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21 May

Hougang goes private

Being a mature HDB estate means Hougang could be saturated in its housing and population. But this gungho town is certainly not satisfied to wait by the sidelines, in many ways. Real estate-wise, private properties are inserting themselves in a big way in this area made up of mainly HDB flats. Opening up the path for home buyers hoping to live in the HDB town, private properties are entering a market which has probably been long waiting for new players.

Riversails condominium.

Riversails condominium.

New projects in the area is expected to bring 2, 319 additions to the 12, 457 private homes already in the area. Current private condominiums and executive condominiums (ECs) include recent launches such as Boathouse Residences, Riversails, Parc Vera and Heron Bay. Prices of condo units in Hougang range from $840 to $920 psf, a considerably manageable entry-level pricing for upgraders and investors. Besides, R’ST Research director Ong Kah Seng considers the existing pool of HDB upgraders within the estate itself a ready audience for new properties. Nearby Punggol is establishing itself as a hub for waterfront living, but the buyers it attracts are mainly those from far-flung estates.

Resale home transactions within Hougang itself has been steady since Q3 of 2011. It has not gone above 200 units in a quarter, and this could be because the accessibility and availability of schools and amenities in its vicinity have kept residents close to home. Resale prices were also maintained at a $835 to $1,000 psf constant.

Midtown Residences at Hougang.

Midtown Residences at Hougang.

With the rise of popularity with mixed-use developments, its no wonder the latest Midtown Residences launch has appealed to investors. This project is situated near the Hougang MRT station and bus interchange and prices were sold at a premium of $1, 220 and $1, 660 psf. Although quite a bit higher than the average resale home prices of properties in the proximity, the location means units will command higher rents. Following in the footsteps of other mixed-use projects like Bedok Residences, Watertown and The Hiller, and perhaps also King Albert Park Residences, could it be the era of these multi-purpose commercial-residential developments?

15 May

Married couples opt for HDB Parenthood Priority Scheme

It may or may not increase the likelihood of young Singaporean couples starting a family sooner, but more married couples are purchasing new HDB flats under the Parenthood Priority Scheme (PPS).

In the March sales launch alone, 32 per cent of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats were taken up by applicants under the PPS scheme. There is almost 100% possibility of all PPS applicants getting a flat. 3, 898 flats were launched in March in non-mature estates such as Sengkang, Punggol and Bukit Batok. A total of 12,000 applicants applied for BTO flats in the latest launch.

Compassvale Cape Mar2013

HDB’s next launch will be later this month, in Choa Chu Kang, Hougang, Jurong West, Sembawang and Woodlands. WIth 4, 850 new flats plus 3,000 balance flats from previous launches planned, response from PPS applicants may be even more than March’s 32 per cent. Other schemes which the HDB provides include the:

  • Multi-Generation Priority Scheme (MGPS)
  • Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS)
  • Third-Child Priority (TCP) Scheme
  • Tenants Priority Scheme (TPS)
  • Ageing-in-Place Priority Scheme (APPS)
  • Studio Apartment Priority Scheme (SAPS)

It should be noted that for the hotly debated Executive Condominiums (EC), the priority schemes do not apply. And for previous Design Build and Sell developments, developers are required to give priority to buyers applying under the Married Child Priority (MCP) Scheme and the Third-Child Priority (TCP) Scheme.

Topiary Executive Condominium in Fernvale.

Topiary Executive Condominium in Fernvale.

Under the MCPS, applicants who are a first-time married couple and who have at least one child below the age of 16 qualify for up to 30% of BTO and 50% of SBF (sale of balance) flats in each launch. This scheme began in January 2013 and many have since successfully secured a HDB Flat by applying under this scheme. Whether this will help population growth and fertility rate remains to be seen, but at least it has helped Singaporean couples secure a home more quickly and without the pain of waiting endlessly.

Previously married couples had joined engaged couples applying under the Fiancee scheme. However unmarried couples made up close to 50% of the applicants under this scheme, which lessened the chances of those who are already married or already have a child securing a flat.

13 May

HDB Resale flat sales lowest in 16 years

The numbers are low but the prices may not be so. Is this a case of rare treasures raking in high prices?

HDB’s reports have shown that there were only 4,335 resale flat transactions in Q1 of this year, as compared to the average of 8,000 for the first quarters in previous years. However resale flat prices have continued to increase with a 1.3 per cent rise this year. Albeit slower than the 2.5 per cent increase from Q4 of 2012, it is still a 0.6 per cent rise when compared year on year.

Photo by HDB.

Photo by HDB.

The latest property curbs could have had a part to play here. HDB flat buyers can now only loan up to 35 per cent (previously the cap was at 40 per cent) from HDB and bank loans are now capped at 30 per cent of the household income. Thus with these restrictions, some may now not be unable to upgrade to larger flats and thus taking away a considerable pool of buyers from the resale HDB flat market. PRs who previously form a significant number of buyers, may also be out of the picture as they are now subjected to an additional 5 per cent tax on their first home.

