Sunway Real Estate Investment Trust has acquired an industrial asset in Shah Alam for RM91.5 million from Champion Edge Sdn Bhd with a long-term lease of 18 years.

Considering the negative outlook for the property sector in the year of the Fire Rooster, founder of Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics Datuk Joey Yap says two of the best things to do this year is to acquire assets and new skills.

49%-owned Muhibbah Engineering Middle East LLC has won a contract from the Economic Zones Company of Qatar (Manateq) to undertake the construction of roads and infrastructure works at Um Alhoul Economic Zone (QEZ-3) Phase 2.1 for a total contract sum of RM438.1 million.

The market is rife with speculations on whether private residential prices are bottoming out, and there are positive signs that are fanning hopes. Developers sold 7,551 condominiums and apartments in 2016, more than 2015’s figure of 6,895 units, based on caveats lodged up to early December 2016. Including landed homes and executive condominiums (ECs), primary sales were up 15% y-o-y from 9,957 to 11,430.

Earnings to be underpinned by its Vietnam engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract worth RM1.9 billion, and other local jobs such as Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway (RM508 million).

Several catalytic developments have emerged in Greater Kuala Lumpur, which include Tun Razak Exchange, Warisan Merdeka, Bukit Bintang City Centre, Bandar Malaysia, Kwasa Damansara and Calvary Convention Centre.

Turning 125 is a milestone for Singapore’s oldest architectural practice, Swan & Maclaren, which was founded in 1892. While some veteran local architects bemoan the heartbreak of seeing the buildings they designed 30 to 40 years ago become victims of collective sales and replaced by shimmering towers designed by a new generation of architects, Swan & Maclaren has been more fortunate.

The London property market has been under scrutiny since before the UK’s vote to leave the European Union (Brexit). The shock and jitters in the property market have subsided somewhat, and the falling pound sterling means better deals for foreign investors.

Mainland Penang will soon have its first international hotel chain, thanks to Exopuri Development Sdn Bhd. The company recently signed a management agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to manage the 288-room Holiday Inn & Suites at Juru Sentral when it is completed in 2019.

The Malaysian property market has gone through a difficult patch and while no one can predict the future accurately, 2017 is not expected to be rosy either. Thus, it is imperative that decisions are made based on due diligence and careful study of the property market, say local property experts. But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Find out what the real estate industry has to say about the year that has passed and what areas investors and homebuyers need to look at this year.