Lucky thirteen: Singapore trumps Hong Kong in Real Estate Transparency Index

The intense competition is at its climax.

Singapore inched past regional rival Hong Kong in the latest JLL Global Real Estate Transparency Index, clinching the 13th spot among a list of 102 real estate markets.

Singapore is the most transparent real estate market in Asia, but Hong Kong remained a close second at rank 14, after cooling measures have compromised transparency levels.

However, Singapore trailed behind Asia Pacific counterparts New Zealand at rank 4 and Australia  at rank 3.

“In the latest survey, the top tier in Asia Pacific has pushed forward in terms of global rankings, but most of the region has not seen much change. Singapore has inched ahead of Hong Kong once again (also in 2010) in a close race for the top transparency position in Asia,” the report noted.

Here’s more from the report:

The competition for the most transparent market in Asia has intensified, as Singapore moves ahead of Hong Kong, where cooling measures have compromised transparency levels.

The world’s most transparent markets continue to be dominated by the highly liquid anglophone markets.

The UK has inched past the U.S. to move into top position, while Australia, New Zealand and Canada sit in third, fourth and sixth place respectively.

Differences in transparency among these ‘Highly Transparent’ markets are marginal however, and each has been jockeying for top position over the past decade.

Hong Kong is likely to maintain generally high levels of transparency going forward. However, local companies may continue to be slow to accept best practices in corporate governance.

In addition, property market cooling measures will probably remain in place for the foreseeable future, leading to ongoing uncertainties over tax consistency and predictability for local and foreign investors.