Developers get creative to sell units

Posted on 25 Apr 2016 | Comments Off on Developers get creative to sell units

To entice home buyers amidst the challenging housing market, developers are resorting to new marketing gimmicks, like holding games where everyone wins a prize, organising trips to Singapore, and launching their projects in other countries, reported The Straits Times.

For instance, Kingsford Development held a ‘Property Tycoon Challenge’ for buyers of Kingsford Hillview Peak in Upper Bukit Timah over the weekend.

Styled after Singapore’s Mandarin version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’, the top prize at stake is a $250,000 cash rebate. But every contestant will be leaving with at least $5,000 in cash rebates, which will increase if they give the correct answers to the questions in the game. Buyers also have a chance to win an electric scooter and two hoverboards in a separate contest.

Meanwhile, Guangzhou-based Country Garden has teamed up with travel agencies to host Singapore tours for Chinese tourists, in the hope they will purchase units in Forest City, a mega project sited on man-made islands near the Tuas Second Link.

According to its spokesperson, the three-day trip, which includes a drive into Johor Bahru, is mainly for shopping and sightseeing, with expenses to be borne by the visitors.

The developer is also dangling discounts of up to 20 percent for those who purchase early, and pay in cash. “Promotions vary by property type, payment formality and time period,” said the spokesman.

In addition, some developers are launching their new projects in emerging economies to woo affluent buyers there.

For instance, City Developments Limited (CDL) held a property showcase in Jakarta over the weekend for its Gramercy Park project, to be followed next weekend in Surabaya, wherein one tower with 87 units is being offered in the range of $2,800 psf.

The 174-unit project will be unveiled in Singapore soon, and there are also plans to hold similar events in Hong Kong and mainland China, noted a company spokeswoman.

CDL’s move follows CapitaLand’s successful launch of Cairnhill Nine in Indonesia. It rolled out the development in Jakarta in late February before launching it here last month.

The project has found buyers for 193 of its 268 units, with foreign buyers, mostly Indonesians, contributing 50 percent of the sales, added a CapitaLand spokesman.

Comments Off on Developers get creative to sell units

Posted in Developers, New Launches

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Many Singaporeans still dissatisfied with housing market

Posted on 25 Apr 2016 | Comments Off on Many Singaporeans still dissatisfied with housing market

Many Singaporeans are still unhappy with the state of the local property market, according to PropertyGuru’s latest Property Affordability Sentiment Survey 2016.

About 44 percent of the survey’s 933 respondents reported being dissatisfied with the market. The main cause of unhappiness remains the sky-high property prices.

However, the majority of those polled believe home prices will stabilise or fall further in the next six months.

Meanwhile, 28 percent of respondents said they are satisfied with the local market, up from 26 percent during the same period in 2014.

Close to half of the respondents (48 percent) said they intend to purchase residential property in the next six months, up five percent from 2014. Their optimism is largely due to the good long-term prospects for capital appreciation.

At the same time, 42 percent of respondents feel the government is doing enough to make housing affordable, up nine percent from two years ago. About 68 percent support the government’s property cooling measures.

“(The) results show that although pricing concerns remain, the overall mood is more positive, with almost half of respondents saying they intend to buy this year,” said Steve Melhuish, CEO and co-founder of PropertyGuru Group.

“We know that finding your ideal property can be daunting, and without transparency or relevant information, the property-buying process can be frustrating and confusing. Through our regular surveys, research insights, tools and media-rich content, we aim to help millions of consumers make more informed and confident decisions every month,” he added.

Carried out in December 2015, the survey offers insights into the current mood and attitudes of property seekers here, and has been conducted regularly since 2009.

Read the full report here.

Comments Off on Many Singaporeans still dissatisfied with housing market

Posted in Property Market / Real Estate

Tagged , , ,