Skypeak @ Bukit Batok. Photo by HDB.

Skypeak @ Bukit Batok. Photo by HDB.

But with the drop in flat buyers, there is in turn an increase in flat renters. HDB reported a 15 per cent rise in subletting transactions, to 7,410 this quarter. The money is coming through rental now as more HDB owners hold on to their flats, hoping to reap in enough profit to help them make the leap to private property.

This, plus the number of new HDB flats being launched and built last and this year, have drawn buyers away from the resale market. Which type of resale flats are seeing the most activity? Is there now less competition for the larger 4 and 5-room flats? Are 3-room flats the current “hot property”? Come July, singles will also be able to purchase new flats directly from HDB. Will this impact the demand for the smaller 2 and 3-room flats?

6 May

No quick-fix to managing HDB flat prices

So says National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

Ever since the Government announced that new HDB flats will come at a lower price, HDB flat owners have been expressing fears of losing their nest egg should prices of flats drop. But as new flats are limited to only certain groups and limited in terms of type and location, will there necessarily be a drastic drop in resale flat prices and are we worrying too early? Though the number of resale flat transactions have decreased, prices continue to remain high. And there will always be those who wish to choose a flat of their liking in a location they prefer, as opposed to trying perhaps numerous times in the HDB ballot queue.

HDB Flats THinkStockMr Khaw reassured Singaporeans that while prices of HDB flat will only drop “a few per cent over the next few years”, but in the same breath said that the prices of HDB flats cannot keep rising forever. “If housing prices keep rising,it won’t be good. When I came into the MND (Ministry of National Development) two years ago, that was my target”. And much has been done since then, with the ramp up of BTO flat supply, changes in income ceiling, limits on HDB flat sizes, increase in number of allocated flats for both first and second-timers, and even allowing singles to buy new HDB flats.

During the recent Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) dialogue, the idea of selling back new flats only to the Housing Board was faced with much opposition. Homeowners naturally worry that their homes will lose  their value and cut them off from the profit they can earn by selling it in the open market. Mr Khaw admits that resale flat prices are difficult to manage as they are largely subjected to the market demand. SLP International executive director Nicholas Mak speculates that one way of gently letting resale HDB flat prices drop is to decrease the prices of new HDB flats in the same estate.

Forestville Executive Condominium.

Forestville Executive Condominium.

Recent debate also surround the Executive Condominium (EC) scheme\. While some have said that those who can afford an EC should not receive subsidies from the Government, the scheme was specifically initiated to help those who may not qualify for other HDB subsidy schemes. Thus should ECs still be considered a value-added profit-making asset for their owners?

2 May

Tanjong Pagar – Old School charm with New prices

Altez condominium.

Altez condominium.

Designated as one of the very few conservation areas in Singapore, Tanjong Pagar holds a distinct charm and mixture of the old and new, straddling chinatown and outram and the Central Business District. The Pinnacle@duxton towering over old conservation shophouses outlining the upcoming arts and design enclaves, modern condominiums, hotels embracing the skyscrapers of Shenton Way and old HDB flats just round the corner.

With the new Maxwell MRT station on the Thomson Line coming up within the next decade, this area might once again be vibrating with the heartbeats of a cosmopolitan melting pot. The new MRT station is expected to largely increase the amount of human traffic in the area, including residents from across the Causeway. Shophouses along Tanjong Pagar road have seen a sharp hike in rents in recent years, as new properties along the stretch bring new residents and human traffic to the area. And in turn, as the area becomes more vibrant, rents of residential properties may also rise.

New high-rise residential properties such as Altez, Skysuites@Anson and Spottiswoode Suites; and a mixed-use development along Peck Seah Street all hold a considerable amount of investor potential. Shophouse units along the main road are calling the shots in term of rental prices as well. Recent price appreciation have rised rents to around $4,000 per month on average for a 700 sq ft ground floor unit, to up to $10,000 per month for restaurant owners.

Tanjong Pagar RoadOne of the major concerns about living and running a business in the area could be the lack of parking space. Street parking is almost impossible and there are hardly any parking areas near enough to the business or residential homes in the vicinity. Do homes in this area command higher rents? As compared to other prime district and city centre homes,  is the investment value higher? Once the Pinnacle@Duxton completes its Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), will units in the area flood the resale HDB flat market?

30 Apr

Changes to Exec Condo housing scheme?

2013 might be the year of housing policies shockwaves. Earlier in the year, news of singles being about to purchase new HDB flats directly from housing board stirred the market a little, then there were the limits placed on dual-key apartments which are now only available to multi-generational families. A cap was also put on the size of executive condominium (EC) units, at 160 sq m. ECs have been put under the microscope of late, with some questioning the amount of subsidies buyers are receiving from the government.

