Property News & Market Trends

Weekly News in a nutshell

Invasion of Foreign Talents?
Trillium, the 231-unit condo opposite the Great World City was invaded by foreign buyers who scooped up more than 50% of what were offered. How could Singapore withstand these onslaught of foreigners stashed with cash?

In come a patriotic Singaporean, Mr Thio, from Lippo, the developer of Trillium. It was reported that he held back a wide range of units reserved for Singaporeans. What national pride Mr Thio has. It was commented that Trillium could have hit a higher price should the developer build up the demand. 3 cheers for Mr Thio!

With an estimated high profit margin of $600-800psf, Lippo is sitting on a huge mountain of gold. Lippo shares, anyone?

Rise of the SMD(Small & Medium Developers)!
Sing Holdings bought a Cairnhill site for a song? That's a cool $360m! With a target margin of $200-$300psf, Sing Holdings is definitely singing happily after they book in their profits.

Heeton & Koh Brothers may score big on their acquired pie at Leonie Hill. If priced at $2000psf, they will enjoy a high profit margin of almost $700-900psf! Definitely a good buy, I mean their shares.

With these SMDs, 2008 will be abuzz with vibrant record profit reporting when these companies start booking in their profits.

So, get a piece of the action. Not enough to buy properties, dive into property shares then. It's profits you want, anyway.

Guocoland adds another 100 units into its landbank
With its newest 100,000 sqft acquisition at East Coast, Guocoland is not resting on its laurels.

And they certainly should not. With this powerful bull raging on, any good location you buy seems to be a good buy. If they can achieve a $300psf margin, that should add about $30m in profits easily.

So, what do you understand with all these action around you? Is it a good time to buy before it hits sky high? Well, its a double-edged sword. By the time it hits sky high, it's definitely going to fall. However, sky high could be 2-3years away till the IR fever subsides.

If all the glamour and hopes of IR pushing up the economy didn't materialise, dive for cover. If it booms, sell and take your fat profits and enjoy it. Just don't walk into the IR, ok? - Danny 'Bingo'

More ...

	What happens when someone refuses to leave in an Enbloc Sale? That's exactly what happened in Lincolnsvale. One sole family refused to leave after 1 year when the enbloc sale process was concluded. What happened? Where were they when the vote was polled?  That's on everybody's mind when they read the news. The first thing that came to my mind was the bl ... 22 Apr 2007 - Read Details
	News in a nutshell Can Malaysia catch the booming property market?Recent moves by the Malaysian PM cuts red tape by a whopping 80% in time processing. But will it work? Is it too late to cut the queue? "Shortening the timeframe will have a positive impact on the construction industry, investors and business people, w ... 16 Apr 2007 - Read Details
	The Exodus begins! The first sign of Exodus begins. Standard Chartered Bank is said to have taken a lease of 500,000 sqft at the Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC). So, what will happen to the 130,000 sqft at 6 Battery Road? Standard Chartered still has a lease up to 2020 at Battery Road. So, how does this work ... 10 Apr 2007 - Read Details
	The 3 Signs of an emerging Bubble. Mad rush; is the Property Rush coming back?Sign #1 - Balloting - used by HDB when demand outstripped supplies by a huge margin! Subject: Thomson V: 300 confirmed buyers vs 95 units for sale. One conclusion: Balloting rules the day! Experts says it's unlikely to be repeated. And why should it be? D ... 10 Apr 2007 - Read Details
	1st Qtr up 4.6%. Is that a good sign? What does it mean when URA says that the 1st Qtr flash estimate is a 4.6% compared with previous Qtr? It's a modest estimate. In reality, the prime properties in Orchard & Marina/Shenton area has skyrocketed past 12% in just 3 months! This astromonical price spike is heaving its effect now. The ... 3 Apr 2007 - Read Details
	How high is high actually? Some analysts would compare the prices of Singapore's high-end with other developed cities. In London, reputed to have one of the most expensive property averages S$7000psf! In Hongkong, prices went through the roof when the Peak really hits the peak at S$7000psf! So, what can be made out of t ... 23 Mar 2007 - Read Details
	Orchard hits $4000psf! Incredible! Capitaland has outdone herself again. Orchard Turn Residences strike at $4000psf! Compared to St Regis, which took the market by storm when it passes $2900psf, Orchard Turn's location seems irresistibly powerful. Branding aside, buyers seem to be willing to plough in deeper in thei ... 22 Mar 2007 - Read Details
	Will US housing blues affect S'pore property boom? That's on every anaylsts' minds. In fact, some developers will be trying out the market treshold again. Capitaland will push out The Seafront@Meyer at $1,800psf.  That's a competitive price considering the neighbouring The View@Meyer by Guocoland. I bet the sentiments from US markets may ... 18 Mar 2007 - Read Details
	The Stock is down again? US stocks are down, heavily. Worries over their housing is - worrying. Singapore Property & Banking stocks take a heavy beating today. Will the poor performance of the stock market drag the sentiments of our property market? Previously, many would have ignore such drops as ... 15 Mar 2007 - Read Details
	News in a nutshell Business-oriented Statutory BoardsSince the changes brought by HDB-URA Home Office Scheme in 2003, there are more than 20,000 home users of the scheme. SLA is also hoping to encourage more innovative land use under their ‘ideas tender’ concept introduced in 2005. The scheme allows i ... 13 Mar 2007 - Read Details