The residential property market in Asia is vulnerable to the impacts of the global financial crisis and the associated international economic downturn. Recent economic figures in Asia point to a marked slowdown, in both economic growth and the residential property market in Asia. Following is information related to the residential property market in Asia, and the services provided by Healy Consultants:

1.

House price indices for the residential property markets in Asia are recovering quickly from the economic crisis. According to Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Singapore residential property prices increased 15.8% at the end of 2009, a significant q-o-q increase from the 2.4% decline in the same quarter in 2008. The latest figures from Hong Kong University's All Residential Price Index (HKU-ARPI) showed increases for six consecutive months, back to early 2008 prices and approaching peak prices of 1998. In Australia, the median house price increased (YoY - September 2009) country-wide, from 1.7% in Brisbane to 11.21% in Hobart, 10.48% in Darwin and 11.36% in Melbourne (ABC Diamond).

In Singapore, after significant declines in the local economy, the end of 2009 showed a positive outlook and a turnaround for the small nation, with a 0.8% economic expansion (YoY) in comparison to Q3 2008 (Colliers International).

The financial year in Hong Kong was dramatic. It started with strong performance across all areas of business, especially the residential real estate market. Business volumes then fell off a cliff in August and, after steadying for a while, declined sharply again in November. Fortunately, the 2010 outlook is hopeful as the local real estate market is predicted to perform better than in 2009. The IMF predicts Hong Kong’s economy to grow by 5% in 2010, due to positive spillover effects from Chinas growth. However the economy is still vulnerable to external shocks; which may affect the countries growth rate.

For Australia, 2009 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show growth of just 0.5%. Wayne Swan the Australian Treasurer mentions in Bloomberg's article that he expects the economy to grow 1.5% in 2010.

Despite optimism of Thailand's stability as an economy, the Thai GDP contracted 7.1% in Q1 2009, proof of the worldwide effect of the economic downturn. Thai government have taken severe and proactive measures and invested BHT400 billion into the economy. 2010 has been a positive year for the Thai economy, with a 3.71% growth rate, a major improvement from the -3.46% growth rate in 2009 (Federation of Thai Industries).

6.

Healy Consultants assists clients with renting, purchasing or selling residential property in Asia. Services provided in the residential property market in Asia include:

Arranging international mortgages to support the purchase of residential property in Asia. We work with banks such as DBS, OCBC and ANZ Bank to support our clients' investment objectives.

Healy Consultants project manages our client's residential property market needs in Asia from start to finish making their new home purchase as smooth as possible. Investment objectives can be in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Bali, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam or other Asia markets.

Sourcing and supervising reliable agents for property management activities such as a) finding tenants b) property valuations c) property maintenance and refurbishments d) problem solving e) security and f) organizing property insurance

Sourcing and supervising a local lawyer so that the legal matters associated with the residential property market in Asia are managed professionally.

Healy Consultants' tax specialists will advise on the optimum accounting and tax strategies related to the residential property market in Asia, thereby maximizing our clients' investment returns.

For more information on the residential property market in Asia, call our Singapore office at (+65) 67350120 or contact us at email@healyconsultants.com