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Golden Emperor Properties was awarded the Best Overseas Property Agency (Thailand) title at the GoHome Awards 2015 presentation ceremony on the 24th of September. The GoHome Awards was established in 2011 and has since awarded over 100 businesses for their excellence in the respective field. This year, GoHome awarded 36 companies in various award categories as a result of votes from the public and a dedicated panel. Additionally, Sansiri PCL, a strategic partner of Golden Emperor was also awarded the honor of Best Overseas Property Developer (Thailand).

Above (from left): Terence Chan and Kingston Lai, both Directors of Golden Emperor accepted the award from Georg Chmiel, CEO of iProperty Group

Above (from left): Cobby Leathers, Head of International Marketing of Sansiri, and Apichart Chutrakul, CEO of Sansiri, accepted the award from Georg Chmiel, CEO of iProperty Group

Above:20% of people renting in the UK either don’t want to own their property.

Summary:

• 20% of people renting in the UK either don’t want to own their property or prefer the freedom to be able to relocate quickly
• New survey also reveals the many financial constraints renters cite for not being able to enter the owner occupied sector
• With the average first-time buyer age rising, does this raise the importance of providing quality rental property?

A new survey has highlighted Britons’ attitudes towards renting and the owner occupied sector – and it serves to emphasise the need to provide quality rental accommodation for the UK’s expanding private rented sector (PRS).

One fifth of those surveyed stated that the reason they don’t own a home is that they either prefer the freedom to be able move around easily (8%), or they simply don’t want to own their own home (12%).

The findings from the Post Office Money Mortgages survey also revealed the financial constraints that prevent many renters from being able to get onto the property ladder. 45% believe they won’t be able to purchase their first home in the near future, with 28% stating that they cannot afford to save for a deposit, and 17% raised concerns about being able to meet mortgage repayments.

There are currently around 20 million renting in the UK’s PRS. This year the average first-time buyer age increased from 35 in 2014 to 36, and forecasts from July suggest that there will be more people renting by 2025 in Britain than in the owner occupied sector.

Across the UK there is sustained demand for rental property, and these findings underline the need for quality rental stock.

Source: Select Property

Above:The greater Cha Am, Hua Hin and Pranburi areas have seen a high level of Thai buyers who are looking for a second home near the ocean.

According to a recent report by Colliers International Thailand, Hua Hin’s property market continues to grow despite struggles in many other cities around Thailand due to the poor economic climate. The greater Cha Am, Hua Hin and Pranburi areas have seen a high level of Thai buyers who are looking for a second home near the ocean.

The demand from Thai buyers for properties selling for around THB3 to 5 million still continues to grow, both for houses and condominiums. The reported added that buyers are more interested in condominium projects close to the coastal areas but not necessarily beachfront projects as well as detached houses.

There are some foreigners are buyers in this area as well, but only a small number of them with most looking for small detached houses in the Hua Hin Inland area. There are also a number of expats staying in beachfront condominium projects that were completed more than 10 years ago, due to the lower prices. Most foreigners that are staying in the Cha Am, Hua Hin and Pranburi areas are already retired and decided to live in Thailand because of the lower cost of living, the convenience, the safety and the nearby international hospitals.

There are several completed and planned large-scale projects in Cha Am, Hua Hin and Pranburi that are drumming up more interesting in the area. The recently opened Vana Nava water park and the planned Central Shopping mall are just a few such projects that will make the area more desirable. There are also several infrastructure projects being planned by the government. The Bangkok – Hua Hin high-speed train and the new ferry pier for a planned Pattaya – Pranburi route should improve accessibility to the region.

Take-up rate is not an issue among developers with projects in the area, but transfer rate is a concern. The reported said there are more than 8,000 condominium units that are scheduled to be completed and transferred in the second half of 2015.

Source: DDproperty

Above:The Ratchathewi-Phetchaburi zone in Bangkok has become a hotspot attracting significant interest from property developers.

The Ratchathewi-Phetchaburi zone in Bangkok has become a hotspot attracting significant interest from property developers thanks to its potential to become a major urban transit interchange in 2020.Land prices in the area have risen at a pace comparable with the Siam Square area, according to consultancy Plus Property Co.

