Issue 200

Copyright 2011-2014 www.Propwise.sg. All Rights Reserved.

CONTENTS
p2

FROM THE

EDITOR

Buying Overseas Properties aka Why

Welcome to the 200th edition of the

Singapore Property Weekly.

Long-Distance Relationships Fail

Hope you like it!

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Singapore Property News This Week

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Resale Property Transactions

Mr. Propwise

(March 4 March 10 )

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 200

Buying Overseas Properties aka Why Long-Distance

Relationships Fail
By Property Soul (Guest Contributor)
Tonight inside this dimly lit bar with deafening
music, you emptied a bottle of liquor without
uttering a single word. Guys drink when they
stress over money and relationships.
Obviously, you have no luck in both now.
From day one when you told me that you fell
for this high maintenance girl from a foreign
country, I knew you were going to have an
exciting but challenging relationship.
You should have looked beyond the surface.
First impressions could be deceiving. You
know how everyone dressed up to look their
best on those occasions.
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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 200

And you only got to see her good side for a
few days before you flew back.
First impressions are deceiving

This situation is similar to buying an overseas

property in another country. The sellers will
always give you a perfect impression of a
worldclass property development. They
show you how promising the project is,
feature it in a professionally-filmed video
followed by a convincing speech, and all in
the cozy environment of a five-star hotel.
Over one weekend at the show, they try every
effort to arouse your interest and collect sales
leads from potential buyers like you. But the
reality is: Compared with the locals, you know
nothing much about the country, the location,
the developer and the project.
Costs less does not equal will work

You said a long-distance relationship suits

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you better because of your busy work

schedule. It requires less of your time
compared with having to go out often with a
local girl.
What make you think that a relationship will
work just because it takes up less of your
time? Are you looking for a better solution or
is it just an excuse?
It is just like buying a private property. If you
cant afford it, you cant afford it. You dont go
for an alternative simply because it looks
affordable. Foreign properties may cost less
but they can be cheap for a reason. Whether
it can generate a good return should be your
number one consideration. After all, you are
investing your hard-earned money.
After buying an overseas property, you still
have to pay the housing mortgage, stamp
duty, management fee and property taxes in
the foreign currency.
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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 200

And managing the property, agent and tenant
in another country by long-distance can take
up more of your money, time and effort.
Making that foreign relationship work
Ive been there myself. I understand exactly
how it's like to settle down with someone from
another country with a different cultural
background.

own it.
Is it worth the price?
You are now at the critical stage of building up
your career. You really cant afford to spend
so much time and money to travel in between
two cities.

At first everything is exotic and interesting.

Then you enter the stage of constant factfinding. After the intermittent cultural shock,
you soon grow tired of accommodating all the
differences. You either give up or continue to
compromise and self-adjust until it works.

I know many guys dream to have a model

girlfriend or a trophy wife. It is the packaging,
positioning and perceived image that make
them look irresistible. But the truth is: your
dream girl is like the showcase of a priceless
masterpiece in a museum. Admiring it on
display and trying to fit it in your home are
completely two different things.

But there are already enough challenges in

life. Why take the hard way? If that country
has a special place in your heart, just travel
there regularly for vacation. Just because you
like something doesnt mean that you have to

It is funny that whenever they make it difficult

to own something, people will queue up for it
regardless of its real value. Remember that
latest cellphone marketed with much hype?
Are those latest functions really worth the

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 200

price? What is that model to you a few years
or even months down the road?
Sorry to say but your relationship with that girl
is no different from buying those mass market
private property projects launched these few
years. You are asked to pay a premium price,
give a high deposit and commit to a big
mortgage for many years. But you only
realize after you collect the keys to the unit
that your flats usable area in square feet is
simply miserable.
Go for the available and affordable option
And whats wrong with the no-frills local girls?
Arent they not equally good if not better as
girlfriends, wives and mothers? They are in
good supply and are readily available here.
Frankly, whether you marry a local or foreign
girl, dont they serve the same purpose and
function?
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Can you imagine a young couple who just

started working but insist on buying an
unattainably-priced EC or condo as their first
home? Whats wrong with applying for an
HDB flat? Why give up your citizenship
entitlement to pay for an overpriced private
flat?
If you find that this long distance relationship
isnt worth your effort, please move on. Dont
wait till its too late to cut loss. When you are
finally forced to let go one day, your
investment in the whole venture can turn out
to be very expensive for you.
It's time to go home. Shall we?
By guest contributor Property Soul, a
successful property investor, blogger, and
author of the No B.S. Guide to Property
Investment.

