.

Planning areas with positive ‘green shoots’ in resale price and unit growth during Q2 2014

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Sunday, 05 October 2014 in Property News

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released the final estimates of resale volume and price information for Q2 2014.The data shows that sales volumes have been on a rise while prices saw only marginal declines on a quarter-on-quarter basis (QoQ). There are still some pockets of areas that exhibit positive resiliencies in resale volunes and prices.These trends might appeal to savvy investors who are willing to go that extra mile to seek out for gems in today’s market. The study excludes planning areas with less than ten transactions.

HDB owners upgrading to private residential despite property cooling measures

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Thursday, 11 September 2014 in Property News

In the wake of property cooling measures developers have begun to offer higher percentage price discounts in an attempt to offload stock, making upgrading to condominium living a tempting option for HDB owners. Using 5-room HDB owners as a case study, we examine if now is the right time for HDB upgraders to cash out of their flats, and invest in the private condominium market. To measure the ease of upgrading by HDB owners, we looked at the upgrade premium, which is the difference between median HDB resale price per square feet (psf) and median condominium resale price psf of equivalent sizes, i.e. 100 - 120 sq m or 1,076 -1,292sqft for each quarter.

3 indications that show just how bad the Singapore residential property market is

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Thursday, 11 September 2014 in Property News

In Jan 2014, I wrote about why this year could be turbulent for property market stakeholders. In the recent weeks, there were some reports on how quiet the high-end property market in Singapore is. A casual observer may think that this is just limited to the high-end sector; in reality, the market malaise is probably more wide spread than what many people realise.

For those who are wondering just how bad the market is, here are 3 indicators to shed some light on the health of the Singapore residential property sector.

Singapore a global role model in property cooling: Bloomberg

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Wednesday, 10 September 2014 in Property News

Other countries can't handle their housing bubbles.

Singapore has lowered down housing prices by 3.7% over the past 12 months, as other cities like London, Manhattan and Sydney struggle to keep their housing prices from surging.

Bloomberg says that Singapore and Hong Kong did not even break a sweat as it reined in home prices by imposing measures including mortgage caps, taxes on property flippers, and levies on foreign buyers as high as 15%.

Queenstown rolls out heritage plan

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Saturday, 16 August 2014 in Property News

QUEENSTOWN has unveiled a five-year plan to protect its heritage, becoming the first estate here to clearly outline its preservation efforts.

The plan will seek to not only conserve sites in Singapore's first satellite estate, but also connect the present with the past with a $2 million museum by 2020 and a festival once every two years.

A highlight of its ambition is a network of galleries, heritage corners and markers to be rolled out across various parts of Queenstown by next year.

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?

URA policy may reduce demand for shophouses

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Monday, 14 July 2014 in Property News

A new Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) policy to tighten approval of new development applications for hotel, boarding house and backpackers' hostel uses will likely dampen demand for contiguous shophouses - unless they already have prior approval for such use.

In a circular last week, URA noted that hotels, boarding houses and backpackers' hostels - which provide accommodation for visitors to Singapore - are generally found in commercial areas. "However, such uses should not dominate and displace other commercial activities in these areas. In addition, they are generally not permitted within or at the fringe of residential estates so as to protect the amenity of nearby residents," URA said.

Home prices seen dipping further for rest of 2014

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Thursday, 03 July 2014 in Property News

Market players attribute slide in private market to competitive prices by developers, softening rentals

[SINGAPORE] Amid the current supply-demand imbalance, the gradual decline in private home prices is set to continue for the rest of the year after three quarters of decreases, say property consultants.

Private home prices in city fringe could pick up soon: analysts

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Thursday, 26 June 2014 in Property News

SINGAPORE: Private residential property prices have been subdued, following cooling measures by the government last year.

Overall, they are expected to remain muted this year.

But some analysts have said prices of private homes in the city fringe could start picking up soon.

This is due to new project launches in attractive locations like Commonwealth Avenue, Kim Tian Road and Prince Charles Crescent.

Central Region share of GLS confirmed list on the rise

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Wednesday, 25 June 2014 in Property News

After creating jobs closer to homes in the suburbs in recent years, the government is increasingly bringing private homes closer to jobs in the city.

In the confirmed list of the Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme for H2 this year, the proportion of private housing supply in the Central Region has risen to 33.2 per cent. This is up from 28.9 per cent in H1 2014 and 15.1 per cent in H2 2013. The recent low was 8.6 per cent in H1 2012.

Central Region comprises Core Central Region (CCR) and Rest of Central Region (RCR).

May sales of private condos double from preceding month's

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Friday, 20 June 2014 in Property News

[SINGAPORE] Developers' sales of private homes nearly doubled in May from a month ago as new launches were priced to target buyers who have become more price-sensitive as a result of loan curbs.

But such robust sales are unlikely to be repeated this month, a seasonally slow period because of the school holidays. Even the World Cup soccer competition could become a distraction for potential buyers in this tepid market, analysts say.

"It is premature to conclude that the market has revived from its slump," said Ong Teck Hui, national director of Research and Consultancy at JLL, pointing to the mixed showing at new launches last month.

Latest data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority showed that developers sold 1,470 private condos last month, the highest level since June 2013 and a 96 per cent jump from the 749 units sold in April. The top five projects made up 78 per cent of total sales in May.

Push to speed up development as new sites released

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Friday, 13 June 2014 in Property News

Cautious approach to private housing adopted in land sales programme

[SINGAPORE] New sites rolled out yesterday stirred excitement in the market, even as the government adopted a cautious approach to private housing in the latest land sales programme for H2 2014 to account for the twin factors of oversupply and weaker demand.

The new sites were rolled out under both confirmed and reserve lists in the residential and commercial property sectors.

Summary of the Singapore Property Cooling Measures

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 29 April 2014 in Property News

This page aims at giving an overview of the current regulations regarding residential property transactions in Singapore, result of the 8 rounds of cooling measures made by the authorities since 2009.

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