Let's Explore Together!

RESIDENCES @ EMERALD HILL, MOST PRESTIGE FREEHOLD TOWNHOUSE NEAR ORCHARD ROAD!

FREEHOLD LANDED TOWNHOUSE FOREIGNERS ARE ELIGIBLE TO BUY! The Only Strata-titled Landed Town House @ 119 Emerald Hill are eligible to Foreigners!

Call Iris @ +65 8123-9923 / +65 9858 5000 for Viewing Appointment!

The Highly sought-after Prestigious Address in Singapore!

Property address: 119 Emerald Hill Road Singapore.
Project: "Residences at Emerald Hill" - is a Brand New, Ready-To-Move-In FREEHOLD Apartments & Townhouses in Orchard area. Foreigners Are Eligible To Buy.

Most Affordable FREEHOLD Condo @St Michael's Rd, RIVERSIDE MELODIES! Immediate Occupation!

FREEHOLD APARTMENT NEAR THE RIVER, THE RIVERSIDE MELODIES IS DEFINITELY YOUR CHOICE HOME,  MINUTES WALK TO TWO MRT STATIONS.
MOST AFFORADABLE QUANTUM FROM $1.4XM FOR A FREEHOLD 2-BEDROOM APT OF 1119 SQFT! ADDITIONAL BUYER'S STAMP DUTY DISCOUNT, EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT, VICINITY DISCOUNT, ETC. HURRY, PRICED TO SELL!! T.O.P. AUGUST 2013...
SOLE EXCLUSIVE MARKETING AGENT: CONTACT MS IRIS TAN @ 9858-5000 FOR VIEWING APPOINTMENT AND PRICING DETAILS.
For More Infor, pls visit: Iris Tan's Property Listings

投资 “澳洲墨尔本” 房地产

1. Foreign Investment Review Board approval for non-Australian buyers

   How overseas investors and Aussies abroad can secure a brand new freehold property with just 10% initial deposit, fixed price & extended settlement.
   

2. Huge property Stamp Duty savings

   How to save tens of thousands of dollars in Stamp Duty property taxes when buying a new Melbourne property off-the-plan.
   

3. How to purchase freehold title

   What documentation is required and what important questions to ask before buying property in Australia. Find out about Victoria's streamlined and consumer friendly process for purchasing property.
   

4. Government incentives to buy

   How Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents can qualify for up to A$20,000 in Government Grants towards their first property purchase.²
   

5. Australian economy

   Hear about Australia's resilient economy with low unemployment and a period of sustained economic growth. "... our economic scorecard remains the envy of the developed world." - Treasury Press Release, July 2011.
   

6. Invest in the Worlds Most Liveable City

   Find out why Melbourne was awarded the title, "World's Most Liveable City". Discover Melbourne's broad based economy, rental market, world class education system, comfortable climate and high standard of living.. "I can legitimately say that Melbourne is the best city in the world." - Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, Aug 31, 2011.
   

Buying to let is very popular with foreign investors in Australia. There are Freehold Titles, low taxes, friendly landlord/tenant legislation, strong rental returns, a long history of steady capital growth, and ready finance. This page has been created to provide many Special Information Reports and to answer many common investment questions relating to buying to let in Australia.

STUDYING IN Australia?

Do you have children planning to study in Melbourne Australia? Come find out your residential options with me @ +8123-9923.
You can Rent then Buy... Yes! We can assist. We offers Melbourne’s large range of rental apartments, and our Easy R-T-B (rent then buy) plan can help you save $$$ whilst waiting for your new house to be constructed.
You can move straight in once your new house is completed.

