Opportunities emerging for investment property deals; discounts up to 20% may be had, says consultant Capital appreciation from investments during challenging periods tend to outperform gains during normal times. SOME good may come from the Covid-19 pandemic - real estate is being offered to investors at lower prices as Singapore plunges into the worst recession on record. Opportunities...

GuocoLand to develop second condo, third retail cluster at Guoco Midtown mega project GUOCOLAND is expanding its multi-billion-dollar integrated development on Beach Road, Guoco Midtown, to include a second luxury residential project named Midtown Modern. The condomininum will consist of two 30-storey towers with more than 500 apartments in a forest garden setting, as well as a retail...

Prices of toniest flats slipping, but they're not exactly a steal yet FOR those coveting Singapore's swankiest homes, prices of some may have come off but they're still far from bargain basement levels. In the posh home segment, prices of new sale or new launches have fallen while resale seems to be resilient. Also there is quite a lot of price difference within Singapore's core...

Close to 10% of Singapore mortgages, or over S$15b, under debt moratorium THE 3 local banks in Singapore are estimated to have granted payment deferments to more than S$15 billion worth of mortgages as at the end of June this year. All in, the total value of deferred mortgages in Singapore make up almost 10% of all outstanding mortgages. This comes as the S$15-billion worth of deferred...

Singapore private home prices rise 0.3% in Q2 in turn-around from flash estimate DESPITE the ongoing pandemic, private residential prices in Singapore went up by 0.3% in the second quarter, marking a reversal from a flash estimate in early July which had the private residential property index falling by 1.1%. The 0.3% figure comes after a 1% decline in Q1, according to the latest report from the...

Rolls-Royce to cut quarter of Singapore workforce Estimated 240 affected staff mostly in technical roles; company earlier announced worldwide reduction of 9,000 jobs!! BRITISH engine-maker Rolls-Royce will shed 24% of its workforce in Singapore amid expectations that demand for civil aerospace engines and aftermarket services will take several years to recover from the effects of the pandemic. The...

Demand down, costs up, but builders will rein in bids Contractors have to fill order books but are unable to pass on additional costs of measures to ensure safe workplace SINGAPORE contractors are facing a double whammy – plunging demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic while needing to fill their order books but without being able to pass on all the additional costs of measures to ensure a safe...

HDB resale prices up 0.2% in Q2 amid Covid-19 outbreak: flash estimates Resale volume down drastically, with only 789 resale flat transactions in April and May. HOUSING and Development Board (HDB) resale prices increased marginally in the 2020 Q2 amid the Covid-19 outbreak, compared with the 2020 Q1. The resale price index was 131.8, up 0.2% from the previous quarter, according to HDB flash...

1.1% drop in URA's Q2 private home price index 'mild', say analysts THE Urban Redevelopment Authority's benchmark overall private home price index fell for the 2nd consecutive quarter. It eased 1.1% quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) in Q2 2020 based on the flash estimate issued on Wednesday, after slipping 1.0% in Q1 2020. Suburban non-landed private home prices remained unchanged in the April to June...

Fear of missing out? Beware agents' hype on new home sales and prices THERE has been much hype generated by some property agents about the relatively strong primary-market private housing sales volumes during the recent "circuit breaker" lockdown period - despite restrictions that curtailed developers' ability to launch new projects. Some agents are also telling potential buyers that while...