My last post on Round 7 was on 13 Jan 2013. The post is here.
Frankly i am not sure if the recently introduced total debt servicing ratio ("TDSR") can be considered as Round 8. It sounds more like making sure all the banks are operating from the same set of guidelines to rein in both the "cowboy" bankers and the "cowboy" speculators.
The initial TDSR ratio is set at 60%. In other words, the ratio of total monthly debt obligations divided by gross monthly income must be less than 0.6.
One interesting TDSR calculation is that the "medium term interest rate" assumption of 3.5% for housing loans and 4.5% for non-housing loan. This is way above the current SIBOR and perhaps it is a signal to property buyers that the low interest rate environment is not going to last forever.
In addition, the computation also includes a 30% haircut for variable income such as bonus and rental.
Currently the views from the analysts are mixed with respect to the impact from Round 8. Daiwa is one of the more bearish, forecasting a decline of 18-20% from end of 2012 to end of 2015.
I have shared with you my property journey. The post is here. Let's take a quick look at the current market and see where we are as of Q1. (Q2 chart will be out later part of July)
The property market here continues to be resilient despite Rounds 1 to 7 cooling measures. haha.. It will be tough to "douse" the fire with Round 8. You can see it in J Gateway sold out in one day. I am thinking Round 8 will probably not be the last round but other than an outright ban on Singaporeans buying their 2nd or 3rd properties, can you think of any more cooling measure that will be effective ? Perhaps forcing multiple home owners to sell their 2nd or 3rd properties will bring down the prices but Hong Lim Park will probably be full of people protesting everyday till the next election. :-P
You need a few things to happen to bring down the prices sharply:
1. A significant stock market crash
2. Another financial crisis (where fear strikes) as in 2008-2009.
3. A rise in interest rate
4. A big retrenchment in Singapore companies and expats leaving Singapore in droves
Do you foresee any of the above coming soon?
