Local Property News
Resale condominiums make a comeback
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Treasure Crest
Do not underestimate the power of the trickle-down effect as older resale condominiums leverage on new launches to bring in activity and renewed interest.December's resale private home sales figures were case in point, in particular The Santorini in Tampines. The new launch of The Alps Residences resulted in a spillover of buyers' interest in surrounding condominiums and though the 597-unit The Santorini was launched more than 3 years back in 2014, it sold 106 units in 2016 alone, compared to only 32 units in 2015.
The overall sentiment is one of hope as buyers, now more driven to purchase and increasingly swayed by lower quantum prices, have been seen to be re-entering the market in the past months. Upcoming new townships such as Bidadari and the Jurong Lake district have been showing up more often on buyers' radars and interest in the latter is particularly telling especially as the area is flagged in the Government's development plan as the next central business district.
The 710-unit Lake Grande development in the Jurong Lake district has already sold 553 units and nearby, Sim Lian's Wandervale and Treasure Crest executive condominium (EC) projects have also sold 1,003 units. With the government holding back on the release of land sales, the resale condominium market may hopefully continue with its winning streak this year. Most of the sales developers received last year were from older developments launched before 2016, Commonwealth Towers, Coco Palms, Bellewoods and Bellewaters, just to name a few.
January 2017 - New HDB subletting rules kicks in
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A new regulation in the subletting of HDB flats has kicked in, allowing non-Malaysian work permit holders from the manufacturing industry to only rent rooms and not entire HDB units. In force since the first of January this year, the rule may impact not only the workers, but also employers, companies and HDB flat owners who are leasing their units. The impact may be beneficial to some, and not so much to others as the government hopes that this move will push employers to provide better workers' living quarters and also move them to purpose-built dormitories where their needs can be catered to more efficiently.
An estimated 3.5 per cent of HDB households will be affected by the rule-change though those currently renting a unit are allowed to continue with their current living arrangements until their leases expire. This is not the first time a change was implemented in terms of the leasing of HDB flats. In 2006, the same rule was first implemented with regards to non-Malaysian work permit holders from the construction industry, and again in 2015 to the marine and process sectors. Malaysian work permit holders are still able to lease entire flats or rooms.
Service sector non-Malayisian work permit holders are however still allowed to sublet entire HDB flats and the government will continue to monitor the balance between landlords and sub-tenants closely in order to make further adjustments when and if required.
Positive 2017 outlook for retail and office property sector
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Despite falling rents for retail and office spaces, analysts are hopeful for a positive performance from this market segment in 2017.
The last quarter of 2016 saw office rents falling 1.8 per cent, bringing last year's decline of rental prices to 8.2 per cent. Rents for retail spaces fell 1.2 per cent in Q4, bringing the total year's decline to 8.3 per cent. Surprisingly, despite a weakening economy and competition from e-commerce, the demand for retail spaces have picked up. Analysts put the easing of pressure on the retail property market to the development of many flagship stores, large food and beverage clusters and gyms. New retail brands and concepts entering the market meant there were tenants willing to take up larger floor areas in prime spots. That said, almost 169,000 sq metres of retail space will become available this year, and there may still be challenges ahead for this sector.
In the office property front, following announcements of major tenancy deals such as Facebook taking up prime office spaces in Marina One and similarly Distrii, a co-working operator, at Republic Plaza, the market is beginning to stabilise. New and massive working spaces will however add to the inventory soon, taking Duo Tower in Bugis as an example. It was completed last month and has pushed office vacancy rates to 11.1 per cent. Moving ahead, property players are expecting office rents to continue softening at least for the first half of the year, though newer buildings such as Guoco Tower and Marina One have enjoyed positive take-up rates last year.
Resale HDB flat market's continued stabilisation
For 2 consecutive years now, the sales volume of resale HDB flats have been on the rise. Since 2014, the number of transactions recorded for resale HDB flats have been increasing, from 17,318 in 2014 to 19,306 in 2015 and then 20,813 last year.Resale flat prices are showing signs of stabilisation, with only a 0.1 per cent fall in 2016 from the year before. Though last quarter's transaction figures fell 9.1 per cent, it could be due to the usual year-end lull as most were away for the school holidays. Akin to buyers' sentiments and reactions in the private property market, HDB flat buyers have also been increasingly keen on closing deals as prices have been falling steadily since 2013. Most consider the market currently nearing or at the bottom of the property cycle and are thus more confident or willing to make the purchase at what they consider lowest-possible prices.
