Readers of the letters column would have seen a lot of suggestions made by correspondents for solving the city’s housing problem. The common goal is to free up more land for housing development, so th... ( read original story ...)
Residential Mortgage Survey Results for May 2018
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced the results of the residential mortgage survey for May 2018. The number of mortgage applications in May decreased month-on-month by 2.7% to 14 491. Mo... ( read original story ...)
HK tax loophole undermines property cooling measures
Government efforts to cool Hong Kong’s soaring property prices have been undermined by loopholes in the territory’s stamp duties, according to a new study. The research showed that a total of HK$8.3bn ... ( read original story ...)
Life annuity scheme launched
Voiceover: HKMC Annuity, wholly-owned by the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation, launched the HKMC Annuity Plan which offers retirees a way to turn part of their savings into streams of stable income. The ... ( read original story ...)
HK$1m annuity plan for retirees opens for registration
The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation launched the life annuity scheme today, called the "HKMC Annuity Plan," which HKMC says allows retirees to generate life-long income from a part of their savings. Th... ( read original story ...)
Don’t Expect Hong Kong’s Empty-Home Tax to Cool Property Prices
(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong’s plan to tax unsold new apartments may have little effect on the city’s red-hot housing market. Taming Hong Kong’s soaring home prices has been one of the biggest challenges ... ( read original story ...)
Chinese firm eyes ‘strata-sales’, high debt for flipping Hong Kong towers
HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Chinese company plans to emulate a risky property strategy in Hong Kong that was used last year to buy a skyscraper from the tycoon Li Ka-shing, taking on a high degree of debt and selling off individual floors before the ... ( read original story ...)
Pricey Hong Kong set to impose vacancy tax on empty new flats
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong proposed a vacancy tax on empty new homes on Friday in an attempt to discourage developers from hoarding, but analysts expect the measure to have little impact on prices in a property market rated the world’s least affordable. ( read original story ...)
Hong Kong’s “King Of Haunted Flats” Strikes Gold As Property Prices Rise
Ng Goon-lau pointed at a window inside a dark, tiny bedroom. The window was small and easily sealed, Ng explained, a perfect place for carbon monoxide poisoning. A man once burned charcoal to kill himself there. Another tenant, a policewoman, also hanged ... ( read original story ...)
Hong Kong buyers’ interest in Japanese property hit as Japan tightens home-share rules
Japan’s stiffer home-sharing controls have dampened Japanese home sales among Hong Kong buyers who are increasingly investing in the country’s properties to operate shared lodging services. The new rules have also forced the world’s largest home ... ( read original story ...)
LCQ3: Maximum coverage for mortgage loans provided under Mortgage Insurance Programme
In February 2015, the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited tightened the arrangements under the Mortgage Insurance Programme (MIP) by reducing the maximum MIP coverage for eligible residential properties from 90% loan-to-value (LTV) ratio to 80 per cent ... ( read original story ...)
One of the world’s hottest property markets is readying a contentious change
Hong Kong's housing market has shown little sign of cooling after years of consistent price increases. In response, the government is now considering a controversial measure. Property in the semi-autonomous region of China has long ranked among the world ... ( read original story ...)
Enough is enough: Never mind the property industry – decent housing for Hong Kong people is a social issue
Enough, enough and more enough – the time has come to call an end to all this nonsense surrounding Hong Kong’s property market and the government’s alleged attempts to cool prices. Yet another initiative is about to be launched which imposes what is ... ( read original story ...)
Hong Kong buyers’ interest in Japanese property cools in the short term after Osaka quake
A strong earthquake in Osaka this week has not only rattled Japan’s second-largest city, but also shaken Hong Kong buyers’ growing interest in Japanese property in the short term, according to real estate agents. “One of our clients was paying a ... ( read original story ...)