The new property cooling measures in Singapore which are set to take effect 12 Jan 2013. The government’s aim is to control on-going speculation in the property market.

This is the seventh and most extensive round of  new property cooling measures / tightening measures and include higher buyer stamp duty, rules on permanent residents (PRs) buying their first home and size restrictions on executive condominium (EC) units. Most notably, curbs will also be introduced into the industrial sector.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam said: “The reality we face is that interest rates are extraordinarily low, globally and in Singapore, and continue to add fuel to our property market. We have to take this further round of measures now, to check recent market trends and avoid a more serious correction in prices further down the road.”

Below is the full list of measures released in a joint statement by the government:

New Property Cooling Measures Applicable to all Residential Property

The following measures will take effect on 12 January 2013:

a) Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) rates will be:

i) Raised between five and seven percentage points across the board.

ii) Imposed on Permanent Residents (PRs) purchasing their first residential property and on Singaporeans purchasing their second residential property.

b) Loan-to-Value limits on housing loans granted by financial institutions will be tightened for individuals who already have at least one outstanding loan, as well as to non-individuals such as companies. (refer to Chart A)

c) Besides tighter Loan-to-Value limits, the minimum cash down payment for individuals applying for a second or subsequent housing loan will also be raised from 10% to 25%. (refer to Chart A)

The new property cooling measures listed above will not impact most Singaporeans buying their first home. Some concessions will also be extended to selected groups of buyers, such as married couples with at least one Singaporean spouse who are purchasing their second property and will sell their first residential property.

These new ABSDs and loan rules are significant, but they are temporary. These new property cooling measures are being imposed to cool the market now, and will be reviewed in future depending on market conditions.

New Property Cooling Measures Specific to Public Housing

The Government is also introducing new property cooling measures to further moderate the demand for HDB flats, instil greater financial prudence among buyers, and require owner occupation by PR buyers. The following new property cooling measures will take effect on 12 January 2013:

a) Tighter eligibility for loans to buy HDB flats:

i) MAS will cap the Mortgage Servicing Ratio (MSR) for housing loans granted by financial institutions at 30% of a borrower’s gross monthly income.

ii) For loans granted by HDB, the cap on the MSR will be lowered from 40% to 35%.

b) PRs who own a HDB flat will be disallowed from subletting their whole flat.

c) PRs who own a HDB flat must sell their flat within six months of purchasing a private residential property in Singapore.

An additional property cooling measure will take effect on 1 July 2013 to tighten the terms for granting HDB loans and the use of CPF funds for the purchase of HDB flats with remaining leases of less than 60 years.

New Property Cooling Measures for Executive Condominium Developments

The Government will introduce new property cooling measures specific to new EC developments to ensure that ECs continue to serve as an affordable housing option for middle-income Singaporean families.

The following new property cooling measures will take effect on 12 January 2013:

a) The maximum strata floor area of new EC units will be capped at 160 square metres.

b) Sales of new dual-key EC units will be restricted to multi-generational families only.

c) Developers of future EC sale sites from the Government Land Sales programme will only be allowed to launch units for sale 15 months from the date of award of the sites or after the physical completion of foundation works, whichever is earlier.

d) Private enclosed spaces and private roof terraces will be treated as gross floor area (GFA). The GFA of such spaces in non-landed residential developments, including ECs, will be counted as part of the ‘bonus’ GFA of a residential development and subject to payment of charges. This is in line with the treatment of balconies under URA’s current guidelines. Details of this measure are at www.ura.gov.sg/circulars/text/dc13-01.htm.

New Property Cooling Measure for the Industrial Property Market: Seller’s Stamp Duty

Prices of industrial properties have doubled over the last three years, outpacing the increase in rentals. In addition, there has been increasing speculation in industrial properties: in 2011 and the first eleven months of 2012, about 15% and 18% respectively of all transactions of multiple-user factory space were resale transactions carried out within three years of purchase. This is significantly higher than the average of about 10% from 2006 to 2010.

The Government is introducing Seller’s Stamp Duty (SSD) on industrial property to discourage short-term speculative activity which could distort the underlying prices of industrial properties and raise costs for businesses.

The following SSD rates will be imposed on industrial properties and land bought and sold within three years of the date of purchase:

a) SSD at 15% if the property is sold in the first year of purchase, i.e. the property is held for one year or less from the date of purchase.

b) SSD at 10% if the property is sold in the second year of purchase, i.e. the property is held for more than one year and up to two years from the date of purchase.

c) SSD at 5% if the property is sold in the third year of purchase, i.e. the property is held for more than two years and up to three years from the date of purchase.

These SSDs will apply for industrial properties and land bought on or after 12 January 2013.

