Category Archives: Overseas Property

Cost of living causes Singaporeans to look down under

Adelaide has reflected South Australia as a whole with its recent population boom and healthy real estate market.

According to a recent press release by Optimizer Capital, South Australia, on a risk adjust basis, represents one of the best property investments of the next 10 years.

Optimizer Capital reported that Singapore is currently at the top of its cycle and is showing a poor market outlook for 2012 and 2013. Real estate analysts forecast a 5 to 10 per cent drop in property prices this year.

Due to Singapore’s property prices at an all time high and rental yields being low, it is suggested that investors could be overpaying for the potential rental income.

The annual average inflation of Singapore since 1980 is about 2.1 per cent and the Consumer Price Index is on an upward trend making it likely that the cost of living will keep increasing.

This increasing cost of living has made finding a place for retirement difficult resulting in many of the countries residents to settle down in neighboring countries, such as to stretch their retirement funds.

Investors can expect that some country’s property markets will be growing while others will be on the decline. Many investors are purchasing properties in Australia to ensure that their investments are not exposed to the risks that different countries face.

In recent years Australia has maintained a stable, diverse, and advanced economy making it one of the most popular places to invest.

South Australia has recently experienced a population boom fueled by mining, defense, infrastructure, wine, industrial growth, and education which is creating an unprecedented need for property development. The increase in population means that by 2030, 620,000 new homes will be required.

“I truly believe I’m going to witness the best property boom in Adelaide that I have seen in my lifetime,” said Adelaide’s property professor Peter Koulizos. “The thing that will drive property is people with money, and the mining industry tends to pay higher wages. As the cheapest capital city in mainland Australia, there’s a lot of focus on Adelaide.”

South Australia has a population of 1.2 million while around 2/3 of the population in South Australia live in the capital, Adelaide. The highest percentage of the population in South Australia is in the 15 30 age bracket that will be entering the housing market over the coming years.

South Australia is also expanding as a leader in natural resources and is rapidly evolving into the third biggest resource state, after Queensland and Western Australia.

The state has already become the national leader in major defense projects, including the Air Warfare Destroyer project and the future submarine fleet project. In addition, it is already the nation’s leader in alternative energy generation, an industry of growing importance.

It is expected that South Australia can expect the same kind of growth Perth saw from 2002-2012 when prices tripled and in Port Headland went up five times.

source – Property Asia 8 May 2012

Commercial property boom in Asia-Pacific

Commercial property leased out by investors in the Asia-Pacific, or invested stock, increased 14 per cent last year, displaying the region’s flourish while markets in Europe and the United States languished, according to the yearly Money into Property report by real estate consultancy DTZ.

The Asia-Pacific’s invested stock is also forecast to match current global leader Europe’s level by rising to US$4.4 trillion (S$5.47 trillion) by next year, after taking the place of the US as the world’s second-largest commercial property market this year, DTZ said.

The Asia-Pacific region’s growth has been led by China and Australia, which reported gains of 25 and 24 per cent, respectively, last year. Overall transaction levels in the region rose to US$158 billion last year, indicating increasing development activity and rising capital values. Global investment volumes were up 76 per cent at US$342 billion – the highest since 2007. DTZ also forecast global investment volumes to increase 9 per cent this year.

Mr David Green-Morgan, DTZ head of Asia Pacific Research, is optimistic about the region. “We expect Asia-Pacific’s momentum to continue on the back of strong economic growth, lack of legacy debt issues and strong investor interest.”

Liquidity in the Asia-Pacific commercial property market continued to grow last year. The amount of private debt funding such investments grew 17 per cent to US$257 billion, while private equity funding grew 13 per cent to US$139 billion. However, DTZ said rising interest rates may make bank loans less popular.

“On the debt side, some of the government policy will reduce the amount of debt going forward, for the growth of private debt in particular. Also some of the debt is being priced higher now and becomes less attractive,” said Mr Hans Vrensen, global head of research at DTZ.

“But there’s a lot of development still in the pipeline. You are not going to stop building a building. People will continue to deliver these properties to the market and that is a big momentum that the Asia-Pacific has,” said Mr Vrensen.

Source : Today – 27 May 2011