Singapore Private Home Sales in 2009 May Hit Record High: DTZ

[moneyspinner]

Singapore private home sales in 2009 may hit record high: DTZ29 Sep 2009 Property consultant D-T-Z says sales of private homes here this year are likely to be higher than the record of 14,811 units sold in 2007.

In a report, DTZ says there was a "frenzied" level of activity seen in the third quarter this year.

That led to a record number of more than 2,772 homes sold in July.

DTZ is forecasting that the record of some 5,129 units sold in the second quarter of 2007 will be surpassed in the current quarter on the back of the strong momentum.

It adds that the average private home prices continued on the uptrend in the third quarter this year.

The average price of freehold non-landed resale private homes in the prime districts rose by 10 percent on-quarter to 1,370 dollars per square foot.

Outside the prime districts, average prices of leasehold non-landed resale homes increased 6.6 percent to 610 dollars per square foot in the third quarter.

In addition, DTZ says rental values found some stability in the third quarter after four consecutive quarters of decline.

Rents of non-landed homes in prime districts were unchanged at 3.32 dollars per square foot per month, while that of luxurious non-landed homes remained at 4.65 dollars per square foot per month.

Going forward, DTZ says sales volume in the private residential market for the rest of the year is likely to ease due to fewer projects in the pipeline.

Recent measures by the government to cool the market, like the removal of the interest absorption scheme, may dampen sales too.

[Reporter]

We will very likely make this record this year.

This recent property boom may seems like an Asian thing but the fact is London prices are also going up.

London luxury home prices rise 4%
Broker attributes surge to shortage of prime properties
The Business Times
Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Luxury-home prices in central London rose 4% in the third quarter from the previous three months as buyers competed for fewer properties, Savills plc said.

Houses and apartments worth more than £1 million (S$2.3 million) in the most expensive areas fell 4.9% on an annual basis, the property broker said in a statement on Friday.

The biggest quarterly increases were in the districts of Chelsea, Kensington and Belgravia in west London. The annual decline narrowed from 11.5% at the end of the second quarter.

'There isn’t enough property on the market in prime areas and priced attractively to satisfy demand,' said Camilla Dell, managing partner of Black Brick Property Solutions LLC, which finds and buys homes for wealthy customers. Her company, which has advised on £45 million of property deals this year, participated in closed-bid auctions for two multimillion-pound homes in London last week, she said.

The number of homes for sale is about 25% less than the average for the past five years, London-based Savills estimates. Demand for luxury properties increased after values fell by about 18% from the market’s peak in September 2007, the broker said. The pound’s weakness also made purchases cheaper for overseas buyers. Sterling slid about 20% against the euro and the dollar since the peak.

The scarcity of prime real estate on the market may not last, according to Yolande Barnes, joint head of residential research at Savills.

The strongest market in two years will probably encourage more homeowners to sell. ‘Prices are expected at best to level out again and may fall back,’ Ms Barnes said. The rate of unemployment and how quickly the economy emerges from recession will be critical, she said.

Knight Frank LLP said in a separate report that luxury-home prices gained 1.3% in September from August. They dropped 8.9% from a year earlier, the smallest annual decline in 12 months.

'UK buyers have been especially keen to take advantage of low mortgage-rate costs,' said Liam Bailey, head of residential research at Knight Frank. 'The real test in the market will come when interest rates rise.'

The UK housing market as a whole may also be stabilising, according to a survey published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on Sept 15. The number of respondents saying prices increased in August exceeded those reporting declines by 11% points, the first positive reading since July 2007.

Home prices in England and Wales rose 4.9% from March through July, according to figures compiled by the Land Registry, lifting the average value to £196,338.

A rebound is also beginning for what Savills describes as ultra-prime properties that cost an average of £15 million. Prices for those homes gained 0.9% in the third quarter from the previous three months, Savills said.

Brian D’Arcy Clark, head of Savills’s private office unit, advised the owners of 96 Cheyne Walk in Chelsea a year ago to delay selling the 12,770-square- foot house overlooking the River Thames.

The week, he will start marketing the home, a former residence of painter James Whistler. Parts of it date back to 1670. The asking price – £25 million – includes six bedrooms, separate accommodations for guests or staff, and off- street parking for eight cars. ‘For an estate agent to advise a client not to do a deal is unusual,’ Mr D’Arcy Clark said. The move to sell 'is an indication of our confidence.'

