Test Trends | Page 66

Jakarta market matures Significant gains are to be made in the property market in Jakarta, especially with early participation – that’s one of the messages in the latest property market report from Jones Lang LaSalle With a population of 26.5 million people, Jakarta is a heaving mega city – one that is experiencing growing pains, thanks to an acknowledged lack of infrastructure. Although these problems are being addressed, there is still much to be done. However, the latest property market report from Jones Lang LaSalle Jakarta notes that the traffic snarls and transportation 64 difficulties have created a soaring demand for strategically located vertical residential accommodation. Head of Residential Project Marketing at Jones Lang LaSalle, Luke Rowe, says apartments used to be considered second-class accommodation in comparison to freestanding houses. However, in modern Jakarta, apartments are highly sought after, with 70% of search | save | share at my.trendsideas.com projects sold within six months of launch, and more than 90% sold out before completion. “The market is maturing and investors recognise that early participation will equate to significant capital gains once a project reaches completion,” Rowe says. “This is a huge and important trend for the industry as a whole. This year it is expected that at least 14,000 apartments will sell in greater Jakarta, which means the number being sold is growing by about 20% per annum.” However, Rowe says Bank Indonesia has taken some cooling measures to prevent the market overheating. These include changing the loan-tovalue ratio of the first property purchase to 30% equity, with 40% equity required for a second property and 50% for a third. Banks will also only