Thursday, April 16, 2009

大巴窑私人组屋 推出首日反应热烈

Source : 《联合早报》Apr 16, 2009

虽然经济持续低迷,“The Peak@Toa Payoh”私人组屋推出首日仍吸引近4500人参观示范单位,超过300人申购。昨天是工作日,公众热烈反应出乎发展商预料。

不过,受访市场分析员却有所保留,认为看的人多,买的人少,显示买家变得更小心。

昨天上午虽然下了一场雨,但示范单位在开放首两小时仍吸引1000多人参观,一整天下来有近4500名参观者。(谢光凭摄)

由海峡双威设计、兴建和销售(DBSS)的大巴窑私人组屋,昨天上午9时开始接受申购。尽管上午倾盆大雨,“The Peak”在发售后短短两小时吸引1000人参观,100多人上网申请。

负责销售“The Peak”的HSR经纪行董事刘凯丽说,这显示私人组屋市场不受经济危机影响。当年首日参观碧山和宏茂桥私人组屋示范单位的人数分别是1000和3000名,而在经济情况良好时推出的文庆路组屋,首日则迎来8000人参观,掀起排队热潮。

刘凯丽说:“今天不是周末,我们没料到有看屋人潮,相信周末将有更多人参观。”

她说,大巴窑地点优越,向来受公众青睐,建屋发展局日后应该不会再推出预购组屋,所以“The Peak”有一定的吸引力。

面对四美“Parc Lumiere”私人组屋本月底推出时的竞争压力,刘凯丽并不担心,甚至预料“The Peak”的销售成绩可媲美同个发展商去年推出的“City View@Boon Keng”私人组屋。“City View”的714个单位有3500人申购。

不过,受访的市场分析员却没这么乐观。博纳集团(PropNex)总裁伊斯迈认为,少过10%参观者提出申请,说明买家在经济情况不佳时格外谨慎。

ERA房地产公司助理副总裁林东荣也说,政府前天再调低全年增长预测,可能影响市场情绪,使购屋者暂时却步。

许多潜在买家也表示经济不景,屋价偏高,预算只有约50万元左右。不过,他们同意地点优越是“The Peak”最大卖点,不少人特地请假前去参观。

明年结婚的陈衍如(27岁,工程师)特别抽空去参观。尽管这批组屋是在抽签选购制度下接受申请,他仍担心很多人抢购,所以希望尽早提出申请。

陈衍如说:“如果推出的组屋在较偏远的地方如蔡厝港,我可能会选择周末参观示范单位,而不是特地请假参观。”

他说,“The Peak”有类似公寓装潢,因此屋价合理,在他的负担能力范围内,他将申购四房式单位。

也特地请假的郑文忠(27岁,工程师)同样没预料反应如此热烈。他申购预购组屋五次都不成功,因此打算申请“The Peak”四房式单位。

他说,私人组屋基本上已装修,可立即迁入,而且公共住屋可申请高达三万元的公积金购屋津贴,节省购屋费用。

打算过几年结婚的陈炳丰(27岁,科技导师)认为,“The Peak”推出1200多个单位,抽中机会较高。相反的,只推出360个单位的四美私人组屋,成功机会可能较小。他打算申购“The Peak”的五房式单位。

参观者也包括有意提升居住环境的屋主。住在大巴窑北四房式组屋的蓝雪鸣(48岁,建筑业者)带着妻女参观示范单位。

他说:“虽然行情不好,但为了让10岁女儿和8岁儿子有更舒适的生活空间,我还是想小屋换大屋,购买五房式单位。不过,由于售价偏高,我还在考虑。”

也有人为了住近父母而考虑申购。姚采杏(40岁,家庭主妇)住在兀兰五房式组屋,考虑购买“The Peak”的四或五房式单位。“如果申请成功,以后就再也不必来回两地跑,省时省事,但售价是关键。”

