Fire sale? Don’t hold your breath
The panic selling of homes that some property experts had forecast months ago has not materialised after all – not this year, anyway. Market watchers had previously warned that the negative sentiment in the property market – which stemmed from the United States sub-prime crisis late last year and persists still – might prompt property … Read more
HDB rental flats: Are they really needy?
Just who are ‘really needy’ among those living in heavily subsidised rental flats? Should those who own a car or plasma TV set, employ a maid or install air-conditioners be ineligible? There are some who enjoy such luxuries and still hog such public housing units, said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan recently, and the … Read more
What’s a development charge?
Where do you see this? Mainly when a plot of land that is already built on is sold to be redeveloped, such as in a collective sale of an existing estate. What does it mean? When a developer buys a site for redevelopment, it will submit a proposal to the Government to build a new … Read more
Development charge: Rates tweaked slightly in dull market
Bigger cuts in store if stronger evidence of falling property values emerges Despite weaker property sentiment, the government has opted to leave development charge (DC) rates largely unchanged, except for an average 6.3 per cent cut for non-landed residential use. There may not be sufficient evidence of declines in property values yet, market watchers said, … Read more
Shunfu Ville gets HDB approval to go private
SHUNFU Ville, an HUDC estate in Marymount Road, has been privatised. The Housing Board (HDB) approved the required mandate for the estate to go private more than a week ago. Out of 18 HUDC estates in Singapore, Shunfu Ville is the 13th to go private. In April, my paper reported that a mass-signing exercise by … Read more
MediaCorp’s mocca.com partners property giant to give customers better experience
Singapore real estate agency, HSR, has partnered mocca – MediaCorp’s Online Communities and Classified Advertising – to reach a wider audience. The collaboration is the first of its kind between a real estate giant and an online classifieds portal. With the combined strengths of HSR and mocca, house hunting has become easier. You can now … Read more
Dip in property development fees
Lower charges for non- landed private homes – first time in 5 years – reflect fall in land values ANOTHER sign that the values of land and private homes are sliding arrived yesterday in the form of the new property development charges. These charges, which reflect changes in land and property values over the last … Read more
A squeeze, but it’s still home to family
FOR two weeks in April, the Shankars and their newborn daughter stayed at a temporary shelter for displaced families. Home was a three-room HDB flat in Marsiling, which they shared with two other families. Mr Shankar Ramu, 26, recalls: ‘We took one room. One family was in the other room, and the other family was … Read more
HDB subsidised rental flats: A deeper, longer-term problem?
The demand for subsidised rental flats has risen, a phenomenon highlighted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his recent National Day Rally address. Is the surge temporary or here to stay, and can supply keep up with demand? Insight examines the issue. MR SHANKAR Ramu and his wife, both in their mid-20s, have been … Read more
Music and F&B close to home?
COMING near you in the neighbourhood: hot food, cold beer and live entertainment. At least, that is the plan if a bid by the authorities to help businesses create more vibrant residential areas around the island passes muster in a public consultation. Businesses in the food and beverage industry now climb a mountain of red … Read more
