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Property values in Brisbane and Perth rose in the December quarter while values across all other capital cities fell.  In December, Sydney values tumbled by 1.2% and Melbourne values declined by 1.9% as the market slowdown hit.

Most capital cities had a much slower December, according to the latest CoreLogic RP Data Home Value Index figures.

While Perth performed well in the December quarter with a 2.3% rise, overall property values have declined by 3.7% in the past 12 months.

Values had been rising across the board since June 2012, but most cities saw little positive change towards the end of 2015 with values dropping by 1.4% across all capitals.

High-end properties saw the biggest drop with values declining by 1.9%.

Above:Capital city change in dwelling values

Despite the slowdown, property owners in Sydney and Melbourne still did better overall than those in other cities, says CoreLogic RP Data head of research Tim Lawless.

“The wealth created from housing in Sydney and Melbourne has been exceptional over the past twelve months,” he says. “In dollar terms, Sydney home owners have seen approximately  $82,000 added to their wealth thanks to the strong capital gains over the year while home owners in Melbourne have seen the value of their dwelling grow by approximately $60,400.”

“Home owners in the remaining capital cities have seen some erosion of their wealth via falls in the value of their dwelling. The largest losses have occurred in Perth where the average dwelling is now worth approximately $19,970 less than it was 12 months ago, while Darwin home owners have seen the value of  their home shrink by a similar $18,150,” Lawless says.

 Source：realestate.com.au

The government eyes to build a new electrified double-track rail for transporting freight which would by-pass the Klang Valley, reported The Star.

Notably, the new rail connection will divert the trains from three areas, namely Seremban, Port Klang and Serendah.

“This effectively would mean that the trains from the north will be diverted at Serendah and onwards proceed to Port Klang or Seremban. The trains from the south will by-pass the Klang Valley by cutting off at Seremban,” said sources.

The RM9 billion plan is being ironed out among the economic planners of the government, revealed industry sources.

“We could see some development on it given that rail remains a key focus of the government’s transportation policy,” noted an industry player.

“After years of building and improving road networks, rail is now on the agenda to ease traffic congestion and better connect towns to serve future needs.”

Sources noted that the project will be divided into two phases, with the first phase involving the Serendah-Port Klang track.

“The plan is to get this off the ground this year and ready in 2018,” revealed a source.

For the second phase, the government mulls extending the rail line from Port Klang to Seremban, which covers 66 km and to be completed by 2021.

The project will likely be awarded to a design and build concept in which one entity will undertake the design and construction services, said sources.

The country’s sole operator of train and rail commuter services, government-owned KTM Bhd (KTMB) will operate the new freight lines, albeit the possibility of its partnering with another firm is not ruled out.

Source: Property Guru

The number of property sales in Cyprus during December rose 13 per cent compared with the numbers sold in December 2014 according to official statistics published by the Department of Lands and Surveys.

During December a total of 513 contracts for the sale of commercial and residential properties and land (building plots and fields) were deposited at Land Registry offices across Cyprus, compared with the 454 deposited in December 2014.

Of those 513 contracts, 74% (378) were deposited by domestic (Cypriot) purchasers, while 26% (135) were deposited by overseas (non-Cypriot) purchasers.

While property sales in Paphos and Famagusta fell by 16% and 11% respectively, they rose in all other districts.

Sales in Larnaca rose 70%, sales in Limassol rose 33% and sales in Nicosia rose 2%.

Over the year property sales rose 9% reaching 4,952 compared with 4,527 in 2014.

Domestic sales

The number of properties purchased by Cypriots in December rose 6% compared to December 2014, with sales reaching 378 compared with 357 during the same period last year.

Although sales in Paphos, Nicosia and Famagusta declined by 21%, 14% and 5%, these falls were outstripped by rises of 84% in Larnaca and 16% in Limassol.

Sales to the domestic market over the year rose 8% to reach 3,603 compared with 3,334 in 2014.

Overseas sales

Property sales to the overseas (non-Cypriot) market rose 39% in December compared to December 2014 with sales reaching 135 properties sold compared with the 97 sold in December 2014.

With the exception of the once favoured hot-spots of Famagusta and Paphos, where sales to the overseas market fell by 75% and 4% respectively, they rose in the remaining three districts.

Sales in the predominantly business districts of Nicosia (the capital) and Limassol rose 400% and 119% respectively – and sales in Larnaca rose 43%.

Sales to the overseas market during 2015 rose 13% to reach 1,349 compared with 1,193 in 2014.

Source: Cyprus Property News

Above:The yield of the average UK property could rise by as much as 25% over the next five years.

Summary:

• A combination of high yields and capital growth can result in UK property generating total annual returns of around 14%
• Over the next five years, investors have been told that rents could rise at a faster pace than house price growth
• Currently, yields in some regions of the UK are as high as 8%
• Investors need to place more emphasis on the amount a property yields rather than its potential for capital growth.

New research from Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) predicts that over the next five years, rental rates will outpace house price growth.

Although around five million households are now living in the private rented sector, the supply of high-quality rental accommodation is very limited. As even more people opt to live in rented homes, Rics predicts tenancies could become 25% more expensive over the course of the next five years.

Simon Rubinsohn, Rics Chief Economist, said: “Critically our principal concern with the measures announced by the government is that they are overly focused on promoting home ownership, at the expense of other tenures.

“Discouraging buy-to-let could see private rents take even more of the strain.”

Yields in the UK have already reached record highs this year. Recent figures from HSBC show that investors can achieve gross yields of around 8% in cities such as Manchester where there is a growing workforce and high demand for accommodation. As long as investors attract a tenant, the potential ROI associated with property is much higher than any other asset.

Rics found that average house prices in the UK will rise by 6% over the course of 2016. As with yields, there is plenty of regional variation for investors to navigate and London is no longer the top-performing market. Four regions in the UK, including East Anglia and the north-west, will record higher capital growth than London next year.

Source: Select Property

Above:The SEZs span six provinces, with the highest average increase in Songkhla.

New land appraisal prices in special economic zones (SEZs) for 2016-19 are set for an increase of 39% on average compared with the average rise of 28% nationwide from 2012-15.

Treasury Department director-general Chakkrit Parapuntakul said the new prices would take effect on New Year’s Day next Friday.

The SEZs span six provinces, with the highest average increase in Songkhla (45.7%), which is intended as a zone for food and farm processing and a multimodal transport hub for the South and neighbouring countries.

Above:Songkhla  is intended as a zone for food and farm processing and a multimodal transport hub for the South and neighbouring countries.

The biggest rise in Songkhla is for a plot near Phetkasem Road that will see a 142% increase to 60,500 baht a square wah.

The second-highest average increase among the SEZ provinces is in Tak, earmarked for an international cross-docking facility and labour-intensive manufacturing.

Appraisal prices are up 42.8% in the province, with Mae Sot district tallying a 92.3% rise.

Rounding out the top five are Mukdahan (up by 38% on average), Nong Khai (33%) and Sa Kaeo (26%).

The lowest increase among SEZ provinces is in Trat, with appraisal prices up 8% on average.

Above:Treasury Department director-general Chakkrit Parapuntakul said the new prices would take effect on New Year’s Day next Friday.

The Treasury Department has finished land appraisals for 32 million plots, with prices up by 27.8% nationwide.

Bangkok’s appraisal prices are up 15.8% on average.

The highest appraisal price nationwide is on Silom Road from Soi Sala Daeng to Narathiwat Road at 1 million baht per sq w, up by 17.6%.

The cheapest price nationwide is in Chiang Mai province, with land going for 10 baht per sq w.

Source: Bangkok Post