Tag Archives: Laguna Park

Don’t bank on en-bloc jackpot yet

There is a bit of action in the en-bloc sale market as individual owners scramble to get a foot into the fast-rising private home market, which has left many developers hungry for land.

The strong response shown by developers at recent tender exercises is a clear motivating factor.

But for those who are banking on an en-bloc jackpot, it is best not to count on a sure-win yet.

Unless property prices pick up quickly, a speedy success may elude these owners for now. This is because most developers are unlikely to rush for the available collective sale sites at the prices the owners want, said experts.

So far this year, five residential sites have been put up for sale en bloc, and more are expected in the next few months.

A few tenders have closed, but no sale has been concluded.

‘The en-bloc sale market won’t move very fast because owners are asking high prices,’ said property consultant Nicholas Mak, a real estate lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Collective sale prices tend to be on the high side as owners look to a premium above the value of their individual units. But those days of large profits made in quick sales have yet to return. Continue reading

Laguna Park ‘too expensive’

Singapore property giant CapitaLand has ruled itself out of bidding for the Laguna Park estate, which was put up for collective sale earlier this week.

CapitaLand’s chief executive Liew Mun Leong said yesterday that the reserve price tag of some $1.2 billion for the estate is “too high to yield affordable homes”. He was speaking on the sidelines of an event to unveil the design of The Interlace, an upcoming CapitaLand project at the site of the former Gillman Heights estate.

Laguna Park, a former HUDC estate at Marine Parade, was launched for tender two years after the idea of an enbloc sale was first mooted. Its marketing agent, Credo Real Estate, said it expects keen competition for the plot, but developer CapitaLand said the asking price is simply too high.

“I’m not very sure that at the end of the day, after paying over $800 per plot ratio, plus construction costs, plus your cost of financing, your break-even cost would be something like $1,500 or $1,600 (per square foot). “Are buyers prepared to pay for it at that location and that price? I am less sanguine than them,” said Mr Liew. Continue reading