Time may be right to tweak property curbs: CDL chief

[CityFarmer]

Khaw may have relatively more political will than his predecessor.

indeed - i think Khaw deserves much more applause for what he did (and is doing) - quite annoying when i see him being satirised online.

Too bad he is not that young - i will love for him to be the PM/DPM.

I share your view. I saw the quality of a scholar within a politician. A rare quality of a true "智者“, who has the ability to "治国平天下“, yet remains humble and willing to serve.

非也,非也.

I thought that he screwed up pretty big time on public hospital beds (capacity) or rather, the lack of it.....

In any case, you reckon he can make the decision on his own?

非也,非也.

I wouldn't conclude Warren Buffett's performance on a single year in 1999, when he was 20% poorer than S&P 500. I am applying the same methodology on Mr. Khaw

Even for a mistake. I wouldn't dismiss Warren Buffett's performance on his "mistake" on BYD investment alone, would you?

[Tiggerbee]

The opinion from developer side. Is it the right time to do now? May be too early to do it now...

Time may be right to tweak property curbs: CDL chief

SINGAPORE — It is time for the Government to consider tweaking the property curbs in light of global economic concerns, Executive Chairman of developer City Developments Ltd Kwek Leng Beng said today (Feb 7).

Mr Kwek commended the Government’s effort in stabilising the property market since the Lehman-led crisis in 2009, but it is now time to tweak some measures as the market started to cool.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/business/time...-cdl-chief

Wah, to think that this CDL chief is feeling the heat right now.... Do you think he is also speaking for the other developers?

CDL's gearing at 20% is one of the lowest among the developers. CDL has the most fire power to buy land on the cheap when opportunity arises.

Don't know about Far East since the company is not listed.

[HitandRun]

非也,非也.

I wouldn't conclude Warren Buffett's performance on a single year in 1999, when he was 20% poorer than S&P 500. I am applying the same methodology on Mr. Khaw

Even for a mistake. I wouldn't dismiss Warren Buffett's performance on his "mistake" on BYD investment alone, would you?

Cityfarmer San

AFAIK, hospital beds have been tight since several years ago.

Tight Hospital Bed Situation

You reckon he is not to be blamed for it? Or are you saying that this is a small problem and can be overlooked?

[Curiousparty]

volume tumbled but price still on uptrend

*****
RESALE of non-landed private residential homes tumbled 70.2 per cent from 1,039 deals in January 2013 to 310 deals in January 2014, and the Singapore Real Estate Report (SRX) says this is a direct result of cooling measures.

The 310 resale deals also represent a 9.1 per cent fall from last December's 341 transactions.

"While CNY has had some impact, it is clear from the long-term data that the cooling measures are having maximum impact on the volume side of the equation," said Jeremy lee, co-founder of srx.com.sg.

Overall resale prices of non-landed private residential units rose 2.3 per cent in January this year, marking the second consecutive monthly rise in prices since last December, according to the SRX Property Resale Index.

Prices of resale homes outside the central region (OCR) gained 2.4 per cent, while those in the core central region (CCR) gained 2.1 per cent. The rest of the central region (RCR) however, saw resale prices soften by 0.9 per cent.

"Even though volume is low, prices continue to fight upwards. Our research suggests that market pricing is trying to keep up with Singapore's growth, as measured by gross domestic product," said Mr Lee.

Meanwhile, overall rental prices of private non-landed residential units rose 1.1 per cent, in what is its first climb in the last six months.

All three regions recorded rental price gains in January 2014. Rents in the RCR rose 3.6 per cent, CCR 0.4 per cent and OCR 0.2 per cent.

Rental deals also fell 14.1 per cent to 2,348 deals in January 2014, down from 2,734 deals in January 2013. But this was 8.1 per cent higher than the number of deals recorded last December.

[CityFarmer]

非也,非也.

I wouldn't conclude Warren Buffett's performance on a single year in 1999, when he was 20% poorer than S&P 500. I am applying the same methodology on Mr. Khaw

Even for a mistake. I wouldn't dismiss Warren Buffett's performance on his "mistake" on BYD investment alone, would you?

Cityfarmer San

AFAIK, hospital beds have been tight since several years ago.

Tight Hospital Bed Situation

You reckon he is not to be blamed for it? Or are you saying that this is a small problem and can be overlooked?

HitandRun San,

I do have my share of questions...

Should we blame Warren Buffett for his "poor" performance in year 1999? It is definitely not a small problem for a fund manager. Or should Warren Buffett be penalized by shareholders, with his BYD and short-lived Intel investment, by ignoring his other successes?