The TRIZON ; Freehold Luxury Condominium in District 10 (near Dover MRT)投资新加坡房地产－最新高级私宅/公寓 《The Trizon》建构工程即将完毕！

投资新加坡房地产－最新高级私宅/公寓 《The Trizon》建构工程即将完毕！

The Trizon 的地点方便，走几分钟就能达“杜弗地铁站”(Dover MRT)；靠近著名的 新加坡国立大学(NUS)、新加坡理工学院(Singapore Polytechnic)、义安理工学院(Ngee Ann Polytechnic)、新跃大学(S.I.M.) 与许多名校，近新商业区 (BIOPOLIS & FusionPolis @ One North)；The TRIZON 位于新加坡最棒的居住区域－第10区 (District 10), 回报率高、优美的环境、5星级公寓优品质，拥有完美的设施, 您最理想家居乐园、您最聪明的投资选择！半年内就可拿到发展商居住准正和新宅钥匙了！外国投资者、不是新加坡公民也可购买！现在就联系 陈海绮小姐 +65 9858 5000 － 

The TRIZON, Luxurious FREEHOLD Condo in District 10 (Limited StarBuy Units only S$1560 p.s.f. HURRY, GRAB!) T.O.P. Soon - T.O.P. targeting early July 2012; Buy Trizon Property and within next few months, You and your loved ones can move in!  For Investors: Potential Cashflow! :- After taking the keys, you may leave it to me, I shall look for tenants to rent your property! Great Rental Yield! 　《FOREIGNERS ARE ELIGIBLE》

 ++*8 mins walk to Dover MRT, or 13 mins walk to Singapore Poly....
SALES HOTLINE: +65 8123-9923 / +65 9858-5000 Miss Iris Tan

Developer: IDEAL HOMES PTE LTD

1. Address: No.2,4,6,8 Ridgewood Close
2. Tenure:  Freehold
3. Site Area: Approx 18,153.4sq.m /195,401sq ft 
4. Type of Development:  3  blocks  of  24  storey UP-CLASS CONDOMINIUM.
5. No. of units: 289
6. Facilities: - Lap pool (50m) ; Entertainment pavilions with private pool; Children’s Pool  & Children’s Waterplay area; Sundeck; Landscape SPA Alcoves with Jacuzzi ; Infinity Reflective pool; Meditation deck; Children’s Playground; Outdoor Fitness Stations; Entertainment deck with BBQ station; 1 Tennis Court; 1 Multi-Purpose Court (Badminton & Basketball Court usable); Jogging Track ; Fitness Station ; Clubhouse  comprising : Multi-Purpose Function room , 1 Gymnasium, 2 Steam Rooms, 1 Male & 1 Female Changing Rooms, Management Office.  
7. The Trizon - Location & Nearby Amenities <<click here

Unit Type & Sizes:

• 2 BR  = 1012 – 1044 sqft
• 2 + S = 1195 – 1346 sqft
• 3 BR  = 1550 – 2110 sqft
• 4 BR  = 1959 – 2314 sqft
• PH    = 1773 – 7083 sqft Call Miss Iris Tan @ +65 8123-9923 / +65 9858-5000 (Best North-South Facing Units Now Available; First come first serve.) click this link>>The Trizon - Location Map & Nearby Amenities introduction Video

1. No. of Car Park lots: 319 car-parking lots (inclusive 6 handicap lots in Basement)
2. Nearest MRT : DOVER MRT (*8 mins walk)..
3. Estimated TOP:  August 2012 (or latest Feb 2013)
4. Nearby Educational Institutions:   Henry Park Primary / Ghim Moh Primary / Pei Tong Primary / Singapore Polytechnic / New Town Secondary / Excelsior International School.. 
5. Nearest Amenity: Jelita Cold Storage / Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre / Clementi Mall / Holland Village (Eateries / Cold Storage Supermarket / Holland V. Market / Entertainment Street, etc)..
6. Architect – P &T Consultants Pte Ltd    
7. Project ID – KRI : ETT Associates Design Partnership
8. Landscape Architect – Sitetectonix Pte Ltd 
9. Main Contractor – China Construction

Best Investment for Investors (as surrounding properties are selling ext. $2000p.s.f.)...
High Rental Yield ; Most Reasonable Low-priced Investment for a Up-Market High Class Luxury Condominium yet FREEHOLD in District 10, with HIGH Ceiling height (i.e. 6.6 meter high in Master-room); Fantastic View ; See To Believe: click this link>The Trizon Introduction Video 
FOREIGNERS ARE ELIGIBLE TO BUY!!
Call Iris +65 81239923/+65 98585000 for viewing appointment $$$ Starbuy Units $$$ : 
2 Bedrm + 1 Study (Type B1) 1346sqft : S$2.44m*
3 Bedrm (Type C2) 1550sqft : S$3,084,000.00*
3 Bedrm (Type C1b) 2207sqft : S$3,507,000.00*

