Sumatra quake: Tremors felt in Singapore; authorities urge calm

Sumatra quake: Tremors felt in Singapore; authorities urge calm

Police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force urge those in Singapore to remain calm after a 7.8-magnitude quake hit southwest Sumatra on Wednesday night. Tremors were subsequently felt in parts of Singapore.

Posted 02 Mar 2016 22:57 Updated 02 Mar 2016 23:20

SINGAPORE: Police have urged members of the public to remain calm after tremors were felt in Singapore, following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Indonesia on Wednesday night (Mar 2).

In an advisory, police said the Meteorological Services confirmed the earthquake hit southwest Sumatra - about 1,237km from Singapore - at about 8.49pm on Wednesday. Tremors were subsequently felt in parts of Singapore from 8.53pm. Both the Police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force received several calls from the public reporting these tremors, it said.

If members of the public are inside a building and feel tremors, police advise them to:

i) Take cover under a sturdy table or furniture
ii) Keep away from items made of glass or any hanging object
iii) Do not use the lift
iv) Do not use any naked light, in case there is a gas leak

Those out in the open should minimise their movement and stay away from buildings, street lights and utility wires, police added. After the vibrations have stopped, they should:

i) Stay away from any exposed electrical cables, hanging glass objects
ii) Report any gas leakage
iii) Help the injured, call SCDF if the injuries are significant
iv) Report any incidents or issues of law and order to Police
v) Tune in to the radio for updates, according to police

The Singapore Civil Defence Force similarly asked those in Singapore to not be alarmed, and posted information on what to do in the event of tremors.

TREMORS FELT IN BISHAN, EAST COAST, SENG KANG, ANG MO KIO

Residents in Singapore reported feeling tremors in areas including Bishan, Punggol, East Coast, Seng Kang and Ang Mo Kio. However, Singapore is unlikely to be affected by the earthquake, said the National Environment Agency.

A Katong resident, who only wanted to be identified as Ms Amanda, said she felt tremors from her 12th-floor apartment shortly after the quake struck, at about 9.05pm.

“I was lying down reading a book when suddenly I felt like the ground was moving side to side. I thought I was feeling tired, but my mum saw our lamps outside shaking, so we decided to evacuate,” she told Channel NewsAsia.

Amanda said there were about 15 residents gathered downstairs of her condominium. Her family of six stayed at the ground floor for about half an hour.

“We live quite high up, and we have two dining lamps which won’t shake if it’s just (strong) wind. It’s happened before during an earthquake as well,” said Ms Amanda of her family’s decision to self-evacuate from their apartment.

They eventually returned to their home at 9.30pm. “We just wanted to be safe first. We headed downstairs and saw other people, so that confirmed it,” she said.

A resident in Kembangan who lives in an apartment also reported feeling strong tremors from the quake. "I felt like I was swaying from left to right. On a scale of 1 to 5, I'll rate (the movement) at the 2.5 to 3," said Ms Jazryl Lee.

Indonesia, especially Aceh, was badly hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. The country straddles the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth's crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.

- CNA


- wong chee tat :)

HDB resale prices remain flat in October: SRX Property

HDB resale prices remain flat in October: SRX Property
Prices for 4-room and 5-room flats fell while prices for 3-room and Executive flats rose.

POSTED: 05 Nov 2015 12:16 UPDATED: 05 Nov 2015 12:57

SINGAPORE: The resale prices of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats were unchanged month-on-month in October, the Singapore Real Estate Exchange (SRX Property) said on Thursday (Nov 5).

The resale prices for 3-room flats and Executive flats rose by 0.7 and 0.9 per cent, respectively, while the resale prices for 4- and 5-room flats fell 0.8 and 0.1 per cent, respectively.

Overall, prices have declined 2.6 per cent from the same period a year ago and 11.7 per cent from the peak in April 2013, SRX Property said.

A total of 1,745 HDB resale flats were sold last month, a 16 per cent rise from the 1,504 transacted units the previous month. Compared with a year ago, resale volume was up 12.4 per cent, SRX Property said.

