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View Full Version : Some 'flippers' took big hit in sub-sale deals



mr funny
24-09-09, 00:50
http://www.straitstimes.com/Money/Story/STIStory_433210.html

Sep 23, 2009 Wednesday

Some 'flippers' took big hit in sub-sale deals

They were caught out earlier this year when prices fell as awarding of projects' TOP neared

By Joyce Teo


PROPERTY speculators have been in the firing line of late, but the hefty losses some suffered earlier this year suggest they might be deserving of some sympathy.

A number seem to have been caught out when prices fell as the awarding of a project's temporary occupation permit (TOP) neared.

Instead of flipping the property for a gain, some speculators were caught out and took a hit when they offloaded some of the popular sub-sale projects, according to Savills Singapore.

While the data showed that sub-sale deals typically rise in projects nearing completion, sellers may not always gain.

Take Casa Merah in Tanah Merah. There were 71 sub-sale deals done this year with 16 resulting in losses averaging $30,601. One seller suffered a loss of $142,790.

Most sellers made gains at Rivergate, which was completed in the first quarter of the year, but 10 suffered hefty losses. One 'flipper' took a massive hit of $985,000, with the average loser suffering red ink to the tune of $371,355.

At popular projects like The Sail @ Marina Bay, eight out of 19 sub-sale deals this year were done at an average loss of $949,343.

Regardless of market condition, prices may rise near completion time because people looking for immediate occupation will typically prefer to buy a brand-new home while tenants usually like to move into a new property, said Savills Residential director Phylicia Ang.

She added that this 'TOP effect' is more obvious in a rising market, and especially if the completed development turns out to be better than expected. But these factors did not apply earlier this year as the market was very weak, she said.

'Some people were selling earlier this year because they panicked. No one knew how the market would turn out,' said Cushman & Wakefield managing director Donald Han.

'They wanted to sell before the project was completed so that they did not have to take up a loan.'

There was considerable fear around the market then - which coincided with the global meltdown in share markets - with speculators concerned that they would not be able to find loans to match the high prices they bought at during 2007, he said.

In the first quarter, high-end home prices were down 35 per cent from prices at the peak of the market early last year, while mid-tier and mass-market homes were down 25 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.

Buyers were looking at steep discounts with the result that some of the lowest prices seen recently were in the first three months of the year, said experts.

The market has moved up from those dark days, so sub-sale deals since then would have closed in positive territory.

It was the case with the new launches this year. Savills Singapore found that the sub-sale deals for the major and most popular projects launched this year nearly all closed at a profit.

The six sub-sale deals done at Alexis in Alexandra Road this year had average gains of $62,833.

Prices of most mass-market homes now are nearly hitting the peak seen in the first quarter of last year. The mid-tier market is about 10 to 12 per cent below that high point, while the high-end market is about 20 per cent away, said Mr Han.

'Whoever comes into the market now would be looking into a medium-term window of two to three years,' he said.

Those looking to flip within a year may have it tough, as the window of making a quick killing has closed because of the Government's recent introduction of measures to cool the market, he added.

[email protected]

Regulators
24-09-09, 14:58
THIS IS A LESSON TO THOSE GOONDUS WHO BOUGHT THE SAIL AND MBR AT THOSE RIDICULOUS PRICES LAST YEAR. HAHAHA!!!!! :tongue3:



http://www.straitstimes.com/Money/Story/STIStory_433210.html

Sep 23, 2009 Wednesday

Some 'flippers' took big hit in sub-sale deals

They were caught out earlier this year when prices fell as awarding of projects' TOP neared

By Joyce Teo


PROPERTY speculators have been in the firing line of late, but the hefty losses some suffered earlier this year suggest they might be deserving of some sympathy.

A number seem to have been caught out when prices fell as the awarding of a project's temporary occupation permit (TOP) neared.

Instead of flipping the property for a gain, some speculators were caught out and took a hit when they offloaded some of the popular sub-sale projects, according to Savills Singapore.

