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It’s getting hotter at Sentosa Cove

Posted on 7 Dec 2009 | Comments Off

More over-$10m home sales in Jan-Oct than in previous four years

Homes in Sentosa Cove drew strong interest from high-net- worth investors in the first 10 months of this year – more properties costing $10 million and above were transacted during this period than in the preceding four years.

Property consultancy Savills Singapore said that its analysis of URA Realis data as at Dec 1, also shows that September and October this year were particularly active months.

In fact, the three biggest ever residential transactions in Sentosa Cove – at $20.18 million, $22 million and $30 million respectively – took place during this period. The largest involved a completed bungalow at Ocean Drive which changed hands in the secondary market in October. The $30 million sale price works out to $1,753 per square foot, based on a land area of 17,115 square feet.

BT understands that the bungalow was purchased by two Chinese citizens who are also Singapore permanent residents. The seller is a locally incorporated company.

The second and third largest deals involved subsales of two villas at Paradise Island for $22 million and $20.18 million in September.

Overall, Savills’ analysis shows that the number of caveats lodged for homes in Sentosa Cove costing $10 million and above shot up to 24 in the first 10 months of 2009 – from just 17 between Q4 2004 and Q4 2008.

Over half or 14 of the 24 deals were sealed in September and October. The firm said that a more positive global economic outlook at the time, before the recent news of Dubai World’s debt problems, gave confidence to investors to make big-ticket purchases such as super-luxury homes.

Other above-$10 million homes sold in the two months include four condo units at SC Global’s Seven Palms Sentosa Cove; a villa at Sandy Island that fetched $16.57 million or $1,950 psf of land area in the resale market; and a bungalow at Treasure Island which sold for $14.25 million or $1,662 psf, also in the resale market.

Savills said that the steady recovery of the Singapore economy in the past few months and the Republic’s renewed prominence on the global financial map have helped fuel optimism among investors to park monies here.

Singapore is also a ‘relatively cheaper’ destination to buy luxury properties compared with, say, Hong Kong. Luxury property prices here are still below their peak levels.

Savills director of investment sales & prestige homes Steven Ming offered another reason for the surge in transactions in October: according to anecdotal evidence, some high-networth mainland Chinese were in Singapore shopping for properties during their National Day Golden Week holiday.

Across all price bands, the total number of caveats lodged for private homes in Sentosa Cove shot up from 72 in the whole of last year to 133 in the first 10 months of 2009. Even so, the latest figure is just 26 per cent of the peak 516 transactions in 2006.

Savills said that the bulk of the 2009 transactions were in the subsale and resale markets. Primary market deals involving developer sales accounted for just 9 per cent of caveats, reflecting the limited release of new projects this year.

A breakdown of 2009 transactions shows that the number of caveats (both primary and secondary markets) lodged rose from nine in Q1, to 49 in Q2, and 51 in Q3. In October, there were 24 deals – the highest monthly figure for 2009 – bucking the trend of slowing property sales seen generally in Singapore.

Savills credits the approaching opening of the integrated resorts (IRs) with helping to generate a renewal of interest in the super-luxury residential market.

Prices also appreciated with the increase in transactions – the average unit price for landed homes rose from the recent low of $1,150 psf of land area in Q1 this year, to $1,533 psf in Q3 – up 33 per cent. It was up 12.2 per cent from September to $1,647 psf in October. But this figure was still about 38 per cent below the peak figure of $2,643 psf in Q1 2008.

Condominium prices in Sentosa Cove have also firmed. The average price climbed from a low of $1,200 psf in Q4 2008, to $1,804 psf in Q3 this year and $2,117 psf in September before easing to $2,030 psf in October.

The latest figure is 16.5 per cent shy of the $2,431 psf high seen in Q1 last year. Savills said that the October figure was shored up by four caveats lodged for units at Seven Palms Sentosa Cove with prices ranging from $3,091 to $3,353 psf.

Excluding these transactions, the average price for the month would have slipped to $1,658 psf.