The overall median Transaction Over X-Value (TOX), which measures whether people are overpaying or underpaying SRX Property’s estimated market value, was S$1,000 last month.

For HDB towns with more than 10 resale transactions, Bishan reported the highest median TOX of S$15,000, followed by Queenstown with S$7,000. The lowest median TOX were in Central Area and Hougang, at negative S$17,000 and negative S$5,500, respectively.

- CNA/av

- wong chee tat :)

New private home sales nearly double in May

New private home sales nearly double in May

The improved sales volume came as developers launched 1,790 new units in May, nearly three times more than the 600 homes in the previous month.

SINGAPORE: The private residential property market sprang to life in May after months of remaining in the doldrums, with developers’ sales surging 96 per cent as buyers snapped up units at the slew of new launches last month.

Developers sold 1,470 new private homes last month, nearly doubling the 749 units that they moved in April, latest data by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) showed on Monday (June 16). Including executive condominiums (ECs), new developer sales rose to 1,528 units in May from 797 units in April.

The number of new private homes sold last month is the highest monthly figure since the Total Debt Servicing Ratio was introduced in June last year. The improved sales volume also came as developers launched 1,790 new units into the market in May, nearly three times more than the 600 homes recorded in the previous month.

"It is a function of supply, and supply that was with good attributes and good locations, as well as projects that were priced very attractively," Mr Desmond Sim, the Head of CBRE Research Singapore said of the rise.

Two projects by City Developments topped the best-selling list for the month. Coco Palms at Pasir Ris Grove moved 590 of the 600 condominium units launched at a median price of S$1,018 per square foot (psf), while Commonwealth Towers at Commonwealth Avenue sold 275 of 400 homes at S$1,626 psf.

Analysts note the higher sales volume last month is a sign that underlying demand is strong, but some say it may be too early to rejoice.

"The statistics in May do show that buyers did come back (to the market), but that is after five months of drought, of very low sales," said Mr Nicholas Mak, the Executive Director of Research and Consultancy at SLP International Property Consultants.

"In May, we actually saw a surge in the number of units launched. Developers launched roughly about three times more private home units in May compared to April. But the take-up rate only doubled. It actually shows that the private home market is still fairly soft," Mr Mak said.

Observers say attractive prices will continue to be the key consideration for buyers against the backdrop of existing cooling measures.

For instance, the 100 units sold last month at The Panorama at Ang Mo Kio were transacted at a median price of $1,241 psf. This is about eight per cent lower than what units were going for at the project's launch in January this year.

Another project in the vicinity also achieved similar results after it slashed prices. Developers of The Sky Habitat in Bishan trimmed prices by some 13 percent when the project was re-launched last month. It then sold 130 units at a median price of $1,377 per square foot.

"Projects like Panorama and Sky Habitat, they have turned in very good numbers after they have relaunched at better pricings. With the success of this, I am not surprised that developers out there will consider that as an option to move units," said Mr Sim.

For the whole of 2014, analysts expect developers to sell about 9,500 to about 12,000 units. That is about 20 per cent shy of some 15,000 units sold in 2013.


-TODAY/cy

- wong chee tat :)