大巴窑私人组屋详情

“The Peak@Toa Payoh”建在大巴窑1A巷,在大巴窑地铁站和布莱德地铁站之间。

三房式售价35万5000元至39万8000元;四房式售价46万8000元到58万2000元;五房式售价53万9000元到72万2000元。

设在大巴窑1巷的示范单位每天上午9时开放至傍晚6时,申请截止日期是本月28日。发展商将在申请截止后六周内抽签,并通知成功的申请者。

私宅发展商削价策略奏效

Source : 《联合早报》Apr 16, 2009

今年3月,发展商总共卖出了1220个新私宅单位,这虽然比2月份的1332个单位减少8%,不过仍然是过去20个月以来成交量第二活跃的月份。

市区重建局昨天发表的数据也显示,发展商在今年3月推出了832个新私宅单位。这虽然比2月份的1072个单位少,却仍是自去年7月以来的第二高水平。

市场人士指出,发展商在2月份大刀阔斧的削价行动,成功吸引一些买家回头,让积压了几个月的购屋需求一下子被释放出来。再加上组屋转售价格维持在高水平,许多人纷纷趁目前这个组屋和私宅价格差距缩小的“窗口期”进场。

博纳集团(PropNex)总裁伊斯迈说:“我们看到购屋热潮从2月份延烧至3月份,特别是郊外地区的大众化项目。”

今年3月推出和售出新私宅单位,超过六成属于郊外大众化私宅项目。单单是水之轩(Caspian)、Double Bay Residences、Kovan Residences、莉雅苑(Livia)、新乐园(Mi Casa)、The Quartz、Waterfront Waves和Woodsville 28等,就成功卖出550至600个单位。

世邦魏理仕(CB Richard Ellis)执行董事李晓和指出,这些项目的中位成交价格介于每平方英尺610元至740元,而且单位的平均成交价为69万5000元。

“今年首三个月的房屋买家,大多是新加坡人或永久居民,其中不少还是组屋提升者。”

随着购屋信心逐渐回流,一些中高档共管公寓单位也开始“动”了起来,例如位于马里士他路的The Arte就卖出了90个单位。上个星期,靠近乌节路的Illuminaire On Devonshire也以每平方英尺平均1700元卖出全部72个单位,Verdure也以每平方英尺平均1400元卖出大约14个单位。

展望接下来的楼市,受访的分析员认为,虽然楼市的“最坏情况很可能已经过去”,不过这只是指市场的交易气氛,并不代表价格将停止下跌。

伊斯迈说,相较于去年12月和今年1月每个月只有百多个单位的成交量,“市场最黑暗的时期已经过去”。不过这并不代表价格会很快回升,而且他也不确定,接下来的私宅市场能否继续交出“破千”的交易成绩。

一方面是发展商在过去三个月已经卖出2660个新私宅单位,现在手头上没有剩下太多的低档私宅单位,或者是它们愿意大幅度削价的单位可以推出。另一方面是积压了几个月的需求已经得到相当程度的满足,除非全球的经济出现更多的复苏讯号,否则无法说服更多人大举进场。

麦俊荣认为,除非新加坡经济和就业市场在今年内显著复苏,否则今年全年的新私宅需求量应该会维持在6000至7000个单位。

李晓和比较乐观,他说,从最近的销售反应看,今年全年的新私宅成交量可能超出公司原本预测的5000至6000个单位,达到8000个单位。这已是2005年楼市开始复苏的水平。

在楼价方面,受访的分析员大多相信,接下来的楼价还会继续下跌,不过跌幅将逐渐缩小。

私宅价跌幅可能加大

市建局本月初发表的初步数据显示,第一季的私宅价格下跌了13.8%,是近34年来最大跌幅。一般相信,本月底发表的完整数据可能显示更大跌幅。

莱坊(KnightFrank)研究部主管麦俊荣认为,楼价在第一季暴跌了13.8%后,接下来几个季度的跌幅应该会逐渐缩小。

“只要组屋转售价格不要下跌超过7%,它应该还是可以扶持大众化私宅市场,让它有不错的需求。”

Upcoming Serangoon Shopping Mall Gets 30% Occupancy Commitments

Source : Channel NewsAsia, 14 April 2009

An upcoming shopping mall in Serangoon Central has obtained occupancy commitments for 30 per cent of its lettable space since breaking ground in November.

Artist's impression of nex

These tenants include Cineplex operator Shaw Organisation, hypermarket operator FairPrice Xtra and mainboard-listed Food Junction Holdings.

Advanced talks are also underway to secure a department store operator to take up 50,000 square feet of lettable space in the shopping centre.

The mall's developer is Gold Ridge, which is backed by mostly European and American investors.

