STProperty's Seminar uncovered investment insights and identified risks

SINGAPORE - It was an enriching and enjoyable event for potential property seekers and investors as they attended a sold-out seminar entitled "Outlook of Property Market 2012/2013 Trends, Opportunities & Pitfalls" on Oct 13, Sat, at the Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre.

The well anticipated event, organised by Singapore Press Holdings' STProperty, saw an impressive turnout of over 350 participants from different age groups and professions, who were keen to equip themselves with property knowledge and insights.

Four industry experts and speakers for the day - Knight Frank's Png Poh Soon, SLP International's Nicholas Mak, Orange Tee's Tan Kok Keong and JPS Consultancy's Eunice Tan - covered current topics for identifying property opportunities and avoiding pitfalls while also addressing the latest cooling measures.

"Fundamentals are strong but uncertainty remains," said Mr Png (Head of Research & Consultancy). He spoke in-depth on the concept of shoe boxes, and their rising demand and supply. Much to everyone's excitement, Poh Soon also generously shared hot spots for shoes boxes, which included areas like Marine Parade, Geylang, Balestier and Newton.

Mr Mak (Executive Director and Head of Research & Consultancy) enriched the participants with essential information for investing in commercial and industrial properties. He also addressed concerns on the relevance of the latest cooling measures to industrial properties.

"Unlike in Singapore, cost of units in Myanmar does not increase as the floors increase. This is due to the lack of lifts in the country," said Mr Tan (Director of Research & Consultancy), sparking laughter from the audience. He highlighted that infrastructure and facilities are among factors to consider when exploring overseas properties.

Ms Tan (Director) spoke on the pros and cons of buying a property under a company or personal name. While few were familiar with the investment strategy of using a company to buy property, Eunice revealed during the seminar that this strategy has proven to be more advantageous.

"The speakers were knowledgeable in their areas of expertise. The seminar session has provided me with information necessary for my property investment plans," said a Mr Gopal, a 41-year-old administrative executive who attended the event.

"The session has been fruitful, providing answers to questions I had prior to the seminar and useful tips as well. With the STProperty.sg app, I look forward to exploring property opportunities on my smartphone," said Mr Darren Ng, a 37-year-old engineer.

For reference to snippets of the event and topics covered, visit STProperty.sg/seminar from 19 Oct 2012 onwards.