The biggest price jumps among the city’s prime residential markets occurred in south-west London in the third quarter, according to the broker.

Prices in districts such as Fulham, Clapham, Wandsworth and Richmond, which range from £500,000 to £2 million, climbed 8.4% from the previous three months.

Values in these areas fell almost 26% from the peak of the market to the end of March, triggering purchases from owner-occupiers who don’t require large mortgages, said Lucian Cook, a research director at Savills. Prices rose 6.4% in the second quarter from the previous three months.

HK property on the fast track to recovery
Home prices 26% up this year, erasing Q4 ‘08 post-Lehman loss
The Business Times
Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Hedge fund manager Pan Lin Feng and two friends sensed opportunity when Hong Kong property prices plunged 20% last year after Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc collapsed.

In November, they bought a 1,500 square foot apartment, more than double the size of a typical Hong Kong flat, in the affluent Mid-Levels district for HK$9.8 million (S$1.8 million) from an owner shoring up stock and property losses. In July, the trio was offered HK$15 million.

‘It was a good deal,’ Mr Pan, 33, said. ‘It was real luck and everyone has benefited since.’

Hong Kong home prices are up 26% this year, erasing losses posted between the Sept 15, 2008 demise of Lehman Brothers and Dec 31, 2008, according to the weekly Centa-City Leading Index. Mainland Chinese buyers and record mortgage rates lower than London and New York enabled Hong Kong to recover while the other financial centres struggle.

Hong Kong is the world’s 5th-most expensive residential real estate market, after Monte Carlo, Moscow, London and Tokyo, according to Global Property Guide.

The average value of all Manhattan apartments sold in the first six months of 2009 fell 12% from a year earlier, according to figures from Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate. Average home prices in London rose 0.3% in the first seven months, according to the UK Land Registry.

Hong Kong property recovered faster because its banks are healthy and residents save money, said Khiem Do, head of the multi-asset group at Baring Asset Management (Asia) Ltd, which holds US$7 billion in assets, including shares of Hong Kong and China developers.

Banks cut mortgage rates to their lowest in 19 years, with some offering loans with a 1%t interest rate, and the increasing number of customers helped boost property prices.

‘In Manhattan and London, if you see a great deal and you want to borrow from the bank, you’ll find it difficult,’ Mr Do said. ‘In Hong Kong and Singapore, the banks will be happy to lend.’

Cindy Gan, a communications manager, said local banks undercut each other competing for her mortgage for a HK$3.8 million apartment near Causeway Bay in May. ‘They would counter-offer by improving the cash rebate and providing free first-year insurance,’ she said. ‘It was all about sweetening the deal.’

She chose a 15-year loan with ICBC (Asia) Ltd starting with a 1% rate.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the de facto central bank, warned lenders this month that their ‘intense price competition’ on home loans wasn’t sustainable.

Financial services in Hong Kong suffered fewer job losses than in New York or London. The number of people employed on March 31 was 181,860, the Census and Statistics Department said. That’s down 10,840 since 2007.

New York City is projected to lose 68,300 finance jobs in 2008 and 2009 combined, according to the New York State Department of Labor.

In London, those losses will total an estimated 57,000, the Centre for Economics and Business Research said in April.

Luxury homes in Hong Kong outperformed the housing market as tycoons snapped up properties, said Wong Leung-sing, research director at Centaline Property Agency Ltd. Prices of homes worth at least HK$10 million rose 30% this year, he said.

‘It’s reflecting not only a buoyant economy, but also the shortage of new supply in an extremely limited pipeline in the luxury market,’ said Simon Smith, senior director of research at Savills LLC in Hong Kong.

In July, a house in Sky High on the Peak, the city’s most expensive residential area, sold for HK$300 million, making it this year’s most costly at HK$41,500 per square foot, said Benedict Ma, an analyst at CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. Sky High has four homes ranging in size from 540 to 620 square metres.

Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd, Hong Kong’s biggest developer by market value, raised prices of two penthouses at The Cullinan project by 50%. The 4,000 sq ft apartments are offered for HK$300 million, or HK$75,000 psf, each, said Victor Lui, executive director of the company’s real-estate broker.