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 200

Singapore Property This Week

Residential
Condo at Bartley will sell for $1,300 psf
A private residential project at Bartley is on
salefor about $1,300 psf. The 797-unit project
will consist of 200n one-bedroom units, 382
two-bedroom units and 215 three-bedroom
units. Some of the two-bedroom units and
three-bedroom units can be converted to
dual-key units to cater to multi-generational
families. The one-bedroom units are about
495 sq ft to 689 sq ft large; two-bedders are
about 657 sq ft to 958 sq ft large while the
three bedders are between 926 sq ft and
1,356 sq ft large. The project will be

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completed in 2019 and will be launched for

sale starting April.
(Source: Business Times)
Feb private home sales the lowest since
2008
In February this year, 382 private homes were
sold. This is the lowest since February 2008,
where
174
units
were
transacted.
Nonetheless, the sale of private homes in
February is 2.1 percent higher than in
January this year. Market experts believe that
sales will pick up soon as several new
launches are expected to hit the market
starting this month.

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 200

According to Eugene Lim from ERA Realty,
70 percent of the transactions made in 2014
have been below $1.5 million. This is because
of loan restrictions and the additional buyers
stamp duty. Mohamed Ismail from PropNex
said that a weak leasing market coupled with
an increase in home supply have kept
demand for residential property low.
According to JLL, developers full-year private
home sales will be about 4,800 to 5,800 units.
On the other hand, CBRE predicts that about
6,000 to 7,000 will be sold, while ERA Realty
believes that 7,500 to 8,500 units will be
transacted by the end of the year.

URA. Market experts expect the 168,567 sq ft

site to attract 3 to 7 bids. The top bid is
expected to be between $430 and $520 psf
ppr. The site is expected to yield 490 homes
and is expected to be situated near a big
industrial estate. Ong Kah Seng from RST
Research believes that the site may not be
attractive to investors as there are many
upcoming condo projects in the vicinity.
Nonetheless, Ong believes that the average
launch price will be around $1,000 psf. While
Nicholas Mak from SLP International predicts
that in order to sell quickly, the project should
not be sold beyond $1,080 psf.

(Source: Business Times)

(Source: Business Times)

99-year private residential

site
Tampines to be launched for tender

at

Locacted at Tampines Avenue 10, a 99-year

private residential site has been launched by
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Homestay Lodge sold for $127m

Homestay Lodge, a 6,000-bed dormitory at
Kaki Bukit has been sold for $127 million.
There are two plots of land being sold.
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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 200

The total land area is about 200,000 sq ft and
the sites have about 14 years of lease left.
The dormitory consists of 10 blocks; two of
which have dining and minimart facilities. Due
to high yields, market experts believe that
dormitories are a viable investment even if
they have short lease term left. Not only so,
the unutilised land at Homestay Lodge can be
developed into recreational facilities that can
increase bed rates, said the Business Times.
(Source: Business Times)
Commercial
7 industrial sites at Ubi up for sale

