Champions Court - this year's first Build-to-Order (BTO) project in Woodlands - has been oversubscribed. Almost 3,200 applications have been received for the 815 units on offer. The project comprises studio apartments, three, four and five-room flats, and applications for all types have been oversubscribed. For example, there are only 224 studio apartments on offer, but 618 applicants are vying for them....
General
A 40-year-old shopping icon in Orchard Road is at risk of losing its tenants to upcoming malls in the area. Sources told Channel NewsAsia that about half of Shaw Centre's office and retail tenants had moved out within the last six months. Many of them refused to renew their leases after Shaw raised rents by about 100 per cent. Tyan and Betty Barclays, both upmarket boutiques on the ground floor of Shaw,...
THE WATERFRONT VIEW from the higher floors of the office towers around Raffles Place has changed dramatically in recent weeks. A trio of 55-storey connected hotel towers at Marina Bay that will make the base of Singapore’s first casino resort soared past its halfway mark late last month. With just 10 months to go before the downtown resort opens, the developers are racing to complete it on time. Marina...
Domus is a masterpiece of contemporary architecture rising twenty-eight storeys above a fascinating landscape of charming old world urbanity. It also offers panoramic views of the city and Macritchie Reservoir. Located within the established Novena residential estate, Domus is a five-minute walk away from Novena MRT station and just minutes away from Orchard Road, the Central Expressway (CTE) and Pan...
PROPERTY appears to be evolving into a currency play with investors hoping to benefit from the rise and fall of exchange rates. Australian Property Group (APG), which took out a full-page advertisement in The Straits Times on Saturday to market a luxury condominium in Australia, say they have already sold 60 units of the 90-unit development. A spokeswoman for APG said that most of the buyers were...
I AM in a situation which is one I am sure, more than a handful of HDB flat buyers are in too, particularly in this economic downturn. This problem permeates almost every residential estate, with no effective solution in sight. Perhaps the solution is in the form of prevention, not cure. Late last month, I collected the keys of my HDB resale three-room flat. The paperwork had proceeded smoothly and the...
UNITED Overseas Bank has become the first in Singapore to tie up with Singapore Post to distribute HDB home loans, extending its mortgage services beyond its 57 branches. In recent years, more banks have started offering their services in non-traditional spaces - such as train stations, convenience stores and petrol kiosks - to reach out to customers. Yesterday, UOB said its HDB home loans will be, for...
HARRY'S Holding, the largest bar chain operator here, is looking to buy a small hotel in Singapore as its food and beverage business is saturated, the company told Reuters. Chief executive Mohan Mulani said the firm - listed on Phillip Securities‚ OTC Capital - was looking for opportunities, but not looking to open more F&B outlets. Instead, he wants to buy a small boutique hotel with around 70 to...
Despite the recent pickup in activity in the residential property market, developers may start offering even greater incentives to attract buyers. Analysts say it is still too early to say for sure that the market has hit bottom, and developers may have to do more if conditions weaken. A new project, Double Bay Residences, has been launched for sale, and like several recent offerings, the developer is...
Industry watchers said rentals for industrial properties could fall by three to five per cent in the first quarter this year, due to weaker demand and the dismal economic outlook. On the whole, analysts did not expect landlords to cut rents outright. Instead, the landlords might choose more innovative measures to help their tenants cope with the tough times. Manufacturers and exporters had been seeing...