TOPIC

Asia housing and property

Asia housing and property
Latest news and analysis about housing and property in Asia, covering sales, market outlook and investment trends, policies related to affordability and foreign ownership, and the performance of developers.
Office and residential buildings seen from an observation deck at the Shinjuku business district in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: EPA-EFE
International Property

Heightened tensions with China rattle Japan’s property market: analysts

Bilateral friction is expected to impact assets tied to tourism, including hotels and high-street retail shops, CBRE’s Chinatsu Hani says.

9
South Korea

Southeast Asia reels in buyers turfed out by Seoul’s housing crisis

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong politician Bunny Chan buys Stanley homes for US$40 million

China property

The View | Will Hong Kong, mainland property see a recovery in 2026? Don’t bet on it

Tech-led resilience is not a cure for all the ills driving the underperformance of mainland Chinese and Hong Kong real estate.

videocam
An aerial view shows residential buildings under construction by property developer China Vanke in Hangzhou, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, on March 15, 2024. Photo: AFP
China property

Beijing trims property resale tax in fresh push to stabilise housing market

Under new rules, sellers will pay just 3 per cent VAT if they offload a property within two years of purchase, down from 5 per cent.

Property financing

The View | How AI helped Asia’s real estate sector pass the tariff stress test

While multiple factors are at play, this year’s tech exuberance helped the region’s property markets stay afloat.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China consumption

China vows city-specific fixes to clear housing glut, stabilise property sector

Housing minister pledges to empower local governments to buy unsold inventory and shift towards selling only finished homes with a ‘what you see is what you get’ model.

videocam
17
Residential buildings are seen under construction in Fuyang, Anhui province, on December 15. Photo: Getty Images
Architecture and design

Gilded interiors draw improbable luxury from the forest floor

This capacious home for a multigenerational family that likes to entertain is extravagant yet rooted in nature.

Japan

Losing ground: Japan sounds alarm over foreign-owned land

From next year, anyone buying property will have to confirm their nationality – a move some analysts say is overkill.

videocam
Japan

Will Japan’s young embrace 50-year loans amid rising housing prices?

Opting for 50-year loans lowers monthly costs, but the long-term risks are mounting.

People cross a road in Tokyo earlier this month. Fifty-year mortgages are transforming home ownership for young buyers in Japan. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan boosts scrutiny after Chinese buyers lead property rush near critical sites

Japan to require nationality disclosure for land near key sites after study finds Chinese nationals bought half of 3,498 such properties in 2024.

A view of the skyline of Tokyo, Japan. Many foreign buyers purchased Tokyo-area condos and flats for investment. Photo: Shutterstock
India

The View | After vitalising its property market, India must shore up its weaknesses

The sustainability of the real estate boom will depend on how well New Delhi can address lingering gaps in affordability and infrastructure.

Malaysia

As Southeast Asia’s middle classes lose their homes, the rich get sky garages

As wealthy buyers seek penthouses with living-room supercar parking, struggling families battle banks to keep a roof overhead.

videocam
6
International Property

Hongkong Land poised to launch US$6 billion Singapore property fund

The real estate fund, including stakes in One Raffles Quay and Marina Bay Financial Centre, will be Singapore’s largest, company says.

People walk across the Jubilee Bridge at the Marina Bay waterfront in Singapore on November 21, 2025. Photo: AFP
South Korea

‘Only option I had’: as Seoul rents jump, many forced back into tiny rooms

More youngsters are being pushed into cramped goshiwon units as affordable housing crisis in the South Korean capital deepens.

videocam
A man studies in his small room in a dormitory-style accommodation in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Reuters
International Property

The View | Asia’s housing affordability squeeze shows no signs of slowing

Some of the sharpest increases in property values are in economies facing major headwinds or those suffering from an acute shortage of affordable housing.

videocam
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong home sales recovery looks more solid as prices edge up

Mortgage and resale data both show a sustained rise in sentiment amid improving rates, prices and rental yields, agents say.

5
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | A vacancy tax could bring back Hong Kong’s commercial buzz

The city’s magic comes from its energy and speed, not empty units. A gentle policy nudge could boost vibrancy and long-term asset values.

11
A worker sticks up another rental advertisement on the shutter of a vacant shop in Mong Kok on May 2. Photo: Elson Li
Japan

The View | Takaichi’s nationalism and fiscal stimulus test Japan’s property market

Despite market pressures, cost-of-living concerns and the diplomatic row with China, other factors have a strong bearing on the nation’s real estate.

videocam
Interiors

Even the cat matches the decor in this chic, Parisian-inspired flat

After a two-year search, a Hong Kong couple finally found a rare, light-filled flat – and transformed it with calm, clever design.

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong and Singapore prime office rents set to equalise by 2027: CBRE

The projected increase in Singapore’s office rents could influence how companies allocate manpower between the two cities.

Prime office rents in Hong Kong and Singapore are set to reach parity within two years. Photo: Sun Yeung
China property

Sellers hope superstition can sell homes in China’s depressed market

Prayers, talismans and lucky emoji bring hope in a market where second-hand home prices have been falling for more than three years.

Residential buildings in Shanghai, pictured on September 28, 2024. Photo: AFP
South Korea

Macroscope | South Korea’s challenges a taste of what’s to come for global economy

While South Korea has been a big beneficiary of the AI boom, the surge is also highlighting its domestic and geopolitical vulnerabilities.

videocam
Artificial intelligence

The View | An AI-fuelled data centre bubble in the making? Not in Asia

Asia provides strong reassurance that the AI boom is not the only factor driving development and investment in data centres.

videocam
International Property

Australia draws mainland China, Hong Kong homebuyers amid stable policies, economy

Australia’s luxury property segment is expected to see increased interest from affluent investors looking for cost-efficient safe havens.

Australia ranked as the second most popular global destination for Chinese homebuyers, behind Thailand, in the first half of 2025. Photo: Getty Images
Architecture and design

Their dream was to own a Hong Kong junk: restoring it wasn’t smooth sailing

A family’s pandemic project became a design odyssey, turning a rotting boat into a sun-washed escape with coastal-Florida flair.

The saloon aboard Serendipity. Photo: Eugene Chan; Styling: Flavia Markovits
Hong Kong property

Returning expats fuel Hong Kong’s luxury rental rebound, Savills says

High-end residential rents set to climb 3 to 5 per cent next year amid strengthened appeal of business and education sectors: consultancy.

9
Vietnam

The View | Why Vietnam’s property sector has weathered Trump’s tariff typhoon well

Trump’s tariff blitz has not just provided an impetus for reforms, it has helped address misconceptions about Vietnam’s manufacturing sector.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement