Real estate insights and recommendations for occupiers and investors in Asia Pacific based on the previous fortnight’s market events.
Markets in focus this week:
Australia – Industrial
Australia's industrial and logistics leasing demand to exceed four million sqm in 2021
The leasing demand in Australia's industrial & logistics market is forecast to exceed four million sqm in for the 2021 calendar year, up from the previous record of 3.3 million sqm in 2020.
Investment volumes have already surpassed AUD$12 billion, which is well above the previous high of $7 billion, set in 2016. We see fundamentals within the sector continuing to remain supportive of strong market conditions.
For more insights, reach out to Luke Crawford.
Hong Kong
More capital looking for core investment opportunities; industrial as a defensive sector remained popular
The ongoing economic recovery in Hong Kong SAR has been supporting investors' gradually-increasing confidence. We believe investment sentiment will remain positive in the next few months while the market is still loaded with abundant dry power, and prices remain attractive.
Investors are increasingly looking for core investment opportunities, and as prices for most commercial sectors should bottom-out by end-2021, we recommend investors take this opportunity to enter the market.
For more insights, reach out to Rosanna Tang.
Iloilo, Philippines – Office
Office deals in Iloilo gaining traction; a hotspot for higher-value KPO companies
Iloilo, a popular choice among expanding business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, is gaining traction in attracting office deals outside Metro Manila. Aside from Metro Manila and Cebu, Iloilo is an emerging hotspot for higher-value knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) companies.
In the first half of 2021, Iloilo cornered about 30% of provincial office transactions. We recommend developers to build more office towers and look for alternative development sites, especially outside of existing integrated communities.
For more insights, reach out to Joey Bondoc.
Singapore
Investment sales continued to improve in Q3 2021, driven by higher Government Land Sales
Investment sales in Singapore grew 6.9% quarter-on-quarter (QOQ) and 79% year-on-year (YOY) to S$7.5 billion, driven by higher Government Land Sales. Residential sales grew 11.6% QOQ, while commercial sales declined 12.1% QOQ, despite strong retail transactions.
We continue to expect a strong showing in Q4 2021, and recommend investors to focus on assets with long-term growth, such as CBD offices with redevelopment potential, high-specs spaces, logistics assets and shophouses.
For more insights, reach out to Shirley Wong.
For more real estate research insights across Asia Pacific, reach out to our experts Nicholas Wilson, Chris Dibble and Joanne Henderson.