Five-Bedroom Luxury Duplex In City's Mid-Levels Area Sells for US $57 Million#
We've written before about the Hong Kong real estate market's relatively fast rebound in the face of the global economic downturn, with exclusive properties like The Masterpiece attracting the attention of well-heeled mainlanders and Hong Kong residents alike. This week, an apartment in Hong Kong's Mid-Levels area sold for a record-breaking HK$439 million, or around US$57 million, and analysts expect a continued flow of money into the city's luxury real estate markets as cash-rich individuals look to take advantage of the Hong Kong government's recently lowered interest rates and the city's appeal as an investment haven.
Today, the AFP writes on the recently sold duplex, noting that the massive flood of mainland money coming into the market is exciting developers but worrying some economists who think this year's 40% leap in the luxury property sector portends that a property bubble could be forming:
"You may see some more record-breaking prices in the luxury segment," said Buggle Lau, chief analyst for Midland Realty.
"We have all the ingredients for a bubble coming up... With low interest rates and ample liquidity people are inclined to put their money into real estate."
Demand from mainland Chinese investors looking to diversify their new-found wealth and snap up trophy property assets was also likely to buoy the market, said Savills' head of research Simon Smith.
"There is quite a lot of momentum out there. If you look ahead there's a chronic undersupply of residential units for luxury and the mass market," he added.