ABOLISHMENT of the real property gains tax, reduction in stamp duty for properties in a certain price range, and the construction and property sector gaining most from the stimulus packages announced – these are clear indications of the Government’s focus on this sector to help accelerate economic growth.

KUALA LUMPUR: The outlook for the domestic construction sector looks positive in the fourth quarter, but the roll-out of major projects will likely only happen next year, analysts and industry players said.

IF you are young and planning to enter the workforce in the next three years, you will have the company of seven billion fellow inhabitants of planet earth. By the time you are ready to retire – assuming you’ve been able to find a job in the first place – there will be two billion more.

EVEN with the economy showing signs of mending, property developers are continuing to woo buyers with special housing packages/promotions to boost sales. Some of these come in special loan packages, others through lucky draws and freebies like housing appliances such as air-conditioners and wardrobes. And evidently, they are working.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has a relatively matured construction industry but the quality of the finished product should not be overlooked, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said.

THE property market is set to move into higher gear after the dreary days of project delays and deferment of the past one year. Despite the seemingly brighter days ahead, developers are treading carefully and have not completely lowered their guard on the market’s passiveness to avoid an over built situation that will send property prices southwards.

THE concept of boutique developments is fast becoming an attraction in the property market nowadays. Gamuda Land Sdn Bhd managing director Chow Chee Wah says usually, the design of a boutique development is for the middle to high-end housing, catering to a special targeted niche market that has a discerning taste and appreciation for resort lifestyle living.

IT has been a tough and challenging ride for Malaysians and people the world over this past one year or so. Their confidence in the free market economy must have been shaken badly after so much wealth and asset value have been eroded by the global financial meltdown.

This is due to the relaxation of the FIC rules, says foreign brokerage. Bank earnings and loans growth are likely to improve towards the end of the year, bolstered by the recent deregulation of the Foreign Investment Committee (FIC) guidelines on properties as well as easing conditions for new listings and fund-raising activities.

Predictions on exactly when recovery will set in seem to depend on which channel you watch. In Albert Camus’ celebrated book, The Plague, we read of an insidious outbreak of disease accompanied by a rat infestation in the French town of Oran. At least, that’s what we appear to be reading, but the story is actually an allegorical reference to the inexorable Nazi occupation of France. It seems to me that the potential A(H1N1) threat could be read as an allegory for the impending danger of the global financial crisis.