Source: http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2013/pr13-04.html

SHARPLY rising land costs, strong developer balance sheets and low interest rates should all combine to make 2013 another halcyon year for the property industry, an expert said.

Overall private home prices are likely to keep climbing on the back of rising land costs, increasing by up to 10 per cent next year, Savills Singapore research head Alan Cheong said in a report released yesterday.

Non-landed mass market homes are expected to see the steepest rise of 10 to 15 per cent, while the luxury market may also enjoy a 3 to 5 per cent price gain, surpassing its previous peak in 2007.

This is because astute buyers will continue to seek good buys in the luxury segment, as prices here are still lower than in Hong Kong, Mr Cheong added.

The property market has enjoyed a banner year, with a record-breaking 19,792 new homes sold in the first 10 months of the year, surpassing the previous high of 16,292 for the whole of 2010.

Executive condominiums (ECs) have also enjoyed a spectacular run, with more than 4,000 units expected to be sold by the end of the year – another record.

Only 3,935 EC units were sold in 2010 and last year combined.

“Due to a significant run-up in private condo prices, ECs will remain an attractive long-term investment asset, with demand probably surpassing that of 2012,” the report noted.

But tiny shoebox homes of 500 sq ft or less seem to have fallen out of favour with home buyers.

The proportion of shoebox homes sold, out of all new condo sales, has fallen from a three-year peak of 21 per cent in the third quarter of last year to a low of just 7 per cent in the fourth quarter of this year.

This is also well down from the three-year average of 14 per cent, Savills’ noted.

“The downtrend could be due to fewer shoebox units being built. There has also been an increase in demand for larger-sized units in tandem with the growth in wealth here,” the report said.

But the overall property market remains resilient and now has “too strong a momentum to stop”, Mr Cheong added.

Quantitative easing in the United States should see liquidity flowing into Asian economies like Singapore in search of a safe haven and currency appreciation.

Coupled with rock-bottom interest rates that are likely to remain low next year, some fresh external demand could be anticipated, he said.

However, this may be offset by local buying fatigue from the many new launches over the past years and increasing home completions.

Barring further property measures, total primary sales may hover between 16,000 and 18,000 units next year, less than this year’s likely record of 23,000 to 24,000 units, the report noted.

THE number of residential leases looks likely to hit a record this year, although vacant units are piling up due to more projects being completed over the past 12 months.

The number of leases could reach 48,000, which would break the record of 45,062 transactions set last year, said property consultancy Savills yesterday.

It pointed to the 42,139 leases signed in the 10 months to the end of October and added that November and December have historically averaged 3,000 deals a month.

The total value of all leasing transactions could exceed the record $218 million set last year, Savills said. It had reached $208 million by Oct 31.

This is partly because median monthly rentals for condo units and apartments, excluding those in executive condominiums, reached a new high of $3.75 psf across the island in October.

This is 7 per cent higher than in the same period a year ago and 0.5 per cent higher than the level recorded in September this year.

“Constrained rental budgets have led tenants to search for smaller homes, either singularly or sharing, driving up rents on a per sq ft basis,” said Savills research head Alan Cheong.

But belt-tightening has hit the market for luxury homes, with rents falling for the sixth straight quarter, Savills said.

Rents of high-end condo units tracked by Savills dipped 1.4 per cent to $4.88 psf per month on average, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter.

While leases are being signed at a furious rate, there are more and more empty flats around as more homes are completed.

The vacancy rate of completed private homes grew to 6.1 per cent of the 276,346 total completed units in the third quarter from 5.9 per cent of the 273,050 completed units in the previous quarter. There were 14,198 vacant condo units and 2,679 vacant houses as at Sept 30.

The vacancy rate increased in the central, eastern and western regions in tandem with a surge in condo completions in these areas.

The big projects that were completed include the 1,129-unit Reflections at Keppel Bay, the 712-unit Caspian in Lakeside and the 646-unit Double Bay Residences in Simei.

The vacancy rate was 7.9 per cent for the central region in the third quarter, slightly higher than the region’s five-year average of 7.5 per cent.

The east’s rate rose to 4.5 per cent in the third quarter from a five-year average of 3.5 per cent.

In the west, the rate hit 4 per cent, compared with a five-year average of 3.6 per cent.

Vacancies will likely spike soon as an “avalanche of new homes” will be completed in the next two years, Savills said.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said in October that the number of new private properties in the pipeline has ballooned to more than 100,000 units at the end of the third quarter. More than 35,000 private homes alone will be ready next year and in 2014, with the rest completed after that, the URA said.

