国大房地产价格指数：5月私宅转售价攀高

5月私宅转售价攀高 （2012-06-29）  全岛转售私宅的价格5月上扬1.5％，除小型公寓以外的非中央区涨幅最为显著，达到2.2％。 《早报》李敏雯　报道 [e-mail] 　　今年5月份转售私宅价格出乎意料地没有受到欧债危机恶化的影响，所有房地产领域的价格反而都攀高。 　　昨天出炉的国大房地产价格指数（简称SRPI）显示，全岛转售私宅的价格5月上扬1.5％，除小型公寓以外的非中央区涨幅最为显著，达到2.2％。该领域在4月份的价格指数则没有变动。 中央区价格指数连涨三个月 　　4月份领涨的中央区领域，5月份的价格指数再上升0.8％，已经是连续三个月呈上升趋势。昨天出炉的4月份修正数据显示，中央区非有地私宅的转售价格在4月份上扬1.5％，3月份则微起0.1％。 　　4月份价格下跌0.8％的小型公寓，5月份的价格则有所回弹，上扬0.9％，似乎处于横摆状态。 　　中央区指的是第1至第4邮区（圣淘沙升涛湾、滨海湾地区），以及第9至第11邮区的传统高档私宅黄金地区，其他则都属于非中央区范围。小型公寓指的是面积不超过506平方英尺的单位。　 智信研究与咨询（R’ST Research）总监王伽胜认为，5月份转售私宅价格不跌反升，估计与市场没有什么受瞩目的新项目登场有关，促使买家将眼光再度聚焦到转售私宅身上，尤 其是转售私宅中的大众化领域，依然可以找到价格具吸引力，比如平均售价低于每平方英尺1000元或总价低于100万元的项目。 　　他对转售私宅价格不跌反升也不感意外。王伽胜说，买家对转售私宅的兴趣能获得基本面的支持，尤其是当新项目的价格居高不下，而转售私宅能为买家提供一个地点优越、且较实惠的选择。 　　此外，今年3、4月份，市场的焦点围绕着“鞋盒公寓”涌现，买家担心有降温措施出台来浇灭这个领域的买气，不过随着事态变化，新一轮降温措施似乎不太可能发生。这促使转售私宅的买家将发展商新私宅的销售看成为市场情绪的指引，从而受到鼓舞。 　　王伽胜指出，中央区的涨幅反映了该领域的私宅价格已较能持久回弹。“缓和的价格涨幅，反映出虽然高档私宅被视为有价值的投资，但它们依然超出了许多买家的可负担水平。” 　　展望未来，他认为转售私宅市场已从政府加抽额外买方印花税（简称ABSD）的降温措施中复苏，虽然复苏步伐不如新私宅来得快。而接下来数个月将能看到转售私宅价格和成交量保持平稳的增长，但预计不会有较明显的涨幅。 　　国大每个月所发表的房地产价格指数，主要反映的是私宅转售市场的波动。它在去年7月底首次为小型公寓制定单独的转售价格指数。

Private resale home prices continue inching upwards                      Straits Times: Fri, Jun 29 PRICES of private resale homes nudged higher again in May, maintaining a trend of recent months. Overall, prices gained 1.5 per cent last month, buoyed by price rises of homes islandwide. High-end homes in the central area inched up 0.8 per cent while mass market ones rose a stronger 2.2 per cent. Prices of tiny shoebox units - about 500 sq ft or smaller - moved up 0.9 per cent in May, after dipping 0.8 per cent the month before. The flash figures released yesterday in the Singapore Residential Price Index were compiled by the National University of Singapore's Institute of Real Estate Studies. The monthly report measures a basket of non-landed completed private units and condominiums. It excludes executive condos, a public-private housing hybrid. Property consultant Ong Kah Seng said that the overall price increase is 'within expectations', as sales activity and interest in resale homes have kept up since a pick-up emerged in March. The R'ST Research director noted that the 2.2 per cent rise for non-central homes is partly a result of limited choices from fewer condo launches in May. Another factor is improved buyer interest in homes which are attractively priced, like those below $1,000 psf, Mr Ong said. 'Resale properties are lower-cost options... this attracts practical buyers who can trade off the frills for a lower-cost, well-located, and comparatively spacious resale property with tested investment fundamentals,' he said. The price increase for luxury homes in the central area points to sustained recovery momentum in the sector, he said. Mr Png Poh Soon, head of research at Knight Frank, said overall resale prices are likely to keep rising for the next one or two months, until the price gap between new and resale homes narrows. 'Record prices of some new suburban launches had prompted buyers to look again at the resale market which seemed to be a value buy,' he said, adding that demand for resale homes will hold up as long as buyers consider them a better deal than new homes. But homes in the central region are likely to see price rises of less than 1 per cent as new high-end properties are not seeing high demand now. 'So if developers start slashing prices, resale units won't be so attractive any more,' Mr Png said. [e-mail] VALUE BUYS Record prices of some new suburban launches had prompted buyers to look again at the resale market which seemed to be a value buy. - Mr Png Poh Soon, head of research at Knight Frank Source: The Straits Times