While the data showed that sub-sale deals typically rise in projects nearing completion, sellers may not always gain.

Take Casa Merah in Tanah Merah. There were 71 sub-sale deals done this year with 16 resulting in losses averaging $30,601. One seller suffered a loss of $142,790.

Most sellers made gains at Rivergate, which was completed in the first quarter of the year, but 10 suffered hefty losses. One 'flipper' took a massive hit of $985,000, with the average loser suffering red ink to the tune of $371,355.

At popular projects like The Sail @ Marina Bay, eight out of 19 sub-sale deals this year were done at an average loss of $949,343.

Regardless of market condition, prices may rise near completion time because people looking for immediate occupation will typically prefer to buy a brand-new home while tenants usually like to move into a new property, said Savills Residential director Phylicia Ang.

She added that this 'TOP effect' is more obvious in a rising market, and especially if the completed development turns out to be better than expected. But these factors did not apply earlier this year as the market was very weak, she said.

'Some people were selling earlier this year because they panicked. No one knew how the market would turn out,' said Cushman & Wakefield managing director Donald Han.

'They wanted to sell before the project was completed so that they did not have to take up a loan.'

There was considerable fear around the market then - which coincided with the global meltdown in share markets - with speculators concerned that they would not be able to find loans to match the high prices they bought at during 2007, he said.

In the first quarter, high-end home prices were down 35 per cent from prices at the peak of the market early last year, while mid-tier and mass-market homes were down 25 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.

Buyers were looking at steep discounts with the result that some of the lowest prices seen recently were in the first three months of the year, said experts.

The market has moved up from those dark days, so sub-sale deals since then would have closed in positive territory.

It was the case with the new launches this year. Savills Singapore found that the sub-sale deals for the major and most popular projects launched this year nearly all closed at a profit.

The six sub-sale deals done at Alexis in Alexandra Road this year had average gains of $62,833.

Prices of most mass-market homes now are nearly hitting the peak seen in the first quarter of last year. The mid-tier market is about 10 to 12 per cent below that high point, while the high-end market is about 20 per cent away, said Mr Han.

'Whoever comes into the market now would be looking into a medium-term window of two to three years,' he said.

Those looking to flip within a year may have it tough, as the window of making a quick killing has closed because of the Government's recent introduction of measures to cool the market, he added.

[email protected]

alamak
24-09-09, 21:46
THIS IS A LESSON TO THOSE GOONDUS WHO BOUGHT THE SAIL AND MBR AT THOSE RIDICULOUS PRICES LAST YEAR. HAHAHA!!!!! :tongue3:



Is your BH overprice too ??:tongue3:

Regulators
24-09-09, 22:43
i am not developer so i dont own bh :tongue3: :tongue3:



Is your BH overprice too ??:tongue3:

Reporter
24-09-09, 23:03
THIS IS A LESSON TO THOSE GOONDUS WHO BOUGHT THE SAIL AND MBR AT THOSE RIDICULOUS PRICES LAST YEAR. HAHAHA!!!!! :tongue3:
Don't call them goondus lah.

Otherwise, they will call you a goondu now.



Marina Bay Residences Hits $2,500 psf

In the Marina Bay area, transactions at Marina Bay Residences have once again reached stratospheric levels, with prices returning to levels seen in 2H2007. Sub-sales of units at Marina Bay Residences have steadily crept up from a low of $1,433 psf in April to a high of $2,500 psf in August. This is the highest price per square foot achieved not just in 2009 but since May last year, when a 3,961 sq ft penthouse on the 52nd floor changed hands for $10.7 million, or $2,700 psf.

The 55-storey, 428-unit luxury residential tower is part of the first phase of the Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC), a multi-billion-dollar mixed-use development jointly built by the consortium of Keppel Land, Hongkong Land and Cheung Kong (Holdings). When the 99-year upmarket condominium first previewed in December 2006, all the units were snapped up at an average price of $1,850 psf within days without the need for an official launch.