Despite the government ramping up supply of new BTO (build-to-order) flats for young couples and families, even including singles in their bigger scheme of things by providing them the option to purchase 2-room units directly from HDB instead of previously restricting them to only units in the resale market, there are still those who will require a unit sooner rather than later or do not quite qualify for new flats. These buyers will be the ones who prop up the market, though with the current cooling measures still in place, prices are unlikely to rebound anytime soon.
Property analysts are however hopeful that the number of resale flats transacted this year will be closer to the 21,000 to 23,000 mark. Resale prices have fallen to a level at which young couple and families find attractive or affordable enough to commit. A large number of HDB flats and suburban condominiums will also reach completion this year, which could mean more HDB upgraders will be looking to sell their existing flat in the resale market. And as rents are expected to fall as well, for the same reasons, the most optimistic outlook could be a 1 to 2 per cent price increase by end 2017.
Global Property News
China's top-tier cities post continued growth
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2016 has been quite the year for China's property sector. With property booms in top-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, overall investment in the country's real estate rose by 6.9% last year.
Since the property sector is one of China's main sources of economic growth, and her economy did grow by 6.7% last year, fuelling 40 other main business sectors in the country, economists, the China government would no doubt hope for continued success this year. But there have been concerns that the pressure on the property bubble is building up and might be reaching bursting point.
Despite the government's attempts to cool the market with rapid and frequent policy changes over the past couple of years, property investment growth has hit a 11.1 per cent high last December, up from the 5.7 per cent in the month before. Though home prices in some cities have began to fall slightly, analysts are seeing that market sentiments are hardly sensitive to policy shifts. Should the policies stick, any significant changes will only come with time. As most investors consider property-ownership the most feasible and desirable means of adding to their income, demand in top-tier cities remain high despite soft price growth.
Recent shifts on the international front however may mean continued growth in the real estate market within China as more investors look inward, what with the Trump administration turning things on its head with his trade agreements changes. It may be in the government's interest to acquire land revenue while keeping an eye on a burgeoning real estate sector which on the plus side will boost economic growth but may cause bigger issues later on if allowed to continue on its upward trajectory.
For more District Guides, you can head over to iProperty.com Singapore.
Resale condominiums make a comeback
Treasure Crest Do not underestimate the power of the trickle-down effect as older resale condominiums leverage on new launches to bring in activity and renewed interest.December's resale private home sales figures were case in point, in particular The Santorini in Tampines. The new launch of The Alps Residences resulted in a spillover of buyers' interest in surrounding condominiums and though the 597-unit The Santorini was launched more than 3 years back in 2014, it sold 106 units in 2016 alone, compared to only 32 units in 2015.
The overall sentiment is one of hope as buyers, now more driven to purchase and increasingly swayed by lower quantum prices, have been seen to be re-entering the market in the past months. Upcoming new townships such as Bidadari and the Jurong Lake district have been showing up more often on buyers' radars and interest in the latter is particularly telling especially as the area is flagged in the Government's development plan as the next central business district.
The 710-unit Lake Grande development in the Jurong Lake district has already sold 553 units and nearby, Sim Lian's Wandervale and Treasure Crest executive condominium (EC) projects have also sold 1,003 units. With the government holding back on the release of land sales, the resale condominium market may hopefully continue with its winning streak this year. Most of the sales developers received last year were from older developments launched before 2016, Commonwealth Towers, Coco Palms, Bellewoods and Bellewaters, just to name a few.
January 2017 - New HDB subletting rules kicks in
A new regulation in the subletting of HDB flats has kicked in, allowing non-Malaysian work permit holders from the manufacturing industry to only rent rooms and not entire HDB units. In force since the first of January this year, the rule may impact not only the workers, but also employers, companies and HDB flat owners who are leasing their units. The impact may be beneficial to some, and not so much to others as the government hopes that this move will push employers to provide better workers' living quarters and also move them to purpose-built dormitories where their needs can be catered to more efficiently.
An estimated 3.5 per cent of HDB households will be affected by the rule-change though those currently renting a unit are allowed to continue with their current living arrangements until their leases expire. This is not the first time a change was implemented in terms of the leasing of HDB flats. In 2006, the same rule was first implemented with regards to non-Malaysian work permit holders from the construction industry, and again in 2015 to the marine and process sectors. Malaysian work permit holders are still able to lease entire flats or rooms.
