China property market revives – and more of today’s China Real Estate Links | December 21, 2012

Here is a list of the day’s latest China real estate news collected from around the web:

• China property market revives

  AFTER waiting for a year, accountant Qi Youdi has bought a new home in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, among the millions of buyers bringing the country’s property market back to life.

  For the past two years, China has sought to control residential property prices with measures including restrictions on second and third home purchases, higher minimum downpayments, and annual taxes in some cities on multiple and non-locally owned homes.

• Cushman & Wakefield: Asia Pacific Property Market to Remain Firm

  Cushman & Wakefield, the world’s largest privately owned real estate services firm, announced the Asia Pacific Office Market Forecast for 2013 report, showing that office demand and occupancy in Asia Pacific will remain intact in 2013, despite the region starting to ease its rapid growth.

  Sigrid Zialcita, Asia Pacific Managing Director for Research, comments, “The dearth of new supply will sustain tight occupancies in Brisbane, Manila and Perth while the completion of several new projects in some China and Australia cities will provide occupiers seeking top-tier space a chance to expand.

• Forget US REITs, China Real Estate ETF is Booming

  “Many investors have been focused in on the American property boom during much of 2012, and for good reason. The space has been surging higher as consumers become more optimistic, the jobs picture slightly improves, and housing prices seemingly bounce off of the bottom.

  Top ETFs targeting the home construction industry have been among the best performers in the unleveraged fund world this year, easily crushing their broad benchmarks in the process.”

• Chinese investors eye deals in German, French real estate

  Chinese investors are becoming more visible in European real estate, particularly in the hotel sector, with three new deals in prospect in Germany and France by firms that are new to the continent – Greenland Group, Wanda Group and BCT International Investment.
  Greenland and Spanish Meliá Hotels International have entered a strategic partnership to promote international growth in China and Europe.

• Chinese Capitalists Help Fuel US Housing Rebound

  The Silicon Valley is now leading the nation in its long-awaited housing recovery, according to veteran Bay Area realtors.

  Suzanne Yost, President of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors summarizes, “We’re at that leading edge.”

• Chinese firms make gains in Bay Area

  The Chinese are most definitely coming. Early next year, a major Chinese biotech company will be announcing its plans for the 53-acre, 355,000-square-foot former Bayer HealthCare campus it has just purchased on Hilltop Drive in Richmond.

  The company is a publicly traded, non-state enterprise whose name is not being disclosed by the brokers pending the formal announcement of its plans.

This list is updated daily, so tune in again tomorrow for more up to date information, or subscribe to our daily email news digest to get this delivered to your mailbox.