RESIDENTIAL MARKET
Rush to beat curbs propels home sales
Private-home sales surged 42.8 per cent in January from the month before, as developers dished out discounts and rebates to entice buyers in the wake of the seventh round of cooling measures.
Excluding executive condominiums (ECs), a total of 2,013 transactions were clocked in in January, up from 1,410 in December. This was the highest in four months, and exceeded the 1,799 units launched by developers.
Buyers who rushed to lock in their purchases before the cooling measures on Jan 11 - which included higher additional buyers' stamp duty (ABSD) as well as stricter borrowing limits - kicked in, helped drive sales.
EL Development's La Fiesta, one of many showflats that stayed open late, saw snaking queues on Jan 11, as potential buyers tried to beat the midnight deadline. The project, located in Sengkang, recorded 404 transactions in January.
"(EL Development) had earlier shared that it had sold 360 units in the project before Jan 12. . . So by deduction, it probably sold about 44 units after Jan 12," said a market watcher.
According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), about 60 per cent of the units (excluding ECs) sold by developers were sold before Jan 12 while the remaining 40 per cent were sold from Jan 12.
January's sales were also buoyed by attractive incentives offered by developers.
Q Bay Residences (372 sales), for instance, offered stamp duty discounts of 5 per cent to 7 per cent, while D'Leedon Residences (263 sales) offered discounts of up to 15 per cent. Of this, 163 units at D'Leedon were moved from Jan 12.
Mass-market suburban regions (Outside Central Region) contributed 63.9 per cent of total sales (1,287 transactions), a marked increase compared to the 44 per cent recorded a month earlier. The Core Central Region and Rest of Central region made up 17.4 per cent (350 sales) and 18.7 per cent (376 sales) of January sales, respectively.
Sales of EC units dropped 69.8 per cent to 256 units. Including ECs, a total of 2,269 residential units were sold in January, on a par with the 2,259 units sold a month ago.
Consultants expect slower sales in February, in the light of the usually quiet Chinese New Year, even though a handful of developers had opened their showflats over the festive season.
Source: Business Times –16 February 2013
Developers anxious about cooling measures
The new head of the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore (Redas) says developers here are "naturally anxious" about the latest round of cooling measures, but they understand the government's push for "a soft landing of the property market" and will thus support the population roadmap set out for 2020 and beyond to 2030.
Chia Boon Kuah, in his maiden speech since being elected to the post this month, noted yesterday that real estate is a cyclical business, buffeted by global economic performance, geopolitical developments and domestic market conditions.
And with property players here facing added challenges from limited land and high development costs, they are, he said, "naturally anxious" about the cooling measures implemented amid a maturing property cycle and global uncertainties.
He was speaking at Redas's annual Spring Festival lunch, at which Foreign Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam was the guest of honour.
Mr Chia, also the chief operating officer for property sales at Far East Organization, described the real estate industry as part of the diverse ecosystem that is Singapore's economy, and one which provides jobs and properties to families and businesses and generates dividends for unitholders in real estate investment trusts (Reits).
"As a major stakeholder in the wellbeing of our ecosystem, Redas acknowledges the government's desire to achieve a soft landing of the property market."
He said Redas would build on its role as a partner of the government to add value to national development; it will also plan for business interests to align with national objectives.
Describing the Population White Paper for Singapore up to 2030 as bold and wide-ranging, Mr Chia said: "It is a vision to ensure a good quality of life in a dynamic city with future infrastructure to accommodate an enlarged population of 6.9 million, if necessary.
"Redas stands ready to support the execution of this important blueprint."
It will, for example, set up Redas Foundation, a non-profit body to "coalesce the efforts and resources" of its members to improve the lives, living environment and the future of communities here, Mr Chia disclosed.