Marina Bay Residences is scheduled to be completed in mid-2010, and as the completion of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort nears, and interest mounts, prices have naturally also increased.

Most recently, a 1,227 sq ft, 50th level unit at the condominium was sold for $3.07 million, or $2,500 psf. According to caveats lodged with URA Realis, the seller of the apartment had purchased the two bedroom unit at the launch three years ago and paid $2.71 million ($2,205 psf) for it.

On the 51st level, a 1,130 sq ft apartment was recently sold for $2.71 million ($2,400 psf). This is the second time the unit has changed hands in a sub-sale. The last time it happened was in July 2007, when it was sold for $2.49 million ($2,200 psf). The original buyer of the unit paid $2.07 million ($1,835 psf) when the project was first rolled out.

Another unit that has been flipped twice in the last few years is a 710 sq ft unit on the 49th floor that recently changed hands for $1.63 million ($2,299 psf). The previous owner bought the unit in a sub-sale for $1.53 million ($2,149 psf) in June 2007, while the original buyer paid $1.29 million ($1,817 psf) in December 2006.

On the 21st floor, a 1,636 sq ft three-bedroom apartment changed hands for $3.76 million ($2,300 psf). The previous owner had purchased the unit when the project was first launched, for $3.03 million ($1,851 psf). Meanwhile, a similarsized apartment on the 44th floor was recently sold for $3.89 million ($2,380 psf). The previous owner purchased the unit in June 2007 in a sub-sale for $3.78 million, or $2,310 psf.

With residential sales having picked up strongly in recent months, the consortium is reviewing plans to launch its second residential tower, the 66-storey Marina Bay Suites. The project was shelved early last year when the global financial crisis hit. The 221- unit Marina Bay Suites was supposed to offer mainly three- and four-bedroom apartments of 1,600 to 2,700 sq ft. However, according to industry sources, given the strong demand for small one- and two-bedroom apartments in the Central Business District, the consortium is considering reconfiguring some of the larger units.

Just a block away from Marina Bay Residences is an even more actively traded residential project, and the first residential development in the Marina Bay area: the 1,111-unit The Sail @ Marina Bay developed by City Developments Ltd and AIG. The 99-year leasehold twin-tower development was completed in 4Q2008. Most recently, an 861 sq ft apartment on the 39th floor of the 70-storey Tower One was sold for $1.81 million ($2,100 psf), which represents a 79% gain for the seller, as the unit was first purchased for $1.01 million ($1,174 psf) in November 2005 when the tower was first launched.

Earlier, in August, a 50th floor, 1,184 sq ft apartment unit in the 63-storey Tower Two also hit the $2,000 psf level when it changed hands in a resale for $2.55 million ($2,154 psf). It was first purchased in November 2004 for $1.17 million ($984 psf), when the tower was first launched.

In June and July, three units at Tower One of The Sail had been transacted for around $2,500 psf. A 1,776 sq ft, 67th-floor apartment was sold in July for $4.53 million, or $2,549 psf, which was the highest price psf achieved this year. The other two transactions were in June: a 936 sq ft apartment went for $2.34 million, or $2,499 psf, and a 2,174 sq ft unit changed hands for close to $5.48 million, or $2,520 psf. This is in stark contrast to early this year when sentiment was still weak and transactions from February to April saw the prices of some units plummeting to levels below $1,200 psf.

gfoo
24-09-09, 23:27
and it hasn't ended yet. Just missed out on a bid for a 2 bdroom, highest possible floor w full bay view, $2700psf. too rich for my taste i cannot bid higher, but that will set a new record for 09.

nobrainer32007
25-09-09, 08:06
good luck to you


and it hasn't ended yet. Just missed out on a bid for a 2 bdroom, highest possible floor w full bay view, $2700psf. too rich for my taste i cannot bid higher, but that will set a new record for 09.