Auction listings up by 7.1% q-o-q in 1Q2025, mortgagee sale listings likely to continue growing: Knight Frank
Four of the properties were sold at their respective opening prices: A three-bedroom apartment at Scotts Square brought $4.1 million; a HDB shophouse in Serangoon was sold for $1.9 million; a market outlet at The Commerze @ Irving obtained $637,000; and a manufacturing facility unit at T99 transformed hands for $635,000.
Knight Frank associates the greater success price to even more buyer interest, as US interest rate cuts ever since September 2024 have actually urged buyers to look out for chances. The properties efficiently auctioned in 1Q2025 had a complete gross sale value of $11.9 million.
Mortgagee sales represented 83 listings in 1Q2025, up 23.9% q-oq from 67 listings in the previous quarter. Knight Frank connects the quarterly increase to the prolonged influence of high interest rates all over 2023 and 2024, which triggered a boost in distressed assets to go into the auction market.
Whilst initial buyer interest was observed in 1Q2025, Knight Frank anticipates buyers to re-adopt “a mindful wait-and-see stance” in the middle of the expanding uncertainty. That said, with more rate of interest cuts anticipated, the agency notes that there could be a renewed interest from property capitalists looking for to capitalise on the rise in mortgagee sale home listings.
“While there was no substantial rise in listings in 1Q2025, this might be the calmness before the storm of sweeping worldwide tolls and a looming trade battle strikes,” claims Sharon Lee, head of public auction and sales at Knight Frank Singapore.
One more property, a two-bedder apartment in D’Ecosia, was torn down at $1.7 million– a 14.7% premium to its starting price of $1.5 million. On the other hand, a factory unit at In-Space and a one-bedder at Le Wood were yielded $1.9 million and $ 1 million each, equating to price cuts of 3.8% and 2.9% from their starting costs.
Looking forward, Knight Frank expects the uptick in mortgagee sale listings to continue throughout the year, as even more distressed possessions happen because of the long term high interest rates in 2023 and 2024. In addition, the extensive tolls revealed by the Trump administration could lead to a dampening effect on the realty industry.
Generally, Knight Frank is predicting a success price of about 5% for the whole of 2025, in line with the average yearly auction success rate of 5.1% covering the last one decade.
Proprietor sale listings clocked in at 43, dropping 23.2% q-o-q from 56 listings recorded in 4Q2024. The standing ten auction listings were for other kinds of sales– five residential units listed as sheriff sales, three liquidator sales of manufacturing facilities, a bank sale of an industrial unit, and an estate sale of a non-landed residence.
In regards to property kind, housing properties composed 45.6% (62) of total listings, up from the 46 residential listings in the past quarter. Commercial properties made up 38 (28%) listings, comprising 36 retail units and two office units, compared to 36 retail units and six offices listed in 4Q2024. Industrial properties comprised 23.5% (32) of the general listings, up by one listing compared to the last quarter. There were additionally 2 shophouse listings in 1Q2025, compared to 5 in the past quarter.
According to the firm, the boost was “unanticipated”, as it coincided with Chinese New Year events that generally lead to a time-out in sell-off activity.
The sell-off sector additionally saw a greater success rate in 1Q2025. Seven listings were smacked down last quarter, reflecting a growth price of 5.1%. This is considerably more than the 1.6% success rate recorded in 4Q2024. The seven postings comprise five mortgagee sales and two owner sales.
The Singapore property auction market viewed a sum total of 136 auction listings (including repeat listings and excluding real properties sold outside of public auction) in 1Q2025, up 7.1% q-o-q contrasted to the previous quarter, based upon data compiled by Knight Frank Singapore.