Seven industrial sites at Ubi industrial cluster

will be sold for $550 psf or $8.7 million. The
sites will be sold through tender. The tender
will close on April 28. The combined strata
area is about 15,726 sq ft. Single and multiple
strata units are available on sale. Their sizes
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range from 2,024 sq ft to 2,842 sq ft. The

units are column-free and have a floor-toceiling height of 5.3m. Located near Tai Seng
MRT Station, the sites have been zoned for
Business 1 development. It is also located
near Paya Lebar commercial hub. According
to DTZ, the prime location of the site will be a
key attraction.
(Source: Business Times)
Serviced apartment-hotel near Expo is
selling for $203.4m
A serviced apartment-hotel near Expo MRT
Station is selling for $203.4 million or
$650,000 per room. The development
consists of 313 units and has a balance lease
term of about 54 years. The units range from
32 sq m to 70 sq m. The mixed development
includes One@Changi City. It comprises of
650,000 sq ft of net lettable area.
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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 200

Donald Han from Chestertons said that the
prime location and tenure of the site justifies
its asking price.
(Source: Business Times)
Median rent for shophouses increased by
36%
The median rent for shophouses has
increased by 36 percent from below $4 psf
per month before 2012 to $5.42 psf in Q4 last
year. According to Colliers, the median prices,
in terms of capital values had also increased
by 37 percent year-on-year to $3,772 psf in
Q2 last year. This is because shophouse
owners have been reluctant to sell off their
properties until they are able to meet their
price expectation. The net yield for freehold
shophouses stands at 2.5 percent to 3
percent, while shophouses with leasehold
tenures yield about 3.5 percent on average.
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Market experts believe that more commercial

tenants will be attracted to shophouses in the
coming months as office and retail space
rents increases. Nonetheless, Chia Siew
Chuin from Colliers added that alteration
restrictions that arise due to conservation
guidelines may affect investors willingness to
invest in shophouses.
(Source: Business Times)

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 200

Non-Landed Residential Resale Property Transactions for the Week of Mar 4 Mar 10

Postal
District
1
5
8
9
9
9
10
10
12
12
15
15
15
16
16
18
19
19
19

Project Name
MARINA BAY RESIDENCES
VARSITY PARK CONDOMINIUM
CITYLIGHTS
THE TRILLIUM
THE WHARF RESIDENCE
TIARA
ARDMORE PARK
THE MARBELLA
VETRO
D'LOTUS
ONE FORT
SANCTUARY GREEN
N.A.
COSTA DEL SOL
BAYSHORE PARK
EASTPOINT GREEN
RIO VISTA
RIVERVALE CREST
N.A.

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Area
(sqft)
1,130
1,302
1,313
1,399
1,076
1,507
2,885
1,475
614
1,066
1,130
1,141
1,184
1,755
936
958
2,465
1,141
1,690

Transacted
Price ($)
2,600,000
1,630,000
1,900,000
2,700,000
2,031,488
2,715,000
7,500,000
2,480,000
770,000
1,230,000
1,620,000
1,288,888
925,000
2,520,000
988,000
800,000
1,900,000
880,000
650,000

Price
Tenure
($ psf)
2,300
99
1,251
99
1,447
99
1,930
FH
1,887 999
1,802
FH
2,600
FH
1,682
FH
1,255 999
1,154
FH
1,433
FH
1,130
99
781
FH
1,436
99
1,055
99
835
99
771
99
771
99
385
103

Postal
District
21
21
21
22
23
23
25
27

Project Name
FLORIDIAN
MAPLEWOODS
GOODLUCK GARDEN
PARC VISTA
HILLINGTON GREEN
HILLVIEW REGENCY
PARC ROSEWOOD
YISHUN EMERALD

Area
(sqft)
969
2,971
1,711
1,249
1,755
1,195
603
1,216

Transacted
Price ($)
1,620,000
3,900,000
1,690,000
1,000,000
1,738,888
990,000
700,000
880,000

Price
Tenure
($ psf)
1,672
FH
1,313
FH
987
FH
801
99
991
999
829
99
1,161
99
723
99

NOTE: This data only covers non-landed residential resale property

transactions with caveats lodged with the Singapore Land Authority.
Typically, caveats are lodged at least 2-3 weeks after a purchaser
signs an OTP, hence the lagged nature of the data.

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SINGAPORE PROPERTY WEEKLY Issue 200

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