Gold Ridge has named the new mall "nex".

"nex" will be a six-storey mall with over 600,000 square feet of net lettable space.

It is expected to open by the end of next year and will be the biggest mall in northeast Singapore.

Gold Ridge is investing S$1.3 billion in the project. - CNA /ls

New Home Sales Stay Firm

Source : The Straits Times, April 15, 2009

Sales of private homes are holding up.

Property developers sold 1,220 units of new private homes in March, compared with 1,332 units in February and 108 units in January.

Caspian in Jurong sold another 56 units in March at $614 psf. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

February sales - boosted mainly by the strong response to two new launches Alexis and Caspian - were the highest since August 2007.

Figures released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Wednesday showed that 832 new housing units were launched in March, compared with 1,072 units in February and 204 units in January.

The best-selling project in March was the 646-unit Double Bay Residences in Simei.

Developer UOL Group and Kheng Leong launched 320 units and sold 264 of them at a median selling price of $659 per square foot, or from just $409 psf to $898 psf.

Two other fresh launches in March - Mi Casa in Choa Chu Kang and The Arte in Jalan Datoh - also attracted strong interest. Mi Casa registered sales of 101 units at a median price of $617 psf while The Arte sold 90 units at a median price of $874 psf.

Caspian in Jurong sold another 56 units in March at $614 psf.

Most of the developments that saw strong interest were priced below $1,000 psf.

HDB Block Busters

Source : My Paper, Mon, Apr 13, 2009













BLOCK 7, GHIM MOH ROAD
UNIT TYPE: 5-room HDB unit
PRICE: $650,000
ATTRACTIONS: 10 mins' drive to Sunset Way group of eateries and Holland Village, Rochester Park and five mins' walk to Buona Vista and Dover MRT
stations, 10 mins' drive from National University of Singapore
















BLOCK 131B, KIM TIAN ROAD
UNIT TYPE: 5-room HDB unit
PRICE: $658,000
ATTRACTIONS: Less than five mins away from Tiong Bahru MRT Station, near the CTE and AYE, five mins to Zouk and Tiong Bahru Food Centre, 10 mins' drive
to Orchard Road area and Vivocity shopping centre















BLOCK 131C, KIM TIAN ROAD
UNIT TYPE: 5-room HDB unit
PRICE: $640,000
ATTRACTIONS: Less than five mins away from Tiong Bahru MRT Station, near the CTE and AYE, five mins to Zouk and Tiong Bahru Food Centre, 10 mins' drive to Orchard Road area and Vivocity shopping centre















BLOCK 324, CLEMENTI AVENUE 5
UNIT TYPE: 4-room HDB unit
PRICE: $428,000
ATTRACTIONS: Five mins' walk to Pei Tong Primary School, directly opposite Clementi MRT Station, less than 10 mins' walk to Nan Hua High School, 10 mins' drive to Holland Village, 15 mins' drive to Ngee Ann Polytechnic

$658,000 For Tiong Bahru Flat

Source : My Paper, Mon, Apr 13, 2009

A FIVE-ROOM flat at Block 131B, Kim Tian Road, fetched a princely $658,000 on the resale market recently - more than what it may cost to get a private apartment in Loyang.

Over at Queenstown and Ghim Moh, the HDB resale market is similarly smoking hot: A five-room flat in Queenstown commanded $600,000 while another in Ghim Moh cost $650,000.

These flats are not short on amenities either: they are near food haunts, schools, MRT stations, swimming and sports complexes and a short ride from town.

As the price differentials between HDB flats and condominium apartments narrow, property companies told my paper that this is the best time for flat dwellers dreaming of an upgrade, or flat sellers hoping to make a tidy profit, to get in on the act.

While prices for private homes have plunged by 13.8 per cent in the first quarter this year, the price tags of resale HDB units have remained largely unaffected.

PropNex's corporate communications manager, Mr Adam Tan, said this was due to strong demand for resale flats.

He explained: 'The overall continued strong demand for resale flats stems from the fact that there are no more surplus flats with HDB and resale flats present a viable option for people who are unable to wait for projects under construction.'

So does this slump in the economy present an opportune moment to switch to private properties? The answer is a resounding yes.

'For people with the means, now is an excellent time...given that the gap between the price indices of the two is at its narrowest,' Mr Tan explained.