That would be the world’s second-most expensive price after a Monaco developer asked for the equivalent of HK$100,000, said Xavier Wong, head of research for Greater China at Knight Frank.

Those amounts signal a price bubble in Hong Kong, said Francis Lun, general manager at Fulbright Securities Ltd.

‘The property developers are charging unconscionable prices and making obscene profit,’ Mr Lun said. ‘Those luxury properties are bought by mainlanders as trophies.’

Luxury home prices may rise another 10% the rest of this year because of low interest rates and improving stock markets, Mr Ma said. The most ever paid psf for a local luxury house is HK$56,000 in June 2008 for Severn 8 at the Peak, another Sun Hung Kai project.

‘It’s hard to put a cap on the luxury end as you can’t use affordability ratio for any tycoon,’ said Buggle Lau of Midland Holdings Ltd, real estate firm.

Prospective buyers lined up outside The Masterpiece, a high-rise across Victoria Harbor from the Central District, for apartments with 180-degree views of the skyline. A mainland Chinese client paid HK$150 million, or about HK$37,000 psf, for a furnished 4,088 sq ft show flat, said Jeff Lau, senior sales and marketing manager for builder New World Development Co.
A local businessman paid HK$24.5 million, or HK$30,025 psf, for a one-bedroom, 816 sq ft apartment there.

The overall home index may rise another 7% points for an annual gain of 30%, Mr Wong said.

Interior designer Andrew Bell moved to Hong Kong two years ago and bought a 40-year-old walk-up apartment in the trendy Soho district. He sold the 400 sq ft unit last year for HK$4.5 million, double what he paid.

He then bought a 260 sq ft unit last month for HK$2 million. He hopes to rent it for HK$25,000 after furnishing it with Qing dynasty antiques.

‘A lot of people think I’m crazy for buying this place,’ Mr Bell, 53, said. ‘But I really have confidence because everybody is really thanking God that the crisis is over.’

Hong Kong home prices rebounded faster than the stock market. The weekly measure by Centaline and the City University of Hong Kong recovered to levels before Lehman’s collapse by June. The Hang Seng Index reached pre-collapse levels about a month later.

Hong Kong’s yearlong recession ended last quarter, when a boost in export demand from China helped the economy grow 3.3% from the previous three months. Sales of all residential apartments in August almost tripled to HK$41 billion from a year ago, Land Registry figures show.

The number of sales agreements on luxury residences more than tripled to 500, the agency said.

The average size of a Hong Kong flat is about 700 sq ft, Knight Frank’s Mr Wong said. An apartment larger than 1,000 sq ft is considered a luxury flat by local industry standards.

Mr Pan and his friends paid about HK$6,533 psf. They rejected the HK$15 million offer for their 27-year-old flat, where the monthly rent triples the mortgage payment.

‘We think there’s more upside if we wait,’ Mr Pan said.

[mogyi]

We will very likely make this record this year.

This recent property boom may seems like an Asian thing but the fact is London prices are also going up.

so is this a global inflation in capital or a super scale
global property bubble?

[echotrain]

so is this a global inflation in capital or a super scale
global property bubble?

with so much cheaponey xoming from all the central banks, it has to appear somewhere. You could use it or you could sit aside and watch others use it.

[Reporter]

New-Home Sales in U.S. Climb to One-Year High
Bob Willi
Bloomberg
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Friday, 25 September 2009, 10:47 U.S. EDT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?p...d=iS6wdrmp.slg

Sales of new U.S. homes climbed in August to the highest level in almost a year as builders cut prices at a record pace to compete with the foreclosures that are flooding the market for previously owned houses.
Sales increased 0.7% to a 429,000 annual pace, less than anticipated, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. Other reports showed orders for durable goods unexpectedly fell and consumer sentiment climbed.

The worst housing slump since the Great Depression may be drawing to a close as first-time buyers rush to take advantage of tax credits before a November deadline. Federal Reserve policy makers this week pledged to keep borrowing costs low to sustain the recovery past the time when the government stimulus measures wane.

"At least we continue to see an upward trend in place," said Ellen Zentner, a senior economist at Bank of Tokyo- Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. in New York. "New-home sales are battling existing-home sale prices, which are incredibly attractive with the foreclosure pricing."

