Hong Kong has a huge Chinese hinterland to rely upon.... tonnes of mainland funds being parked in Hong Kong, hence their equity and property markets are well-supported (not always good cos the man in the street gets priced out). Singapore is a vastly different market from Hong Kong, unless Indonesia/Malaysia can achieve the same purchasing power parity as the Chinese towkays in time to come. Plus the Singapore housing market is highly regulated; with 80% of its population in HDB dwelling and demand/supply and entry pricing being controlled. To reach $6k psf may really take years and years to come.... so let's not bet on it.
Wow, so much ado about having a chute! Personally, I prefer having a chute outside the house for the following reasons:
1) Fumigation is always a nightmare. And for units below 5 storeys, cockroaches is a huge problem... not to mention the free smells..... esp during durian season.
2) The refuse chute chamber counts towards the gross floor area. Plus the area around the chute is often wasted space. In land scarce Singapore, my psf cost can go towards better uses.
If having a chute outside the house affects one's sense of pride, then plse spare a thought about the landed gentry. Those towkays/MPs/Ministers who stay in our D9/10/11 GCBs (Jet Li inclusive) will have to ensure that all their refuse is transported out of the house, past the garden, and out of the gate. That is what I term as a real pain..... But then again, these people have domestic helpers to do the work.
so the same should go for most of the forum users here who can afford one or more private housing.