As at November 23, 1999, there are more expats looking for properties to rent.

The trend for the residential leasing market in Singapore in 1999/2000 will be as follows:

1.  New condo or house preferred.

2.  Near subway.

3.  Near public transport as expats find car ownership too expensive here.

4.  Older but renovated condo at lower rent and bigger built-in areas.

5.  Little interest in terrace houses.

6.  Great interest in bungalows with pool but expat's budget now slashed to below $10,000.  Demand is greater than supply and most new properties rent from $20,000 to $30,000.  Older ones in poorer locations like being near construction sites or possessing smaller pools or above-ground pools rent around $8,000 - $10,000.

7.  4-bedrooms seem to be the most popular with expat families. One will be the study room and one will be the guest room if the expat has only one child.  

8.  Penthouses downtown, especially the new ones, are snapped up like hot cakes because there are few of them.  The asking rent starts from $15,000.  The highest rent asked recently was a Colonnade penthouse at $30,000.

9.  3-bedroom 1300 sq. ft in North Singapore, like Sunrise Gardens in Yio Chu Kang, a non-expat area rent around $2,000.  The pressure is on smaller units due to over supply as well as poor location.  These units are not investment units.

10. 3-bedroom 1300 sq. ft in South Singapore, like Duchess Crest, off Bukit Timah Road, an expat enclave can fetch as high as $4,000 rent although unfavourably located units may rent at $3,000.   Ironcially, the ground floor units are snapped up and command a higher rent as Caucasian families with toddlers and young kids love such units.   

11.  Landlords with leaking ceilings, old-fashioned mosaic tiled bathrooms, old worn out wardrobes and cabinets will have great difficulty renting out their properties even at cheap rent.

Therefore, it is best to spend money to renovate your property to the standard of new condos.  This means, white long baths rather than fanciful coloured ones and other matching decor.  Tips are at http://www.asiahomes.com

12.  All Owners are advised to take a personal interest in marketing their properties or give them to realtors who will take a keen interest in marketing for them. 

13.  Obviously, it is best for the Owners to allocate an advertisement budget for the realtor in order that their properties be advertised.  In this abundant new condo market, it will be best to invest in some money for the advertisement if your investment property does not have great features like waterfrontage, excellent greenery views or good location near the subway.

14.  Owners who advertise in the Singapore Straits Times will find that they have more queries from realtors and find a tenant faster than if they don't advertise.  We don't get any money from the Straits Times for stating this observation.  Check this out yourself.

15.  In the next 2 years, Owners who know how to effectively use the Internet to advertise their properties will have an added advantage over competitors. 

16.  By then, it is possible that rental realtors may be out of business as prospective tenant seeks out owners from the Internet.

This website, http://www.asiahomes.com
may be extinct as a dodo, such is the powerful force of the Internet.

 
 
1.     List your properties with us:

Fax: 256 0501, 4545 843 or
email judy@asiahomes.com your property for rent.

2.    To list your contact numbers, place an affordable internet ad at http://www.asiahomes.com which is a reference website for expats finding Singapore housing.  It costs S$13.50 for 90 days but you save 100 times more money if the agent or expats contact you directly since you don't have to pay full agency commission or you save time by getting a tenant earlier from the realtor who surfs the internet for your type of property.

Singapore  real estate companies wishing to place ad in this page,
Expats looking for Singapore housing,

please email judy@asiahomes.com 
tel: +65 9668 6468.
http://www.asiahomes.com