Stocks were little changed as the lower-than-anticipated readings on home sales and goods orders tempered the increase in sentiment. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index was down 0.2% to 1,048.91 at 10:43 a.m. in New York.

Less Than Forecast

New-home sales were forecast to rise to a 440,000 annual rate, according to the median forecast of 75 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. Estimates ranged from 420,000 to 500,000, after an initially reported 433,000 rate in July. Last month’s pace was the highest since September 2008.

The government revised July’s reading down to a 426,000 pace from 433,000. Sales reached a 329,000 pace in January, the lowest level since records began in 1963.

The median price of a new house fell 9.5% from the prior month, the biggest decrease since records began in 1963, as homes selling for less than $150,000 took a bigger share of the market.

The median price decreased to $195,200, the lowest level since October 2003 and down 12% from August 2008. Sales of new homes were 3.4% lower than a year earlier.

Orders for goods meant to last several years dropped 2.4% in August, the worst performance since January, the Commerce Department also reported today. Restrained consumer spending and near-record excess capacity mean companies will probably not boost investment in new plants or equipment in coming months.

Little Investment

“The recession in business investment isn’t over yet,” Paul Ashworth, a senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics Ltd. in Toronto, said in a note to clients. The report is “a wake up call for anyone expecting a smooth transition to a strong economic recovery.”

The Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment increased to 73.5 in September, higher than forecast, from 65.7 in August. September’s preliminary reading was 70.2.

The increase in new-home sales was led by a 12% jump in the West region. Purchases were little changed in the South, and fell 5.8% in the Midwest and 16% in the Northeast.

Builders had 262,000 houses on the market last month, the fewest since November 1992. It would take 7.3 months to sell all homes at the current sales pace, the shortest time since January 2007.

Market Breakdown

Sales of new homes, which make up less than 10% of the market, are tabulated when a contract is signed so they are considered a leading indicator of the market. Sales of existing homes, which account for the remainder, are counted when sales close and thus reflect contracts signed a month or two earlier.

Previously owned homes in August sold at a 5.1 million pace, down 2.7% from July and the first decline since March, the National Association of Realtors reported yesterday in Washington. The level of sales was still the second-highest in 23 months.

Fed policy makers this week said they will keep the benchmark lending rate near zero “for an extended period,” while noting that the economy and housing had strengthened. They also said they will slow central bank purchases of mortgage debt and extend the program through the first quarter of 2010.

Tax Credit

The Obama administration’s $8,000 tax credit for first- time buyers, which is due to expire at the end of November, combined with lower prices as foreclosures have mounted, have helped lift sales this year. At the same time, record foreclosures have drawn more buyers to existing homes and away from new homes.

Builders are reluctant to further increase the supply of homes amid uncertainty over whether the tax credit will be renewed. The National Association of Realtors and National Association of Home Builders have lobbied to extend the credit on concern demand will wane after it lapses.

Lennar Corp., the third-largest U.S. homebuilder, is among companies that see demand improving, even as losses mount. The Miami-based company said this week it expects to turn a profit in fiscal 2010 and it acquired 3,600 finished home sites and parcels of land this quarter to position it for future growth.

“We’re crawling off the bottom here,” Stuart Miller, Lennar’s chief executive officer, said on a Sept. 21 conference call.

It is happening not just in HongKong, China, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, etc. of Asia, but also in the UK and the US.

Don't ask me why there are so much "hot money" around.
Don't ask me why this "hot money" is buying up property too.
I don't know as I am no economist.

[Reporter]

August pending home sales rise to 2½ year high
Pending home sales rise for 7th straight month in August to highest level since March 2007
Alan Zibel
Real Estate Writer
Associated Press
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Thursday, October 1, 2009, 10:00 am U.S. EDT

The volume of signed contracts to buy previously occupied homes rose for the 7th straight month in August as buyers rushed to take advantage of a tax credit for first-time owners that expires at the end of November.

The National Association of Realtors says its seasonally adjusted index of sales agreements rose 6.4% from July to 103.8. It was the highest since March 2007 and 12% above a year ago. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected the index would rise to 98.6.

