About 6km of the walking trail in the Rail Corridor between Kranji and Hillview MRT stations has been enhanced and was opened to the public on Friday, offering better access to the northern stretch of the recreational green route.

Like many rich Chinese, graduate student Zayn Zhang thinks Singapore could be the ideal place to park his family’s wealth.He is hoping that studying at a university in the Asian financial hub will lead to permanent residency, and while the 26-year-old hits the books, his wife is out looking for a $5 million to $7 million penthouse.“Singapore is great. It is stable and offers a lot of investment opportunities,” Mr Zhang told Reuters at a business and philanthropy forum here late last year. His family might establish a Singapore family office to manage its wealth in the future, he added.

Executive condominiums (ECs) are gaining cachet with Housing Board upgraders as the gap between the median prices of new ECs and new condominiums in the suburbs has widened in recent years.

Private residential property rents hit a record high in 2022, topping the previous 2013 peak. An index tracking rents in the sector was 23.9 per cent higher in the July-to-September quarter of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021 and 16.7 per cent ahead of the 2013 benchmark, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Investors have been pampered by different investment options in recent months, whether it's in government bonds, which have experienced rise in popularity, or in appealing fixed deposits.After all, as inflation proceeds to exert pressure on consumers, there is a deep desire for investments that can offer positive, real returns. That is why it is not unexpected to see advertising material for investment products attempting to capitalise on this desire. The upsurge in aggressive marketing, on the other hand, should serve as a reminder to investors to perform due diligence on financial products to make sure they are receiving the expected returns.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded a S$758 million contract to design and build a 5 km tunnel for the second phase of the Cross Island MRT Line (CRL), 2 km of which will pass beneath the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.It also gave out a separate S$496 million contract for Punggol interchange station under the CRL Punggol extension.Construction works for both projects are expected to start in the first half of 2023, with passenger service slated to begin in 2032, said the LTA on Monday (Dec 5).

A Marina South site zoned for residential development with some commercial use has been put up for sale in a state property tender anticipated to attract up to five bids worth S$1 billion or more, according to analysts.According to market observers, the parcel is one of the most appealing plots in this year of Government Land Sales (GLS) programme and it will kick start the development of the Marina South precinct.

Singapore's population is rapidly ageing – could an ageing population be a major headwind for the private homes market?The median age of Singapore residents rose from 37.4 years in mid-2010 to 42.1 years in mid-2022. Around 16.6 per cent of the resident population is aged 65 years and over in mid-2022, versus about 9 per cent in mid-2010.

The first Government Land Sales (GLS) site in Marina South was launched for tender on Monday, in a first step to kick-start development in the new neighbourhood.The roughly 12,000 sq m site in Marina Gardens Lane, which is situated next to Gardens by the Bay, can yield about 790 residential units, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said. The plot is about the size of two football fields.

New private home sales sank to the lowest level in more than two years in October 2022, with developers transacting 312 new homes (ex. Executive condos) – it is the lowest monthly figure since April 2020 where 277 units were sold. October’s sales were down by 68.4% from 987 new homes sold in the previous month, and marked a decline of 65.8% on a year-on-year basis.

GuocoLand sold 508 units, or 84% of Lentor Modern's 605 units, between September 16 and 17, at prices ranging from S$1,856 to S$2,538 per square foot (psf). Lentor Modern's success is the result of a strong response to recent leasehold condominium development releases in the Outside Central Region (OCR).On September 7, approximately 75% of the homes at Sky Eden@Bedok were sold averagely at around S$2,100 psf. In July, 366 of 372 AMO Residence units in Ang Mo Kio sold for a median price of S$2,110 psf. Given the high demand for suburban condos, developers should be clamouring for land since developers must first secure landscape before they are able to build houses.

Singapore is ready to provide more support in dealing with the rising living costs as inflation and interest rates remain high, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong."The world is unlikely to return anytime soon to the low inflation levels and interest rates that we have enjoyed in recent decades," Lee said on the eve of the country's National Day in a televised message. "I know that the cost of living is on everyone's mind."’

On Singapore’s outskirt areas, condominiums were sold for S$2,500 to S$3,000 per square foot, surpassing the prices of luxury condos, according to a report by OrangeTee. Despite the impact of the Omicron variant and property cooling measures, OrangeTee data indicates that the median price of new city fringe condos excluding executive condominiums (EC) will increase by 8.7 percent from S$1,814 per square foot in 2020 to S$1,972 per square foot in 2021.

The landed home market performed admirably in 2021, recording the highest sales volume since 2010 with over 3,000 transactions. The pandemic, which drove the need for larger living spaces, drove the sales momentum.Districts 10 (Bukit Timah, Holland Road), 15 (Katong, Siglap), 16 (Bedok, Upper Changi), 19 (Hougang, Serangoon Garden), 20 (Ang Mo Kio, Upper Thomson), and 28 (Seletar, Yio Chu Kang) had the highest sales volume.

The government has introduced further cooling measures to moderate housing demand and to ensure home buyers borrow prudently amid rising interest rates. The package of measures announced on 29 September 2022 includes restrictions to curb loan quantum that will impact both the private residential and public housing segments. In addition, a new wait-out period of 15 months will also be introduced for private home owners and ex-private home owners to buy a non-subsidised HDB resale flat.

It’s no secret that property prices in Singapore have been on the rise in recent years. We can see the upward trend in the property demands in Singapore, but the supply of property has not been able to keep up with it. So, if you think that the price of houses will be lower in the coming years, you are in for a shock. That said, there is no better time than now for you to buy a new home or upgrade your current property. Want to know why? Check this out!

Market interest rates have risen significantly. They are likely to increase further in future, which will affect borrowing costs for home purchases. To ensure prudent borrowing and avoid future difficulties in servicing home loans, the Government will tighten the maximum loan quantum limits for housing loans.

Here’s a quick update of the cooling measures implemented at 11.53 pm, 29 Sept 2022, W.E.F 30 Sept 2022.

The maximum amount of money home buyers can borrow to purchase their homes will be tightened with immediate effect, so that borrowers avoid future difficulties in servicing those loans. The cooling measures come after interest rates have risen significantly and are likely to continue rising, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Ministry of National Development (MND) and Housing Development Board (HDB) said in a joint statement issued just after 11.40pm on Thursday.

The changes will take effect on Jun 1, 2023 and is aimed at improving productivity for the built environment profession. However, they will also have implications for private housing developers, resulting in a reduction in saleable area for condominium projects.Earlier this month, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) issued a circular on harmonisation of floor area definitions to be adopted by 4 government agencies: URA, Singapore Land Authority (SLA), Building and Construction Authority, and Singapore Civil Defence Force.

Phase 2 of the Cross Island MRT line (CRL) will comprise 6 stations from Turf City to Jurong Lake District, including interchanges with the Downtown Line at King Albert Park and the East-West Line at Clementi station. The remaining 2 stations along the 15km stretch are Maju, which is located next to the Singapore University of Social Sciences, and West Coast.

Renewal is occurring throughout Singapore's existing CBD, particularly in the Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood. The extension of the CBD to the Beach Road-Bugis area has resulted in a rush of redevelopments and new mixed-use complexes. As part of the URA's Long-Term Plan Review, the government has set its eyes on developing the southeast — Marina South, Marina East, and Straits View — with Marina Bay being defined as the new downtown.

People are more likely to pay a premium for mixed-use developments that include an MRT station. What makes integrated developments appealing? An integrated development, according to Alice Tan, head of consultant at Knight Frank Singapore, is a mixed-use development having a residential component and a large commercial component that is smoothly connected to a transportation hub and public areas.