Following the recent blip in China’s economy, which has affected economies across the globe, investor confidence and expectations have dipped considerably.
Home prices have also fallen but are now on the road to recovery as the authorities have eased measures to help regions, in particular smaller cities, in danger of a supply glut. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has helped to keep the yuan steady after allowing it to fall rather drastically in the beginning of the year. It has reduced interest rates 6 times since November 2014 and also lowered repayment requirements to allow buyers to borrow more for their first and second homes. Home prices have risen in 37 cities over the last month. In the more touristic cities such as Hangzhou and Xiamen, home prices have grown 1.1 and 1.3 per cent respectively over November last year. In a year-on-year comparison, a growth of 5.6 and 6.4 per cent was recorded.
Photo: Pik Sha Road property in Hong Kong
China‘s government seems determined to keep the economy afloat though sharp rebounds may be unlikely. Economists are expecting the authorities to play a more supportive role this year, with one of their main tasks this year being the reduction of home inventory, thus investors and market players are expecting further easing of measures this year.
Cities which are also business hubs, such as Shenzhen and Shanghai, have seen the quickest pace of home prices recovery. New home prices in Shenzhen and Shanghai have increased by 3.2 and 1.9 per cent respectively, followed by 0.4 and 0.7 per cent in Beijing and Guangzhou. Most of the positive activity in the property market remains centred around a small market segment, and some less popular cities are still seeing a market decline.