(*above quoted prices are before discount) - Limited Units, please contact Iris Tan @98585000 for more details (no obligation).   Our Sales Galley is located at the actual Trizon site beside swimming pool at Ridgewood Close (off Pandan Valley), bring along your cheque and grab your dream home! 

投资新加坡房地产 - 海景公寓 《The SeaHill 》

 

投资新加坡房地产－预购最新海景私宅/公寓 《The SeaHill》

近著名的新加坡大学与许多名校，近新商业区，回报率高、品质好，最完美的设施、最棒的居住环境、您最聪明的投资，

2房单位才新币$800千起！

外国投资者、不是新加坡公民也可购买！

现在就联系 陈海绮小姐 +65 9858 5000 － 

{ 我们将提供您最值得信赖的服务 }

THE ULTIMATE IN LUXURY LIVING IN THE WEST  
Located on premium land along West Coast Link, across the road from West Coast Park, SeaHill is designed for the ultimate in luxury living and offers four housing types:
o 1, 2 and 3-bedroom SOHO apartments
o 1, 2 and 3-bedroom condominium units
o Spacious Townhouses
o 1 and 2-bedroom serviced residences managed by the developer

 As there is a serviced residence tower within the development, owners of SeaHill can have access to professional concierge and housekeeping services.
 To ensure privacy of owners staying within Seahill, the carparks and landscape features are separated for each product (SOHO apartments, condominium units, townhouses and serviced residences).
 Majority of condominium units and SOHO apartments at SeaHill enjoy panoramic sea view.

EXCELLENT LOCATION WITH SUPERB ACCESS
 Well-connected to major arterial roads and expressways such as West Coast Highway, Clementi Road and Ayer Rajah Expressway.
 Shuttle bus service to nearby Clementi MRT Station on the East West line and Haw Paw Villa MRT Station on the Circle line.
GREAT AMENITIES NEARBY
 Located within an exclusive high-end matured residential estate across the road from West Coast Park, a haven with facilities/activities including an adventure playground, bicycle obstacle course, sand play area and a dog run corner.
 Near Clementi Woods Park which is a tranquil retreat for residents in the area. Other nature parks the nearby include Kent Ridge Park, Labrador Park and Hort Park
 Clementi Stadium, Clementi Sports Hall and Clementi Swimming Complex are also just a short drive away
 There are numerous shopping, dining and entertainment outlets in the vicinity. Within 10 minutes walk from SeaHill, there are wet market, hawker centre and West Coast Plaza retail outlets.
  For the trendy, the Southern Waterfront is just 5 to 10 minutes drive away offering alfresco cafes, exclusive dining and entertainment options at Vivocity, St James Power Station, The Jewel Box and Resort World Sentosa with its Universal Studios.

GOOD EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN VICINITY
 Good schools within the vicinity include Qifa Primary School, Clementi Primary School, Pei Tong Primary School, Nan Hua Primary School and Kent Ridge Secondary School.
 The prestigious National University of Singapore and its new UTown is a short drive away. UTown which has recently opened offers a new dimension in living and learning. It boasts the concept of residential colleges similar to those of top English universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, and top American liberal arts colleges. Ultimately, it will have about 10,000 students using its facilities each week.
 Other higher educational institutions in the neighbourhood include INSEAD, Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore Institute of Management and Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
 The Japanese Supplementary School is also in the vicinity.

