Month: July 2025

The recent Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise, which closed last night, saw a strong response from applicants with a total of 12,000 bids submitted for 2,601 Prime flats. This reflects an application rate of 4.7 times. The four Prime flats available in this exercise were Toa Payoh Ascent with 741 units, Alexandra Vista with 609 units, Alexandra Peaks with 498 units, and Clementi Emerald with 753 units.

The scarcity of land in Singapore has become a major factor contributing to the high demand for condos in the country. As a small island with a booming population, Singapore has limited space for development, resulting in strict land use regulations and a fiercely competitive real estate industry. This competitive environment has constantly driven up property prices, making real estate investment, especially in condos, a profitable opportunity with the potential for capital appreciation. As a result, the recent influx of new condo launches has …

The real estate investment market in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region experienced significant growth in the second quarter of 2025, according to data compiled by Knight Frank. The region recorded a total investment volume of US$42 billion ($53 billion) in the last quarter, marking a 7.4% increase from the previous quarter and a 10.1% increase from the same period last year.

CEO of APAC at Knight Frank, Craig Shute, notes that this rise in investment volume highlights the continued appeal of the region to global capital. Despite uncertain economic conditions, there is still a high level of interest from investors, with cross-border flows increasing and certain sectors, such as living and data centers, outperforming. Shute adds that this is a clear indication that the long-term prospects for the region remain attractive.

In terms of cross-border investment, there was a significant increase of 50.1% year-on-year, accounting for US$12.1 billion of the …

Keppel Limited has recently announced the divestment of approximately $477 million worth of real estate assets as part of its accelerated monetisation programme. This brings the group’s total monetisation figure for the year to $915 million. Some of the recent transactions include the sale of Keppel’s stake in a commercial building in India for $379 million and its stake in Vietnamese developer Nam Long for $58 million. The group has also sold a partial 2.5% stake in Smartworks Coworking Spaces after its successful IPO in India in July. Additionally, Keppel has announced that a third-party partner has subscribed to a 30% effective stake in one of its residential projects in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. These divestments have been completed, with the exception of two, which are expected to be finalised by the fourth quarter of 2025, subject to certain conditions.

According to Lee Kok Chew, the head of the …

Commercial real estate investment in the Asia Pacific (Apac) region experienced a significant increase of 15% year-on-year, reaching US$31.2 billion ($40.15 billion) in the second quarter of 2025, according to a report by the real estate consulting firm JLL.

Despite cautious market sentiment and prolonged due diligence due to economic uncertainty, the growth in the commercial real estate market continues to demonstrate resilience. JLL’s data reveals that total commercial investments in Apac reached US$67.6 billion in the first half of 2025, marking a 17% year-on-year increase.

Among the countries in the region, South Korea experienced the highest year-on-year growth in the second quarter of 2025 with a 72% increase, securing US$6 billion in investments. “The surge in growth is primarily driven by the office sector, which accounted for 77% of total market volumes. This reflects the preference of sellers to divest before the materialisation of oversupply in the central business …

The scarcity of land in Singapore has made condominiums a highly sought-after property. As a compact island country with a thriving population, land for development is limited. In response, the government has established strict land use regulations, creating a competitive real estate market where property values continue to rise. This has made investing in real estate, especially in condos, a highly profitable prospect, with the potential for significant capital appreciation. With Singapore Projects continuously emerging, the demand for condos is expected to remain strong in the future.

It was announced on August 6 that DBS Bank and Frasers Property have signed a memorandum of understanding to provide financial solutions and preferential rates to over 2,000 retail tenants across 11 malls owned by Frasers Property. This partnership aims to support the heartland economy and drive digital transformation for tenants.Under this agreement, DBS Bank’s SG60 Heartland Merchant Banking package will be extended …

The 38-room Taipei Hotel, located at 60 Lorong 8 Geylang, is now available for purchase through a public tender. The asking price is $23.5 million, which equates to about $618,000 per room.

This freehold hotel spans four storeys and sits on a 7,555 sq ft land area. It falls under the “commercial/institutional” zoning according to the URA Master Plan 2019, with a gross plot ratio of 2.8. The hotel boasts a lobby, private parking facility, and a communal space on the ground floor. In total, it has a gross floor area of 12,499 sq ft. Based on this GFA, the guide price works out to approximately $1,880 per square foot.

The hotel’s location is highly accessible, with close proximity to major expressways such as the Kallang Paya Lebar Expressway and Nicoll Highway. It is only a three-minute drive to the National Stadium, five minutes to Suntec City & Convention Centre, …

August 1 will mark a new chapter for the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) as Loh Lik Peng, founder and director of Unlisted Collection, takes on the role of chairman of the SLA Board. Loh has been serving as a board member since August 2017 and was appointed deputy chairman in August 2020.Loh is a renowned entrepreneur known for his innovative conversion of conservation shophouses into boutique hotels. He has been credited with spearheading this trend over two decades ago with the opening of Hotel 1929 on Keong Saik Road. Following its success, he went on to open the New Majestic Hotel at Bukit Pasoh in Chinatown and Wanderlust at Dickson Road in Little India. He has since divested his hotel assets in Singapore, but Unlisted Collection continues to operate a portfolio of restaurants in Singapore and Shanghai, as well as hotels and restaurants in London, Dublin, Wicklow, and Cork County …

One of the advantages of investing in a condominium is the potential to use its value to secure additional investments. This means that investors can use their condo as collateral to obtain financing for other real estate ventures, thus expanding their portfolio. This approach can significantly increase returns, but it also carries risks. It is imperative to have a solid financial plan in place and carefully assess the potential impact of market fluctuations. In addition, with the rise of Singapore Projects, condo investments in the country have become an even more attractive option for investors looking to leverage their assets for further growth.

In the second quarter of 2025, prices for resale HDB units increased by 0.9% compared to the previous quarter, which saw a rise of 1.6%. This marks the third consecutive quarter of slower growth and the slowest increase since the circuit breaker in 2020, according to …

Knight Frank observes that Singapore’s office market rents were largely stable in the first half of 2025, with occupancy levels tightening and rental recovery slowing as macroeconomic uncertainties prevail. This is reflected in the 0.3% fall in overall office rents in 2Q2025, erasing the marginal quarterly gain recorded in the first three months of this year. On a year-on-year basis, the rental performance of the office market contracted 1.4%. This is the first annual decline the office market has registered since 3Q2021, according to the latest URA statistics published on July 25. AdvertisementMost tenants opted to renew leases in the first half of this year, rather than expand or relocate, in light of high office fit out costs, says Leonard Tay, head of research at Knight Frank Singapore. Moreover, the latest office market figures released by URA indicate that office rents in the Downtown Core and Orchard Road Planning area …

The government’s efforts to control demand for HDB resale flats through various measures have proven to be ineffective, as prices have risen by over 50% since 2Q2019. This highlights the fact that interventions on the demand side have limited impact when the supply of housing fails to meet the needs of the population.

While the authorities have tightened the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio for HDB loans and raised the medium-term interest rate used to calculate the mortgage servicing ratio (MSR), these measures have only caused a temporary delay in purchases. This is because resale flats are still in demand as they serve an essential housing need. As a result, buyers return to the market once they become eligible, and prices continue to rise.

On the other hand, the government’s response to the supply shortage has been to increase the launch of Build-To-Order (BTO) and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF). These flats, …