While new projects are few and far between, they have registered a spectacular take-up rate of 95%.Data from the first half of this year showed a 6% year-on-year increase in prices.Managing director Poomipak Julmanichoti said a survey of land availability within a 500-metre radius of Ratchathewi skytrain station indicated a rising level of interest thanks to the central location and ongoing outward residential development growth from the now-dense Sukhumvit area.

Above:Land availability within a 500-metre radius of Ratchathewi skytrain station indicated a rising level of interest.

As one of Sukhumvit’s many parallel roads, Phetchaburi Road provides convenient access to Bangkok’s main business and shopping districts.Furthermore, the Orange Line skytrain extension will make Ratchathewi a major interchange connecting the new business district in Bang Sue along with current ones such as Sala Daeng, Siam Square and Asok.

The interchange station, expected to open in 2020, will generate higher interest in residential and commercial property development in the area.While there is only a limited amount of land available in the area, demand continues to rise unabated, as evidenced by the excellent 95% average take-up rate.New projects are able to move units very quickly despite relatively high prices, a consequence of the additional development costs from the dismantling of old buildings on acquired land.

Today, only 57 units remain unsold in the area, and the zone from Phetchaburi Road and Ratchathewi skytrain station to Bangkok Business College is the most popular stretch thanks to a direct shortcut to major shopping centres.Condominium prices in the area continue to show consistent growth in response to rising demand.In the first half, prices rose by 6% from the end of last year, to 158,046 baht a square metre.

Above:Pyne by Sansiri cost 250,000 baht per sq m, up by 80% from the launch price six years ago.

Over the past three years, prices have increased by as much as 47%, while high-rise developments are available only at prices well beyond the current average.Last year, Ideo Q Siam-Ratchathewi (sold out) and Wish Signature @ Midtown Siam (on the verge of selling out) were launched with an average price of 175,000 baht per sq m, while sell-on prices for high-end developments such as Pyne by Sansiri cost 250,000 baht per sq m, up by 80% from the launch price six years ago.

Given these figures, new developments launched in the area are set to be priced above 200,000 baht per sq m.In the rental market, one-bedroom units are averaging 800 baht per sq m per month, representing a 6% return on investment.Developments in this zone remain popular due to limited land availability.

“An empty plot in Ratchathewi district is virtually impossible to find,” said Mr Poomipak. “In addition to its close vicinity to the business district, leading malls and major academic institutes, Ratchathewi also enjoys high demand among foreigners thanks to nearby embassies and international companies.”

Source: Bangkok Post

Above: The areas most sought after by foreign buyers were the Kuala Lumpur city centre and Mont Kiara.

More foreigners may take advantage of the weakening ringgit to invest in properties in Malaysia with the capital benefiting the most, Armani Media Sdn Bhd said.

Foreigners tended to buy properties for long-term and could hold them without tenants for five to 10 years, Chua Kee Kian, Managing Director of the media and event management company focusing on property industry said.

He said the areas most sought after by foreign buyers were the Kuala Lumpur city centre and Mont Kiara.

“We are seeing more foreign developers, especially from China armed with databases of their previous purchasers from China coming to Malaysia to buy properties,” he said.

Above:The launch of a coffee table book entitled “Property Insight: A guide to Best Property Investment Opportunities 2015/2016″ by Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Mhd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz here recently.

He was speaking to reporters at the launch of a coffee table book entitled “Property Insight: A guide to Best Property Investment Opportunities 2015/2016″ by Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Mhd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz here recently.

Chua said on the contrary, there was poor property investment from locals, declining between 10 and 15 per cent in the last two months due to sluggish local and global economic climate.

Local investors are holding back their money and are more interested in property investment abroad such as in Australia, he added.

Chua said investing in properties should be for mid-term and long-term to tide over market volatility.

“Property investment is all about market confidence. We expect headwinds in the next six months, but things will stabilise and the market will pick up again,” he said.

The coffee table book, featuring 45 residential and commercial properties and containing information on real estate analytics, profiles and comments from successful investors, is now available in major book stores.

Source:iProperty

Above:In the next six months, but things will stabilise and the market will pick up again