Redas will carry on its ongoing Redas Conversation, which runs parallel to the National Conversation; it will also continue engaging tertiary institutions and professional bodies to promote urban solutions, with a key focus on providing more elderly-friendly designs and amenities.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Lim Ee Seng, the second vice-president of Redas and Frasers Centrepoint chief executive, said he foresees prices stabilising the rest of this year, as buyers become more cautious. Transaction volumes could stay at about the same as last year, he added.
Wong Heang Fine, the immediate past president of Redas and chief executive of CapitaLand Residential Singapore, said it's too early to tell whether the cooling measures are working, going by the latest private home sales figures.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said yesterday that 2,013 private residential units, excluding executive condominiums, were sold last month; this was 7.5 per cent higher than a year ago.
Mr Wong said: "Basically, the measures came in only on Jan 11. So you've got to wait a few months for them to kick in."
Source: Business Times –16 February 2013
OCBC sees up to 30% fall in new home loans
OCBC Bank expects new home loan sales to fall up to 30 per cent this year following recent property-cooling measures, but the impact will not be as great to its mortgage book, said Ching Wei Hong, the bank's chief operating officer.
Over the past few years, OCBC has grown its mortgages strongly and the drawdown in 2013 of home loans sold in 2010 and 2011 will cushion the fall in new sales, he said at OCBC's fourth-quarter 2012 results briefing yesterday.
Last year, OCBC's home loans grew 18 per cent, or $5.7 billion, to $37.8 billion, with Singapore accounting for about 80 per cent.
Mortgages are OCBC's biggest loan product, making up 26 per cent of the $144 billion total loan book, which grew 7 per cent over the year and 3 per cent over the quarter.
"We've built up a very good size and do not expect loans to taper off significantly, come down slightly, will still get low teens (growth)," said Mr Ching, who also heads the bank's consumer financial services.
"In terms of sales, we do expect a sharper fall in new loan bookings, we estimate in the range of 20-30 per cent reduction in bookings," he said.
The government introduced harsher cooling measures on Jan 11 to rein in the red-hot property market. Private-home sales rose to a record 22,290 units in 2012, easily eclipsing the previous 16,292 peak in 2010.
The fall in new loans refers to bookings for new projects while mortgage sales for older properties or resales, are very quiet, he said.
"In terms of pricing, we've actually pricing up our loan book over the last quarter," said Mr Ching.
The margin pressure on home loans is easing off but it is still very competitive, he added.
OCBC's more optimistic view on home loans is in contrast to that of its bigger rival, DBS Group Holdings.
DBS' local mortgages growth could halve this year as the residential property market slows, said chief executive Piyush Gupta.
Its Singapore loan book is about $100 billion and mortgages make up about $37 billion, up about $5 billion in 2012, he said last week during the group's Q4 results briefing.
Resale bookings are down 25-30 per cent while bookings for new projects are 25-30 per cent higher because developers are giving discounts, noted Mr Gupta.
The problem is that resale bookings get onto the loan book immediately but for a building under construction, the loan disbursements happen over two to three years, he said.
In Hong Kong, DBS is running down its mortgage business which is not making money because of its high funding cost, he said. DBS Hong Kong's mortgages dropped $1 billion last year.
DBS' total loan book grew 8 per cent to $210.5 billion in 2012. Growth was broad-based, led by corporate loans in Singapore and the region and consumer loans. Housing loans rose 10.4 per cent to $45.6 billion.
Source: Business Times –16 February 2013
Strong new home sales driven by mass market
Once again, mass market homes were overwhelmingly the main driver of new home sales.
Suburban condominiums accounted for nearly two-thirds of developer sales last month.
The latest round of cooling measures, effective Jan12, led to higher sales as some buyers scrambled to avoid the curbs, while others were lured by developer discounts offered in their wake.
But analysts said demand would likely slow down in the coming months, as the full effects of the measures sink in.
The high-end market in the city centre and mid-tier market in the city fringe made up 17per cent and 19per cent of January developer sales respectively.
The number of suburban private homes sold, at 1,287 in January, was more than double December's figure of 620.
