Describe your dream homeChai: Perhaps I watched too many romantic movies as a child, but I’ve always loved the idea of a long driveway surrounded by many trees that leads you to a house with large gardens. I’m not sure where exactly I will ‘settle down’ but I know it will definitely be somewhere in Asia.

Yun: Resting in my living room and working on my laptop.
Yap: Doing nothing; just sitting back and relaxing. I travel a lot for work, so my best holiday vacation is spent at home.

The year 2009 is coming to a close, and what a rollercoaster ride it has been for the local bourse and the real estate scene. Sentiment picked up towards the second half of the year. Bank Negara Malaysia data show that loans approved for the purchase of residential property for October 2009 rose 60.7% to RM6.87 billion, from RM4.27 billion a year ago.

The year 2009 began on a gloomy note around the globe but as it comes to a close, some property markets have begun showing signs of recovery from the global economic turmoil although some property experts remain cautiously optimistic on the outlook for 2010.Most property consultancies in the Asia Pacific, the UK and the US contacted by City & Country say they expect growth in 2010 b

After years of travelling for business and leisure, it is understandable that the seasoned travelbug ceases to be awed by the beauty and luxury of his or her surroundings.

Several positive policy changes have been made to boost the local property development and construction sectors since the onset of the global credit woes. Some of the changes were included in Budget 2009 and the two stimulus packages that followed, which totalled more than RM273 million.

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwait Finance House (M) Bhd (KFHMB) on Dec 26 refuted an article titled "Kuwait Finance House aborts deal to buy The Icon" published in a local newspaper on Dec 25 and a related announcement made by Mah Sing Group Bhd on Dec 24.

There was a time when neighbours knew each other by name, greetings rang out over the fence in the mornings, and evenings were spent chatting on the front yard. Unfortunately, for most city folks, those times are now nothing more than a memory.

Innovative developers are always seeking new concepts, or as the sceptics would say, new gimmicks, for their development projects to differentiate themselves and gain an edge over their competitors.

LRT lines bring smiles, and fears