Prices of suburban condos above 506 sq ft most resilient

[SINGAPORE] Prices of completed apartments above 506 sq ft in the Non-Central Region or suburban areas have been the most resilient year to date (up to May) followed by small units islandwide. Big apartments in the Central Region have fared the worst, show data from NUS. Based on NUS's Singapore Residential Price Index (SRPI) series, which tracks prices of completed apartments and condos, the sub-index for the Non-Central Region (excluding small units) rose 1.9 per cent between December last year and May this year. Over the same period, the sub-index for small units (up to 506 sq ft) islandwide dipped 0.1 per cent, while the sub-index for the Central Region (excluding small units) slipped an even bigger 2 per cent. Central Region is defined as Districts 1-4 (which include the financial district and Sentosa Cove) and the traditional prime residential districts of 9, 10 and 11. The pattern is similar to trends in the past two years. In 2011, the Non-Central Region sub-index (excluding small units) rose 11.3 per cent, higher than a 10.6 per cent increase for small units islandwide and 5.1 per cent hike for Central Region (excluding small units) In 2010, the three indices posted gains of 14.9 per cent, 13.8 per cent and 7.7 per cent respectively. "The index movements pretty much reflect what we've been seeing in the market in the past few years," says DTZ's SE Asia chief operating officer Ong Choon Fah. "In suburban locations, because developers have been launching new projects at prices higher than those of existing, completed projects in the vicinity, it has an effect on prices of the completed properties as well." Even so, analysts note that there is usually still a price gap between new launch and resale prices, which means that buyers, especially owner occupiers, still see value in completed suburban condos, says SLP International managing director Peter Ow. Mrs Ong notes that in addition to owner occupiers, there is demand for completed suburban apartments from investors. "Rents have held up well. Many younger expats on smaller housing budgets are opting to lease suburban condos and even HDB flats," she adds. In contrast, big units in the Central Region tend to be more pricey and cater mostly to high net worth Singaporean investors and foreigners. "Some of them could be affected by various cooling measures as well as the global economic situation. They may also be attracted to other property markets such as London," says Mrs Ong. Meanwhile, shoebox apartments continue to be popular, with their more affordable lump sum investment size. NUS's May 2012 flash estimates released yesterday show that the overall SRPI increased 1.5 per cent in May over the preceding month. This is double the 0.7 per cent month-on-month hike in April. The sub-index for small apartments islandwide posted a 0.9 per cent month-on-month rise in May, against a drop of 0.8 per cent in April. The sub-indices for the Central Region and Non-Central Region, both excluding small units, were up 0.8 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively month on month for May. In April, the Central Region sub-index rose 1.5 per cent while that for the Non-Central Region was unchanged from the preceding month. The SRPI series, minted by NUS's Institute of Real Estate Studies, tracks prices of completed private apartments and condos (excluding executive condos). R'ST Research's caveats analysis shows a pick-up in resale volumes of private apartments/condos above 506 sq ft in recent months, in both the Central and Non-Central regions - compared with January, when volumes dived following the introduction of the additional buyer's stamp duty in December. The figures hovered around 700 units or more per month in the Non-Central Region between March and May, compared with 192 in January and 345 units in February. However, the 683 caveats in May are down 12.2 per cent from April's 778. In the Central Region, 259 caveats were lodged in May, nearly 5 per cent higher than April's 247 units. The 200-plus caveats lodged per month between March and May are up from the January and February numbers of 50 and 119 respectively. Source: Business Times