[kbl]

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Monday eased the restrictive Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) on certain property buyers.

Below is the full statement from MAS:

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has received feedback from borrowers who face challenges refinancing loans for owner-occupied properties which were bought before the introduction of the Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) rules. MAS has decided to broaden the existing exemption from the TDSR threshold of 60 percent for such loans to ease the debt servicing burden of these borrowers.
*
Refinancing of owner-occupied property loans

2. Under the revised rules, a borrower who bought a residential property before the TDSR rules were introduced – i.e. the Option to Purchase (OTP) of the residential property was granted before 29 June 2013 – will be exempted from the TDSR threshold as long as he occupies the residential property that is being refinanced. This is a concession compared to the current rules, which also require that he does not own any other property, or have any other outstanding property loan.

3. The Mortgage Servicing Ratio (MSR) will also not apply to the refinancing of loans for HDB flats and Executive Condominiums (ECs) that are owner-occupied and were purchased before their respective MSR implementation dates.

4. A similar concession will apply with regard to loan tenures, for residential properties purchased before the respective implementation dates for the loan tenure limits. In such cases, borrowers whose loan tenures for their owner-occupied residential properties exceed the current regulatory limits will be allowed to maintain the remaining tenures of their loans at the point of refinancing.

Refinancing of investment property loans

5. The TDSR threshold of 60 percent will continue to apply to the refinancing of all investment property loans. This is to encourage borrowers to right-size their loans and thereby reduce their vulnerability to adverse economic conditions or changes in interest rates. However, MAS recognises that some borrowers may face challenges in right-sizing their debt obligations in the short term; the starting level of debt may be too high and there may be significant costs involved if they had to sell their properties to reduce their leverage.
*
6. Therefore, MAS will allow a transition period until 30 June 2017, during which a borrower may refinance his investment property loans above the 60 percent threshold, provided he meets the following conditions:
*
(a) the OTP of the property was granted before 29 June 2013;

(b) the borrower commits to a debt reduction plan with the financial institution (FI) at the point of refinancing; and

© the borrower fulfils the FI’s credit assessment.

7. The changes are intended to help borrowers ease their immediate debt servicing burdens, while encouraging those who have taken on high leverage on their investment properties to right-size their loans as early as possible.

8. Borrowers should be aware that the current low interest rate environment will not persist indefinitely. When interest rates rise, borrowers will face higher mortgage repayments. Borrowers engaging in refinancing should therefore exercise prudence and review their debt commitments.
*
9. The revised rules will take immediate effect.

[pianist]

concession until 30 June 2017...so zhiun after the election..ha

seems like those earlier lucky who bought before the tsr/msr implementation stands to gain the most

[Freenasi]

Yea its all about luck. Many HDB dwellers who want to buy a private properties now must pay additional 7%. If you have bought a private unit b4 the implementation, u r lucky. The early ones get the worms

[HitandRun]

HitandRun San,

I do have my share of questions...

Should we blame Warren Buffett for his "poor" performance in year 1999? It is definitely not a small problem for a fund manager. Or should Warren Buffett be penalized by shareholders, with his BYD and short-lived Intel investment, by ignoring his other successes?

CityFarmer San

On WB, BRK.A was between 59k and 80.9k in 1998. As of closing last night of 169k, the annualised return for the past 15.5 years is between 5% to 7%. The result is not bad but not good either.

Your take is that KBW's lack of foresight is a <5% problem. My take is that it is a 50% problem. Unfortunately, I also have first hand experience on what the tight capacity means for my loved ones, and my pocket. We shall have to agree to disagree here.

[cfa]

HitandRun San,

I do have my share of questions...

Should we blame Warren Buffett for his "poor" performance in year 1999? It is definitely not a small problem for a fund manager. Or should Warren Buffett be penalized by shareholders, with his BYD and short-lived Intel investment, by ignoring his other successes?

CityFarmer San

On WB, BRK.A was between 59k and 80.9k in 1998. As of closing last night of 169k, the annualised return for the past 15.5 years is between 5% to 7%. The result is not bad but not good either.

Your take is that KBW's lack of foresight is a <5% problem. My take is that it is a 50% problem. Unfortunately, I also have first hand experience on what the tight capacity means for my loved ones, and my pocket. We shall have to agree to disagree here.

A fund manager only deal with fund and not the sicks or the lives of the people, How to compare ? Yes to some guys, wealth is always worth more than life , if this is the mentality then nothing to discuss further.