Despite stories of rocketing prices, China’s enthusiasm for real estate — at least domestically — may be cooling off. Analysts now predict that investment in China’s property industry may only reach 15 percent in 2014, a major drop-off from the 19.8 percent expansion that the sector enjoyed in 2013.

In a report in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) today, Wei Yao, China economist at Societe Generale in Hong Kong, noted, “Further investment growth deceleration seems quite certain to us, which is, however, a necessary step towards a more balanced economy.”