This helped to drive total developer sales to 2,013 units last month, 42.8 per cent higher than the number sold in December and 7.5 per cent higher than the same month last year.
The boost came in the main from two new project launches. La Fiesta, next to Sengkang MRT station, sold 404 units, while QBay in Tampines sold 372 units.
The majority of the sales at the 810-unit La Fiesta came on the night of Jan 11, right before the cooling measures kicked in.
Attractive discounts offered after the cooling measures kicked in on Jan 12 also gave a fillip to sales.
The 630-unit QBay was launched after the new measures, with its average prices slashed from $1,050 per sq ft (psf) to $985 psf for its preview sales.
At the 1,715-unit d'Leedon in District 10, 263 units were sold last month following the cooling measures, after its developer dangled discounts of up to 15 per cent.
Reduced loan-to-value ratios implemented could also have caused some buyers to reassess their finances and buy lower- priced or smaller units in suburban areas instead, Mr Lee said.
An Urban Redevelopment Authority spokesman said that about 60 per cent of the developer sales last month came before the cooling measures took effect.
Some suburban homes also set benchmark sales prices. In recent weeks, a unit at freehold condominium Hillbrooks in Bukit Batok changed hands at $1,086 psf, while a unit at 99-year leasehold condominium Rivervale Crest in Sengkang was sold at $913 psf.
Analysts said that despite January's strong sales volume, demand for private homes could fall in the next few months by as much as 15 per cent.
Source: The Straits Times –16 February 2013
New projects inject vibrancy into Yishun
Yishun may be one of Singapore's largest and most mature property estates, but it tends to be seen as a quieter cousin to neighbouring towns such as Ang Mo Kio and Woodlands.
That could change as interest in the fast-emerging Iskandar development region just over the border in Malaysia grows stronger, according to property experts.
Situated in the Republic's northern region, Yishun comprises both industrial and residential property - and is a natural jumping off point for Iskandar. A new highway, the Eastern Dispersal Link, has shortened considerably the travelling time between the Causeway and Iskandar.
Yishun's industrial property market has been fairly dynamic in the past year, with a focal point of activity centred on the stretch between Yishun Avenue 6 and Yishun Avenue 7.
This stretch includes developments such as A'Posh Bizhub, Northpoint Bizhub and North Spring Bizhub.
These three projects accounted for nearly a quarter of all industrial transactions in District 27 - which not only covers Yishun but also other neighbourhoods like Sembawang and Admiralty - in the year to January.
A total of 133 transactions were recorded by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, 23 per cent of the 582 industrial transactions during that period.
The area has also seen a number of new residential launches in recent years, including private property projects like Skies Miltonia and The Miltonia Residences.
These projects have contributed to Yishun's 1,189 residential property transactions in the year to January.
Only seven transactions were recorded within the area in January last year, made up of new sales, sub-sales and resales. But in January this year, 26 transactions were recorded, with 20 of them lodged after the latest round of property measures, announced on Jan 11.
Details from the Department of Statistics show that Yishun has a low percentage of residents aged 15 years and below, while 11 per cent of residents earn between $1,000 and $1,999 a month.
But experts say Iskandar's rise could bring on a radical change in Yishun's residential market.
Source: The Straits Times –16 February 2013
More holding on to their HDB flats
A higher percentage of home owners are holding on to their Housing Board flats, reversing a trend that had been rising in the past four years.
According to data from the Housing Board yesterday, the percentage of home owners who sold their property within the year after it hit the five-year minimum occupation period (MOP) was 11.8 per cent last year.
It had been climbing steadily, from 4.3 per cent in 2008 to 18.3 per cent in 2011.
These figures are for flats bought directly from the HDB.
Property analysts say the drop can be attributed to various factors, chief among them being sky-high private property prices that deter HDB upgraders, and restrictions incurred after selling a flat.
Resale HDB flat prices went up 6.6 per cent last year, while private home prices increased by 2.8 per cent.
