Cent & Sensibilities

EPISODE 8 - Home, Away From Home

Analysts project further growth for the Asia Pacific real estate market in 2008. Heavy demand is expected for key cities such as Singapore , Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai . But with heavy competition, investments have also begun heading into less mainstream markets for the possibility of producing higher returns.

What accounts for the buzz of activity in the Asian Pacific real estate markets these days? What factors are driving this growth – which industry insiders observe is a higher record than the pre-Asian financial crisis days? Is the growth evenly spread across the different property-types? Chris Fossick, country head of Singapore and regional head of SE Asia , speaks to us. Is investment in property meant only for publicly listed companies and institutional investors? Can retail investors have a cut of the pie too? What must one do to profit from such investments? Our profile, Eric Cheng, shares some tips with us.

	Looking for an overseas property that's close to home? Australia has long been one of the top choices among Asians for its physical proximity, dependable legal system and transparent real estate market. Is this a good time to buy into this market, or is it too late to have a slice of the action? Austpac International's General Manager, Jeremy Thoo, enlightens us.

BUY SELL HOLD SEGMENT

Do emerging markets like Vietnam offer viable property investments? And are second-tier cities such as Bangkok and Sydney wise buys? How does one build in safeguards and ensure that you can enforce your ownership rights after the purchase? After all, the commitments often come up to at least half a million in value.

Hear from a buyer, an analyst and a realtor. .