Singapore's Real Estate, editors Seek Ngee Huat, Sing Tien Foo, and Yu Shi Ming

As background reading on the local property market, the graphs of data seem the best part.

Drawing on the long range directions of 40-50 years set out in the Concept Plan (reviewed every ten years), the Master Plan, which is reviewed every five years, details land use plans in Singapore; this is supplemented by Development Guide Plans which stipulate planning objectives for 55 planning areas and specify the zoning, height limit and development intensity.

Cross-border investing in real estate was not a new phenomenon. Up until the 1990s, the scale of funds was relatively small and it happened in waves, each of which was largely driven by a dominant developed economy and the movement of funds was between developed markets. It was the British in the 1960s, follwed by the Dutch in the 1970s and then the Japanese in the 1980s. By the 1990s, multi-directional flows of investible funds into real estate became visible, and the Chinese emerged as the new significant foreign investors in the 2010s.

For strata-titled privately owned properties, the government has also introduced legislation that encourages redevelopment. For properties more than 20 year sold, only 80% consent from the owners is required to carry out an en bloc sale or redevelopemnt. For properties between 10 and 20 years old, 90% consent would be required.

Examples of such strata-titled commercial buildings at prime locations which still exist today include Lucky Plaza and Far East Shoppping Centre around Orchard Road, International Plaza at Anson Road, and Golden Mile Complex, Golden Mile Tower and The Plaza along Beach Road.

En-bloc sales

Gov't land sales

Gov't interventions