Savills expects a “steady level of leasing support” next year as firms continue to bring in expatriate employees, with 47,000 to 49,000 transactions completed.

But while mass-market homes will likely be within the limited budgets of new renters, rents for high-end private units could drop by 5 per cent to 10 per cent to below $5 psf per month next year, Savills said.

IT would take an interest rate shock, poor GDP growth, or both, to bring down private property prices here noticeably over the next five years, a study said.

The Credit Suisse report noted that analysts are anticipating that prices will fall as a record supply of land comes on stream and as the US Federal Reserve tightens monetary policy.

But it forecast that prices will rise by about 8 per cent by the end of 2017, based on the central scenario from its modelling. The report also said that not all of the government’s cooling measures have been effective in bringing down prices, even if they have dampened transactions temporarily.

“Contrary to the view of many, our analysis shows that prices will only correct marginally by 2017, if the government pushes out the supply of property as aggressively as it has over the last three years through its Government Land Sales programme,” said Michael Wan, the analyst at Credit Suisse behind the report.

If government land releases stay at the same “rapid pace” of around 16,000 units each year, prices will come down around one per cent by 2017, the report said, which indicates that an oversupply is unlikely.

“However, if this scenario coincides with a meaningful GDP or interest rate shock, prices would obviously fall much more,” the report said.

Credit Suisse defines a GDP shock as a scenario where output expands by a total of 5 per cent over the next five years, and assuming that loans and the Straits Times Index grow at the same pace.

Property prices will drop 16 per cent under this scenario.

Describing such a development as “unlikely” but “not impossible”, Credit Suisse said the bank had predicted that GDP will shrink by more than 9 per cent in the scenario of a full-blown eurozone break-up.

But if nominal output can grow by 7 per cent each year, with the same assumptions, prices will surge 23 per cent by 2017.

As for interest rates, Credit Suisse expects prices to fall a cumulative 14 per cent between 2013 and 2017 if the Singapore Interbank Offered Rate rises to 7 per cent in that time.

It said rates have not reached that level since the 1998 Asian financial crisis, and there has to be a very strong growth or a sharp pick-up in inflation in the US economy to see such a high rate returning, due to the close links between the US and Singapore economies.

More potential rental demand in the Bartley / Kovan / Hougang / Old Tampines Road areas! Look out for more upcoming launches...

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The Government has identified Defu Industrial Estate for redevelopment as part of HDB’s ongoing Industrial Redevelopment Programme (IRP). Under the Defu Master Plan, the area will be transformed along the vision of ” A Green and Sustainable Industrial Park of Tomorrow”, and be renamed Defu Industrial Park.

Over the next 15 to 20 years, existing factories in Defu Industrial Estate will be progressively replaced with new and modern industrial complexes. The estate will be revitalised into a modern industrial park, complete with landscaped greenery and environmentally sustainable features.

The redevelopment of Defu Industrial Estate will be carried out in three phases. Phase 1, targeted for completion in mid-2017, will involve 219 out of the existing 1,046 factories. These include 87 land-based factories which are on 30-year leases, along with 42 land-based factories and 90 Terrace Workshops on Fixed- Term Tenancies.

HDB will build a new Bedok Food City at Bedok North Avenue 4 to rehouse the factories in the food industry. Factories in the general industries will be relocated to the new Defu Industrial City, which is located at the former Kim Chuan Water Reclamation Plant.

The estimated timeline for the 2 projects are as follows:
Activity Estimated Time Period
a) Design Consultancy 2013 to 2014
b) Construction 2015 to 2017

Industrialists in Defu Industrial Estate will be consulted on the design of the new complexes through a series of focus group discussions. HDB will actively involve them in the redevelopment through the Defu Manufacturers’ Association (DMA).

Eligible industrialists will continue to operate in their existing premises until the new complexes are completed in mid-2017. They will also be given relocation benefits such as rent concession, rent-free fitting up period, and ex-gratia payment.

Defu Industrial Estate is located in the North-Eastern sector of Singapore. It is bounded by Tampines Road, Hougang Avenue 3, Airport Road, and the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE).

The estate was built in the 1970s to house relocated small and medium local industrial enterprises from areas such a Jalan Lobak, Jalan Anggerek, and Jalan Pemimpin.

With the completion of Marina Reservoir and Punggol & Serangoon Reservoirs in 2010 and 2011 respectively, Defu is now located within the water catchment areas.

There is a need to redevelop this 30-year old estate to optimise the use of scarce land resources, and to contain the pollution caused by the existing industries.

With optimisation of land use, the total amount of factory floor space of the new Defu Industrial Park will be increased by five-folds to 2.1 million sqm. of industrial space, which will help meet Singapore’s future industrial need.