EMPLOYMENT HUB IN THE VICINITY
 The West of Singapore has well established employment centres such as Jurong, Tuas and Clementi
 A short drive away is the business cluster in the Alexandra precinct, consisting of Alexandra Technopark, PSA Building, The Comtech and Mapletree Business City
 The Singapore Science Park, an acclaimed R&D and technology hub is nearby
 One-north, a 200-hectare R&D hub, is a short drive away. It comprises of:
o Biopolis: State-of-the-art biomedical research campus
o Fusionopolis: Synergistic hub for the info-comm technology, media and sciences
o Vista Xchange: Corporate and business service centre

EXCELLENT INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
 There is limited supply of new homes in the West of Singapore. A study of URA transaction data from October 2011 to Jan 2012 shows only 33 new sales transactions for the Western region compared to the 69 units for the North region, 743 for the Central, 890 units for the East, and 951 units for the North East region.
 New homes along the coastline with great sea view and easy access to West Coast park are even more rare.
 As the developer will be retaining a tower at SeaHill for serviced residences, it is committed to ensure maintenance and upkeep is at the highest level.

Shuttle Bus to = Clementi MRT Station (6 mins away*)

Residential properties: Why are investors still buying?

- tag from Propwise

Despite round after round of cooling measures in 2010 and 2011, many investors remain eager to park their funds in residential properties.
The tightening measures have merely relegated a fraction of the investors to the sidelines and, while they watch the market closely, others continue to invest.
Why are investors so attracted to residential property investments?

Low interest rate environment

Savings interest rates are at an all-time low of 0.1 to 0.2 per cent per annum, while fixed deposit rates average about 0.3 to 0.8 per cent per annum, well below the rate of inflation, estimated at 3 to 4 per cent for this year (Feb 17, 2011, Ministry of Trade and Industry).
On the flip side of the coin, home loan rates start from below 1 per cent per annum. Interest expenses on property investments have never been so low since 2003 to 2004, right after SARS. Currently, floating rate home loan packages are priced at 0.65 to 0.80 per cent above the three-month SIBOR or three-month SOR or, in the case of ANZ Bank’s package, a blend of both. These home loans cost borrowers about 1 per cent per annum.
Therefore, for those who are already invested in properties, there is no urgency to sell even if rental returns edge lower, because holding costs are low. Although rental returns average about 3 to 4 per cent yield per annum, the interest coverage ratio is high, at 2.5 to 6 times. The interest coverage ratio here refers to the number of times rental returns, net of expenses, can cover interest costs.
A rental yield of 4 per cent per annum is double the bond yields of about 2 per cent on securities recently issued by Temasek-linked companies. And those bonds were two to four times oversubscribed by institutional and retail investors.
Interest rates and mortgage rates are expected to remain low for another 12 to 18 months because the money supply continues to grow strongly. In the 24 months of 2009 and 2010, M3 money supply — the widest form of money supply measured in Singapore, defined as coins and notes in circulation, money in savings accounts, fixed deposits, demand drafts, etc — grew by S$67.7 billion or almost 20 per cent.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has stated that it will allow the local dollar to gradually strengthen against a concealed basket of currencies of the country’s major trade partners, a move that will alleviate the pressures of imported inflation.
In addition, global investors, especially high net worth individuals from Europe, are confident about the strength and stability of the Singapore economy, and are driven to sell their home currencies to park their funds here.
Banks take in the new deposits, and after setting aside the reserve requirement, they may lend out the money, adding new money supply into the system. But when money supply growth is faster than the pace of lending growth, i.e. lenders are holding more money than borrowers are allowed to borrow, interest rates will continue to be pressured downwards.
So, we have on the one hand low interest rates that are reducing the value of our money, because the interest we earn from our savings is only about 0.1 per cent while the costs of living is expected to rise by up to 4 per cent. On the other hand, we have mortgage rates of less than 1 per cent, meaning the costs of borrowing money against a residential asset is so low that the cash flow from rentals is attractive even at low rental yields.

