The number of UK buy-to-let mortgage completions from Hong Kong residents soared over the past year according to new figures. Enquiries into the UK from Asia for expat mortgages have been increasing o... ( read original story ...)
Property porn in Hong Kong: when home prices are so high, they become obscene
I have written and ranted ad nauseam about the sorry state of housing in Hong Kong and the insanity of endlessly skyrocketing property prices in the world’s most expensive city to secure a roof over y... ( read original story ...)
Hong Kong’s property prices will not always go up
Property prices do not always go up, not even in Hong Kong. It may look that way when we are all caught up in the middle of one of the most sustained real estate bull runs in the city’s history. But e... ( read original story ...)
Hong Kong’s public annuity scheme: are the elderly being short-changed?
We understand that our bureaucrats at the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation are no investment geniuses in the mould of Warren Buffett, but even they should be able to obtain a return of at least 4 per ce... ( read original story ...)
Hong Kong may impose more curbs on non-local homebuyers
Tighter restrictions may be imposed on non-local homebuyers if necessary to rein in runaway property prices even as Hong Kong maintains its open-door policy on mainland Chinese migrants, Chief Executi... ( read original story ...)
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam doesn’t rule out more property curbs on non-local buyers
Hong Kong will not rule out tighter restrictions on non-locals buying flats to rein in runaway property prices even as the city maintains its open-door policy on migrants, its leader said on Thursday. ... ( read original story ...)
Hong Kong property market can be cooled if land sale terms are pegged to ready flat prices
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 ...)