Watching the glitzy opening act of the world’s tallest building in Dubai on Jan 4, one could be forgiven for momentarily forgetting that this deeply-indebted emirate faces immense problems.

The city's major brokerage firms reported that prices in 4Q2009 in the Manhattan property market had decreased from a year ago while sales had risen. I expect this trend to continue into early 2010. Prudential Douglas Elliman and Miller Samuel reported that the median sales price of an apartment in 4Q2009 was US$810,000 (RM2.7 million), down 10% compared to a year ago.

For some, Seri Kembangan in Selangor seems like a sleepy backwater — an under-developed area dotted with buildings that are inferior both in type and design to those in better-known addresses in Kuala Lumpur.

The popularity of the mainly expatriate enclave of Mont’Kiara in Kuala Lumpur has led to a proliferation of new and exciting residential and commercial developments in the area.

A few years ago, developers with prime land in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) were aggressively launching high-end condominiums, with views of the Petronas Twin Towers as their major selling point. It was reported that some units were going for more than RM1,800 psf.

Sceptics of Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers will remain, well, sceptics. But frankly, who can ignore the Malaysian icon that has successfully redefined the values of real estate in its midst?

PETALING JAYA: The year 2010 will remain a challenging one for the property sector as it recovers from the impact of the global financial crisis.

A poll by The Edge Malaysia found that property consultants in Malaysia are confident that the residential market will generally improve from last year with better sales expected.

PENANG: The Land and Mines Department's electronic land administration system, e-Tanah (e-Land), will be expanded to the whole country soon.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas said the system which was introduced in Penang as a pilot project, was found to be effective and well received by the public.

KUALA LUMPUR: The two condominiums under the Taman Raintree Batu Caves development in Selayang, namely Semarak Condominium and Penaga Condominium have received encouraging sales prior to their officially launch this weekend on Jan 9 and 10, 2010.

PETALING JAYA: A month after the Kedah state government’s suspension of the land swapping policy, it is now looking at making some major changes to it.