An actual example

An actual example illustrates: Our clients acquired a mid-floor three-bedroom apartment at Blue Horizon in West Coast Crescent. Blue Horizon is a 99-year leasehold condominium with full facilities and beautifully landscaped grounds. It was completed about six years ago and very popular with expatriate tenants. More than half of the 616 units are occupied by foreigners.
This particular apartment has a strata area of 1,152 sq ft and came with an expatriate teacher from an international school as a tenant. The lease runs until November next year. The transacted price was S$1.02 million, or about S$885 per sq ft, which was similar to other transactions in Blue Horizon at the end of last year.
Our clients funded the purchase with 40 per cent cash, i.e. S$408,000. Their CPF is used to fund the home they are staying in today. Stamp duty and legal fees added another S$25,200 and S$2,500, respectively. The total cash outlay was S$435,700 for this investment. They took up a loan for 60 per cent of the value at 1 per cent on a floating rate package with a local bank.
Rental income for the unit is S$3,800 per month or S$45,600 per year (Note: This produces a gross rental yield of about 4.5 per cent per annum). Expenses for property management and sinking fund amount to S$3,120 per year, while interest expenses at 1 per cent (assuming interest rates neither went up nor down during the first year) cost S$6,120 per year. Making provisions for property tax at about 10 per cent of the annual rental income means we deduct another S$4,560 from the equation.
Now, rental income minus expenses produced a net surplus of S$31,800 (=S$45,600-S$3,120-S$6,120- S$4,560). This would have gone towards paying down the principal part of the loan. If the loan was taken over a 25-year term, they would need to contribute S$2,040 a month or S$24,480 a year towards the principal. Still, they are cash positive.
Note that the cash surplus of S$31,800 versus the clients’ total cash outlay of S$435,700 implied a cash-on-cash return of 7.3 per cent. This is 10 times higher than the cash returns of placing S$435,700 into a fixed deposit. The return is also higher than the expected rate of inflation for 2011.
The example above is conservative in that I have included the maximum costs such as legal fees (which are usually subsidised by banks that provide the mortgage) and I did not deduct expenses before applying the 10 per cent property tax. Furthermore, as we pay down the principal of the loan, the interest expenses will drop.
Therefore, I believe the clients are making a cash-on cash return that is higher than 7.3 per cent this year.
Property investment come with its own risks: Tenants may move out and the apartment may be empty for a while, costs may rise, etc. Rentals may come down but we have room to absorb that slide.
In the event global stock markets take a second plunge, interest rates will be forced even lower, and a secured rental income will limit the downside of the property’s value. What happens if interest rates rise? In that case, the economy must be growing fast and there is a good chance we can raise the rentals on the tenants during contract renewal.
This is why real estate assets are a hedge against inflationary growth.
And for many of the foreign investors whose base currencies are the euro, British pound, Hong Kong dollar or US dollar, the strength of the Singapore dollar will add to their total returns when they divest and convert the returns back to their home currencies.
Originally published in Today, this article has been written and shared by Mr Ku Swee Yong, founder of real estate agency International Property Advisor, which provides services to high net worth individuals. 
He is also author of Real Estate Riches: Understanding Singapore’s Property Market In A Volatile Economy, available in bookstores now. I have bought his book and found some really great advises and would like to share his view in this blog. Thank you Mr Ku.

SingaporeScene HDB increases flat supply for first-time buyers

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) says it will launch 5,500 Build-To-Order (BTO) flats next month and 4,000 flats in November.
The two launches will bring HDB's total BTO supply this year to 25,000 flats.
HDB said it will complement the September BTO launch with the launch of at least 2,500 flats under a Sale of Balance Flats Exercise. Taken together, HDB will launch a record 8,000 units in September.
The flats will be in different towns, such as Punggol, Sengkang, Hougang, Yishun, and Jurong East.
Besides new towns like Punggol, flats will also be built in mature estates, such as Kallang, Whampoa and Tampines.
It was also revealed that changes to new income ceilings for the purchase of flats and executive condominiums announced at last night's National Day Rally by the Prime Minister will take effect immediately.
HDB added that the monthly income ceiling to purchase new Executive Condominiums (ECs) will also be increased from S$10,000 to S$12,000, with the CPF Housing Grant also adjusted. It will range from S$30,000 for those with household income of not more than S$10,000, to S$10,000 for those earning S$12,000.
However, there is no change to the DBSS income ceiling of S$10,000 which was raised a year ago.
HDB will also increase the supply of rental flats under the Public Rental Scheme.
Currently, about 46,000 HDB rental flats are available for low income Singaporean households, with another 4,000 rental flats to be completed by next year. By 2015, some 57,000 units will be available for low income households.

