James Hall Takes Top Spot for Asia with Colliers’ International Properties Team

As Asia continues to grab apartments and houses around the globe with both hands, Colliers International has promoted James Hall to Managing Director and head of its International Properties team for Asia, based in Hong Kong.

“James is a well-respected industry leader, and a recognised expert in the sale of international residential property in Asia,” David Hand, CEO for Asia Pacific at Colliers commented in a statement. “His appointment will better align our global International Properties business to provide our Asian clients with a broader range of quality opportunities and markets in which to invest, particularly Australia and the UK, while strengthening our sales platform across the region.”

In taking the step up after joining the international property consultancy as a director in January, Hall will now be reporting directly to Hand. When  brought on board earlier, the former CBRE executive reported to Ashley Osborne, Head of UK Residential and Managing Director of International Properties for Asia at Colliers. Osborne continues to head the company’s UK Residential division from Hong Kong.

Selling More Overseas Homes to Asian Buyers

Hall’s role will be to help Colliers sell more homes in the UK, Australia and other global hubs to Asia’s increasingly housing-hungry investors.Despite an Australian market that to many looks increasingly frothy, a study released by investment bank Credit Suisse last month found that foreign buyers purchased 25 percent of all new homes in New South Wales — where Sydney is located, and 16 percent of homes in Victoria — which is home to Melbourne. And among those foreign buyers, 80 percent were from Greater China.In the UK, the pound is trading a 31-year low against the US dollar, which many Asian investors have taken as a signal to take another look at London homes.

James had earlier joined Colliers in 2010 as a Regional Director for International Properties and then moved to CBRE in Hong Kong for five years before rejoining Colliers this year.