Since August 2010, private property owners have been required to sell their existing property if they wanted to buy an HDB resale flat.
But HDB owners who have fulfilled their MOP are allowed to purchase a private property and hold on to both at the same time.
That round of measures in 2010 also revised the MOP for letting out a flat from three years to five years.
In tandem, the number of flats being sublet out also dipped last year, according to the HDB.
Some 3.1 per cent of home owners let out their flats last year, compared with 4.8 per cent in the year before.
Source: The Straits Times –18 February 2013
INDUSTRIAL MARKET
Net allocation of JTC ready-built factories dips
Net allocation of JTC's ready- built facilities (RBF) was a negative 3,200 square metres (sqm) for the final quarter of 2012, making the October-December period the second consecutive quarter that net allocation has fallen into negative territory.
Despite being wider than the negative 2,500 sqm in Q3 2012, the net allocation - derived from the difference in gross allocation and terminations - still showed an improvement over the negative 11,400 sqm posted in Q4 2011.
The quarter-on-quarter weakening was largely due to a smaller gross allocation of 9,700 sqm.
Terminations in Q4, however, eased to 12,900 sqm from 25,000 sqm in the previous three months. Of that, 10,500 sqm came from terminations in standard factory space.
The occupancy rate during the period edged 0.6 point lower to 95.5 per cent, but was still within the healthy range.
Together with the Q4 numbers, the full-year's net allocation was 9,530 sqm, rising above the axis from a negative 23,150 sqm last year.
The strong take-up rate at the CleanTech One building, which was completed last year, helped JTC's business park segment record a leap to 14,720 sqm in net allocation, from 2,120 sqm.
JTC's standard factory and flatted factory segments also narrowed their negative net allocations to a respective minus 2,100 sqm and minus 3,280 sqm, from minus 10,020 sqm and minus 15,100 sqm previously.
Figures for prepared industrial land (PIL) ran in the other direction, with a better quarterly performance but a muted full-year result.
Net allocation for PIL trebled to 61.1 hectares in the fourth quarter, from 19 ha in the previous quarter, owing to a greater gross allocation of 79.4 ha, from 57.4 ha, and terminations of 18.3 ha, from 38.4 ha. Net allocation was 20.9 ha for the same period last year.
For the full-year, however, net allocation of PIL was down 15 per cent at 177.3 ha from 207.7 ha in 2011, when the numbers had posted a surge.
JTC expects to secure the temporary occupation permit for its Small Footprint Standard Factories in the first quarter of the year.
Its Surface Engineering Hub is slated for completion in the third quarter of this year, and the MedTech One, in the fourth. Besides these, CleanTech Two in CleanTech Park and Fusionopolis' Towers A through C are scheduled for completion between 2014 and 2015.
Source: Business Times –16 February 2013
COMMERCIAL MARKET
Six prime office units at Samsung Hub up for sale
Six strata office units have been put up for sale on the 17th floor of Samsung Hub, a 999-year-leasehold, Grade A office block on Church Street, near Raffles Place.
The units have strata areas ranging from 883 sq ft to 3,595 sq ft, adding up to 13,132 sq ft. Their absolute price quantums range from $3 million to $12 million.
Their owner, Church Street Holdings, has put the units up for sale.
"We've had agents calling us, giving offers of $3,300-3,500 psf, so we decided to conduct the tender in a fair and transparent manner. If we get offers around those price levels for all or most of the six units, we will consider selling. Otherwise, we're happy to hold on to our investment," said Kishore Buxani, managing director of Buxani Group, one of the shareholders of Church Street Holdings.
The highest price achieved for an entire floor in Samsung Hub is $3,000 per square foot for level 16, which spans 13,132 sq ft. It changed hands for $39.396 million last December.
The tender for the six units will close on March 15.
Samsung Hub, which was completed in 2005, has a total strata area of 299,753 sq ft in a 30-storey office block, with a six-storey podium for 178 carpark lots.
Source: Business Times –19 February 2013