Defu Industrial Park will eventually house three key zones. The Northern and Central zones will be safeguarded for strategic industries such as logistics, precision engineering, infocommunications and media, electronics, clean energy and biomedical. The Southern zone will be set aside for new modern industrial complexes to house the existing industrialists.

HDB will take into account the feedback from Phase 1 before embarking on future phases of development under the Defu Master Plan.

HDB will also develop a new Defu City Centre, which will be the focal point of commercial activities. Located just beside Defu Industrial City, it will provide a range of amenities such as F&B outlets, convenience stores, medical clinics and childcare centres. Construction will take place after 2017 when the site is available for development.

Statistics from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) show that the total transaction value of residential en-bloc properties for the first half of this year has plunged by 80 per cent compared to the same period last year.

And there were fewer en-bloc property transactions.

Real estate analysts believe that this is due to the global economic slowdown, and the government cooling measures introduced late 2011.

In the first half of last year, 28 en-bloc residential properties were successfully transacted. But this fell to just eight in the same period this year.

Among them was Nam Peng Centre in Upper Serangoon Road. Nam Peng Centre is accessible via Boundary Road, Upper Serangoon Road, Kovan Road and Yio Chu Kang Road.

Between January and June this year, the total transaction value of residential en-bloc properties fell to about S$250 million, from almost S$1.6 billion in the same period last year.

Analysts said the additional buyer’s stamp duty introduced by the government in December last year has curbed speculative demand for properties.

In addition, developers who buy en-bloc projects are now required to build and sell all units on the residential site within five years of acquiring the land.

Otherwise, they have to pay an additional 10 per cent in stamp duty. So developers have been extra cautious before they enter the market.

Director of Ascendant Assets Pte Ltd, Getty Goh, said: “In the past, developers can buy certain pieces of land and sit on it almost indefinitely. These days with all these additional constraints, it would definitely make a developer think twice before proceeding with an en-bloc transaction.”

And with more land sites released through the Government Land Sales programme (GLS), this gives developers more choice, which in turn, pushed down the transaction price of en-bloc projects.

Goh said: “About 14 land parcels have been awarded via the GLS programme. However, the highest that has been transacted at was about S$400 million. Naturally, this puts a price pressure on the en-bloc market.”

The value of en-bloc deals for the first half of this year is merely 9 per cent of the total transaction value for the whole of last year.

Analysts feel that while the market may pick up in the second half of this year, it is unlikely to top last year’s numbers. But, if the price for en-bloc projects in mature estates is not too high, developers would still be keen on them.

(Source: Channelnewsasia)

21-Nov: With the Jcube recently opened this year and Lend Lease’s shopping mall – Jem – to be completed by mid 2013, the Jurong Gateway is set to be a bustling hub in the years to come! And now as surrounding parcels of land along Jurong Town Hall Road and Jurong Gateway zoned commercial, there will be a critical mass of business operating in Jurong East, other than the current International Business Park (IBP).

Jurong hotel site’s top bid of $238m

A record price has been set for hotel land in Singapore – $1,167.35 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr). This is for the first hotel development site, a 99-year lease and maximum permissible gross floor area of 18,957sqm, at Jurong Town Hall Road.

A state tender drew 11 bids from major players in the industry including Ascott Holdings, City Developments and United Engineers Developments but Tamerton Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Resorts World Singapore (RWS) topped them all with its $238.2 million bid.

Far East Organization unit Boo Han Holdings in partnership with the group’s listed vehicle, Far East Orchard, submitted a bid of $204.8 million or $1,003.56 psf ppr, placing it in second position.

This was 16.3 per cent lower than the top bid by RWS, which is also a wholly owned subsidiary of Genting Singapore.

Foray into Jurong a strategic move

HSR Property Group special adviser Donald Han said RWS’s foray into Jurong is a strategic move aimed at capturing the Malaysian visitors market.

“If they do not cater to some of their clients from Malaysia, who patronise their casinos but who do not have the budget for the $300-$400 rooms in Sentosa, they would lose out significantly on a potential income base,” Mr Han explained.

He added that the hotel development would most likely be a three-star property. The Jurong Country Club is just behind the hotel site and there will be plenty of retail amenities such as JCub, Jem, Westgate, IMM, Big Box in Jurong East.

Other bidders for the site were United Engineers Development ($984.50 psf ppr), Legend Land which is linked to Hotel 81 ($950.74 psf ppr), and City Development’s Redvale Investments and Redvale Developments ($784.12 psf ppr).

Though the record bid by Genting Singapore surprised most analysts BT spoke to, they are confident about demand for the upcoming hotel.

