COOLING MEASURES LOAN CURBS TOP CONCERNS AT SEMINAR August 26, 2013
Cooling measures, loan curbs top concerns at seminar. About 700 participants showed up to hear experts talk about investment opportunities in private and public housing, as well as across the Causeway.
The recent wave of property cooling measures and loan curbs were evidently a top concern among the 700 or so participants who attended a seminar organized by online portal STProperty yesterday.
Many whipped out their cameras to take pictures of the presentation slides and scribbled down notes during a segment on the newly introduced total debt servicing ratio (TDSR), which took effect from June 29.
Chief executive of SingCapital, Alfred Chia, who was giving the presentation, offered examples of how an investor's debt obligations would be computed into the TSDR calculations.
Other speakers at the seminar, held at the Raffles City Convention Centre, spoke about opportunities in the Singapore and Malaysia property markets.
Mr Alan Cheong, senior director of research and consultancy at Savills, said investors who are interested in industrial investments could consider looking at freehold properties in the Sims Avenue, Geylang, Tai Seng and MacPherson areas.
"You should rent out these spaces to reduce your holding costs, and by the time the Paya Lebar airbase moves out of the area, you could enjoy a substantial capital appreciation in 20 years' time," he said.
ERA Realty key executive officer Eugene Lim, meanwhile, spoke on public housing and said that homes in or near regional centres such as Tampines, Woodlands and Jurong Lake, which have been earmarked as mini business districts will command a premium.
Participants at the seminar comprised both experienced and new investors, including some who were still considering their first investment property.
Ms Catherine Kang, 50, said she was looking to invest about $200,000 into a residential property that she could then rent out.
"The property market here is too expensive so I'm looking next door across the Causeway for possible options," she said.
Other participants like businessman P.C. Tan, 56, attended the seminar to learn more about where to find investment properties with higher returns.
"The local property market seems to have stabilized in terms of capital appreciation and rental income from my existing investment properties seems to have fallen," he said.
Info courtesy - The Straits Times
