HONG KONG: The consensus that Hong Kong office rentals will grow strongly this year has been challenged by serviced-office provider Compass Offices, which says grade-A office rents in Central may fall by as much as 35% over the course of the year.

Andrew Chung, founder of Compass, said the decline in rentals would be driven by major new supply coming onto the market.

HONG KONG: "Covered Car Park, Caine Road, Mid-Levels West, Investment or self use — HK$530,000 (RM207,980.64)."

Listed on the Internet on Jan 1, this advertisement has so far had 48 "hits" as a growing number of investors explore alternatives to conventional investment targets.

HONG KONG: Property sales and prices rebounded strongly last week, indicating the market had overcome its initial jitters over the likely severity of the government's cooling measures introduced in November to curb price growth, said analysts.

HONG KONG: Home-grown retailers are fighting a costly war with big global brands to maintain a foothold in Hong Kong's upmarket shopping precincts.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Hitam Development Sdn Bhd has in the pipelines 47 semi-detached houses (semi-Ds) at its mixed-development project called Bukit Puchong in Puchong. The Bukit Puchong project sits on 1,290 acres of freehold land, which the semi-Ds will take up a small part of.

KUALA LUMPUR: Country Heights Holdings Bhd (CHHB) will launch its Belleza Garden Homes project in Kubang Pasu, Kedah, on Saturday, Jan 22.

In a statement on Wednesday, the group said Belleza will be the first development with a garden-living concept in the northern region of the country.

KUALA LUMPUR: Kumpulan Jetson Bhd, through its 51%-owned subsidiary Jetson Development Sdn Bhd, has acquired three tracts in Penang from Malaysia Building Society Bhd for RM14 million, according to its statement on Bursa on Jan 18.

The three separate tracts — measuring 21,671 sq ft, 23,277 sq ft and 3,346 sq ft — are all situated in George Town.

KUALA LUMPUR: Values and rents of properties within developments in the Klang Valley close to the proposed mass rapid transit (MRT) stations as properties adjacent to the stations are poised to increase by as much as 25%, said Ho Chin Soon Research Sdn Bhd director Ho Chin Soon.

KUALA LUMPUR: The outlook of the industrial property market in the near-term is "promising", underpinned by the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), the economic recovery and the shortage of industrial land in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang, said VPC Alliance (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd managing director James Wong.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur office market this year is expected to remain soft as occupancy and rents come under pressure.

Knight Frank executive director Sarkunan Subramaniam said rentals will trend downwards as supply from the completion of new and refurbished office buildings are expected to overshadow tenants' demand.