DTZ executive director (consulting) Ong Choon Fah reckons that Sentosa Cove prices will continue to appreciate next year, although a lot will depend on the wider property market. ‘Prices in Sentosa Cove could be more volatile than in the prime districts on the mainland because Sentosa Cove buyers are relatively more investment driven than motivated by owner occupation, compared to the prime districts. When markets go up or down markedly, investors may be more inclined to sell than owner-occupiers, whether it is to cut loss or realise a gain,’ she added.

Source : Business Times – 7 Dec 2009

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Posted in Property Market / Real Estate, Sentosa Property

Tagged Sentosa, Sentosa Cove, Singapore Property, Singapore Property Market

Paradise Island prices back to 2007 peak

Posted on 7 Dec 2009 | Comments Off

Interest in waterfront homes at Sentosa Cove seems to have returned in recent months, as the opening of Resorts World at Sentosa looms. Since the beginning of November, a total of six properties — three luxury condominiums and three landed homes — have changed hands in the resale market at $1,406 to $2,423 psf.

In the week of Nov 6 to 13, one of the 29 villas on Ho Bee Group’s Paradise Island — a double-storey unit on 8,105 sq ft of land — was sold for $11.4 million, or $1,406 psf. The villas were completed in May and Ho Bee sold the last one for $22 million in August. Each villa has a private berth and all rooms have views of the waterways. The owner had purchased the villa in April 2007 for $9.18 million, or $1,133, hence reaping a 24% capital gain. In early November, a 7,029 sq ft villa sold for $10.8 million, or $1,536 psf. The owner had lso purchased it at launch for $7.1 million ($1,010 psf) in April 2007 and saw the price appreciate 52% in the past 2½ years.

When the villas at Paradise Island were launched, prices ranged from $1,047 to $1,208 psf, according to the URA Realis database of caveats. Since then, prices have climbed, reaching $1,500 psf two months ago, a level last seen in October 2007.

Meanwhile, a terraced house in the 99-year leasehold Ocean 8 enclave developed by IJM Properties Sdn Bhd, a unit of the Malaysian conglomerate IJM Corp Bhd, was sold for $6.4 million, or $2,423 psf, in a caveat dated Nov 13. The 2,637 sq ft house had changed hands twice before. The original owner purchased the property in October 2006 for $2.92 million ($1,109 psf), and flipped it in January 2007 for $3.5 million ($1,326 psf), enjoying an 20% gain.

The $2,423 psf is the highest psf price achieved at Ocean 8 to date. The last time a unit in the stretch of eight terraced homes changed hands above $2,000 psf was in May last year, when two units were sold for $5.5 million each — a 2,626 sq ft unit went for $2,097 psf, while a 2,691 sq ft unit was sold for $2,046 psf.

Just up the street along Ocean Drive is the 116- unit The Azure, a 99-year leasehold waterfront condo development by Frasers Centrepoint and completed last year. The property was launched in September 2005 at around $900 psf.

According to a Nov 10 caveat, a 1,701 sq ft apartment on the third floor was sold for $2.9 million, or $1,705 psf. This is the second time this year the unit has changed hands. It was last sold in June for $2.43 million ($1,429). The original owner purchased the property in October 2005 for $1.77 million ($1,043 psf).

At the end of Ocean Drive is the 264-unit The Oceanfront @ Sentosa Cove, which is being developed jointly by TID Pte Ltd and City Developments Ltd and expected to be completed in 1Q2010. A two-bedroom apartment on the eighth floor has changed hands three times since it was purchased in August 2006. The 1,711 sq ft unit was most recently sold for $3.1 million, or $1,811 psf. The seller appears to have made a quick flip as, according to URA Realis, the previous transaction was just this September for $3 million, or $1,753 psf. The initial owner purchased the unit at launch in 2006 for $2.28 million ($1,337 psf) and sold it in April 2007 for $3.25 million ($1,899 psf), a 42% price gain.

Source : The Edge – 7 Dec 2009