|
BIZCHINA> Center
![]() |
|
Testing times for developers as housing glut spreads
By Hu Yuanyuan (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-21 10:18 China's largest residential real estate developers are struggling to adjust their product offerings to better compete due to the soaring supply of low-cost housing.
"Improving the product quality, and supporting equipment and services are the major measures we will take," Xiao added. The central government plans to invest 900 billion yuan in low-income housing construction over the next three years, said Qi Ji, vice-minister of housing and urban-rural development, last week. The plan, which is included in China's 4-trillion yuan stimulus package, will help about 13 million low-income families move out of their average 10-sq-m living quarters into more spacious and modernized housing. Approximately 4 million housing units will be built and rented out to low-income families in urban areas. The increased availability of low-income housing, however, has delivered a big shock to the market. Statistics revealed that 8,267 units of residential housing were sold in Beijing during October, 4,800 of which were categorized as affordable, accounting for 58 percent of all transactions. "In the long run, the low-cost housing plan helps to separate the demand. On one hand, low-income families will turn to affordable housing. On the other hand, property developers will reposition their products to better meet the needs of medium and high-end income customers," said Xiao. A manager at a leading real estate firm, who declined to be named, said his firm is also studying closely product differentiation strategies since it is also involved in low-income housing construction. An interesting phenomenon, he said, is that the price of low-income housing in Beijing is not so attractive now since the market experienced a correction or decline in prices. To ease tightened cash flow, some developers have offered as much as a 40 percent discount on their products in suburban areas, resulting in prices similar to or lower than those of nearby low-cost housing. Industry sources said the Beijing municipal government plans to buy some low-priced common residential buildings as part of the affordable housing plan. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
|
宿迁市| 德庆县| 长岛县| 嵩明县| 辽源市| 漯河市| 阿拉尔市| 多伦县| 曲松县| 阳曲县| 辽源市| 玛曲县| 北辰区| 当阳市| 敦化市| 金沙县| 绥江县| 普洱| 孙吴县| 怀化市| 思茅市| 资兴市| 漳平市| 彰武县| 昌邑市| 庆安县| 汶川县| 扎兰屯市| 宾川县| 唐河县| 平顺县| 大化| 吉首市| 平山县| 梧州市| 梁平县| 民县| 灯塔市| 平泉县| 泸西县| 汾阳市|