LONDON: The UK capital’s status as a magnet for wealthy foreign homebuyers is helping to drive prices in many areas beyond the reach of most Londoners. That’s putting pressure on politicians and developers to convince locals that they haven’t been forgotten in the rush to court overseas investors.

BEIJING: Price rises for new homes in China slowed in March for the third straight month, an independent survey showed, as authorities say they are looking to curb high housing costs.

TO understand why many of China’s small property developers are struggling, look no further than Zhejiang Xingrun Real Estate.

The once little-known regional developer is now on the brink of becoming one of China’s biggest real estate bankruptcies in recent memory.

KUALA LUMPUR: CapitaMalls Malaysia Trust (CMMT), whose focus is retail-based real estate and holds properties such as Sungei Wang Plaza in Kuala Lumpur and Gurney Plaza in Penang, sees minimal impact from the hike in utilities and assessment rates.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mitrajaya Holdings Bhd’s unit Pembinaan Mitrajaya Sdn Bhd has clinched a RM277.4 million contract from property developer UEM Sunrise Bhd.

The contract is for the proposed construction and completion of the main building of a housing block within the Symphony Hills area in Selangor’s Cyberjaya district, Mitrajaya told the exchange yesterday.

INDIA: With its general election underway, India’s real estate sector is prepping for the potential optimism of a new government being sworn in and with it, potential new policies that can become key drivers of growth in the real estate sector in the next five years.According to Ramesh Nair, chief operating officer, Business of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) India, these policies include economic and

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will be hosting the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) XXVI General Assembly and Congress 2014 from May 1 to 5.“[Hosting the event] is a first for Malaysia and Southeast Asia,” said Ronnie Choong SB, president of the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers (MIID), in a press statement recently.

LONDON: Global transaction volumes for commercial property are set to see growth of at least 15% in 2014, which will take the annual total to well in excess of US$600 billion (RM1,962 billion), acccording to Knight Frank’s latest Global Investment report.The global property consultancy predicted that Chinese investments in international property will double this year with transactions reaching

GUANGZHOU: I-Bhd’s Red Carpet@i-City, Malaysia’s first all-star interactive wax museum, will introduce state-of-the-art 3D imaging technology which enables the construction of digitalised three-dimensional models.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong developer stocks jumped the most in more than two years on speculation the government may ease curbs on home prices after the city’s leader said the market is no longer overheated.

Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd, the city’s second largest developer, surged as much as 4.1% and Wharf Holdings Ltd advanced as much as 5.6%.