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MacPherson Gardens Estate to have extensive barrier-free features

To cope with an ageing population, Singapore is looking into make it easier for the elderly to move around. And come 2010, barrier-free features will become a reality at the MacPherson Gardens Estate under the estate upgrading programme. Some of these features include brightly-coloured markings on the floor to highlight changes in levels and direction of roads, gentle slopes and ramps, as well as...

Maybank rolls out lowest rate

IN A bid to increase its slice of the housing pie, Maybank has rolled out a three-year fixed-rate loan package with first-year interest at 1.6 per cent - the lowest of its kind in Singapore. With second- and third-year interest at 2.2 and 2.9 per cent respectively, that works out to an average of 2.23 per cent per annum over three years. This is even lower than the HDB‚s concessionary rate of 2.6 per...

Retail crunch: no need to panic … yet?

ARE retailers on the verge of crisis or not? As their representative body cries out for help, shoppers who rub shoulders in crowded malls on weekends may be wondering. And at least one major landlord insists, there is no reason to panic, and no justification for an across-the-board cut in rentals. Last week, the Singapore Retailers Association sounded the alarm bells Sales have dropped 20 to 30 per cent...

Affordability key: HDB

WE REFER to the letters, "The social and financial impact of no-frills flats, estates" and "DBSS contractors will only sell at a profit" (Feb 11). HDB is mindful to ensure the affordability of public housing even as they are equipped with the essential amenities and basic finishes. We agree that children‚s playgrounds and neighbourhood parks are necessary to serve the needs of HDB residents, especially...

Breathing room for homeowners

Avoid foreclosure by granting moratoriums on loan repayment AS THE economic crisis deepens, banks should expect more people to default on their housing loan repayments. Under the circumstances, is it in the interest of the banks to implement the commonly-practised course of action of repossessing the property and foreclosing the loan? Granting the struggling debtor a moratorium and waiting for a better...

Mt Sophia Suites

A Boutique project, the best in it vicinity with surrounding with greenery and cosy, quite and luxury home. Modern lifestyle living suitable for young couples and expatriates, in central Orchard location, close to Emily Park. A lifestyle worth waiting for. Live where the action is. Prime district 10, near Orchard Road Shopping Centre. Mt Sophia suites are built to cater for your exquisite lifestyle....

Resort at three-quarter mark

First batch of hotel rooms will be ready by August COME year-end, Marina Bay Sands will usher visitors in to at least half of the property's gross floor area. That was the assurance given for Singapore's first integrated resort, although Marina Bay Sands executives yesterday stopped short of revealing an opening date. The project is already three-quarters completed, they said, during a press tour for...

When a mortgage becomes a millstone

Three years ago, Mr Gurdev Singh was working in a security firm for a monthly pay of $1,200. The divorcee with a son, had just started dating. He and his girlfriend were thinking of starting a family, so he bought a flat. "Six months later, we broke off. I tried ways to keep the 5-room flat. I tried my very best until I couldn't make it," he recalled. Mr Singh negotiated with the Housing Development...

UOL offer not fair

Current situation provides company with cheaper way of exploiting synergies DID United Overseas Land (UOL) really "fail" in its attempt to take over United Industrial Corporation (UIC)? Most market observers suspect that UOL was never really that serious with its general offer to buy over shares it did not already own. Instead, they felt the offer was more of a technical one. After all, it was mandatory...

Marina Bay Sands on track to open by year end

Las Vegas Sands said Wednesday it is working "aggressively" to meet its target to open the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore by the end of the year. It said construction of the project's first hotel tower has reached its halfway mark, and the three 55-storey hotel towers may be "topped out" in July. President of Marina Bay Sands, Nigel Roberts said he is confident of delivering on all fronts. Singapore is...

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