Phuket's Prime Real Estate recently won top honors at a leading regional competition.
At the Asia Pacific Property Awards the group took top place for best Best Real Estate Website Thailand.
In addition a second win for Best Real Estate Agent Thailand.
Barry King leads Prime Real Estate who not long ago opened a new office at Boat Avenue in Cherngtalay.
Bangkok's Four Seasons Private Residences recorded THB700 million (USD21 milllion) in a two day sales event in Hong Kong.
More than 100 persons attended the investment showcase which was hosted by CBRE Thailand.
The Four Seasons product is widely visible in the marketplace and the brand has been a wide driver of demand.
Developed by the Country Group, the residential component is targeting completion by 2018.
Here in Phuket current branded offerings include Point Yamu by Como, The Residences by Anantara at Layan Beach, Banyan Tree and the upcoming Rosewood.
Minor Group are continuing a fast and furious expansion drive with the announcement of the entry of their Avani brand Australia.
Back of winning the rights to develop two sites in Perth, Avani will roll out a 250-room upscale hotel and on an adjacent land plot a 200-unit branded residence.
The twin developments are expected to boost the city's drive to bring new life into the Central Business District.
It's expected that Minor will further develop the real estate focused brand Avani in other locations in the vibrant Australian property sector.
South East Asia's biggest economy Indonesia is setting plans to allow foreigners to own upscale apartment units.
Last week the Jakarta Globe ran a piece quoting Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro who confirmed that a new policy on foreign ownership was being put into place to spur the country's property sector.
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo is facing extreme pressure to stimulate economic growth in the country at a time when the rupiah is continuing to face strong downward pressure.
Thailand currently allows foreign ownership of condominium units on a 49% project quota basis.
One of Thailand's up and coming resort real estate markets Khao Yai has been hit hard by a series of government investigations over encroachment onto public land.
Two projects that have received most of the press are Kirimaya and Bonaza which are high profile estates.
The current probe is looking at land plots alleged to be in the National Park and also over conversions of Sor Por Kor titles which have been upgraded illegally and developed for commercial purposes.
While Phuket's media highlighted land investigations in the Sirinath National Park has provoked an outcry mainly from foreign property owners, the Khao Yak focus is hitting high-end domestic property buyers.
Thailand's ongoing property issues clearly point out for the need of widespread reforms in the government Land Department and also a need to internationalize the sector with title deed insurance as a means of protecting both consumers and developers.
Thailand's Minor Hotel Group are increasingly pairing mixed-use hotel and residential opportunities into a footprint for expansion.
In the latest move, a new Anantara branded project in Morocco includes an 18-hole golf course and residences.
A second branded resort in Tunisia is expected to open in 2017.
The two projects are part of a partnership between Minor and Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment which is aimed at North Africa.
There is growing concern over the broad-based Pattaya property sector which has seen market conditions flatten.
A key-driver of the trend has been the rapid decline of the Russian Ruble, as the overseas buying segment has been highly leveraged by Eastern European buyers over the past few years.
Stress may enter the equation as a number of project completions are expected this year and in 2016.
There are expectations that some purchasers may default once the registration trigger has been pulled.
Speculators are increasingly talking about stress creating some strong discounted opportunities as a growing secondary market looms.
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio is making international news on his partnership in a Belize luxury eco resort and luxury villas for sale.
Partnering with New York-based Delos development the group is restoring a 104 acre caye in Central American.
Aside from a resort the offering includes 48 villas to be sold ranging in price from USD5-15 million.
Christened as Blackadore Caye, A Restorative Island, the offering could validate the un-answered question over whether sustainable development drives demand at the top end of leisure property.
A newly introduced regulation in nearby Indonesia is requiring real estate developers and hotels to price and collect goods and services income in local currency.
The government run Bank Indonesia as of March 31st has issued a new directive for compliance with full implementation required by July 1st of this year.
In the past Bali property developers have largely priced products in US dollars and often collected transaction payments on that basis.
Likewise many hotels quote rates in the US currency and contacting with overseas agents is most often done on the same exchange basis.
Indonesia's currency has remained volatile over the past few year and has broadly depreciated against the US dollar and a number of other major currencies.
For businesses who prefer to an option to often take US dollar denominated loans at considerably lower interest rates the those in Indonesian currency, the trading risk has expanded considerably with the new regulation.
As we move through the year of 'disruptive' events, currency play is now becoming a major highlight of hotel and real estate business plans.
