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Singapore
AsiaSoutheast Asia

Singapore’s first home launch since new curbs almost sold out as buyers remain unfazed

The measures were implemented to tackle a trend of flipping properties for a quick profit that has driven a renewed jump in home prices

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Singapore has introduced surprise measures targeting speculators in the property market. Photo: Reuters
Bloomberg
Singapore’s first mass-market private residential project launched since new curbs were introduced saw the development almost sold out as homes were sold at lower-than-usual prices.

The LyndenWoods development sold 324 units on Saturday, the first day it started to accept bookings, CapitaLand Development said in a statement the same evening. That is about 94 per cent of the 343 units to be built at a business park in the city’s south.

The launch came over a week after the introduction of surprise measures targeting speculators in the property market. Owners must now hold their homes for at least four years if they want to avoid paying a seller’s tax, from three previously, while those who still choose to do so face higher levies than before.
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CapitaLand Development – part of CapitaLand Group that is owned by Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings Pte. – said LyndenWoods homes were sold at an average price of S$2,450 (US$1,914) per square foot to mainly professionals, couples and families who were attracted by its long-term investment potential.

That is lower than median rates for similar units across Singapore and the district. Another project about 1.6km (one mile) away has sold less than half of its 358 units after its launch earlier this year.

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The early performance may validate policymakers’ concerns about a trend of flipping properties for a quick profit, which has driven a renewed jump in home prices and risks affecting affordability in one of the world’s most expensive residential markets.

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