Typically there is a one- to two-month lag between a contract and a done deal, so the index is a barometer of future sales. However, new rules for home appraisals and rigid lending standards have scuttled many sales agreements recently.

[orange]

With all the US$ trillions printed and pumped into the world economy by world govts, i'm not surprised.

[teddybear]

1 of the reason being tossed around is that the paper money is fast losing value. To preserve value, it is better to discard the paper money and exchange into something more tangible and will not grow in quantity (or at least not so much in % terms). There seem to be only 2 avenues:
1) gold - but con is doesn't pay interest.
2) property - pro is can either live in it or get rental (macam like interests and yet much higher than FDs now). Even if left vacant is still better than holding the paper money because sooner or later the property price will appreciate as paper money value depreciate due to money printing (at least that is the thinking of the rich).

It is happening not just in HongKong, China, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, etc. of Asia, but also in the UK and the US.

Don't ask me why there are so much "hot money" around.
Don't ask me why this "hot money" is buying up property too.
I don't know as I am no economist.

[Reporter]

Singapore private home prices up 15.9%
Kevin Lim and Neil Chatterjee
Reuters
Singapore
Thursday, 1 October 2009, 3:16pm CCT

Singapore private home prices surged 15.9% in the third quarter from the previous quarter, preliminary government data showed on Thursday, highlighting concerns about a property market bubble.



Singapore's government last month announced measures to cool the property market by releasing more land and making it harder for home buyers to defer payments, but analysts said policymakers were likely to hold off on further measures for fear of derailing a still patchy economic recovery.

"The numbers are backing up the anecdotal evidence we've seen - if anything they are understating it," said Vishnu Varathan, economist at 4CAST in Singapore. "Policymakers will be acutely aware of the risks of tightening too fast ... At this point I think they will wait and see."

In less than a year, investors in Asia have gone from panic to hope and now to anxiety on concerns that potentially destabilising asset bubbles are forming in equity and property markets, even as the world is still healing from financial crisis.

For now, Asia's monetary authorities look set to do little about it, apart from possibly tinkering around the edges by soaking up excess liquidity.

Some analysts think rising house prices in Singapore, Hong Kong and China are yet to peak, given a preference for property among investors and a faster-than-expected economic recovery.

Shares in Singapore's largest property firm CapitaLand have more than doubled since a low in early March, outperforming the wider Singapore index's 74% gain.

In August, Singapore maintained its 2009 forecast for the economy to contract by 4 to 6% and said a subdued recovery was likely to continue in 2010 even after it leapt out of recession in the second quarter.

[Reporter]

1 of the reason being tossed around is that the paper money is fast losing value. To preserve value, it is better to discard the paper money and exchange into something more tangible and will not grow in quantity (or at least not so much in % terms). There seem to be only 2 avenues:
1) gold - but con is doesn't pay interest.
2) property - pro is can either live in it or get rental (macam like interests and yet much higher than FDs now). Even if left vacant is still better than holding the paper money because sooner or later the property price will appreciate as paper money value depreciate due to money printing (at least that is the thinking of the rich).

Asians like property?
So Singapore, Hong Kong and China have more upside to go?

[jlrx]

1 of the reason being tossed around is that the paper money is fast losing value. To preserve value, it is better to discard the paper money and exchange into something more tangible and will not grow in quantity (or at least not so much in % terms). There seem to be only 2 avenues:
1) gold - but con is doesn't pay interest.
2) property - pro is can either live in it or get rental (macam like interests and yet much higher than FDs now). Even if left vacant is still better than holding the paper money because sooner or later the property price will appreciate as paper money value depreciate due to money printing (at least that is the thinking of the rich).

1) gold - not only doesn't pay interest, I have to pay the bank interest for its gold certificate! the alternative is to buy gold bars but I don't like the idea ... what if some robbers break into the safe deposit box? Nevertheless you have to keep some just in case ...

2) property - all-time best investment.

Actually it's not property that is increasing in value. It's money that is dropping in value.

Remember around 1988 when the government first proposed the benchmarking of ministerial salaries to the top 4 earners of each of the 6 professions? I remember the average of the top 24 highest earners in Singapore at that time was only around $800,000 p.a. What a joke!

Today there are 3,838 people in Singapore earning more than $1 million p.a.