-tag from Yahoo! News

Public Housing Measures

Singapore Developers UNDERWEIGHT
Housing policy implications from PM Lee's National Day Rally speech
Analysts: Vikrant Pandey/Vijay Natarajan        Tel: 6590 6623/ 6590 6626
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his national day rally speech yesterday announced  the raise in the income ceiling for HDB flats to S$10,000 (S$8,000 previously) and executive condominiums to S$12,000( S$10,000 previously). HDB will build 25,000 new Built To Order (BTO) flats in 2012 on top of 25,000 flats this year. He also announced the tightening of foreign worker inflows with more stringent entry requirements for professional and skilled middle-income foreign workers particularly.

Public housing measures to have a knock on effect on private housing. The move comes in as no surprise as the raise in income ceiling was widely expected by the market post recent watershed elections.The income ceiling increase would make eligible an additional 99,161 households (~9% of total 1.15m resident households) for BTO flats and an estimated 68,700 households for executive condominiums. We believe that the move is aimed at helping the so-called sandwiched class who are not allowed to buy HDB due to their higher income but are also financially strained to buy private housing. The bulk of the sandwiched class belong to the 25-35 age group representing 17% of the resident population. The measure is likely to result in a shift in demand for majority of these households from the private mass market segment to public housing segment. Also, the release of 25,000 units  in 2011 and 2012 is a more than two fold increase compared with the average annual number of units launched over the past 10 years. The softening of the private mass segment is likely to have a knock on effect on the mid to high end segment as well.

Tightening immigration policy could further slowdown demand. During last 10 years foreigner population has been growing at a CAGR growth of 5.6% much higher than a 1.5% CAGR growth for resident population. Based on our sensitivity analysis every 0.5% change in CAGR for foreign population growth impacts average five year housing demand by 6%(see sensitivity table next page).We currently forecast a take-up rate potential of 9,150 units/year on average over the next five years based on a five year CAGR population growth of 3%. This is 31% short of the supply of 12,000 units pa during the same period.

The government policy overhang amidst the increasingly uncertain global macro economic environment will continue to weigh in on the residential sector. We maintain our cautious stance on the residential developers with City Developments (Target S$9.80) as our top SELL.

Monthly Household income from work

	2000(%)	2010 (%)	ppt change
No Working Person	8.6	10.5	1.9
Below 1,000	3.9	3.7	(0.2)
1,000 -1,999	13.8	8.2	(5.6)
2,000 -2,999	14.7	9.3	(5.4)
3,000 -3,999	13.1	9.3	(3.8)
4,000 -4,999	10.3	8.6	(1.7)
5,000 -5,999	8.2	7.8	(0.4)
6,000 -6,999	6.3	6.6	0.3
7,000 -7,999	4.6	5.6	1.0
8,000 -8,999	3.5	4.8	1.3
9,000 -9,999	2.6	3.9	1.3
10,000 -10,999	2.1	3.4	1.3
11,000 -11,999	1.5	2.6	1.1
12,000 -12,999	1.2	2.2	1.0
13,000 -13,999	0.9	1.8	0.9
14,000 -14,999	0.7	1.5	0.8
15,000 & Over	4.1	10.4	6.3
Total households(2010)		1.15m

Source: Singstats, UOB Kay Hian


Demand for HDB flats

Financial Year*	Home ownership flats
FY01	12,711
FY02	9,396
FY03	13,846
FY04	10,333
FY05	8,849
FY06	7,884
FY07	8455
FY08	12499
FY09	9870
FY10	13200

* HDB financial year from Mar - Mar
Source: HDB.

