Shoebox units not a threat to property market

[TheOnlyGayInTheVillage]

http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_810126.html

[anythingwhatever]

Good one...


THE report ('Tiny 'shoebox', big questions'; Monday) is one of many recent articles that have expressed concerns about the frenzy for shoebox units.


The arguments against them include encouraging singles to live apart from their parents; driving larger private property prices upwards; and being as risky as penny stocks.



To put things in perspective:


- Shoebox units make up about 1 per cent of private housing units in Singapore. How does that pose a threat to the overall well-being of the housing market or the family unit?
- There is a rental demand for such units, as shown by their take-up rate so far. Expatriate singles, in particular, find such units attractive.
- Developers have promoted shoebox units as being ideal for singles or couples, and not for families with children. So why are their motives being questioned?


I agree that the Government should look closely at the growth and proliferation of shoebox units, but they are not a social ill to be reined in, as many seem to suggest.


Wong Kah Khoon