Service sector non-Malayisian work permit holders are however still allowed to sublet entire HDB flats and the government will continue to monitor the balance between landlords and sub-tenants closely in order to make further adjustments when and if required.
Positive 2017 outlook for retail and office property sector
Despite falling rents for retail and office spaces, analysts are hopeful for a positive performance from this market segment in 2017.
The last quarter of 2016 saw office rents falling 1.8 per cent, bringing last year's decline of rental prices to 8.2 per cent. Rents for retail spaces fell 1.2 per cent in Q4, bringing the total year's decline to 8.3 per cent. Surprisingly, despite a weakening economy and competition from e-commerce, the demand for retail spaces have picked up. Analysts put the easing of pressure on the retail property market to the development of many flagship stores, large food and beverage clusters and gyms. New retail brands and concepts entering the market meant there were tenants willing to take up larger floor areas in prime spots. That said, almost 169,000 sq metres of retail space will become available this year, and there may still be challenges ahead for this sector.
In the office property front, following announcements of major tenancy deals such as Facebook taking up prime office spaces in Marina One and similarly Distrii, a co-working operator, at Republic Plaza, the market is beginning to stabilise. New and massive working spaces will however add to the inventory soon, taking Duo Tower in Bugis as an example. It was completed last month and has pushed office vacancy rates to 11.1 per cent. Moving ahead, property players are expecting office rents to continue softening at least for the first half of the year, though newer buildings such as Guoco Tower and Marina One have enjoyed positive take-up rates last year.
Resale HDB flat market's continued stabilisation
For 2 consecutive years now, the sales volume of resale HDB flats have been on the rise. Since 2014, the number of transactions recorded for resale HDB flats have been increasing, from 17,318 in 2014 to 19,306 in 2015 and then 20,813 last year.Resale flat prices are showing signs of stabilisation, with only a 0.1 per cent fall in 2016 from the year before. Though last quarter's transaction figures fell 9.1 per cent, it could be due to the usual year-end lull as most were away for the school holidays. Akin to buyers' sentiments and reactions in the private property market, HDB flat buyers have also been increasingly keen on closing deals as prices have been falling steadily since 2013. Most consider the market currently nearing or at the bottom of the property cycle and are thus more confident or willing to make the purchase at what they consider lowest-possible prices.
Despite the government ramping up supply of new BTO (build-to-order) flats for young couples and families, even including singles in their bigger scheme of things by providing them the option to purchase 2-room units directly from HDB instead of previously restricting them to only units in the resale market, there are still those who will require a unit sooner rather than later or do not quite qualify for new flats. These buyers will be the ones who prop up the market, though with the current cooling measures still in place, prices are unlikely to rebound anytime soon.
Property analysts are however hopeful that the number of resale flats transacted this year will be closer to the 21,000 to 23,000 mark. Resale prices have fallen to a level at which young couple and families find attractive or affordable enough to commit. A large number of HDB flats and suburban condominiums will also reach completion this year, which could mean more HDB upgraders will be looking to sell their existing flat in the resale market. And as rents are expected to fall as well, for the same reasons, the most optimistic outlook could be a 1 to 2 per cent price increase by end 2017.
Global Property News
China's top-tier cities post continued growth
2016 has been quite the year for China's property sector. With property booms in top-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, overall investment in the country's real estate rose by 6.9% last year.
Since the property sector is one of China's main sources of economic growth, and her economy did grow by 6.7% last year, fuelling 40 other main business sectors in the country, economists, the China government would no doubt hope for continued success this year. But there have been concerns that the pressure on the property bubble is building up and might be reaching bursting point.
Despite the government's attempts to cool the market with rapid and frequent policy changes over the past couple of years, property investment growth has hit a 11.1 per cent high last December, up from the 5.7 per cent in the month before. Though home prices in some cities have began to fall slightly, analysts are seeing that market sentiments are hardly sensitive to policy shifts. Should the policies stick, any significant changes will only come with time. As most investors consider property-ownership the most feasible and desirable means of adding to their income, demand in top-tier cities remain high despite soft price growth.
Recent shifts on the international front however may mean continued growth in the real estate market within China as more investors look inward, what with the Trump administration turning things on its head with his trade agreements changes. It may be in the government's interest to acquire land revenue while keeping an eye on a burgeoning real estate sector which on the plus side will boost economic growth but may cause bigger issues later on if allowed to continue on its upward trajectory.
For more District Guides, you can head over to iProperty.com Singapore.