Other than providing accommodation for visitors to RWS, the hotel will also be well placed to cater to the growing business community in Jurong East, explained Mr Han.

Promising long-term plans for Jurong Gateway

Said Jones Lang LaSalle national director Ong Teck Hui: “The long-term plans for Jurong Gateway do look very promising with a strong mix of office, retail, residential, hotel, entertainment and food & beverage uses. The site’s close proximity to Jurong East MRT station, upcoming developments like Jem, Westgate and others make it particularly attractive.”

RWS currently owns six hotels with 1,500 rooms. This development is the group’s first hotel away from Sentosa.

Now that everyone is saying that property prices are at its peak, so why are there still so many buyers rushing in for the new launches? To better answer this question, let’s take a  quick recap on the exciting announcement by LTA on the confirmed stations of Downtown Line and also Thomson Line just this year (2012).

Refer to the future Singapore MRT map (some unannounced as of this writing) below, for your privileged use as readers of SGRealist. 😉 I believe the property growth potential will be in these locations as these estates  will benefit the most from the improvement of its accessibility to rail transport. And apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so…

“I would expect just a 5 per cent downward pressure. This is when the construction starts. But if they wait out the five to seven year period, and wait for the MRT to come on, I think the benefit will be more than 50 per cent – the increase in price.” -Christina Sim, director, Residential, Cushman and Wakefield

What is the Downtown Line?

The Downtown Line will be Singapore’s fifth Mass Rapid Transit line. When completed by 2017, the 34 stations (constructed over three phases) are expected to serve about half a million commuters daily.

Stage One involved the stations of the original Downtown Extension, running 4.3 kilometres from Chinatown to Bugis. It will consist of six stations, (Bugis, Promenade, Bayfront, Landmark, Cross Street and Chinatown) and is scheduled to open in 2013.

Work on Stage Two started in 2009, covering 12 underground stations over more than 16 kilometres. When completed in 2015, Downtown Line 2 will run from Bukit Panjang (Petir), and end at Rochor Station.

Tunnelling works on the final 21-kilometre stretch of Downtown Line 3 started in July 2012. The line of 16 stations will run almost parallel to the East-West Line, and upon completion, link Expo in the East, to Bukit Panjang, with a loop through Marina Bay. It is expected to be completed by 2017.

Where is the Thomson Line?

The Thomson Line (TSL) is a 30km underground train line that is expected to be fully completed in 2021. The sixth MRT line will have 22 stations and 6 interchange stations which will link to the East-West Line, North-South Line, North-East Line, Circle Line and the future Downtown Line.

Commuters can start enjoying the TSL from 2019 when the first stretch (three stations from Woodlands North to Woodlands South) will be completed. The second stretch (six stations from Springleaf to Caldecott) will be completed in 2020 and the final stretch (13 stations from Mount Pleasant to Gardens by the Bay) in 2021.

An estimated 400,000 commuters can look forward to MRT stations at their doorstep. They will enjoy savings in travelling times. For instance, a resident travelling from Sin Ming to Republic Polytechnic will have his journey time reduced by half, from 50 minutes to 25 minutes. And residents from Springleaf Estate in Sembawang will only need 35 minutes to travel to the Great World City shopping mall, instead of the current 60 minutes.

For more on the announcements of Thomson Line or Downtown Line by LTA, you may want to read here.

Future Singapore MRT map

Looking at the future Singapore MRT map, there are many gems to be discovered. Residential properties near the Thomson Line stations have seen an initial rise in prices of up to 10 per cent, according to analysts.

While residents may have to tolerate inconveniences during construction, they can expect to see further upside to their home prices when the stations start operations.  Prices of residential developments near the Woodlands MRT station and the future interchange for the Thomson Line are set to see a surge in prices, according to analysts.

Home prices in estates that are up north along the Thomson Line, which now have poor access to rail transport, including areas surrounding the Lentor, Springleaf, Mayflower and Sin Ming stations, have rose, following the announcement by LTA. For example, the new launch – Thomson Grand at 23 Sin Ming Walk – was initially sold at around $1,100psf, was sold at the higher ends of $1,400psf for its last few units. If you’re thinking of buying a property there, Thomson Grand is 100% fully sold.

Another upcoming new launch that will potentially reap the benefits of high capital appreciation due to MRT lines constructions would be Liberte @ Sarkies Rd. Newton MRT will be one of the interchange for the Downtown Line, with shops in the underground Xchange connector and new exits that leads out directly to Liberte‘s side gate!! You don’t get to many (if any at all) FREEHOLD properties that has a gate that opens directly into any MRT, not to mention such a near town MRT like Newton station. An opportunity? Find out more here.