2015 has been a busy year for the property market, and as the year draws to a close, we take another look at the 10 most read stories on PropertyGuru this year.
10. The outlook for Singapore’s non-landed private housing market in the second half of 2015 was cautiously optimistic, with the cooling measures continuing to stabilise the market. Sales of condo units were expected to slip further despite the pick up in mass-market project launches in H2. Meanwhile, there were projections that prices could bottom out towards the end of the year. Read more
9. In April, a DBS report stated that Singapore’s government could relax the property cooling measures at the end of this year. Any policy action would likely be targeted at the mass market where more supply is coming in. However, private home prices would need to drop significantly before warranting any government intervention. Read more
8. A report released by Square Foot Research in January revealed there were at least five private residential projects that ran the risk of incurring hefty fines under the Qualifying Certificate (QC) rules due to the high number of unsold units. At the time, The Interlace by CapitaLand was leading with 168 unsold units. Read more
7. At a Credit Suisse luncheon held earlier this month, one property expert predicted that the property cooling measures could be tweaked sometime in the second half of 2016. A price drop of about 15 percent would likely trigger this, with the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) and Seller’s Stamp Duty (SSD) likely to be revised. Read more
6. For borrowers looking to refinance their property, one question they’ll have is whether to obtain a bank loan or get a HDB loan. Published in July, this article compares the differences between both loan types, their merits, and what homeowners need to look at before choosing a refinancing package. Read more
5. Although sentiment in the private residential market remains weak, some condo projects launched in 2015 attracted healthy interest from prospective buyers, with crowds showing up at the showflats. Notably, location and pricing were two major factors which contributed to their popularity. In November, PropertyGuru reviewed seven of them to see what all the hype was about. Read more
4. More private homes in Singapore are sitting empty as buyers continue to adopt a cautious approach, with over 24,000 vacant units recorded in Q4 2014, according to data released in January by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). The vacancy rate was the highest recorded since Q4 2005. Meanwhile, the completion of over 20,000 private units in 2015 will likely worsen the situation. Read more
3. Property consultancy Savills predicted at the start of this year that there would be 10 major private residential launches in 2015. Most of the projects would be located in the suburbs, with the biggest one being the 1,165-unit Kingsford Waterbay in Upper Serangoon. Meanwhile, analysts were of the opinion that developers would need to price units more affordably to drive sales. Read more
2. With more MRT lines being completed, more properties in Singapore will be located close to an MRT station, which should increase their value. However, there can be negative side-effects such as noise pollution, which can adversely affect the desirability of the property. This article published in February looks at how the MRT effect can affect your property’s value. Read more
1. Malaysia’s property market is expected to slow down further in 2016 due to lesser demand and a weakened economy, putting additional pressure on home prices, warned industry expert Datuk Gavin Tee in December. However, the drop in prices is not expected to translate to more sales for developers due to a drop in foreign investment and lower purchasing ability from Malaysians. High loan rejection rates are also being seen, especially for properties in the Iskandar region. Read more
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