Sale of Balance Flats May 2014

Sale of Balance Flats May 2014

Town / Estate  Flat Application Category Flat Supply Ethnic Quota Selling Price (excluding Grants) Selling Price (including Grants) Malay Chinese Indian / Other Races   Non-Mature Towns/Estates:   Bukit Batok  3-room Standard 3 3 3 2 From $225,000 From $175,000  Executive 1 1 1 1 $475,000 -   Bukit Panjang  Studio Apartment 19 19 19 15 From $82,000 -  2-room 22 0 22 6 From $110,000 From $50,000  3-room Standard 9 7 9 9 From $176,000 From $126,000  4-room 24 24 24 24 From $259,000 From $224,000  5-room 13 13 13 13 From $338,000 From $328,000   Choa Chu Kang  Studio Apartment 5 4 5 5 From $82,000 -  3-room Standard 32 2 32 14 From $150,000 From $100,000  4-room 339 47 339 116 From $244,000 From $209,000  5-room 247 102 247 70 From $313,000 From $303,000   Hougang  Studio Apartment 223 73 197 42 From $76,000 -  2-room 9 5 9 9 From $119,000 From $59,000  3-room Standard 7 5 7 5 From $200,000 From $150,000  3-room Premium 3 3 3 3 From $215,000 From $165,000  4-room 39 35 39 33 From $284,000 From $249,000  5-room 17 17 17 17 From $339,000 From $329,000   Jurong East  2-room 4 0 4 0 From $143,000 From $83,000  3-room Standard 47 9 47 10 From $196,000 From $146,000  4-room 8 8 8 8 From $303,000 From $268,000  5-room 1 1 1 1 $342,000 $332,000   Jurong West  Studio Apartment 23 6 23 7 From $92,000 -  3-room Standard 43 11 43 15 From $169,000 From $119,000  4-room 22 22 22 21 From $265,000 From $230,000  5-room 4 4 4 4 From $391,000 From $381,000   Punggol  Studio Apartment 10 10 10 10 From $91,000 -  3-room Standard 23 18 23 22 From $173,000 From $123,000  3-room Premium 47 43 47 43 From $218,000 From $168,000  4-room 124 115 122 122 From $296,000 From $261,000  5-room 81 79 81 80 From $362,000 From $352,000   Sembawang  3-room Standard 4 3 4 4 From $198,000 From $148,000  4-room 148 48 140 31 From $255,000 From $220,000  5-room 90 37 83 18 From $328,000 From $318,000   Sengkang  Studio Apartment 60 35 60 33 From $85,000 -  3-room Standard 7 7 7 7 From $198,000 From $148,000  3-room Premium 21 21 21 21 From $206,000 From $156,000  4-room 142 136 142 132 From $247,000 From $212,000  5-room (119 units) / Executive (1 unit) 120 120 120 106 From $324,000 From $314,000   Woodlands  3-room Standard 4 1 4 2 From $183,000 From $133,000  3-room Premium 1 1 1 1 $199,000 $149,000  4-room 24 17 24 20 From $258,000 From $223,000  5-room (4 units) / Executive (2 units) 6 6 6 6 From $336,000 From $326,000   Yishun  Studio Apartment 3 3 3 2 From $82,000 -  2-room 1 1 1 1 $135,000 $75,000  3-room Standard 11 8 11 11 From $198,000 From $148,000  3-room Premium 2 2 2 2 From $205,000 From $155,000  4-room 72 61 72 65 From $244,000 From $209,000  5-room 36 35 36 32 From $326,000 From $316,000   Mature Towns/Estates:   Ang Mo Kio  3-room 8 8 6 8 From $237,000 From $207,000  4-room 29 29 21 25 From $344,000 From $329,000  5-room 10 10 7 10 From $521,000 From $511,000   Bedok  Studio Apartment 6 6 6 6 From $97,000 -  3-room 2 1 2 2 From $227,000 From $197,000  4-room 5 5 5 5 From $308,000 From $293,000  5-room (2 units) / Executive (1 unit) 3 3 3 3 From $351,000 From $341,000   Bishan  Studio Apartment 1 1 0 1 $130,000 -  3-room 1 1 0 1 $311,000 $281,000  4-room 2 2 0 2 From $394,000 From $379,000  5-room 1 1 0 0 $566,000 $556,000   Bukit Merah  Studio Apartment 38 33 31 21 From $110,000 -  2-room 29 29 29 25 From $251,000 From $211,000  3-room 14 14 12 14 From $290,000 From $260,000  4-room 13 13 8 13 From $467,000 From $452,000  5-room 29 29 3 29 From $582,000 From $572,000   Bukit Timah  Studio Apartment 25 25 14 25 From $111,000 -   Central  S2 Apartment 1 1 1 1 $769,000 $759,000   Clementi  3-room 4 4 2 4 From $256,000 From $226,000  4-room 8 8 5 7 From $352,000 From $337,000  5-room 3 3 2 3 From $518,000 From $508,000   Geylang  Studio Apartment 85 45 71 28 From $114,000 -  3-room 44 38 42 26 From $192,000 From $162,000  4-room 15 15 13 15 From $420,000 From $405,000  5-room 2 2 0 2 From $701,000 From $691,000   Kallang/   Whampoa  Studio Apartment 254 153 224 67 From $105,000 -  3-room 30 30 24 21 From $221,000 From $191,000  4-room 164 124 119 61 From $334,000 From $319,000  5-room 6 5 2 3 From $633,000 From $623,000   Pasir Ris  Studio Apartment 4 4 4 4 From $89,000 -  3-room 1 0 1 0 $223,000 $193,000  4-room 8 7 8 8 From $326,000 From $311,000  5-room (4 units) / Executive (3 units) 7 4 7 7 From $386,000 From $376,000   Queenstown  Studio Apartment 118 49 98 32 From $113,000 -  2-room 30 30 30 30 From $253,000 From $213,000  3-room 4 4 1 4 From $232,000 From $202,000  4-room 2 2 0 2 From $569,000 From $554,000  5-room 1 1 0 1 $681,000 $671,000   Tampines  Studio Apartment 7 6 7 7 From $95,000 -  3-room 9 7 9 9 From $230,000 From $200,000  4-room 30 28 30 30 From $320,000 From $305,000  5-room (3 units) / Executive (2 units) 5 5 5 4 From $414,000 From $404,000   Toa Payoh  Studio Apartment 6 6 2 6 From $103,000 -  3-room 95 42 78 18 From $212,000 From $182,000  4-room 23 23 21 19 From $314,000 From $299,000   Total 3,383 2,084 3,111 1,830

