HONG KONG: Home sales in Hong Kong's secondary market picked up slightly last week as sellers lowered their asking prices, according to agents.

Some 261 homes were sold during the week from Nov 29 to Dec 5 in the secondary market in the 50 housing estates monitored by property agent Ricacorp Properties.

TAIPEI: Taiwan is planning to impose a special tax on short-term investment property transactions in the latest effort to curb speculation and prevent real estate bubbles in major cities.

Finance ministry chief secretary Lee Ching-hua did not give further details of the plan, but local media reported the tax could be as much as 30%, depending on the value of the deal.

HONG KONG: From his lofty vantage point on the top floor of the Great Eagle Centre in Wan Chai, Dr Lo Ka-shui — chairman and managing director of property and hotel company Great Eagle Holdings — is a keen observer of fashion on the streets far below.

KUALA LUMPUR: Engineering-based conglomerate UEM Group Bhd has named Mohd Razin Ghazali as the new managing director of its wholly-owned subsidiary UEM Builders Bhd.

In a statement on Wednesday, Dec 8, UEM Group group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Izzadin Idris said, Mohd Razin joined UEM Builders in August this year.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mutiara Goodyear Development Bhd's latest residential project Nadayu 92 is set to make its mark in Kajang, Selangor.

Spanning across 68 acres of freehold land next to the Kajang Hill Golf Club, Nadayu 92 is a gated and guarded development aimed at the medium range market.

KUALA LUMPUR: Sunway City Bhd's (SunCity) Opal Damansara semi-detached condominiums in Sunway Damansara recently won two prestigious property awards from both the Asian Habitat Summit 2010 and the World Association of Chinese Architects (WACA).

The 248-unit condo was developed by SunCity's subsidiary Sunway Damansara Sdn Bhd, and was designed by Arkitek Maju Bina.

HONG KONG: Singapore surged past Hong Kong to take top spot as the most promising property market in Asia, according to a survey of big investors. 

KUALA LUMPUR: Kumpulan Europlus Bhd disposed of 20 million shares of Talam Corporation Bhd for RM1.8 million.

In a filing to Bursa Malaysia on Monday, Dec 6, the company said the 20 million shares of 20 sen each, or 0.63% of the total voting share capital of Talam Corp, were sold on Dec 3 at a price of 9 sen per share on a willing-buyer-willing-seller basis.

JOHOR BAHRU: Singaporean and Malaysian investors on Monday, Dec 6 announced a partnership to jointly develop a RM500 million new waterfront residential and commercial project in Johor.

To be known as Azea Properties, the high-end development will be coming up on a 1.68 hectare site in Danga Bay — one of the key flagship zones within Iskandar Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR: Nam Fatt Corporation Bhd is disposing a piece of leasehold land in Selangor — together with the buildings erected on it — for RM21.1 million.

In a filing to Bursa Malaysia on Monday, Dec 6, the property developer said it had entered into a sales and purchase agreement with Cengal Saujana Sdn Bhd on the same day for the disposal of the land.