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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.
Luxury residences perch on Mount Kellett Road, The Peak, overlooking southern Hong Kong Island. Photo: Roy Issa
Hong Kong property

Mainland Chinese buyers pour US$2 billion into Hong Kong super-luxury homes

Mainland buyers account for 80 per cent of the city’s biggest blockbuster deals in the most exclusive neighbourhoods in 2025.

Architecture and design

Interior design trends for 2026 reflect a decade of change

Japan

The View | 3 factors Asia’s real estate investors must watch in 2026

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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.

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Office and residential buildings seen from an observation deck at the Shinjuku business district in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: EPA-EFE
South Korea

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

Southeast Asian developers target South Koreans with luxury overseas investments, offering attractive payment plans.

Hong Kong property

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

Businessman and National People’s Congress deputy gets nine-unit property at a 44 per cent discount, says market has bottomed out.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

The dining room in the house in Tai Po, Hong Kong, designed by Seehow Design. Photo: Jason To / Black Cat Image
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.

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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.

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.

Buildings are seen under construction in Mumbai, India, on May 5. Photo: Reuters
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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Chinese tourists wheel suitcases through the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo on November 19. China’s Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Japan have advised Chinese citizens against future travel to Japan following recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi concerning Taiwan. Photo: EPA
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.

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.

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A cyclist rides past residential buildings in Seoul on November 11. Flat prices in the capital increased at the sharpest pace since 2018 last month while rents rose at the fastest clip on record. Photo: AFP
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.

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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.

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