PRIVATE homes prices in Singapore fell 2.4 per cent in the third quarter, more than an earlier estimate for a 1.8 per cent drop, signalling an end to a real estate boom that began four years ago.

The quarter-on-quarter price decline is the first since prices fell 0.4 per cent in the three months ended March 31, 2004.

But the Housing Board resale market continued to hold up, with prices still rising by 4.2 per cent in the third quarter. This is slightly lower than the 4.5 per cent increase seen in the second quarter.

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