The Business Times
Leslie Yee

Leslie Yee

SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Leslie Yee is a Senior Correspondent with BT. His focus is on property, where he writes a weekly column The Level Ground. Leslie has a monthly podcast PropertyBT and helps to produce the newsletter Property Insights. He also writes a monthly column on wealth and investing Sense and Cents as well as contributes corporate commentaries.Leslie has over 25 years of experience in banking and real estate. He has worked for foreign financial institutions and regional property groups in Singapore and overseas. Leslie holds a degree in Economics and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

emaillyee@sph.com.sg
Condo buying by foreigners and investors will pick up if ABSD is relaxed.
THE LEVEL GROUND

Imagining a housing market without ABSD

A world where the private homes market has fewer shackles and all locals can buy new HDB flats

The Singapore bourse would gain if Hongkong Land injects its prime Singapore commercial properties into a local-listed Reit.
HOCK LOCK SIEW

Hongkong Land should do a listed Reit with its Singapore commercial properties instead of a private fund

A Reit is a permanent platform that can grow

City Developments Limited's executive chairman Kwek Leng Beng (right) and his son and group CEO Sherman Kwek are prominent second and third generation property sector leaders.
THE LEVEL GROUND

Can Singapore family-owned property empires last far beyond three generations?

Applying lessons from Geneva’s Pictet family 

Luxury brands operate in an environment where tastes can change quickly and competition could intensify.
SENSE & CENTS

Riding on the appetites of the wealthy by investing in luxury carries risks

Tastes change, operating environments are tricky, competition may intensify and rich folk may be political targets

Reaslising dreams of owning a new condo home may be getting harder for upper middle income households
THE LEVEL GROUND

Are condo and car ownership getting harder for Singapore’s upper middle class?

Rise in private-home prices and car COE premiums outpaces income growth of 80th percentile of households

Amid strong new condo sales in H2 2025, trimming new housing supply from confirmed list sites in the H1 2026 GLS programme may be counter-intuitive.
THE LEVEL GROUND

Should the government have boosted housing supply in its H1 2026 land sales programme?

More supply could help meet robust demand from homebuyers and developers, moderate prices and generate more economic activity

Low interest rates may not be sufficient to keep private housing demand buoyant in 2026.
THE LEVEL GROUND

Housing developers should brace for rougher conditions in 2026

Slower economy, more tepid HDB resale market and stiff competition for land await 

The issue of finding a successor to Mapletree's Hiew Yoon Khong can be side stepped should Mapletree merge with CapitaLand.
HOCK LOCK SIEW

A fitting swansong for long-serving chief Hiew: Help list Mapletree or merge it with CapitaLand

Lay the foundations for Mapletree’s next chapter and let retail investors own equity in it 

Major groups may be acting sensibly in privatising listed hotel-owning entities.
THE LEVEL GROUND

Owning luxury hotels is tough but can be richly rewarding for patient capital

Jardine Matheson and Frasers Property could gain from hotel ownership over the long term

Consider allowing seniors who own one private home to buy an HDB resale flat without grants while keeping ownership of their private unit.
THE LEVEL GROUND

Expand HDB choices for seniors: Offer new dual-key homes and short-lease 3-room flats

Let seniors who own a private home buy an HDB resale flat without selling the private unit 

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