Despite a weaker property climate, there is still keen interest in property investment, particularly for overseas properties.

This is evident by the impressive turnout at the two-day Property Seminar & Showcase 2016 held at the Singapore Press Holdings’ (SPH) auditorium on Jan 23 and 24, 2016. Over 500 paid attendees turned up at the sold-out event.

The property weekend was kick-started by a cocktail event for the property VIPs on Friday, allowing them to network and mingle.

Eight industry experts gave talks on various topics of interest at the seminar. These include talks on the global residential property outlook by Asia Pacific Head of Research for Knight Frank Singapore Nicholas Holt; the next stage for Iskandar Malaysia and Malacca by Mr Ishmael Ho, the CEO of Ho Chin Soon Sdn Bhd; tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of property investment in 2016 by the head of valuations for SRX Property Andrew Chee; and the impact of the Fed rate hike on interest rates by the CEO of SingCapital Alfred Chia.

On the second day, Dr Teoh Poh Huat, Director of Henry Butcher Malaysia Penang, gave the latest updates on the Penang real estate market, while Dato’ Eric Cheng, CEO of ECG Group of Companies, rounded off the seminar by telling people what they need to know about investing in overseas property. The other two speakers at the event include Dr Daniele Gambero, CEO and co-founder of REI Group of Companies, and Mr Jeremy Lee, Co-Founder of SRX Property.

Ms Tan Su-Lin, Deputy Head of the SPH Digital Division, said: “We are very pleased with the overwhelming turnout for our first property event in 2016.  This is an encouraging sign that Singaporeans are still keen on property as an investment option despite the gloomy economy and rising interest rates.”

At the foyer, participating developers from Malaysia and the Philippines showcased their latest property developments at well-appointed booths, which featured enticing videos and scale models. These included Tanah Sutera Development Sdn Bhd, Leisure Farm Corporation Sdn Bhd, E&O Property (Penang) Sdn Bhd, Horizon Hills Development Sdn Bhd, Mah Sing Group Berhad, Cypress Potential Sdn Bhd, Hatten Group Sdn Bhd, and Megaworld.

Mr Winston Woon, 55, of REA Realty Network Pte Ltd, said that the response on the first day of the event was very encouraging. He was at the showcase promoting Johor Bahru development Horizon Hills.

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