Foreign Population growth vs takeup potential

5-yr CAGR	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	Average Demand
5.00%	7,021	7,257	7,504	7,761	8,030	7,515
5.50%	7,393	7,669	7,958	8,261	8,579	7,972
6.00%	7,766	8,085	8,421	8,774	9,146	8,438
6.50%	8,139	8,504	8,891	9,300	9,733	8,914
6.74%	8,318	8,707	9,120	9,557	10,022	9,145
7.00%	8,512	8,928	9,370	9,840	10,340	9,398

Resident population by Age Group

Source: Singstat

S'pore resale prices of private housing rose at faster pace in 2Q- DTZ

SINGAPORE, June 28 (Reuters) -
Resale prices of private residential properties across all segments increased at a faster pace in the second quarter compared to the previous three months, DTZ Research said on Tuesday.
However, it noted that the market was less active in June, partly because of the school holidays and on expectations the government will introduce more policy reviews for the housing market following Singapore's general elections.

The average resale price of leasehold condominiums in suburban areas in Singapore rose 3.9 percent quarter-on-quarter in April-June, the fastest out of all the residential segments, compared to 0.8 percent in the first three months of the year, DTZ said.

The average resale price of luxury condominiums rose by 1.7 percent in the second quarter from the previous three months. It is the only segment with prices still below its 2007 peak.
Primary and secondary home sales rebounded after February, with the former seeing an average of 1,690 units a month in April and May. This was higher than the monthly average of 1,234 units sold for the first quarter, DTZ said.

In the secondary market, an average of 1,605 units per month was sold on the resale market in April and May, also higher than the monthly average of 1,383 resale transactions in the first quarter.

Did you hear about the penalty to cancel DBSS purchase (more than S$120,000 penalty)

S$120000 penalty for buyer who cancelled wedding

A home buyer who acquired a flat under the HDB's design, build and sell scheme (DBSS) with her fiancé two years ago, is now faced with a painful penalty after cancelling their wedding.

The penalty amounts to a staggering 20 percent (more than S$120,000) of the purchase price of S$610,000. This is four times the five percent penalty payable for Build-To-Order (BTO) flats.

Ms. W L Teoh, 29, purchased a five-room flat in Ang Mo Kio with her fiancé two years ago but the wedding was cancelled soon after. With the cancellation of the wedding, the couple became ineligible for the flat, since the HDB's Fiancé / Fiancée scheme requires an engaged couple to submit a wedding certificate three months after obtaining a flat.
"When we decided not to go ahead with the marriage due to personal reasons, we were hit with an absurd penalty amount," said Ms. Teoh.

The HDB then offered to let her buy the flat under a different scheme, with eligible family members.
Her parents, however, were ineligible, leaving her with no choice but to pay the penalty, which amounted to more than S$140,000, including the interest, legal fees and stamp duty.

Unlike a DBSS buyer who has to comply with the HDB's five-year rule, a private property buyer rejecting a unit that he has signed up for is permitted to sell his unit to another buyer.

CPF @ Singapore : Minimum sum revised

SINGAPORE: From July, the prevailing CPF minimum sum (MS) will be revised upwards to S$131,000, up from S$123,000. The CPF Board said the new MS will apply to members who turn 55 from July 1 2011 to June 30 2012.

It was announced in August 2003, that the minimum sum would be raised gradually to reach S$120,000 (in 2003 dollars) in 2013.

CPF Board said the increase in minimum sum, which includes an adjustment for inflation, is to ensure that Singaporeans set aside sufficient savings for their retirement.

Members who can set aside the MS fully in cash can apply to commence their monthly payouts of S$1,170 when they reach their draw down age.

Also from July, the Medisave Minimum Sum (MMS) will be raised to S$36,000 from S$34,500.

Members will be able to withdraw their Medisave savings in excess of the MMS at or after age 55.

The maximum balance a member may have in his Medisave Account, known as the Medisave Contribution Ceiling (MCC), is fixed at S$5,000 above MMS and this would be increased correspondingly to S$41,000, from S$39,500.

Any Medisave contribution in excess of the prevailing MCC will be transferred to the member's Special Account if he is below age 55 or to his Retirement Account if he is above age 55 and has a MS shortfall.

The revisions to MMS and MCC are to ensure that Singaporeans have sufficient savings to meet their healthcare expenses, and have been adjusted for inflation.