[Condorich]

Today there are 3,838 people in Singapore earning more than $1 million p.a.

How did you get that figure? nice number 3838..

[Regulators]

a number our MPs are earning between 5k to 10k a day from taxpayers not to mention their other portfolios as directors etc. Our MPs r highest paid in e world n i cant believe we hv no say about ths blatant c.....

1) gold - not only doesn't pay interest, I have to pay the bank interest for its gold certificate! the alternative is to buy gold bars but I don't like the idea ... what if some robbers break into the safe deposit box? Nevertheless you have to keep some just in case ...

2) property - all-time best investment.

Actually it's not property that is increasing in value. It's money that is dropping in value.

Remember around 1988 when the government first proposed the benchmarking of ministerial salaries to the top 4 earners of each of the 6 professions? I remember the average of the top 24 highest earners in Singapore at that time was only around $800,000 p.a. What a joke!

Today there are 3,838 people in Singapore earning more than $1 million p.a.

[focus]

Ya.. I think MP shouldn't be drawing such a big allowance.
I am disillusioned by the practice of big fat allowance for Public civil servants or people representative..

[jlrx]

How did you get that figure? nice number 3838..

Ya very nice number!

It was in the news:

The Iras annual report showed a sharp jump in the number of individual taxpayers in the million-dollar club.
The number soared to 3,838 for the year of assessment 2008 from 2,751 previously. This would be for income earned in the calendar year 2007.

See this link:

http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News...27-163879.html

You can also see the IRAS Annual Report 2008 below.

The number 3,838 comprises 3,799 residents and 39 non-residents.

[Condorich]

Thanks... really good to know that the figures are released to public figures...

[echotrain]

1 of the reason being tossed around is that the paper money is fast losing value. To preserve value, it is better to discard the paper money and exchange into something more tangible and will not grow in quantity (or at least not so much in % terms). There seem to be only 2 avenues:
1) gold - but con is doesn't pay interest.
2) property - pro is can either live in it or get rental (macam like interests and yet much higher than FDs now). Even if left vacant is still better than holding the paper money because sooner or later the property price will appreciate as paper money value depreciate due to money printing (at least that is the thinking of the rich).

That is what I think.

I think hyperinflation is rearing its ugly head with all the money pumped round the world.

[Reporter]

Residential market leads Hong Kong real estate recovery
Staff Writer
Asia Property Report
Wednesday, 30 September 2009



Recent economic indicators are all pointing towards a recovery in Hong Kong's real estate market, Colliers International has announced. Taking the lead is the residential sector which has seen a dramatic rebound of 25% in prices since March, and a rise in rentals in the 3Q of 2009.

Speaking at a press briefing, Richard Kirke, managing director, Colliers International Hong Kong said that Hong Kong's residential property market had recovered at a much quicker pace than many parts of the region. "The pace of recovery for the four main sectors varies, but it is a positive picture. The sales market was the first to recover and the leasing market appears to be at or very near the bottom of the cycle. With growing confidence in a global economic recovery, we have witnessed many large occupiers of space start planning for increasing head counts in 2010 and beyond."

The luxury residential sector has shown the biggest and quickest rebound. Buying interest remained keen in the third quarter of 2009. The most favoured properties are mid-tier units that range from HK$20 to 50 million. Demand for top-tier units with the price range of HK$50 million or over was also strong and with only limited stock available in the traditional luxury residential areas such as the Peak and the South Side, significant price increases were recorded.

"Sales transactions with lump sum prices of HK$100 million or above saw 80% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) growth during 3Q 2009. Average luxury residential prices also increased 9.6% QoQ to HK$14,200 psf as of August 2009," said Ricky Poon, executive director, Residential Sales, Colliers International. "Prices are currently only 5% below the peak just before the financial crisis in September 2008. Some individual units have actually surpassed their previous highs. We anticipate that the market will set new peaks again in the next 12 months."

