I was in Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. With 92 percent of the population being Chinese, everyone was taking a break during the public holiday. Not for the property agents. Some agency branches even opened on the first day of Chinese New Year. One of them was Centaline Property Agency (中原地產), a top real estate brokerage firm in Hong Kong. Its founder Shih Wing-ching … [Read more...]
4 major concerns over Oxley’s game plan
I attended Oxley Holdings’ 2QFY2018 results briefing last Friday and left the meeting with four concerns regarding the Singapore developer’s strategic directions.1st Concern: New projects have to be launched ASAP Oxley’s quarterly results ending 31 December 2017 was filed with SGX on Thursday evening. Below is the summary of the developer's financial performance comparing with … [Read more...]
Chinese developers: Who exactly are they?
Since the start of the year, cash-rich property developers from mainland China have been actively participating in Government Land Sales (GLS) tenders. Aiming to expand their footprint in Singapore, they have set new records in bidding prices for residential sites. This is no doubt a big windfall for the government. But not for local developers who may be involuntarily … [Read more...]
Top 5 gimmicks of new launch (part II)
Besides gathering a crowd there and creating the urgency to buy, there are other marketing gimmicks you may find familiar at a new launch. Gimmick 3: Make some noise To draw the attention of potential buyers, media coverage is a better alternative than advertising. It sounds more convincing and also helps to save the budget to buy airtime. The public relations department … [Read more...]
Top 5 gimmicks of new launch (part I)
There are many tactics deployed by property developers and their marketing agents during the launch of off-plan properties. The five most commonly seen marketing gimmicks are: 1. Gather a crowd; 2. Create the urgency; 3. Make some noise; 4. Dangle the carrot; and 5. Promise good return. Gimmick 1: Gather a crowd When it comes to buying big ticket items like … [Read more...]