Upper Thomson site draws 18 bids

The tender for a residential site at Lorong Puntong near Upper Thomson Road closed yesterday after attracting a stunning 18 bids, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

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Launched for sale in August, the 10,502.8 sqm site has a maximum permissible gross floor area (GFA) of 22,056 sqm.

The highest bid was submitted by China-based Nanshan Group, with an offer of $173.6 million. That translates to around $7,870 psm on the GFA.

This was followed by a $161.9 million bid from SL Capital Ventures. The lowest bid was from Tee Vista at $108 million.

Property analysts had expected strong demand for the 99-year leasehold site due to its small size which commands a smaller quantum of below $200 million.

“Generally, the bidders were probably also encouraged by the good attributes of the site. The site is located in a mature estate, supported by a comprehensive network of amenities and renowned schools,” said Desmond Sim, Research Head for CBRE Singapore.

He added: “The future Thomson Line will certainly be a selling point because the site is situated in-between two future MRT stations.”

With previous projects in the area selling well, this would have further boosted developers’ confidence in the plot, noted Sim.

“The bidders have also benefited from studying the market for a longer period post-TDSR and now have a better sense of price levels.”

Photo by URA

ABSD could shrink developers’ profits by 50%

Real estate developers in Singapore are cutting unit prices by 15 percent in order to sell unsold homes and avoid steep government fines.

According to a media report, CLSA revealed property firms could offer larger discounts as they struggle to move unsold units amidst a looming deadline for failure to do so means paying the applicable stamp duties and extension fees.

Under the Residential Property Act, developers are required to pay an Additional Buyer Stamp Duty (ABSD) of 10 percent for land bought after December 2011 and 15 percent for land acquired after January 2013.

But the government will waive the fee if they agree to build, complete and then sell all their units within a stipulated period, namely four years for executive condominiums (ECs) and five years for private residential properties.

Failing to meet this condition means developers must pay the full ABSD plus interest, and this could diminish profits by up to 50 percent for some high-end developers, said CLSA.

“Given the build-up of inventory among developers and the requirement to pay an extension premium for Qualifying Certificates (QCs), developers may adjust pricing for existing launches in order to move inventory,” it added.