A weakening rental market and the growing supply of new homes have pushed even more units into the realm of mortgage sales.
Even uncompleted units are now going under the hammer. While only 3 properties were auctioned last year, the number have more than quadrupled to 13 in the same period this year. More mortgagees are defaulting on their loans, which could be largely due to the diminishing loans they are now able to secure based on the debt servicing limits, increasing competition in the rental market and an overall property price drop.
Investors who have been dipping their toes into too many properties may be finding themselves unable to service the multitude of loans taken on multiple properties, in particular smaller one-bedders or studio apartments which are only reaching completion in the recent couple of years. Some units at The Greenwich in Seletar and euHabitat for example, in particular smaller one-bedroom apartments priced at $1 million or below, are being put up for auction as their owners are overstretched financially and find it difficult to secure rents sufficient enough to cover their mortgages. Larger penthouses with irregular layouts above 1,500 sq ft and priced above $2million are also finding it difficult to find buyers or tenants as they exceed the budget of many investors but may not yet fulfil the requirements of affluent or high-networth buyers.
Some of the units put up for auction this year include a one-bedroom penthouse in Guillemard Edge, a three-bedder in Bartley Residences and a four-bedder in Silversea condominium in Marine Parade. The latter was sold at $1,529 psf or a total of $3.9million.
