KUALA LUMPUR: Hong Kong's luxury and mass residential property transactions are experiencing an upward trend after recovering from a dip in November last year, stated Knight Frank in its January 2011 monthly property report.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) expects a take-up of RM60 million within the next six months for the ringgit mortgage facility offered to Malaysians who want to purchase property in London.

KUALA LUMPUR: Niche boutique developer Bukit Kiara Properties Sdn Bhd expects its VERVE Suites which consists of four towers — Viva, Vibe, Vogue and Vox — to be fully sold within a year.

To date, Viva Tower A and Vibe Tower B are 100% sold out and completed.

KUALA LUMPUR: The outlook for the property market this year is expected to be positive following the likely moderate recovery in the country's economy, said Rahim & Co Chartered Surveyors Sdn Bhd, one of the largest real estate consultancy firms in Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR: Faber Group Bhd (Faber) has lost contracts worth about RM184 million in Abu Dhabi after the Department of Municipal Affairs, Western Region Municipality (WRM), Emirate of Abu Dhabi opted not to renew the contracts.

KUALA LUMPUR: Wing Tai Malaysia Bhd (Wing Tai) is acquiring a freehold tract in Kuala Lumpur for RM75 million for future residential development.

KUALA LUMPUR: The outlook for the office sector in Kuala Lumpur is expected to remain soft in favour of tenants over the next few years, with 13.2 million sq ft of new office space in the pipeline between 2011 and 2013, according to real estate consultancy DTZ Nawawi Tie Leung Sdn Bhd.

WASHINGTON: Banks seized more than a million US homes in one year for the first time last year, despite a slowdown in the last few months as questions around foreclosure processing arose, a leading firm said on Thursday, Jan 13.

BRISBANE: Flood water in Australia's third-biggest city peaked below feared catastrophic levels on Thursday, Jan 13 but Brisbane and other devastated regions faced years of rebuilding as a fresh flood threat loomed with a cyclonic storm building off the coast.

KUALA LUMPUR: Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) has ceased to be a substantial shareholder in property developer Mah Sing Group Bhd, after it disposed of 1.45 million shares in the company on Jan 6, thereby reducing its interest to less than 5%.