Marina Bay Suites Priced Around $3,000 PSF

Source : The Business Times, January 17, 2008

Over 600 potential buyers, half foreigners, have registered interest to buy units in 221-unit project

AT around $3,000 psf, the next luxury development to go on sale - Marina Bay Suites - looks like it could actually be quite reasonably priced, especially as luxury home prices have trended towards the $4,000 psf range.

Revealing the estimated selling price at a press conference for the upcoming sales preview of Marina Bay Suites, slated to be before Chinese New Year, Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) head of residential marketing Kan Kum Wah said: 'As a developer, we believe in leaving something behind for capital appreciation.'

Asked if this meant giving speculators more incentive to buy, Mr Kan said he doubts there will be speculative activity, but added that several investors have already expressed their interest in the development.

Marina Bay Suites is part of Marina Bay Financial Centre, being developed by joint venture (JV) partners Cheung Kong Holdings/Hutchinson Whampoa, Hongkong Land and Keppel Land.

So far, over 600 potential buyers (of whom half are foreigners) have registered their interest to buy into the 221-unit Marina Bay Suites. Mr Kan added that over 100 of these potential buyers already own a unit at the JV's earlier-launched development, Marina Bay Residences.

On the projected pricing, Mr Kan cited some sub-sale transactions for Marina Bay Residences at above $3,000.

Mr Kan also said that Marina Bay Suites will have only 218 three- and four-bedroom units ranging between 1,600 and 2,700 sq ft in size. This means units could cost in the range of $5 million to $8 million, putting them out of reach of the average property speculator. DTZ Debenham Tie Leung (DTZ) executive director Ong Choon Fah added: 'At this price range, it will attract the investors.'

These investors will be looking for capital appreciation.

Joseph Tan, executive director (residential) at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), which is marketing the development together with DTZ, said that capital appreciation for developments in the vicinity has been between 35 and 75 per cent in the previous two years. 'Some have even seen 100 per cent gains,' he added.

But news of a possible US recession does seem to have affected market confidence.

According to caveats lodged, a unit at Marina Bay Residences (excluding penthouses) did cross the $3,000-level last August. However, sub-sale caveats lodged in December show transactions at between $2,400 and $2,700 psf.

Marina Bay Suites will be initially sold through private previews.