Foreigners

ABSD exemptions for 252 property transactions by foreigners

Two hundred and fifty two residential property transactions by foreigners have been exempted from additional buyer's stamp duty (ABSD) since it was first introduced as a property cooling measure on 8 December 2011. These foreign buyers are from the US, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland which are countries having free trade agreements with Singapore. In a written response to a...

Foreigners adjust budgets to buy Singapore properties

Foreign buyers of Singapore properties have not totally fled the market, despite the higher taxes that they have to pay following tough cooling measures. More are finding it worthwhile to adjust their budgets, just to get their hands on their dream homes. A market flushed with cash and low borrowing rates has made investors all over the world to seek safe havens in Singapore properties in the last...

Foreign buyers account for 7% of Singapore’s property market in Q3

Foreign buyers of Singapore properties accounted for 7 percent of the market in the third quarter this year. The proportion had remained unchanged from the previous second quarter. However, for the first three quarters of the year, foreign purchases averaged about 6 percent. This is according to the latest report on demand for Singapore's residential properties in Q3 by property consultant DTZ. The...

48% drop in China property buyers

The number of private homes in Singapore purchased by mainland Chinese during the first three quarters of this year plummeted by 48 percent from the same period in 2011, reported The Business Times. According to Knight Frank’s analysis of caveats data from URA Realis, China nationals bought just 1,066 units in the first nine months, an almost 50 percent drop from the 2,046 units seen during the same...

Private houses bought by foreigners and companies fall sharply

The proportion of private residential properties bought by foreigners and companies has fallen sharply - from about 20 per cent in 2011 to 7 per cent in the first half of this year. Short-term property speculation has also fallen sharply, as indicated by the relatively low volume of sub-sales. And private home prices moderated significantly, rising marginally by 0.3 per cent in the first half of 2012...

More ABSD-exempt foreigners bought Singapore homes in H1

Residential property purchases made by foreigners from countries exempted from ABSD (additional buyer’s stamp duty) rose in 1H2012, according to data released by CBRE. These foreign buyers, including permanent residents (PRs), hail from the US, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway – countries that have free trade agreements with Singapore. CBRE noted that the group accounted for 3.1 percent...

Malaysians now the top overseas buyers of Singapore properties

Malaysians have outpaced the Chinese as the top overseas buyers of Singapore properties, according to data compiled by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and CBRE Research. In 1H2012, Malaysians accounted for 27.6 percent of all foreign purchases, while buyers from China comprised 20.3 percent. In comparison, the Chinese took pole position in 2H2011 at 29.6 percent with Malaysia trailing at 18.7...

Malaysians top foreign property buyers in Singapore

Malaysians reclaimed top spot among foreigners buying Singapore properties despite the tough cooling measures introduced in December last year. They have overtaken the Chinese buyers. A report by DTZ Research revealed that Malaysians had a high of 362 transactions, marking a 28 percent share among foreign buyers due to the larger number of Malaysian PRs in the country. In the same report, it is revealed...

Foreigners snap up fewer homes

Fewer non-PR foreigners picked up private homes in January, as opposed to December when it had spiked, according to preliminary figures. A DTZ Research caveat analysis revealed that foreign buyers’ share grew from 16 percent in November to 23 percent in December. However, January’s figures fell to merely three percent. The caveat pool for January though is much smaller with only 131 so far, but more...

Foreigners account for one in five private home buyers

Bank of America (BofA) Merill Lynch cited in its recent report that 20 percent of the total number of private home transactions recorded last year were accounted for by foreign buyers, while PRs and Singaporeans made up a respective 13 percent and 67 percent share. “This is a big jump from 10 years ago, when foreigners accounted for only six percent. Foreigners are entering the mass market, not just the...

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