[Reporter]

占私宅成交量22％　外国人又涌入购房地产
吴慧敏
联合早报
29-9-2009

全球股市大反弹不但吸引了本地人蜂拥抢购私人房产，外国人也在过去几个月来大举涌入，到新加坡“扫货”。

根据第一太平戴维斯(Savills)整理的数字，外国人(包括新加坡永久居民)在去年8月，买下大约300个私宅单位，占所有私宅成交量的22％。

当美国投资银行雷曼兄弟破产、引发全球金融大海啸时，外国人骤然消失。去年11月12月期间，外国人所购买的私宅单位剧跌至70、80个，所占的买家比率也下跌至16％。

今年3月全球股市大回弹后，外国买家又迅速回流。到了6月份，外国人在一个月内买下的私宅单位已回升至876个，比去年11月最低潮时的需求量暴增十倍。所占的买家比率，也回升至全球金融大海啸之前的22％、23％水平。

戴德梁行(DTZ)研究部主管蔡楚芬说：“外国买家确实回来了。不单单是中国人，马来西亚人和印尼人这两个本地楼市的传统上最大买家，也都在过去几个月显著增加。”

她透露，马来西亚和印尼人仍然是新加坡楼市最大的买家。本地每卖出100间私人房子，约22间由外国人或永久居民买下。其中，六间由马来西亚人买下、五间由印尼人买下、三间由印度人买下、三间由中国人买下。

仲量联行私宅部主管黄洁玲说：“新加坡本来就是马来西亚人和印尼人喜欢置业的地点，第一是新元的币值强劲，第二是政治和社会稳定。他们也喜欢将子女送到新加坡求学、在新加坡求医，在新加坡买房子还可以防万一，一旦国内发生了什么事情，总算有个安身之所。”

一名房地产人士也指出，去年发生金融大海啸后，许多外国人，包括马来西亚人和印尼人，已经将钱转到新加坡来，以对冲其国家货币的贬值。当楼市在三四月份开始“动”起来，更多的外汇更是涌入本地楼市中。

一名房地产观察家认为，由于中国和香港的楼价升得比新加坡更快、更高，过去两三个月来，很可能有一些投资者开始将钱从中国和香港股市和楼市套出来，转到新加坡。

ERA产业经纪王德金并没有听到这种情况，不过他表示，近年来进场的一些中国买家已经跟过去有很大的不同。

“过去，在新加坡买楼的中国人，一般都是买一些单位价比较低廉的房子，预算在50万元至80万元之间。”

有一些中国大客户

但是，现在他手头上的十多个[b]大客户，七八个是中国人。这些中国买家最近分别授权他500万元至1000万元的预算，代他们在新加坡买房子。

“这一类中国买家通常对新加坡非常熟悉，有的孩子在新加坡念书或工作，也有的打算在新加坡做生意。他们来到新加坡，只住六星级酒店，买的都是劳力士名表和名牌手袋。看的房子，通常在市区，售价在一两百万元，甚至两三百万元左右。”

他透露，以500万元至1000万元的预算来说，他通常会帮这些中国买家购买三五个单位，其中一两个短持，只要有钱赚就代他们放手，其他的则留作长线投资。


市场消息说，远东机构最近推出的中高档公寓Silversea就吸引了不少中国买家进场。

戴德梁行的数字也显示了中国买家的购买能力相当两极化。资料显示，50万元至100万元的房子，中国买家的比率相当高。其次，就是售价在500万元以上的房子。

市场消息说，远东机构最近推出的中高档公寓Silversea就吸引了不少中国买家进场。这个位于马林百列录的99年地契公寓，共有383个单位，截至8月底卖出了70个，每平方英尺中位价约1386元。

远东机构房地产销售营运总裁谢文华证实，这个项目的中国买家比率确实较高，达到17％。他相信，一览无余的无敌海景应该是吸引他们进场的一大因素，而且交通也非常方便，距离滨海湾只有5分钟车程。

不过，位于中部的The Arte却吸引了较多的印尼买家进场。城市发展的这个公寓共有336个单位，每平方英尺推出价格约880元，它自3月推出以来已卖出330个，城市发展发言人说，其中15％由印尼人买下。

戴德梁行的数字也可以看到，所有外国买家中，印尼人的购买力还是最强的。今年第二季，售价在150万元以上的房子，有大约14％是外国人购买的。当中，印尼人就占了三分之一。售价在500万元以上的房子，印尼人也是最大的外国买家。

至于马来西亚人所买的房子，价格一般在50万元以下，所占的比率超过一半。至于售价在50万元至100万元的房子，马来西亚人也是最大的外国买家。

[Reporter]

