Author: PropInvestSG

SEVERAL more quarters of private home price increases of the magnitude seen in the first quarter could leave the property market here staring at the possibility of fresh cooling measures, industry players say. While the immediate risk of that is low, the surprise 3.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) jump in Q1 private home prices has led some in property circles to contemplate how policymakers would respond if the uptrend of similar or even bigger price spikes continues in the next two quarters. “Looking historically, I think the authorities will start to do something when they see double-digit growth in...

DIY real estate has recently become a hot topic on the back of growth in proptech firms. This phenomenon has been caused by the proliferation of DIY portals, availability of information to those in the real estate transaction and ease of convenience with putting up one’s own place. Backed by technology and the widespread adoption of smartphones, every player in the life cycle of a real estate transaction has access to information that was not available just 5 years ago. Historical transactions, check. Buyer and seller guides, check. Landlord and renter guides, check. Regulations and laws protecting various parties...

THE 3.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s private home price index based on its first quarter flash estimate has shocked most property consultants, who were expecting a rise of 1 to 2 per cent. The rise is the steepest quarter-on-quarter hike since Q2 2010, when the index rose 5.3 per cent. A check by The Business Times among seven property consultants on Monday found that they have raised their forecasts for the whole of this year; where they had previously predicted a rise of between 3 and 8 per cent in the benchmark property price...

RESALE prices of existing condos and private apartments in District 15, which includes the Katong and Amber Road areas, as well as District 10 have risen significantly following news of the Amber Park and Royalville collective sales last year. Edmund Tie & Co’s caveats analysis of URA Realis data also showed that in some instances, prices of larger units in the resale market have seen a bigger price hike compared with smaller units. Analysts say resale prices of existing homes are being driven up by strong demand for replacement homes by cash-flush individuals and families who have sold their...

CBRE is relocating its main Singapore office to Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) in the middle of next year, and hopes to turn the new office into a “living lab” or a showcase for new proprietary technologies. The new office spanning over 30,000 square feet at PLQ will bring together its operations currently at three different locations, including a prime CBD address at 6 Battery Road. But CBRE will still retain a core CBD office to serve clients in the area, said Pauline Goh, chief executive officer of CBRE Singapore and South-east Asia. KEPPEL Corp on Sunday said that it...

The Jurong area is beginning to be developed under the Government’s Jurong Lake District masterplan, and there are many exciting opportunities for property investors to take advantage of. How can one get started? By first understanding the area, the surrounding, the infrastructure developments, buildings in the pipeline, present state of the market and more. This post will seek to shed some light on how the area is developing, and shortlist a few developments that may be worth considering as a play on the development of the area. The Jurong Lake District is a 360 ha area set to become...

The government has spared no expense in planning for the development of the Jurong Lake District. From the upcoming high speed rail terminus to the taking back of the Jurong Country Club, the area is set to be a very popular work-play-live district. Presently, some of the the well-known retail malls include Westgate, JEM, JCube, Big Box and IMM. Office buildings include those around the International Business Park such as The Strategy, The Synergy and Icon @ IBP. Family friendly amenities include Singapore Science Centre, Jurong Regional Library, Omni Theatre and Snow City. The Jurong District is also set...

Based on URA’s data, these are the condominium projects that sold the most number of units in Feb 2018. Queen’s Peak Kingsford Waterbay Artra Grandeur Park Residences Parc Botannia In Queens’ Peak at 1 Dundee Road, 47 units were sold in the month at a median price of S$1,730 psf while in Kingsford Waterbay at Upper Serangoon View, 34 units were sold at a median price of S$1,349 psf. In Artra at Alexandra View, 30 units were sold at a median price of S$1,726 psf and at Grandeur Park Residences in Tanah Merah, 26 units were sold at a...

TECHPRENEUR Michael Cho believes that the man in the street should have equal access to housing market intelligence as the real estate agent – and for free. That was the motivation that drove him to create UrbanZoom – an online artificial intelligence (AI) enabled research portal that includes an auto-valuation tool and other useful transaction data designed to be user-friendly for home buyers and sellers in Singapore. UrbanZoom is decidedly not a listing portal, since that space is over-saturated, with even the likes of Carousell Pro and Facebook Marketplace having entered the space. This makes it difficult to innovate,...