Forestville Executive Condominium.

Forestville Executive Condominium.

Certain members of public have questioned whether EC buyers should receive any government subsidies at all, since they are able to or willing to afford million-dollar units in both new and resale developments. The executive condominium scheme was initially set up by the government in 1996 to help families transit between public and private properties. But as the price gap between ECs and private properties now draw close, there has been a niggling thought about whether changes should be made to this scheme.

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan recently highlighted that there might soon be changes in the EC scheme and buyers and developers are poised to react. Forestville, the next EC to launch in June this year, might benefit from increased response since buyers might be leaping at what may very well be their last chance to secure a unit under the current conditions. EL Development‘s Lim Yew Soon has this to say: “Whenever policies change or are alikely to, the immediate launches will have the biggest benefits. There’s a good change that buyers may snap up existing ECs to ensure they still receive the grant.” Will resale ECs also benefit from this rush?

Should there be a drastic adjustment in government subsides, the most affected might be first-time buyers. Buyers and owners of existing ECs are imploring the authorities and public to see things from their point of view. Engineer Eddy Lau, 40, said, “It’s not right to just look at the profit we make. We also pay more in interest over the years for the EC. For us who are sandwiched, ECs are the only option to upgrade.”

Ultimately, the question that probably begets the Government is, what defines “sandwiched class” and what are the housing schemes actually meant to do. And perhaps only honest answers will help everyone fully understand and accept Singapore’s future housing situation.

2 Apr

What does Q1′s slow private property growth rate indicate?

A cooling real estate market? Perhaps. But not by much. Of course, we do have to give the cooling measures time to work. But if we go by the response from the previous rounds, it may not do much. Although the pace has weakened somewhat, a 0.5 per cent growth as compared to the 1.8 per cent jump in the last quarter, private home prices still reached a record high.

QBay Residences

QBay Residences

Private non-landed suburban homes alone showed a 1.7 per cent rise, still a rise, but well lesser than the previous quarter’s 3.8 per cent. Property analysts are expecting further effect from the cooling measures to kick in this year, maintaining home prices at the current levels.

In the HDB flat market, resale flats may expect a fall in demand as singles will be allowed to purchase new Build-to-Order (BTO) flats directly from the Housing Board come July. The bumper crop of new flats being rolled out within the first 3 months of 2013 alone has also taken away the need to purchase from within the resale market. The quota plus the lowering of home loans to 30 per cent of a borrower’s gross monthly pay, 40 per cent if receiving a HDB home loan, has also taken some wind out of the sails. PropNex cheif executive Mohamed Ismail is however still expecting a rise in resale HDB flat prices, of between 4 to 5 per cent.

The Singapore Real Estate Exchange has reported a fall of HDB resale transactions from 4, 635 in Q4 of 2012 to 3, 028 in Q1 of 2013. The median COV prices have dropped by very slightly, from $34, 000 to $33, 000. This may not be quite the comfort buyers are hoping for, especially since resale prices have risen to an average of $457,000.

This could be the time to suss out potential long-term investments in the private property market as many developers are dangling carrots in the form of discounts, rebates and other incentives in order to secure more sales. Recent launches at D’Nest and Urban Vista have also boosted sales. The authorities seem more determined this year than ever to help tame the roaring property lion, but they will need to give property curbs some time to take effect before deciding their next move.

26 Mar

Suburban condominiums may be in for a downturn

The recent property measures seemed to have been forgotten, but its effect may just be taking root. Despite all the suburban homes which developers have been launching and selling this first quarter, it may be headed towards a limp finish.

Urban VistaOnly 1,544 resale homes were sold up till March 12, maybe hitting 2, 200 by the end of the month. But this is a far cry from the 3, 647 homes sold in the last quarter of 2012. In 2011, 3,761 homes were sold on a year-on-year comparison. Recent private residential apartment launches such as Sennett Residences, D’Nest and Urban Vista may pick things up by the scruff of the neck and pull numbers up after all. Since their launches, 1,400 new homes have been sold, including three other property launches.

So new homes seem to be doing well. But resale homes may be at the opposite end of the success spectrum. Most owners are keeping their current private home, what with the increased ABSD (Additional Buyers’ Stamp Duty) and tighter loan limits which were part of January’s property cooling measures. And it seems they are not so quick to lower their prices as well, unlike developers who have dangled discounts and other incentives to new home buyers.

What the ABSD has done is to increase the stakes for property owners who are looking to buy their second home. There will now be a 7 per cent stamp duty. And owners of completed homes may not see the urgency to offload their current property, perhaps only with the exception of those looking to downgrade. But until resale HBD flat prices drop, they may not act so quickly as well.

Activity will not wane in the private property market, but instead, it seems like it may be the battle between new and resale. Which will you go for?

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