Few can admit to owning property in the ultra-posh Sentosa Cove. So, how did this shipping magnate get his foot into the gilded door? IT’S incredible he allowed me to sit in his office all by myself for a good 10 minutes. Where most corporate chiefs here cordon off their sacred thinking spaces from reporters, this man from the Cove has no such qualms. The room offers a quick introduction to Mahesh...

Singaporeans are uneasy and foreigners are fretting. But their concerns about the frothy property market may be unfounded for now, according to the Republic’s Senior Minister. Mr Goh Chok Tong, who as then-Prime Minister presided over the cooling of the 1996 property fever, is losing no sleep over the current surge in prices. “Property bubble is short-term. I think the property market is active, but...

 A suspended lawyer was charged on Friday with forging three certificates of stamp duty in different property transactions. Tan Sok Ling, 40, is accused of attempting to cheat three buyers of $33,780 when he altered the stamp duty amounts. In all, he overstated the amounts by $11,484. A stamp duty is a government tax on commercial and legal documents which record and give effect to certain transactions....

There was a time, not so long ago, that the lines were neatly drawn in en-bloc sales. On one side, the majority of residents, their signatures already on a collective sale agreement (CSA) and waiting to cash in; on the other, a minority bloc with objections. Not any more. In a growing number of estates, some residents from the majority group are gunning for the same goal as the minority — to scupper...

Unmanageable mortgages can break up a family Letter from Gilbert Goh Keow Wah I refer to the article “Time to play it cool” (July 5). It is timely that the Government has stepped in to cool down the current property fever that is gripping the nation. Today, the situation is not unlike what it was in 1995 and 1996, when people bought up residences and prices bordered on the ridiculous. People were...

For the second time in three days, the Government has stepped in with a cautioning note to calm the bullish property sector, even going so far as to single out parties that may have helped fan the flames. Urging the public to take media reports of rising office rentals with a pinch of salt, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said “the public should take into consideration information on future...

It looks like an outright seller’s market — even for those in non-prime districts. Across the board, private home prices are quickening their surge towards the pre-crisis levels of 1996, according to official data released yesterday. Worrying? Yes, for aspiring public housing upgraders who may be priced out of the suburban areas, say analysts. The Government doesn’t seem to be resting easy,...

The suburban residential market is finally catching up with the verve of the high-end luxury market, according to a report by real estate specialists CB Richard Ellis. “The strong take-up recorded for suburban projects is in part due to the limited supply of new homes within the price range of $600psf and $800psf,” said Mr Joseph Tan, CB Richard Ellis’ executive director (residential). “Most new...

Jurong and Paya Lebar have been designated as new business hubs so as to provide space for Singapore’s continued growth as a global business centre, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said yesterday. In the interview with Channel NewsAsia, Mr Tan also commented on speculation about the possibility of sharp increases in plot ratios for land to cope with an anticipated rise in population. He said...

More comprehensive data on the property market will be available from next month, enabling the Government and the public to better gauge the health of the sector, said Mr Mah Bow Tan. There have been concerns that the recent increase in private home prices — more than 20 per cent in the last three years — is a bubble waiting to burst. Even as more options such as executive condominiums (ECs) will be...