Notes: Prices are rounded up to the next higher thousand. Actual selling price of individual flats will vary based on location and other attributes. For 2-room flats, assumed Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) of $40,000 and Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG) of $20,000; for 3-room flats, assumed AHG of $30,000 and SHG of $20,000; for 4-room flats, assumed AHG of $15,000 and SHG of $20,000; for 5-room flats, assumed AHG of $10,000. Actual Grant amounts will vary based on income and choice of flat. Click here for more information about the various CPF Housing Grants available. The eligibility conditions for the AHG and SHG are: (a) first-timer household; (b) applicant must have worked continuously for one year immediately before the flat application, and is still working at the time of application; (c) average gross monthly household income over the one year period must not be more than $5,000 (for AHG) or $6,500 (for SHG); and (d) SHG applies only for the purchase of a 2-room, 3-room or 4-room flat in the non-mature estates.  Studio Apartments (SAs) are sold on a 30-year lease, beginning from the date of key collection. Prices are inclusive of the elderly-friendly fittings/finishes. Please refer to the “Flat Details” tab to check the lease commencement date of each block.  The 3-room Standard flats in the non-mature towns/estates with a $5,000 income ceiling will be offered as a separate category from the 3-room premium flats in the non-mature town/estates which are sold with a $10,000 income ceiling. The 3-room flats (standard/premium) in the mature towns/estates with an income ceiling of $10,000 will be grouped together under a flat application category. The 4-room flats in the non-mature and mature towns/estates will be treated as a separate flat application category for those who are only interested in 4-room flats to submit their applications. Since 1995, HDB has closed the Executive Flat (EF) register. The number of EF on offer is limited and they are largely repurchased/repossessed flats. Hence, HDB will group the EF and 5R as one flat application category. Flat at The Pinnacle@Duxton is classified as S2 (similar to 5-room) flat. Flats in Jurong East will be grouped together with those in Jurong West for offer under “Jurong East/West” Town, where applicable. For the administration of the Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS), applicants may apply for MCPS if their parents/married child are living in either Jurong East or West or within 2 km from any of the blocks offered for sale. There is a 4-room repurchased DBSS flat at Blk 138A Lorong 1A Toa Payoh #13-08 at The Peak @ Toa Payoh.

- wong chee tat :)