Straits Times: A view to thrill

What gives condos a selling edge?
Buyers are willing to pay premiums of up to 10% for properties that come with good views
By Jessica Cheam
WHAT do home buyers look for in their dream home?
No doubt, it is a combination of an affordable price, the perfect location and other sought-after attributes.
But if there is one [...]

Straits Times: Credit squeeze getting worse

THE credit crunch has worsened in the past three months, the US Federal Reserve reported, and most banks in the United States say they will keep cutting back on credit to consumers and businesses.
Despite all the aggressive moves by the Fed in the past year to ease the flow of credit to the economy, a [...]

Straits Times Forum: Collective sales destroy feeling of belonging

I REFER to Monday’s article “Hope for owners fighting en bloc”. I am a staunch “stayer” in a condo which has tried to go en bloc many times.
There is a saying by Confucius: To have harmony in the nation, there must be harmony at home. Home, to many of us, is one of the most [...]

Straits Times: Many US homes worth less than mortgage

NEW YORK: Just how bad is the United States housing market?
Well, almost one-third of Americans who bought homes in the past five years now owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth.
Second-quarter home prices have fallen 9.9 per cent from a year earlier, giving 29 per cent of owners negative equity, said Zillow.com, [...]

CNA: Real estate company charged with illegal use of private apartment

SINGAPORE: Real estate company PNL Real Estate was charged on Tuesday with the unauthorised change of a residential apartment into a workers’ dormitory.
The premises – at Public Mansion, 432 Balestier Road – was also in breach of Section 30(1) of the Fire Safety Act.
The offence came to light in June this year.
Using wooden partitions, the [...]

Straits Times: Just one bid for Tampines condo site

THE property slowdown was clear for all to see yesterday when the tender for a condo site overlooking Bedok Reservoir closed with just one bid – and at a price well below expectations.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will likely refuse to awardthe 3.2ha site, given the poor offer, consultants said.
Boon Keng Development bid S$84.6 million, [...]

Business Times: UOL Q2 profit dives as fair-value gains fall

Its listed subsidiary Hotel Plaza posts 5% rise in net profit to S$16.3m
By UMA SHANKARI
UOL Group’s second-quarter net profit fell 49 per cent to S$145 million, from S$286.3 million a year ago, as the property group saw lower fair-value gains from its investment properties.
Revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2008 rose 4 [...]

Straits Times: Hong Leong turns cautious in lending

HONG Leong Finance, banker to many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is easing up on lending as the economic gloom deepens.
Its loan underwriting standards have been tightened while the quality, duration and yield of its loan portfolio are under additional scrutiny to ensure sustainable profits.
The firm said yesterday the local economy has been hit by [...]

Straits Times: SC Global offers NY-warehouse living at Martin Rd

SC GLOBAL is introducing New York-style warehouse living to Martin Road – a first for Singapore – with prices that will be set above the market average.
Like warehouse lofts in Lower Manhattan, the flats will feature high ceilings and seamless interior spaces that can be separated at will, using walls that slide and hide away.
And [...]

Business Times: New SC Global building may have car showroom

A high-end car showroom could very well open its doors in the unlikely Newton area by year-end if SC Global Developments Ltd’s plans zoom off.
The upmarket property developer has been marketing the ground floor of its soon-to-be-completed Newton 200 office building as being suitable for showcasing an exclusive make of automobiles.
‘Newton 200, with its vantage [...]