Vacant EC units up in Q2
The number of Executive Condominiums (ECs) left vacant significantly increased from around 726 units in Q1 2014 to about 1,634 units in Q2 2014, according to Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) figures reported in the media. This translates to a vacancy rate of 12.2 percent, or more than twice...
Continue Reading • 19 Aug 2014
Jurong East hospital’s opening delayed until mid-2015
The Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, which was supposed to be completed by December, will push back its opening by about six months due to construction delays, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the National Day Rally yesterday. In a statement, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said it has asked...
Continue Reading • 18 Aug 2014
Honouring urban greening excellence with LEAF
For efforts in providing greenery and ecologically friendly landscapes, 12 new and existing developments were recognised under National Parks Board’s (NParks) Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework (LEAF) on 13 August. New private developments bagging the award include Adana @ Thomson, Eco...
Continue Reading • 18 Aug 2014
Govt releases land parcels in Sembawang and Upper Thomson
A residential site at Lorong Puntong (pictured) and an Executive Condominium (EC) site at Sembawang Road / Canberra Link are launched for sale today under the H2 2014 Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme's Confirmed List. Together, these two sites can yield about 900 residential units....
Continue Reading • 18 Aug 2014
Lease Buyback Scheme to be extended to four-room flats
Making Singapore a home for all ages was one of the topics in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech yesterday. This includes providing assurance in retirement for seniors. He said that, "the CPF scheme and homeownership are the twin pillars of our retirement adequacy."...
Continue Reading • 18 Aug 2014
Residential properties affected by Thomson-East Coast Line
Singapore's sixth rail line, the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), will be fully operational in 2024. The 13-kilometre East Coast stretch of the TEL covers areas such as Tanjong Rhu, Siglap, Marine Parade, Upper East Coast and Bedok South. It will be fully underground and will have nine stations,...
Continue Reading • 18 Aug 2014
Slight rise in new private home sales
Sales of new private homes in Singapore, including executive condominiums (ECs), rose marginally month-on-month to 535 units. In June a total of 531 units were sold according to data published by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Excluding ECs, the number of transacted units last month...
Continue Reading • 15 Aug 2014
92 households took up the Silver Housing Bonus scheme
HDB revealed 92 households have benefitted from its Silver Housing Bonus scheme since it was introduced in February 2013, reported the media. Among those who benefitted is Choy Mui Leng. The 66-year old retired nurse tapped on the scheme by selling her four-room flat in Sengkang, and...
Continue Reading • 15 Aug 2014
Changing the construction productivity game
National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has laid out ways to speed up the adoption of “game-changing technologies” to boost construction productivity and reduce Singapore’s reliance on construction workers. In a blog post today, Mr Khaw said selected public sector projects will deploy such...
Continue Reading • 14 Aug 2014
Developers to be cautious with land bids: analysts
The growing number of unsold private homes and the weaker buying sentiment have forced developers to be more cautious with their land bids, said analysts and reported in the media. Notably, sales of new private homes, excluding Executive Condominiums (ECs), plunged 55 percent to 4,400 units in...
Continue Reading • 14 Aug 2014
Slight improvement in prime resale market
Singapore's residential resale market activity within Districts 9, 10 and 11 registered a slight pick-up in sales volumes in Q2 2014, according to JLL's Asia Pacific Property Digest for Q2 2014. The number of units sold rose 18.6 percent quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) to 191 units, signalling an...
Continue Reading • 14 Aug 2014
No subsales from units bought in 2013
Buyers who bough private non-landed homes in uncompleted projects and then sold them in H1 2014 before the issuance of Certificate of Statutory Completion held their properties for a longer period due to the seller's stamp duty (SSD), based on a research by Ngee Ann Polytechnic as reported in the...
Continue Reading • 14 Aug 2014
Review earlier property curbs: property consultants
Although the government has reiterated that property cooling measures will be kept in place, some real estate consultants are still calling for a review of earlier curbs, which they believe may have become "redundant", reported the media. Speaking at the annual National Real Estate Congress...
Continue Reading • 13 Aug 2014
Residents affected by SERS want wet market nearby
Due to the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS), about 3,480 households in 31 HDB blocks along Tanglin Halt and Commonwealth Drive will be relocated to new flats at five sites in Dawson estate along Margaret Drive, Dawson Road and Strathmore Avenue in 2020. However, the 157 market and...
Continue Reading • 13 Aug 2014
All HDB flats to have CCTVs by 2016
Cameras will be installed at all 10,000 HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks (MSCPs), as part of the Community Policing System (COPS). Since May 2012, a total of 18,000 police cameras have been installed in 3,300 HDB blocks and MSCPs across all 16 Town Councils and the 87 wards that they...
Continue Reading • 13 Aug 2014
LTA to make selected roads safer for seniors
Five residential estates, in Bedok, Bukit Merah, Jurong West, Marine Parade and Yishun, will have new road safety features as part of the Silver Zone pilot programme to make roads safer for the elderly. These estates have a large population of seniors and a relatively high accident rate...
Continue Reading • 13 Aug 2014
Vacancy rate in private residential market still 'healthy'
While the number of completed but unoccupied private homes in Singapore is growing, property watchers believe the vacancy rate is still "healthy", reported the media. In fact, they even expect the number to increase over the next few years, with the suburbs witnessing the most significant...
Continue Reading • 12 Aug 2014
Scheme to safeguard against errant contractors
The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and the Singapore Renovation Contractors & Material Suppliers Association (RCMA) have joined forces to create a voluntary accreditation scheme for the renovation industry, according to media reports. Effective next year, the CaseTrust-RCMA...
Continue Reading • 12 Aug 2014
Top honour for property player
The highest National Day Award this year - the Distinguished Service Order (Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang) - was presented to Chua Thian Poh, the Chairman and CEO of public-listed Ho Bee Land. The Order is awarded to any individual who has performed within Singapore any act or series of acts...
Continue Reading • 12 Aug 2014
Three property agencies strike new partnership to battle competition
The move comes amid tough property market conditions. More real estate agencies are joining strategic alliances to jointly market a larger pool of properties, helping to extend the reach of their agents and providing more choices to clients. The latest companies to come together to form a...
Continue Reading • 11 Aug 2014