Daily Briefing: Singapore property costs lower, but taxes can be a killer; Singapore’s home peril

And here’s the deal on staging your house for sale.

The cost of buying, holding and selling a mass market private home in Singapore is significantly lower compared to that in London and Sydney, but tax costs are much higher, revealed Knight Franks first-ever Global Tax Report. The report studied the property and taxation costs in 15 key cities worldwide for foreigners purchasing a unit in their own name as an investment, and renting it out over a five-year period from 2015 to 2020. Read more here.

The external threats facing Singapore's trade-dependent economy are undoubtedly daunting. But from an investor perspective, the internal challenge of boosting the city-state's competitiveness may be no less so.The latter doesn't get nearly as much attention as the risks from slower Chinese demand, tighter U.S. monetary policy, weaker energy-related investments, and a smaller global banking industry. Find out more here.

With rents expected to drop further this year and resale property prices stabilizing, some sellers and landlords have turned to home staging to make their property stand out in a buyers market. This decorating idea is said to have originated in the US, and refers to transforming a lived-in house to make it more appealing to buyers. It usually involves repainting walls, cleaning up and re-arranging furniture, and even baking bread during viewings to create a welcoming atmosphere. Read more here.