Couple viewed flat and then came hubby’s sister – seeking agent’s commission

Straits Times Singapore, December 9, 2009, Wednesday RECENTLY, I advertised to sell an apartment unit and a few days later, a woman called and came over to view the unit. She showed interest and brought her husband for a second viewing. The couple indicated they liked the place and requested another viewing with their family. At the third [...]

Hong Leong Finance woos bungalow buyers

Straits Times Singapore, December 8, 2009, Tuesday By Joyce Teo   Good class bungalows, generally priced at more than $15 million, number only about 2,400 here, forming a small and exclusive market. — ST FILE PHOTO BUYERS looking for a grand landed home with sprawling grounds in central Singapore can now take up a special package from Hong [...]

Playing the China card Spooked by S-chips?

Sunday Times Singapore, December 6, 2009, Sunday There are other ways to gain exposure to the fast-growing mainland market   By Goh Eng Yeow Spotting a promising firm and investing in it early can be akin to winning a licence to print money.  Take legendary investor Warren Buffett. He has held for decades the shares of companies he invested [...]

HDB rents ‘holding steady’

Sunday Times Singapore, December 6, 2009, Sunday Plenty of flats available to meet demand by IRs’ foreign employees By Joyce Teo Owners of public flats not far from Sentosa, and with rooms to spare, take note.  Foreigners slotted to work at the soon-to-open integrated resort (IR) there are scouting for rental units.  But property agencies say that given the [...]

Another reason why you should invest in mutual funds: Diversify in a cost-efficient way

Fundsupermart,  December 3, 2009, Thursday by iFAST Research Team   Keynotes Diversification enhances the resiliency of the portfolio. Investors should differentiate between investing and trading. Investment requires patience and commitment Some of the advantages of investing in mutual funds include fairly-well diversifications at a low cost, affordable initial investment amounts, and professional management. Mutual funds can provide [...]

Gold price ‘to hit more highs’

Straits Times Singapore, December 4, 2009, Friday   By Dickson Li GOLD surged to a new high of US$1,224 yesterday but the continuing weakness of the US dollar means the precious metal’s price will likely keep heading north.  A commodities expert at Swiss bank UBS believes the falling greenback will keep driving cash into gold.  Mr Dominic Schnider, [...]

Wealthy S’poreans bullish on property

Straits Times Singapore, December 4, 2009, Friday   But Barclays advises caution as prices may ‘moderate’ or flatten By Joyce Teo WEALTHY investors in Singapore are so keen on putting their millions into pro-perty investments that even giant bank Barclays is urging caution.  A survey by Barclays Wealth has found that Singapore’s high net worth individuals are more [...]

$100m for first collective sale this year

Straits Times Singapore, December 2, 2009, Wednesday Dragon Mansion deal is ‘sign of confidence’ in mid-tier homes market By Joyce Teo Owners of each Dragon Mansion unit will get $1.4 million, well above the estate’s highest transacted price of $880,000, said the broker of the sale. — ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN OWNERS at the Dragon Mansion have completed [...]

Invest in Asia? It’s a good bet

Sunday Times Singapore, Novemember 29, 2009, Sunday If you have the risk appetite and are prepared to take a view of five to 10 years, your own backyard is an attractive option By Vasu Menon Overseas markets and exotic investments may sound much more exciting than the tried and true financial environment of home that [...]

Skybridges not deemed part of condo’s gross floor area

Sunday Times Singapore, Novemember 29, 2009, Sunday We refer to last Sunday’s article, ‘More condos let you walk on air’, which reported that fully covered skybridges are considered part of a condominium’s gross floor area, which is pre-determined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). The report elaborated that this means the floor area occupied by [...]