After January’s dip in resale private property prices, February’s fall was considered slightly more positive. It was less steep for one, at 0.3 per cent as compared to January’s 0.9 per cent. Buyers have been waiting around for prices to slide further, but they seemed to have held firm. The prediction for January’s fall was originally 1.6 per cent.
Luxury homes took the brunt of the hit, with those in the city centre suffering an obvious softening demand. Suburban home sales remained level. Some of the market movements could be due to the lack of new property launches in February and the lack of activity during the festive Chinese New Year period.
Prices of shoebox apartments have been uncertain of late, as more have been completed are are now ready for the rental market. This in turn may have implications for the latter as competition runs high. Tenants now have fresh pickings to choose from and may have the upper hand when it comes to price negotiations.
In the months ahead, buyers and investors can expect a slight market shift, but not necessarily a significant one. It will be constant cha-cha between buyers and sellers and they try to suss out the other’s expectations.