槟城房地产热延烧
苏亚华
联合早报
吉隆坡, 马来西亚
星期二, 8-9-2009

槟城房地产市场复苏，加上外环公路计划有望重新检讨，市场憧憬政府可能进一步释出更多利好，令槟城主题再度浮现投资者脑海，但分析员普遍认为，政府现积极开源节流，进一步释出展延工程可能性不大。

分析师将槟城的房地产市场的强劲发展，归功于三个主要因素，即槟城房地产没有供应过剩、制造领域开始复苏，以及槟城人现金充裕，因此，“槟城房地产概念股”也将从中受惠。

由于马国房地产市场回暖，槟城房地产市场也热闹非常，分析员看好槟城房地产市场强劲表现有望延续，可以注意近年来活跃于槟城的房地产发展商，包括实达建筑（Spsetia）、东方（E&O）、Plenitu及UEM集团。

分析员强调：“近来房地产市场，特別是住宅房地产逐渐回暖，但经济环境未明朗等因素挥之不去，可能继续影响潜在购屋者情绪，我们抱持审慎乐观态度。”


分析师认为，比起吉隆坡巴生谷一带，槟城的房地产供应及需求动力更为强劲。图为上个月在吉隆坡举行的房地产展。 （法新社）

志必得证券研究主管冯廷秀表示，虽然槟城对中央政府带来良好的税收贡献，但政府向来秉持优先发展较贫困州属的原则进行资源分配，因此尽管槟城税收贡献良多，所获发展资金并不成正比。

他说，尽管市场盛传槟城外环公路工程将重新检讨，加深市场对政府可能进一步解冻展延工程可能，但这个预期可能落空。

侨丰研究（OSK）高级主任周恩雄指出，槟城较好的房地产市场表现，是因为该州的制造领域已渐渐显示出复苏迹象，加上槟城居民持有大量现金，能够趁利率水平较低及购屋配套诱人的情况下，把钱投资在房地产市场里。

与此同时，他认为，比起吉隆坡巴生谷一带，槟城的房地产供应及需求动力更为强劲，主要是因为该州没有出现供过于求的现象。

目前，槟城房地产的供应还维持在相当稳定的水平，因此，投资者更愿意投资在该地的房地产。

周恩雄受访时说：“由于吉隆坡未来二至三年内，尤其是高档公寓，都将面对供应过剩的问题，因此，投资者变得更为谨慎，情况有别于槟城的房地产市场。”

另一方面，周恩雄透露，槟城房地产市场回弹，将会受惠的公司，包括东方、汇华（Hunza）等在槟城有房地产发展计划的公司。

同时，实达建筑及马星集团（MahSing），也有一些房地产发展计划在槟城。

联昌国际投资研究分析员则指出，他们对于槟城房地产市场受到热烈欢迎感到意外。

分析员认为，即便全球信贷及经济危机严重打击了房地产价格，但是相对的，槟城房地产市场显得更具韧力。相信是该州有限的土地提供了一些缓和作用。

此外，分析员披露，槟城较好的房地产市场表现，相当主要的因素是受到具创意的贷款配套所激励。而且，发展商相继推出的优质房地产吸引了不只国内、甚至是海外的购屋者。

该研究分析员说，槟城较乐观的房地产市场前景，再次加强了他们对于马国房地产市场较正面的看法，因此，维持房地产领域及所有业者“短线买入”评级。
他指出，实达建筑及马星在槟城的房地产计划都有不错的回响，而汇华则在槟城拥有最大的地库。

[Reporter]

That is what I think.

I think hyperinflation is rearing its ugly head with all the money pumped round the world.

I think you may be right.

MAS will continue to pump more money into the money with its "easy policy".

Banks in focus after monetary policy and stronger-than-expected GDP growth
Harry Suhartono
Reuters
Singapore
Monday, 12 October 2009, 8:21am CCT

Singapore banks are likely to be in the spotlight on Monday after the central bank announced there would be no change in its easy policy stance and reported stronger-than-expected economic growth in the third quarter. U.S. stocks climbed on Friday, with the Dow hitting a closing high for 2009, as investors anticipated positive news from next week's key earnings reports and bullish broker comments boosted tech shares.